STILLWATER – Oklahoma State started the 2021 football season with 14 linebackers and when Joe Bob Clements gets his linebackers ready to run through individual drills early in the first spring practice for the Cowboys on Tuesday, March 22 he will have 11 of those same linebackers that were part of the 12-2 season this past fall looking up at him. The linebackers coach is new, but it is the difference of a young graduate assistant in Koy McFarland to a 24-year college coaching veteran in Clements. That is a move up. The defensive coordinator is different with Derek Mason moving in for the departed Jim Knowles. At linebacker, Malcolm Rodriguez, Devin Harper, and local walk-on that contributed Adam Martin are the players missing. Rodriguez and Harper are All-American and dominating All-Big 12 type performers. They are huge.
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Clements takes over the linebackers.
However, don’t cry for Clements, Mason, or the Cowboys. I’m the last one that would sit at this desk and type that linebacker is going to pick up where it left off in Arizona as the Cowboys beat Notre Dame with Rodriguez and Harper making 21 of the 68 tackles in the game. On the season, Rodriguez and Harper combined for 226 tackles, 15.5 tackles-for-loss, nine sacks, four fumbles recovered, and five fumbles caused. The defensive totals were 855 tackles, 114 tackles-for-loss, 57 sacks, eight fumbles recovered, and 12 fumbles caused.
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Mason Cobb makes a tackle in bowl game.
The other linebackers returning from last season include promising Mason Cobb, speedy Kamryn Farrar, junior college transfer Lamont Bishop, special teams stalwart Jeff Roberson, promising freshman that red-shirted in Nickolas Martin, and walk-on Constantino Borrelli. That group combined for 34 tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, and 4.5 sacks.
Okay, I know, you’re thinking what is Robert Allen thinking? It is time to panic. No, because the X-factor is one of the players that wasn’t here last season.
Xavier Benson will fit in well joining Cobb, Farrar, Roberson, and Bishop as leaders at the position. Benson has started a season in the Big 12 at Texas Tech. He had 10 starts and played in all 12 games finishing with 57 tackles, four tackles-for-loss and a sack. That was his red-shirt freshman season. Last fall in earning All-American honors in the NJCAA and being named Defensive Player of the Year in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference he had 120 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery.
Tyler Paper
Benson helped Tyler JC to the SWJCFC Championship Game.
Teaming Benson, who is from Pleasant Grove High School in East Texas with Nickolas Martin, an athletic dynamo young linebacker that was All-State will be perfect. Martin is from Pleasant Grove and the Benson and Martin families are good friends with Martin looking up to Benson. Not only do the Cowboys have a proven commodity to add to some solid developing linebackers, but they may have brought in the perfect mentor for the most talented of the younger linebackers.
On the surface there may be concern, but with a depth of understanding this may be a perfect storm waiting to erupt at linebacker.
