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STILLWATER — A few years ago, Oklahoma State had some good tight ends, but no real tight ends.
In the 2019-20 seasons, the Cowboy tight end roster looked something like this:
Jelani Woods, a converted quarterback.
Logan Carter, a walk-on who played offensive tackle and defensive end in high school.
Dayton Metcalf, a walk-on who was a high school quarterback.
Braden Cassity, a converted defensive end.
All four were viable players who provided value in different areas.
Woods ultimately went on to be drafted by the Indianapolis Colts and is entering his third year in the NFL. Carter was ultra-reliable and Metcalf was a consistent performer when called upon. Cassity was young back then, but developed into a stalwart blocker who could occasionally catch some passes, too.
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Oklahoma State’s Blake Jarwin (47) makes a catch against Kansas’ Michael Glatczak (39) during a college football game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) and the Kansas Jayhawks (KU) in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
All four were solid players, but none of them came to OSU as tight ends.
That’s a change in coach Mike Gundy’s recruiting philosophy over the last couple of years as his offense has begun to lean more heavily on help from that position — and the 2025 recruiting class is another step in that direction.
With few exceptions, the Cowboys focused throughout the majority of the 2010s on trying to minimize their recruiting investment in the position, looking for players who were physical with good size and could be molded into the role.
It worked out with guys like those mentioned above and a few others along the way, like Blake Jarwin, who walked on after a strong high school career at…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/oklahoma-state-footballs-adjusted-emphasis-110152262.html
Author : The Oklahoman
Publish date : 2024-07-14 11:01:52
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