Kobe Hylton: True Competitor

As he makes his last collegiate stop in Stillwater, Kobe Hylton embodies his parents' bravery and commitment, shaping his journey every step of the way.

Hylton's parents, Allan and Nathaleen, moved from Jamaica to the United States in 1995. The same passion Allan and Nathaleen had when leaving their home country was instilled in Kobe.

"My parents always told me, 'Don't think where you are is the end-all-be-all. It's a lot bigger. Take yourself away from your perspective and see what's bigger out there.' I always knew I had dreams and aspirations of playing big ball," Hylton said. "Whatever it was, wherever I ended up, I didn't care. I was going to do whatever I needed to do to get there."

The Snellville, Georgia, native started his collegiate career at Long Island University in 2019. Hylton made his second stop in Miami at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. Taking his redshirt year in 2021 at Louisiana, the six-foot safety made his fourth stop at the University of Texas at El Paso. Over two seasons at UTEP, Hylton earned honorable mention honors to the All-Conference USA team in both years while accumulating 145 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, seven pass breakups, seven quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and a blocked kick.

Looking for a place to spend his last season of eligibility, Stillwater felt like home both on and off the field for Hylton.

"It felt like a family feel, and when I took the visit, I already knew this was where I wanted to come. It's a lot of genuine people," Hylton said. "Ollie Gordon was the first person to welcome me in. This is a family feel. At the end of the day, that's all it is. It's bigger than ball. You want to have a genuine relationship with these people."

Entering his redshirt senior season, Hylton almost never had an opportunity.

"Coming into the season, I sprained my MCL," Hylton said. "I damn near broke down because I thought I was going to have to get surgery. My senior year got kind of delayed, but God has a plan or everything, so I just trusted him, and here I am today."

Continuing to lean on his faith and the passion passed on from his parents, Hylton has always bet on himself. Coming off of two consecutive starts, Hylton has tallied 15 total tackles this season, including a tackle for a loss.

"I had faith in myself, my playing level and my playing style to know that at the end of the day, I'm going to compete. I'm a competitor. I'm going to let my tape speak for itself," Hylton said.

Hylton's unwavering confidence and competitive spirit are once again another characteristic that was passed down from his parents, Allan and Nathaleen.

"(My parents) always told me, 'Whatever I plan on doing, go ahead and do it with full intent. You can't be halfway in and halfway out because that's when you start to second guess yourself and come up with plan B's'. To be real, I never had a plan B," Hylton said. "I always stuck with my plan, and whatever it was, I was going to do it."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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