Oklahoma State University Athletics
Spring Preview: Defensive Line
April 07, 2015 | Cowboy Football
April 7, 2015
The good news is that the Cowboy front is as deep as it has ever been during the Mike Gundy era.
Junior defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, the 2014 Big 12 defensive lineman of the year and a 2014 first-team All-Big 12 honoree by both the coaches and by the media who cover the league, is the headliner of this group. While Hautau was recognized as the team's overall MVP last season, Ogbah was singled out as the team's defensive MVP - and for good reason. Ogbah ranked third in the Big 12 and 24th nationally in tackles for loss per game (1.3) and second in the Big 12 and 15th nationally in sacks per game (0.85). He recorded 5.5 tackles for loss in the Cowboys' win at Kansas, which set an OSU single-game record and was the most tackles for loss for any player in the country in a single game in 2014. Ogbah introduced himself to a national audience when he enjoyed a breakthrough performance with six tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and two pass-breakups against top-ranked Florida State. At one point of the season, Ogbah produced a stretch where he recorded at least one sack in six consecutive games.
At the other defensive end spot is senior Jimmy Bean, who has started every game the past two seasons. Bean's nine career quarterback hurries rank as the seventh-most in school history. Additionally, he has registered 78 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks during his career. He has performed well in big games, highlighted by his performance against Missouri in the 2014 Cotton Bowl in which he recorded seven tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack. The bottom line is this - Oklahoma State's defensive ends have a proven track record of making plays and are a formidable tandem.
If there is a question mark in this group, it's this - can defensive line coach Joe Bob Clements get production from whomever it is that starts on the inside of the defensive front, because regardless of who that person is, he will be a first-time starter.
Based on their careers to this point, sophomores Vili Leveni and Vincent Taylor have the inside track, but don't discount junior college transfer Motekiai Maile, who enrolled early and will participate in spring practice after transferring from Tyler Junior College. Leveni and Taylor got most of the second-team reps last year and were solid in their role, with Leveni recording 16 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a quarterback hurry and Taylor adding 13 tackles and one tackle for loss. Maile was a first-team all-conference performer last season who chose to attend Oklahoma State over offers from TCU, Mississippi State and Arizona State.
Though the OSU defensive line features a bona fide standout in Ogbah and a rock-solid running mate in Bean, it may be the depth of this group that is its best attribute - especially at defensive end. Senior Trace Clark is a very solid backup who would be a starter most any other season. He has 32 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss during his career. A trio of redshirt freshmen defensive ends - Trey Carter, Jarrell Owens and Cole Walterscheid - are players to watch this spring. Carter and Owens consistently gave the OSU offensive line fits as members of the scout team last year and Walterscheid added 32 pounds to his frame in less than one year in the Cowboy football strength and conditioning program. By the time bowl practice came, Walterscheid was causing disruption at a similar rate as Carter and Owens. All three gave ample reason to believe that they will be contributors early on in their respective careers.
Junior Eric Davis and sophomore Ben Hughes are candidates to see extended reps at defensive tackle during the spring and can go a long way toward securing a role on gameday should they perform well this offseason.
The Bottom Line
STILLWATER - There is bad news and there is good news on the Oklahoma State defensive line going into 2015. The bad news is that James Castleman and Ofa Hautau are gone. How valuable were those two? Castleman started 37 games in his four-year career and Hautau was honored as the team's overall MVP in 2014.
The good news is that the Cowboy front is as deep as it has ever been during the Mike Gundy era.
Junior defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, the 2014 Big 12 defensive lineman of the year and a 2014 first-team All-Big 12 honoree by both the coaches and by the media who cover the league, is the headliner of this group. While Hautau was recognized as the team's overall MVP last season, Ogbah was singled out as the team's defensive MVP - and for good reason. Ogbah ranked third in the Big 12 and 24th nationally in tackles for loss per game (1.3) and second in the Big 12 and 15th nationally in sacks per game (0.85). He recorded 5.5 tackles for loss in the Cowboys' win at Kansas, which set an OSU single-game record and was the most tackles for loss for any player in the country in a single game in 2014. Ogbah introduced himself to a national audience when he enjoyed a breakthrough performance with six tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and two pass-breakups against top-ranked Florida State. At one point of the season, Ogbah produced a stretch where he recorded at least one sack in six consecutive games.
At the other defensive end spot is senior Jimmy Bean, who has started every game the past two seasons. Bean's nine career quarterback hurries rank as the seventh-most in school history. Additionally, he has registered 78 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks during his career. He has performed well in big games, highlighted by his performance against Missouri in the 2014 Cotton Bowl in which he recorded seven tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack. The bottom line is this - Oklahoma State's defensive ends have a proven track record of making plays and are a formidable tandem.
If there is a question mark in this group, it's this - can defensive line coach Joe Bob Clements get production from whomever it is that starts on the inside of the defensive front, because regardless of who that person is, he will be a first-time starter.
Based on their careers to this point, sophomores Vili Leveni and Vincent Taylor have the inside track, but don't discount junior college transfer Motekiai Maile, who enrolled early and will participate in spring practice after transferring from Tyler Junior College. Leveni and Taylor got most of the second-team reps last year and were solid in their role, with Leveni recording 16 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a quarterback hurry and Taylor adding 13 tackles and one tackle for loss. Maile was a first-team all-conference performer last season who chose to attend Oklahoma State over offers from TCU, Mississippi State and Arizona State.
Though the OSU defensive line features a bona fide standout in Ogbah and a rock-solid running mate in Bean, it may be the depth of this group that is its best attribute - especially at defensive end. Senior Trace Clark is a very solid backup who would be a starter most any other season. He has 32 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss during his career. A trio of redshirt freshmen defensive ends - Trey Carter, Jarrell Owens and Cole Walterscheid - are players to watch this spring. Carter and Owens consistently gave the OSU offensive line fits as members of the scout team last year and Walterscheid added 32 pounds to his frame in less than one year in the Cowboy football strength and conditioning program. By the time bowl practice came, Walterscheid was causing disruption at a similar rate as Carter and Owens. All three gave ample reason to believe that they will be contributors early on in their respective careers.
Junior Eric Davis and sophomore Ben Hughes are candidates to see extended reps at defensive tackle during the spring and can go a long way toward securing a role on gameday should they perform well this offseason.
Oklahoma State has proven playmakers and promising up-and-comers on its defensive line, especially at defensive end. Emmanuel Ogbah is as good as there is in the Big 12 and is worthy of being included in preseason All-America discussions. Should OSU get production from the interior of its defensive front, the sky may be the limit for this collective unit.
Players Mentioned
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