A year after making the Big 12 title game and coming a yard (literally) short of beating Baylor for the crown, Oklahoma State football took a rather large step back.
The Cowboys finished just 7-6 and barely made a bowl game. That had a lot to do with underwhelming play from the quarterback position as well as a major step back on the defensive side of the ball from being one of the best in the Big 12 to one of the worst.
Oklahoma State did bring in the No. 36 class in 2022 and a few guys have been waiting for their opportunity to get the Cowboys back on track.
These three 2022 class players could become stars in 2023.
Outside of having one of the best names of any recruit in the 2022 class, former four-star receiver Talyn Shettron was Oklahoma State’s No. 1 commit.
The No. 126 prospect in the 2022 class and 19th-best receiver caught just three passes for 31 yards and a touchdown in four games last season which means he was able to preserve that redshirt and that’s great news because he looks like he’s about to become a star for the Cowboys.
He’ll have to be, especially considering all the talent Oklahoma State has lost.
In fact, Bryson Green, John Paul Richardson, and Stephon Johnson Jr. all entered the transfer portal in a 24-hour span this offseason and that means four of the team’s top five receivers are gone. Braydon Johnson declared for the NFL draft after finishing second on the team in receiving.
So it feels like it’s time for Shettron to step up and become a star. He does have the potential and I could see him being the team’s WR2, at worst.
It’s been a couple of years since Oklahoma State really had a dominant run game and you know fans are hoping and praying for a return of those days. Chuba Hubbard feels like he was on the team a decade ago, but Ollie Gordon could become that next workhorse back.
Some early depth chart projections have redshirt sophomore Jaden Nixon as the starting running back next season, but Gordon just brings more to the table.
Oh, and Gordon was better as a true freshman than Nixon was last year. He finished with 308 yards and two touchdowns on 5.0 yards per carry to Nixon’s 181 yards and no scores on just 3.6 yards per carry.
Gordon was the second-best recruit in Oklahoma State’s 2022 class and lived up to the hype early on and I think he could be the next Hubbard-type of star running back. He just needs more opportunities and those are coming in 2023.
Obviously the most important position on the field and an area of letdown for Oklahoma State last season has to be addressed. Garret Rangel could be the saving grace for the Cowboys in 2023.
Spencer Sanders was injured quite a bit throughout his career with Oklahoma State and played just 10 games in 2022, passing for over 2,600 yards and 17 touchdowns with nine interceptions, but he just wasn’t cutting it. He was completing just 58 percent of his passes and he was turning the ball over far too much.
Rangel got an opportunity when Sanders was hurt and his completion percentage wasn’t any better (51 percent) but the freshman showed some flashes.
The former four-star quarterback only attempted 115 passes and completed 59 of them for 711 yards and four touchdowns. He did have five picks so that’ll need to be cleaned up, but he was a true freshman.
Another year learning the offense and working to be the QB1 this offseason will only help and I could see him becoming a legitimate star in the Oklahoma State offense next year.