Oklahoma State University Athletics
Spring Football Primer - Offense
March 09, 2019 | Cowboy Football
2019 Oklahoma State Spring Football Guide in PDF FormatÂ
  Coming off its 13th-straight winning season and its seventh bowl victory in the last nine years, Oklahoma State carries a proven culture of success with it into the 2019 season. That overall culture should play a role in accelerating the transition that comes with having new faces at three important spots - offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and starting quarterback.
   The change at quarterback means head coach Mike Gundy will have his third different starter in as many seasons, but there is no reason to doubt his track record when it comes to quarterback play, as the Cowboys have ranked in the top 10 nationally in passing offense in each of the past four seasons.
  A closer look at the Cowboy offense before practices begin on Monday:
The Cowboy Offense
   There is a sense of newness to the 2019 offense, with first-year coordinator Sean Gleeson and first-year offensive line coach Charlie Dickey in the fold and a void to fill at starting quarterback. That said, the Cowboys do return six offensive starters - three of which are on the offensive line. At the skill positions, OSU returns a 2018 first-team All-American and Biletnikoff Award finalist in junior Tylan Wallace and an explosive running back in Chuba Hubbard.
Offensive Line
   New coach Charlie Dickey inherits a trio of experienced veterans in seniors Johnny Wilson and Marcus Keyes and junior Teven Jenkins, plus a fourth player - junior Dylan Galloway - who started five games last season.Â
   Beyond that, there is plenty to be settled, both in the starting lineup and extending further into the two-deep. Candidates for playing time include juniors Ry Schneider and Matt Kegel plus a host of redshirt freshmen in Tyrese Williams, Hunter Anthony, Hunter Woodard, Bryce Bray and Jacob Farrell.Â
   Regardless of who plays, Dickey's presence provides a sense of optimism. Mike Gundy had tried multiple times before to hire Dickey away from Kansas State, but Bill Snyder's retirement following the 2018 season gave Gundy the chance to finally get the man he has wanted in charge of the Cowboy front.Â
Quarterback
   For the first time since 2012, Oklahoma State's opening day starting quarterback will not have thrown a pass in an OSU uniform prior to being named as the Cowboys' starter.
   The two primary candidates to earn the spot in 2019 are Dru Brown, a senior graduate transfer who was a two-year starter at Hawaii, and Spencer Sanders, who had a highly-decorated prep career at Ryan HS in Denton, Texas, where he earned Mr. Texas Football honors in 2017 and was a national-level recruit. Brown and Sanders shared second-team reps in practice last season.
   For those looking to OSU's game tape from 2018 for insight, there is only one snap available - a Brown handoff during the Liberty Bowl that was brought about because the starter, Taylor Cornelius, had his helmet knocked off and had to go to the sideline for a play.Â
   So what does that mean for 2019? It means that both Brown and Sanders have everything to play for.Â
   Making things even more interesting is the presence of Gleeson, who comes to OSU after coordinating a Princeton offense that led the FCS by averaging 47.0 points per game last season. Each of his last two quarterbacks was recognized as Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, but they got there in different ways. In 2017, Chad Kanoff was a pro-style passer who set the Ivy League record with 3,474 passing yards. In 2018, John Lovett excelled as a dual-threat performer who averaged 203.7 passing yards and 99.3 rushing yards per game.
   Gleeson's proven ability to succeed on offense with different styles of quarterback provides evidence that he has what it takes to continue OSU's offensive tradition regardless of who starts at quarterback.
   Another name to note at quarterback is early-enrollee freshman Brendan Costello, who enjoyed a strong prep career at San Clemente (Calif.) HS.
Running Back
   Gone is two-time first-team All-Big 12 running back Justice Hill, his 3,539 career rushing yards and his 30 career rushing touchdowns, but that doesn't mean Oklahoma State is without options.Â
   A glimpse into the future was provided last season when Hill got injured in early November and essentially missed the final four games of the season. During that time, Chuba Hubbard (now a sophomore) stepped in and proved himself to be more than capable. In his four games as the featured back (at No. 6 Oklahoma, vs. No. 7 West Virginia, at TCU and vs. No. 23 Missouri in the Liberty Bowl), he averaged 106.3 rushing yards per contest and 5.4 yards per carry. In those four games, he produced three 100-yard rushing performances and five rushing touchdowns. He was also effective in the passing game, logging 13 receptions in those four contests.
   Hubbard is the most accomplished returning running back, but he's not the only one who has shown the ability to make plays. Junior LD Brown is one of the fastest players on the team and enters 2019 averaging 6.3 yards per carry on 61 career attempts.Â
   Junior college transfer Dezmon Jackson and redshirt freshman Jahmyl Jeter will also get a look during the spring.
Receiver
   Few receivers in America have performed at the level that Tylan Wallace has for Oklahoma State. In 2018, Wallace was a first-team All-American and one of three national finalists for the Biletnikoff Award presented to the nation's top receiver. He ranked second nationally with 1,491 total receiving yards and was third nationally with 114.7 receiving yards per game and did his best work on the biggest stages. In Oklahoma State's three games against teams ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll, he averaged 5.6 receptions, 168.0 receiving yards and 2.0 receiving touchdowns per game.
   Wallace is the most decorated player on the roster, though he is not the only weapon in the passing attack, as OSU returns four of its top five receivers from a 2018 offense that ranked 10th nationally in passing offense. Juniors Dillon Stoner and Landon Wolf have both made their share of big plays for the Cowboys and are in line to add to that this season.
   In addition to the proven group of veteran receivers, there is intrigue in how big-bodied Patrick McKaufman (6-foot-6, 200 pounds), C.J. Moore (6-foot-5, 175 pounds) Jonathan Shepherd (6-foot-4, 195 pounds) and LC Greenwood (6-foot-3, 212 pounds) will develop leading into the season.
Cowboy Back
   With seven starts to his credit in 2018, converted quarterback Jelani Woods is the most established performer returning in this group. He had seven receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns last season and averaged 17.1 yards per catch. After Woods, however, the only returning Cowboy Back to have seen meaningful action at the position is junior Logan Carter.Â
   A pair of former junior college teammates - junior Jake Ross and senior Larry Joubert - are both in the mix, as are sophomore Baron Odom and Dayton Metcalf. A good athlete who figures to be a threat in the passing game, Ross missed all of last season to injury, while Joubert figures to be more of a blocker after moving to Cowboy Back from the offensive line.Â
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  Coming off its 13th-straight winning season and its seventh bowl victory in the last nine years, Oklahoma State carries a proven culture of success with it into the 2019 season. That overall culture should play a role in accelerating the transition that comes with having new faces at three important spots - offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and starting quarterback.
   The change at quarterback means head coach Mike Gundy will have his third different starter in as many seasons, but there is no reason to doubt his track record when it comes to quarterback play, as the Cowboys have ranked in the top 10 nationally in passing offense in each of the past four seasons.
  A closer look at the Cowboy offense before practices begin on Monday:
The Cowboy Offense
   There is a sense of newness to the 2019 offense, with first-year coordinator Sean Gleeson and first-year offensive line coach Charlie Dickey in the fold and a void to fill at starting quarterback. That said, the Cowboys do return six offensive starters - three of which are on the offensive line. At the skill positions, OSU returns a 2018 first-team All-American and Biletnikoff Award finalist in junior Tylan Wallace and an explosive running back in Chuba Hubbard.
Offensive Line
   New coach Charlie Dickey inherits a trio of experienced veterans in seniors Johnny Wilson and Marcus Keyes and junior Teven Jenkins, plus a fourth player - junior Dylan Galloway - who started five games last season.Â
   Beyond that, there is plenty to be settled, both in the starting lineup and extending further into the two-deep. Candidates for playing time include juniors Ry Schneider and Matt Kegel plus a host of redshirt freshmen in Tyrese Williams, Hunter Anthony, Hunter Woodard, Bryce Bray and Jacob Farrell.Â
   Regardless of who plays, Dickey's presence provides a sense of optimism. Mike Gundy had tried multiple times before to hire Dickey away from Kansas State, but Bill Snyder's retirement following the 2018 season gave Gundy the chance to finally get the man he has wanted in charge of the Cowboy front.Â
Quarterback
   For the first time since 2012, Oklahoma State's opening day starting quarterback will not have thrown a pass in an OSU uniform prior to being named as the Cowboys' starter.
   The two primary candidates to earn the spot in 2019 are Dru Brown, a senior graduate transfer who was a two-year starter at Hawaii, and Spencer Sanders, who had a highly-decorated prep career at Ryan HS in Denton, Texas, where he earned Mr. Texas Football honors in 2017 and was a national-level recruit. Brown and Sanders shared second-team reps in practice last season.
   For those looking to OSU's game tape from 2018 for insight, there is only one snap available - a Brown handoff during the Liberty Bowl that was brought about because the starter, Taylor Cornelius, had his helmet knocked off and had to go to the sideline for a play.Â
   So what does that mean for 2019? It means that both Brown and Sanders have everything to play for.Â
   Making things even more interesting is the presence of Gleeson, who comes to OSU after coordinating a Princeton offense that led the FCS by averaging 47.0 points per game last season. Each of his last two quarterbacks was recognized as Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, but they got there in different ways. In 2017, Chad Kanoff was a pro-style passer who set the Ivy League record with 3,474 passing yards. In 2018, John Lovett excelled as a dual-threat performer who averaged 203.7 passing yards and 99.3 rushing yards per game.
   Gleeson's proven ability to succeed on offense with different styles of quarterback provides evidence that he has what it takes to continue OSU's offensive tradition regardless of who starts at quarterback.
   Another name to note at quarterback is early-enrollee freshman Brendan Costello, who enjoyed a strong prep career at San Clemente (Calif.) HS.
Running Back
   Gone is two-time first-team All-Big 12 running back Justice Hill, his 3,539 career rushing yards and his 30 career rushing touchdowns, but that doesn't mean Oklahoma State is without options.Â
   A glimpse into the future was provided last season when Hill got injured in early November and essentially missed the final four games of the season. During that time, Chuba Hubbard (now a sophomore) stepped in and proved himself to be more than capable. In his four games as the featured back (at No. 6 Oklahoma, vs. No. 7 West Virginia, at TCU and vs. No. 23 Missouri in the Liberty Bowl), he averaged 106.3 rushing yards per contest and 5.4 yards per carry. In those four games, he produced three 100-yard rushing performances and five rushing touchdowns. He was also effective in the passing game, logging 13 receptions in those four contests.
   Hubbard is the most accomplished returning running back, but he's not the only one who has shown the ability to make plays. Junior LD Brown is one of the fastest players on the team and enters 2019 averaging 6.3 yards per carry on 61 career attempts.Â
   Junior college transfer Dezmon Jackson and redshirt freshman Jahmyl Jeter will also get a look during the spring.
Receiver
   Few receivers in America have performed at the level that Tylan Wallace has for Oklahoma State. In 2018, Wallace was a first-team All-American and one of three national finalists for the Biletnikoff Award presented to the nation's top receiver. He ranked second nationally with 1,491 total receiving yards and was third nationally with 114.7 receiving yards per game and did his best work on the biggest stages. In Oklahoma State's three games against teams ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll, he averaged 5.6 receptions, 168.0 receiving yards and 2.0 receiving touchdowns per game.
   Wallace is the most decorated player on the roster, though he is not the only weapon in the passing attack, as OSU returns four of its top five receivers from a 2018 offense that ranked 10th nationally in passing offense. Juniors Dillon Stoner and Landon Wolf have both made their share of big plays for the Cowboys and are in line to add to that this season.
   In addition to the proven group of veteran receivers, there is intrigue in how big-bodied Patrick McKaufman (6-foot-6, 200 pounds), C.J. Moore (6-foot-5, 175 pounds) Jonathan Shepherd (6-foot-4, 195 pounds) and LC Greenwood (6-foot-3, 212 pounds) will develop leading into the season.
Cowboy Back
   With seven starts to his credit in 2018, converted quarterback Jelani Woods is the most established performer returning in this group. He had seven receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns last season and averaged 17.1 yards per catch. After Woods, however, the only returning Cowboy Back to have seen meaningful action at the position is junior Logan Carter.Â
   A pair of former junior college teammates - junior Jake Ross and senior Larry Joubert - are both in the mix, as are sophomore Baron Odom and Dayton Metcalf. A good athlete who figures to be a threat in the passing game, Ross missed all of last season to injury, while Joubert figures to be more of a blocker after moving to Cowboy Back from the offensive line.Â
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