Why Oklahoma State Appears Focused on Flipping this SEC Recruit
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National signing day isn't until December. For programs like Oklahoma State that means a couple of things on the recruiting trail.
First, head coach Eric Morris and his staff need to protect the 11 recruits they've already collected commitments from. So far this cycle they've only lost one flip – offensive lineman Chase Clark, who committed to OSU and then flipped to Purdue.
The other thing is to try and flip a few commits of their own. These are players committed to other schools, but Oklahoma State likes them enough to continue pursuing. Recently, Rivals (subscription required) wrote about an Oklahoma-based prep player the Cowboys are interested in flipping and there's a good reason why they're pursuing him.
Why OSU Wants to Flip This Player
The Cowboys have two offensive line commits of their own – Sonny Mullen of Troy, Texas, and Jake Baker of Ensworth in Nashville, Tenn. Both are seen as offensive tackles and both are considered Top 130 players at the position nationally by 247Sports.com (subscription required).
The Cowboys need coverage at other offensive line positions. That's why Odaefe Orunu is seen as a flip candidate, even though he's currently committed to Arkansas. The Jenks (Okla.) offensive lineman would be a double whammy for OSU.
First, he's an in-state player, and the Cowboys have already landed three in-state commitments this cycle. Second, the 6-6, 285-pound lineman is seen as an interior lineman, something the Cowboys don't have right now.
He would also give the Cowboys a second four-star prospect, per 247Sports. He's seen as the No. 8 player in Oklahoma and the No. 22 interior lineman in the country. That puts his national ranking far ahead of both Mullen and Baker, who committed this summer.
It's easy to see why the Cowboys may be relentlessly trying to flip him. It doesn't hurt that a player he blocked for last season at Jenks, running back KD Jones, is a freshman at OSU.
The current class has an offensive lean for Oklahoma State, which is of little surprise to this point. The top offensive recruit is Hightower (Missouri City, Texas) quarterback Carson White. He is followed by running back TJ Lewis from Bolingbrook (Ill.).
Morris and his staff have three other skill position players committed, including one from in-state – tight end Talan Scott from American Leadership Academy (Queen City, Ariz.), wide receiver Ake O'Neal (Argyle, Texas) and wide receiver Cooper Hooker Pryor High School (Quapaw, Okla.).
The defensive side of the ball features the Cowboys' only four-star recruit to this point in linebacker Israel Hammonds (Choctaw, Okla). Hammonds is joined by defensive backs Bryson Brown (Broken Bow, Okla.) and Chayce Davis of Trinity High School (Euless, Texas).
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahomastate as Why Oklahoma State Appears Focused on Flipping this SEC Recruit.
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