A Deep Dive Into the 2024 Oklahoma State Cowboys

Intro in what is a new era for the Big 12 Oklahoma state is one of the more intriguing teams heading into 2024 season today we take a deep dive into the Oklahoma State Cowboys to see what we should expect from this team this year before we do that though make sure to subscribe to the channel like the video share the video goes a long way in helping this channel it it goes a long way in helping this series grow it's grown tremendously the channel has just been exploding since we've done this deep dive series and that's not possible without all of you so make sure you're doing all of that and let's dive into Oklahoma State Mike Gundy has been one of the more intriguing coaches for a while now in college football and that Coaching Staff should continue this is a program that knows how to win football games they have the right formula in place and it feels like they're headed towards another successful season in 2024 and when you look at this coaching staff you return a number of key people on that staff but you're also hoping that they can take a step forward this is an offense that was pretty good in certain aspects and then also had some struggles in others so you'd like to see them maybe play with a little bit more consistency and you'd like to see the defense take a step forward as well this is a group that I think has plenty of talent to do exactly that it's just going to come down to whether or not you can play more consistently and handle this new level of competition that you're bringing in from the Pack 12 with those teams the Arizona teams Utah and Colorado so that's going to be an interesting test but this is again a program that has the right talent in place to be able to make an interesting run and they have a player in Alli Gordon who will dive into more that is one of the best if not the best play running back in college football the Transfer Portal transfer portal wasn't something that they hit pretty hard they also didn't lose a ton in the transfer portal in terms of quantity but that's okay you bring in certain players that are going to add good depth to certain positions the wide receiver position was already a really good group but you bring in Gavin Freeman from rival Oklahoma you also bring Dwayne Lofton from Virginia Tech so that's definitely something to keep an eye on there so this is a group that has good talent uh in their starting group but you also have now good depth because of some of the pieces you brought in Trent Howland comes in from Indiana AJ Green comes from Arkansas at the running back position so there are a couple positions that I was kind of surprised they added depth to because it's two of the positions that you feel like Oklahoma state is very strong at so I I think that it's going to be interesting to see how they utilize those players and what that means for their actual depth but we will see what happens there you also bring in a couple of smaller school players to contribute so we'll see if they're able to handle that test now the people that they lost you lose DJ mcken is probably the one that hurts the most if you're Oklahoma state that is definitely one that you wish probably that you could get back and maybe keep him for this year but H he's obviously gone you also lost a couple other players that maybe don't hurt to that extent he's probably the biggest one maybe Jaden Bray if Jane Bray is able to reach his potential but overall I think Oklahoma State feels pretty good about where they're at in terms of talent level and what they have returning and and what they brought in versus what they lose so you feel pretty good about that and you feel pretty good about what this team can do heading into the 24 24 season especially offensively I think one of the bigger surprises was Alan QB & RB Bowman coming back for a seventh year I'm surprised that he is returning to college football but also that brings some stability to this offense and especially that passing attack we talked about how the wide receivers don't necessarily need a ton of help but they brought in plenty of depth pieces that will make this team really exciting now Alan Bowman isn't going to be the most electric quarterback I think that his time at Texas Tech was his Peak and then the transfer to Michigan never really made sense to me I never understood why he went to a program that wasn't going to feature his skill set really well and I'm kind of surprised he didn't stick with Texas Tech but also did understand why he transferred I just never understood the Michigan transfer and gets out of Michigan obviously and that was the best thing he could do because he lands at Oklahoma State and they obviously have a lot of success in 2023 to the tune of 10 wins so I'm just glad that he figured out where he needed to go and figured that he didn't need to be in Michigan especially a place that is not going to utilize him at all so finding a new home and now getting another year of Eligibility means big things for Oklahoma state that is huge for them to have him come back because behind him you don't have a ton of experience you know Garrett Rango comes back the sophomore who had some time as the starter and definitely more of a contributor a couple years ago that just didn't really go well so that's kind of a concern you also have Zayn Flores behind him a red shirt freshman Flores has pretty good size of 64 215 pounds uh but I think Bowman definitely brings a another level that those other guys just can't produce so it it's going to be fun to see what Bowman does but again he needs to stay healthy if they are going to win that many football games again this year it's going to be a tough conference this schedule is going to be a difficult one uh especially the in conference schedule we'll obviously dive into that a little bit more later in the video then we get to olly Gordon there's not much you can really say about olly Gordon that hasn't already been said over 1700 yards he is the reigning do Walker Award winner someone who is definitely going to be on everyone's radar they know who he is they know what he's capable of doing and they know that they have to play very physical with him 6 foot2 215 pounds he is someone that it's not surprising to see the success that he's produced because he's been so good for this team for what seems like a long long time like we mentioned before Trent Howland comes in from Indiana you also get AJ Green from Arkansas those are guys that should contribute you you'll see good depth behind Oly Gordon because Gordon can't do everything himself and yes you'd like to see this team find a little bit more balance but you also feel pretty good about what the rushing attack has returning so you don't have too many concerns about being able to run the football and it'll come down obviously to who those running backs are what they're going to do but then also what this offensive line brings to the table and this is an offensive line that has really good experience you bring back all five starters from last year and that's going to be really fun to discuss here in a little bit but the running back position feels really good Oly Gordon coming back is good for college football he's been one of the more popular guys to talk about in the college football video game that you know kind of a surprise to see his rating but again when you win the do Walker it says a lot about your game and Gordon is one of the best if not the best running backs in college football and he's going to be fun to watch again in 2024 the pass catchers that will WR & TE catch passes from Alan Bowman feel pretty good because they have experienced catching passes from him then they return three starters that will be an absolute Terror to defend Rashad Owens deson stribbling and brenon Presley all return from a group that again is looking to be better for as an overall unit but this is a group that finished 26th in passing and it's easy to see why these three are a big reason why they've had so much success over the last couple years and especially last year they played a big role in that and now all three of them are back you feel really good about what this passing attack is going to be because you have Bowen back because you have this Trio of wide receivers and then like I said before you bring in Talent that's going to help Elevate the floor of this group so when one of these guys needs a break you're bringing in guys like Dwayne Lofton bringing in talent that is going to be able to step up and make sure that the drop off isn't too great you also bring in a number of other players that are going to potentially step up and play a bigger role than you might have expected but you know guys that are going to contribute you know Dwayne Lofton we talked about Gavin Freeman what he's potentially able to do there's plenty of options at the wide receiver position and that means means good things for a group like I said that was a potential top 25 passing attack and should be that again in 20124 if not better the tight end position features an interesting player in Tyler Foster coming in from Ohio 6'6 245 lounds that's a big Target downfield another guy that teams will have to worry about you know behind him is where things get really interesting Josh Ford could play a role Quinton Stewart is another guy to keep an eye on so there's questions more of the tight end position than the wide receiver position but you also feel very good about where this group is at you have a number of rury starters that can get these new faces up to speed in what they expect to do and that's what makes this team so interesting in 2024 and that's what makes them a contender in the Big 12 the offensive line is also a part of that you have a number of potential All Conference players that return to a group that is going to be really fun to watch because of the skill position but also because the offensive line is OL going to make life very easy for their quarterback and the skill position players that he will throw to you know we you can say there a starter everybody that started last year is going to return for this group and it's really fun to see what this group can do in 2024 you have some guys that could compete with them though for starting spots so we will see what happens there Center Joe mski comes back 6'5 300 lb plenty of experience from last year and he'll be really interesting to watch another player to keep an eye on is Jake Springfield and Jason Brooks at the guard positions Preston Wilson will also compete with them for time whether it's as a starter or what whatnot you also have Dalton Cooper and Cole Birmingham to keep an eye on Isaiah glass is a guy that could be in that part of it as well so you have even outside of the starters you feel really good about the talent level that you return you feel really good about what this team has in terms of who brings what to the table and that's going to be a really fun group to watch you feel very very comfortable with the fact that you're going to have enough talent and enough experience where you don't have to help guys grow as much you don't have to bring in these new faces or these young players and develop their skill set on top of what they're going to do for the team as a whole this offense is going to be very good it's and if anything it's just that the floor is higher than most because of the experience they have coming back because of the talent level that they return at the skill positions so you feel like this group is already at a certain level and yes there's still definitely areas where they can improve where you feel very comfortable about what this team brings to the table offensively the defense is really where things need to get better now that being said this is a defense that has plenty of talent to make that happen it's not a lack of talent that is holding Oklahoma State back you're obviously going to face some very different offenses this year you're going to face some very explosive offenses this year you have to find ways to slow them down and obviously most of that starts up front if you are able to DL be disruptive this group will be much better because this is a group that finished in the low 90s in the hundreds they were 125th worst team in total yards allowed they are 126 against the pass so there's certain areas that need to get better and defending the pass part of that is the secondary but also part of that is getting to the quarterback and that tells me that your defensive line is not doing enough to get to the quarterback now you're going to have to find certain players that can step up it's a big reason why someone like jolil Johnson is going to start at one of the defensive end positions you also have Cody Cody Walter Shide is going to start Cody 67 275 pounds so you have guys that are bringing good frames to the table it's just a matter of who is going to be that starter who's going to be the go-to guy uh you bring in a D2 transfer in Obi aigo he will be really fun to watch someone who is looking to prove his worth coming from Ganon Theon Brown is a sophomore that could play a bigger role as well at NOS you have Justin Kirkland coming back had 22 tackles last year and six starts Colin Clay is someone who also has plenty of experience at the position he will play a pretty big role as well so the defensive line has I probably most of the questions on the defense in terms of who's going to be the experienced player that step steps up who's going to be the new player that steps up how much depth do they have those are going to be questions that must be answered because this is a group that has plenty of talent and plenty of ability but if you're not able to get the quarterback you're going to see a lot of results like we saw last year and again this is an offense that could score a lot of points but not enough where you're going to be able to just rely on the offense to win football games the defense must get better and that starts up front now the whole team obviously the whole unit has to play really well but the defensive line is really what has to take a step forward this year the linebacker position feels pretty solid LB when you look at the talent level they have returning you don't have a ton of concerns about the talent level of the linebacker position everybody knows Colin oler one of the better linebackers in college football still kind of learning the position he obviously was more of an edge player when he played as a freshman but now that he is a senior they've you know kind of moved him to the line position gotten him more comfortable with that and I think that he's still learning but you feel really good about where his game is at and with the talent he has around him he shouldn't have to feel like he's going to be the hero he's very disruptive no knows how to get in the back field knows exactly what he needs to do to make explosive plays disruptive plays but the guys next to him are really fun Nick Martin the tackling machine he is one of the best linebackers in the Big 12 someone who's been absolutely phenomenal 140 tackles last year six sacks Kendall Daniels takes on a new role at a linebacker position the former safety who when you look at what this team needed they needed a playmaker they needed someone to step up in big moments and Kendall Daniels proved to be that guy now they're putting him at a linebacker position he's also added some good weight 64240 now this is a guy who's definitely taking the off season seriously he's put in the work and he knows exactly what he needs to do to help this team win football games now it might take a little bit of time for him to learn a new position but he's been in this defense long enough where he knows what this team expects what this team needs and what the certain calls are it's just doing it from a different position you're not doing it from the Rover position you're not doing it from the safety position you are now in a different position where you can figure things out from a different point of view but you feel pretty good about what Kendall Daniels can do you trust they wanted to put him in this position they didn't trust him so this is a linebacker group that has a ton of experience a ton of talent and you feel pretty good about where this team is headed we talked about the secondary and their need to Secondary get better the fact that they're bringing as much talent as they do back to this roster is what gives you hope for this team in 2024 again this is a group that's struggled mightily to stop the pass they gave up 275 yards per game through the air that is unacceptable obviously they know that but again they have talent coming back that's really interesting Cameron EPS is going to play the Rover position the sophomore had a really good season with 40 tackles last year Ty Williams behind him will be interesting to see if he can get into that rotation cam Smith and Cory black are their Corners two experienced players that you feel pretty good about as well but again you have to take your game to another level if you're going to be able to have the success that you did last year you also have Dylan Smith at safety Trey Rucker at safety those are guys that are coming back with various levels of experience so again you have the right pieces in place to make an interesting run once again in 2024 Kobe Hilton is a utub transfer that will be interesting to watch the safety position as well so they obviously knew yes we're bringing back plenty of talent and you feel pretty good about certain players guys like EPS black and Rucker are probably the three that you feel the most confident about you also bran Talent like Hilton be able to help out and help a group that is needing to be a lot better you just can't afford to give up nearly 300 yards per game through the air that is just not going to win you a lot of football games yes you won 10 lap last year with that but that is not going to be a sustainable approach you have to find ways to slow teams down or at least create more turnovers but even then you still have to find a way to to slow people down because you're giving up 275 yards through the air you were also giving up nearly 170 yards on the ground per game so it's not like you were stopping anything so that's the group that obviously needs to take a step forward that's a group that needs to play better and that will help them because the schedule is not going to be kind to them at times now the non-conference schedule might not seem Schedule like it's that bad but also you're playing reigning FCS Champs in South Dakota State keep in mind this is a Oklahoma State team that lost to South Alabama last year and not just lost they got wiped by South Alabama South Dakota state is a team that plays very disciplined football they're playing with a ton of confidence they are the best team in the FCS and they are are looking to pull off upset so you better get your game going right off the bat and again they're going to run the football they are going to find ways to move the ball if you are not physical Oklahoma State needs to handle that if they're not they are going to be in it for a world of trouble but also this should be a win for Oklahoma State it may be tougher than they may realize but it should be a win then you get Arkansas at home that feels like a good place to play Arkansas a team that is going to play with a chip on their shoulder they are going to be very very motivated and it's going to be interesting to see how they handle that offense you get Bobby Rino's offense against this defense that's where you probably have some concerns but also you feel pretty good about your chances and that game it's just you again you have to get up and going right off the bat at Tulsa the fact that Oklahoma state is going to Tulsa is really fun I think that I like a lot of these different games this year where you have a five team going to a group of five team Oklahoma State's won the last nine meetings so you don't feel very concerned about that game but then also it's right before the Utah game it's also right before a stretch before you play Utah then you go to Kansas State and you play West Virginia at home so it's not like you're just getting cupcake game after cup cupcake game you have a tough three- game stretch granted two of those are at home but if they're not careful it's Tulsa could give them a little bit of a scare then you get two weeks off after West Virginia to go to BYU and Baylor that is a underrated it's an underrated two game stretch a tougher stretch than people probably realize and then you get Arizona State at home and then you travel to TCU so again you're seeing that this is a conference that is full of teams that are difficult to beat and it's going to be a deep conference and it's going to be a tough conference to win football games you can't especially with what we just talked about you cannot win 10 football games again against this schedule doing what you did last year then you get two weeks off before you host Texas Tech and then they play Colorado on the road to finish the year now we will see what happens with Colorado we'll see what happens with Texas Tech those are two teams that we're obviously going to know exactly who they are at the end of the year but again we will see what happens there Oklahoma State feels like it's in a great position again there's just some things that need to be tweaked there are some things that need to be addressed and adjusted before they can feel really good about where they're at they they have the right players in place to make things really fun in 2024 and I think that this is an offense that has a lot of T both sides have a lot of town but if you're not able to take steps forward as a defense and if you can't become more balanced on offense then you're GNA be stuck in the middle of the Big 12 if you do find ways to do things like that you're going to be competing for for a big 12 championship and you're going to feel pretty good about your chances of making the college football playoff to be able to compete for a national championship