OSU Football Leads Big 12 with Five 4.0 GPAs on All-Academic Team

Zeke Zaragoza and Alex Hale Pregame warmups at Houston 2023

OSU Football Leads Big 12 with Five 4.0 GPAs on All-Academic Team

February 14, 2024 | Cowboy Football

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State football is well-represented on the 2023 Academic All-Big 12 Team that was announced Wednesday, as the Cowboys lead all conference football teams with five student-athletes honored with a 4.0 grade point average.

Those five are part of 29 Cowboys included on the Academic All-Big 12 First Team, which ties for the third-most of any football team in the conference. OSU's six additional second team selections bring the total number honored to 35 football players, which ties for the fifth-most in this year's 14-team conference.

Including this season, the nine highest totals for first-team Academic All-Big 12 selections in OSU football history have come in the past nine years, as OSU had 13 in 2015, 12 in 2016, 20 in 2017, 13 in 2018, 16 in 2019, 28 in 2020, 28 in 2021, 29 in 2022 and 29 in 2023.

Alex Hale, Jake Schultz, Peyton Thompson, Logan Ward and Zeke Zaragoza make up the five Cowboys honored with a 4.0 grade point average. With only 24 total Big 12 football players registering a perfect GPA, more than a fifth of them attend Oklahoma State. It is the second time that Hale (2022), Ward (2022) and Schultz (2020) have been honored with a 4.0 GPA.

Several Cowboys received recognition for multiple times in their careers, highlighted by Hale and Braden Cassity who are now five-time selections. They are the third and fourth five-time academic all-conference football team members in OSU history after taking advantage of an extra year of eligibility due to the NCAA ruling surrounding COVID-19. Hale, who was also named a 2023 CSC Academic All-America first team selection in January, earned first-team honors all five seasons from 2019-23, while Cassity was a first team honoree in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023 and second team honoree in 2021.

Jake Schultz, Jake Springfield and Preston Wilson were named to the first team for a fourth-straight season and are now the 15th, 16th and 17th OSU players to earn four first-team honors. Joe Michalski also received his fourth-straight recognition after he was included on the first team this year and in 2021 and 2022 and the second team in 2020. His recognition combined with the other three gives OSU 21 four-time academic all-conference football players in program history.

Cale Cabbiness, Brennan Presley and Jordan Reagan were named to the first team for a third-consecutive year.

OSU's two-time first-team honorees include Jaden Bray, Gunnar Gundy, Aden Kelley, Parker Robertson, Logan Ward and Zeke Zaragoza, who have been named two years straight, as well as Jeff Roberson, who was honored in 2021 and this year. Constantino Borrelli and Raymond Gay II also received their second career honors after being named to the first team in 2022 and the second team this year. Taylor Miterko was a second team member in 2020 and a first-team member this year, while Cole Birmingham was a second team member in 2021 and this year.

First time honorees include first team members Gabe Brown, Collin Clay, Chance Clements, Blaine Green, Isreal Isuman-Hundley, Austin Kawecki, Garrick Martin, Luke McEndoo, Garret Rangel, Xavier Ross, Talyn Shettron and Peyton Thompson, as well as second team members De'kelvion Beamon, Jason Brooks Jr. and Quinton Stewart.

First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA while the second team selections hold a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 20 percent of their team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.

The complete list of Cowboys on the 2023 Academic All-Big 12 teams:

Name	Major	Team
Jaden Bray	Marketing	First Team
Gabe Brown	Management and Marketing	First Team
Cale Cabbiness	Management and Marketing	First Team
Braden Cassity	Interdisciplinary Studies	First Team
Collin Clay	Leisure Studies	First Team
Chance Clements	Sports Management	First Team
Blaine Green	Pre-Veterinary Animal Science	First Team
Gunnar Gundy	Marketing	First Team
*Alex Hale (4.0 GPA)	Health & Human Performance	First Team
Isreal Isuman-Hundley	Health Care Administration	First Team
Austin Kawecki	Accounting	First Team
Aden Kelley	Agribusiness	First Team
Garrick Martin	Management	First Team
Luke McEndoo	Agribusiness	First Team
Joe Michalski	Agribusiness	First Team
Taylor Miterko	Management and Marketing	First Team
Brennan Presley	Marketing	First Team
Garret Rangel	Sports Media	First Team
Jordan Reagan	Management	First Team
Jeff Roberson	Sports Management	First Team
Parker Robertson	Finance	First Team
Xavier Ross	Recreation & Leisure Management	First Team
*Jake Schultz (4.0 GPA)	International Agriculture	First Team
Talyn Shettron	Sports Management	First Team
Jake Springfield	Management	First Team
*Peyton Thompson (4.0 GPA)	Recreation & Leisure Management	First Team
*Logan Ward (4.0 GPA)	Nutritional Sciences/Human Nutrition/Pre-Med	First Team
Preston Wilson	Management and Marketing	First Team
*Zeke Zaragoza (4.0 GPA)	Leisure Studies	First Team
De'kelvion Beamon	University Studies	Second Team
Cole Birmingham	Entrepreneurship and Marketing	Second Team
Constantino Borelli	Economics	Second Team
Jason Brooks Jr.	University Studies	Second Team
Raymond Gay II	University Studies	Second Team
Quinton Stewart	Management	Second Team