Tabry Shettron Comes Up on The Oklahoman Recruiting List, Breaks Silence

STILLWATER – Phone calls have gone unanswered, text messages and direct Twitter messages unreturned, but it was no surprise. When the talented and adopted brothers from Edmond Santa Fe both verbally committed to Oklahoma State they were prepared. The higher regarded of the pair in Talyn Shettron had committed to Oklahoma in October of last year. It is uncommon for one of the top-rated players in the nation, especially one from Oklahoma, to flip on the Sooners and choose Oklahoma State.

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The photo/graphic that accompanied the commitment announcement of the Shettrons, Tabry is left and Talyn right.

It is also not easy to do because many Sooner fans and OU recruiting media, of which there is plenty, don’t understand and are going to make their lack of understanding public and sometimes ugly. Tabry and Talyn Shettron stayed quiet and to themselves. That is until now as Tabry has come in at the number 19 player on The Oklahoman’s top 30 recruits in the state.

One of the Oklahoma State beat writers for The Oklahoman, Jacob Unruh, spoke to Tabry Shettron for the newpaper’s story.

Much of it is material we had documented right up to the commitment from Tabry and Talyn. Both played basketball and still do. Talyn told us first, but later Tabry explained that he thought his ticket to college would be on a basketball scholarship. The 6-4 and now 215-pound Tabry has all the skills for hoops and a physical nature on the court that has successfully translated to the football field as well.

Tabry told Unruh he just had to regain an appreciation for football. Arguably, Talyn rediscovered the love for football first, but Tabry followed.    

“I learned to love it again,” Tabry told Unruh. “It really is that simple.”

Talyn at 6-2, 190-pounds was on his way to posting numbers and displaying highlight reel receptions that caught the eye of talent evaluators in the form of college coaches and appreciators in the folks covering recruiting like Tom Lugenbill at ESPN.

Last season Talyn posted bigger numbers with 61 catches for 1,152-yards and 14 touchdowns. Tabry made an impression too. He had 19 catches for 179-yards and six touchdowns. Four of his six touchdowns came in the Santa Fe run to the Class 6A-I Championship Game and the ratio caught our eye of basically a touchdown for every three receptions.

“You could say he was behind the curve, but this season he just grew a lot,” Talyn said of his brother in The Oklahoman story. “From the beginning of the season to the end of the season, he got way better. And he’s continuing to get way better.”

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Tabry Shettron catches a pass in “The Show” camp earlier this summer.

Watching tape, you saw a big receiver that is a good blocker, good route runner, and has the speed to be a multiple receiver versus a tight end. At Oklahoma State, the Cowboy back position can be used that way.

Santa Fe head coach Kyle White admitted that they needed to learn more about Tabry and how to best use him, but they are there now.

At Pokes Report we realize how other recruiting media have Talyn highly-rated (as he should be) and Tabry as kind of bonus to get. Pokes Report has already reported and will stake our reputation as football talent observers that when the careers in college are completed the regard for the Shettron brothers will be much closer. It won’t be because of a lack of success, but will be because Tabry is much better than those out there have given him credit for.

That is also Oklahoma State’s advantage as well. They coveted both brothers and were the best choice to get both on the same campus and in the same program.

“Not many people get that experience playing at the highest level in college with your own brother,” Tabry said to Unruh and The Oklahoman. “It’s a big family up there. I’m lucky to have it.”