The best of OSU’s signing day

Oklahoma State’s latest search for the biggest, fastest, strongest and, oh yes, best football players concluded Wednesday with 22 players added on national signing day.

Yet along with all those familiar measurables, the Cowboys also updated their focus with an added emphasis on yet another search variable: Smartest. “We’ve moved in the direction to try and really secure cerebral football players,” said OSU coach

“guys we think can think and react really fast in the game.”

Gundy noted that the game continues to change in mentally challenging ways, mostly due to the evolution of offenses. Biggest and strongest, while still desired traits, don’t always dictate success in this college football era. Speed and schemes, like the proliferation of the spread – particularly in the Big 12 – place even greater emphasis on the reactand-respond aspect of the game as players adjust to motion and misdirection.

“Maybe more so on defense than any, you have to be able to think very fast.”

Class recap

The Cowboys signed 11 defensive players, 10 for offense and one kicker. The class consists of 17 high school recruits and five from junior college.

The new Cowboys come from eight states and two countries – nine from Texas, four from Oklahoma, two from Georgia, two from Tennessee and one each from California, Illinois, Michigan, Utah and… Alberta, Canada.

Hill to miss spring drills

Running back will miss spring practice after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.

Hill, the Cowboys’ leading rusher and a Freshman All-American in 2016, had a procedure performed to address an issue he’d been dealing with since his high school days at Tulsa Washington.

OSU will hold Hill out of spring work, but expects him to be at 100 percent this summer.

“He had it fixed and now he’ll feel like new,” Gundy said Wednesday.

Skill sets

Everybody loves skill players.

And there’s much to like about OSU’s latest additions at quarterback, running back and receiver.

is a 6-foot-7 quarterback who won’t have any trouble seeing over his linemen. Woods led his school, Cedar Grove High, to a Georgia state championship. Running back

is ranked as the No. 1 recruit in Canada, after rushing for 6,880 yards and 82 touchdowns in his career. a running back out of Georgia, ran for nearly 6,000 yards and earned first-team All-State honors.

Hubbard and King should battle to complement Hill in a significant role next fall. Texas prep receivers

and are the consensus four-star prospects in the class, while Gundy said

another Texas product, “Can fly, he allows us to take the top off the defense.”

Missing pieces

The Cowboys hoped to sign four offensive linemen in the class.

They secured one. a 6-5, 305-pound junior college tackle, will be given a shot to compete for a starting spot. And the addition of Minnesota transfer is a bonus for 2018-19.

Otherwise, OSU was left hanging, with two longtime commits flipping to other schools in December and their own efforts to swing linemen their way were unsuccessful.

“That was the most difficult aspect of this class,” Gundy said.

The Cowboys return four starters from the fall and currently list 20 offensive linemen on the roster, so the situation isn’t critical – yet. Gundy said the aim will be to sign five offensive linemen in 2018. Evers never wavered With less than 24 hours left until National Signing Day, Brendon Evers received a phone call from a Notre Dame assistant coach.

“They were just congratulating me and seeing how I’m doing,” Evers assured. “I didn’t really think it was a big deal.”

The 6-foot-2, 290-pound Evers never wavered from his Cowboy pledge, and on Wednesday he signed to play in Stillwater next fall.

“The minute I stepped on campus I was like, ‘Man, I want to go here,’” Evers said. “It’s definitely something I’m thankful for.”

Evers played for three consecutive state championship teams at Bixby, finishing his senior year with 45 tackles (16.5 for loss), nine sacks, four forced fumbles and a blocked field goal. He checked in at No. 13 on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 rankings.

“Oklahoma State was one of the first large schools to offer him,” Bixby coach Loren Montgomery said. “He’s been committed to those guys for a long time, so they’ve kind of had a special relationship. I think that means a lot.”

One to give

The Cowboys carry one available scholarship forward.

And they expect it to be filled, although perhaps not until after the spring semester.

The likely recipient: a graduate transfer from another FBS school.

OSU has benefited each of the past four seasons from a grad transfer and has become a popular destination, as all four players started for the Cowboys and three reached the NFL.

‘Big Daddy’

As Gundy stood at the podium for his signing day press conference Wednesday, he sipped from a baby blue mug with an interesting inscription: “Big Daddy.” Gundy revealed that the mug came from his youngest son, who, as the story goes, sprang the coach’s mullet into action with pleas for dad to get a haircut, to no avail. So, dad wins? As for the mullet, it remains, although it’s been trimmed, three inches according to Gundy.

Quotable

Gundy on reconciling his program’s success with another in a string of classes that will rank in the mid-30s of the recruiting rankings:

“There’s one of two things happening, ‘We’re either damn good evaluators, and the recruiting services don’t know what they’re talking about; or we’re damn good coaches. One or the other, I don’t know which one it is. But we’re not changing what we do.”

- WR, 6-3, 200, Garland Lakeview Centennial (Texas). Greenwood posted 138 catches, 2,113 yards and 29 TDs during his high school career as Lakeview Centennial won its first playoff game in more than 20 years. A lengthy prospect with elite leaping ability.

- OL, 6-5, 300, Garden City CC (Kan.). Hambright is a former defensive lineman who shifted positions in junior college. He has elite size, but is a likely a redshirt candidate to further develop into his new role as a raw athlete.

- RB,6-0,180, Bev Facey Community (Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada). Hubbard is among the world’s fastest 100-meter sprinters at his age. He’s also the second Canadian prospect signed by OSU in consecutive recruiting classes (2016: LB Amen Ogbongbemiga)

- WR, 6-0, 180, Arlington Bowie (Texas). Johnson was a state champion in the 1600-meter relay as a high school sprinter. He’ll bring speed and athleticism to the Cowboys’ receiving corps.

- RB, 5-11, 205, Fiztgerald, (Ga.). King rushed for more than 5,000 yards during an illustrious high school career. He chose OSU over scholarship offers from Minnesota, N.C. State and others.

- DT, 6-3, 290, Snow College (Utah). Leilua is one of several defensive tackles in this class with potential to fill the roles left vacant by Vincent Taylor and Motekiai Maile. Leilua chose OSU over scholarship offers from TCU, Purdue and Utah State.

- LB, 6-3, 235, Arizona Western JC. Macon was named the NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year last fall after posting a nationleading 27.5 tackles for loss. He has potential for an instant impact after the departure of Jordan Burton and Devante Averette.

- LB, 6-3, 218, Oologah. OSU defensive line coach Joe Bob Clements tweeted last September, “I’ve witnessed some hard hits and relentless motors before .... But what I saw last night in Oologah .... the future looks bright.” A solid endorsement for the in-state product ranked No. 4 on The Oklahoman’s Super 30.

- K, 6-4, 193, East Hamilton (Tenn.). McClure is a five-star rated kohlskicking.com punter and kicker who figures to be in the race to kick field goals and kickoffs in Ben Grogan’s departure. A key addition from special teams graduate assistant Steve Hauser.

- CB, 6-2, 195, Dallas Christian (Texas). McCune is a multi-position athlete who figures to play cornerback at OSU. He chose OSU over scholarship overs from Colorado and Texas Tech.

TE, 6-5, 220, Wynnewood. Odom flipped to the Cowboys from Rice with less than 48 hours left until National Signing Day after former OSU commit Tyler Henders (Lehman, Texas) flipped to Baylor. Odom will likely redshirt to build muscle on his lengthy frame.

- CB, 6-1, 175, Gilmer, Texas. Morton broke the Gilmer, Texas, single-season receiving record (1,360), but will likely play cornerback for the Cowboys. He received nine total scholarship offers, per Rivals.

- ATH, 5-10, 180, Denton Guyer (Texas). Mwaniki started one game at quarterback in relief on top of playing receiver and defensive back. He is slated as a safety for the Cowboys.

- S, 6-0, 200, Wagoner. Rodriguez played in three-consecutive Class 4A state championship games at quarterback. He’ll be a safety at OSU.