New Oklahoma Pigskin Preview Features All Seven In-State Commits, Three on Cover
STILLWATER – Our good friends at Vype, Austin Chadwick and Mark Rodgers, had their 2021 Oklahoma Pigskin Preview magazine hit the newsstands and primarily in On Cue stores across the state of Oklahoma last week. For Oklahoma State fans this is a must have or must see. Of the nine players that made the cover three of them are Oklahoma State in-state commitments in the 2022 recruiting class and there is one player on the cover in Desean Brown that made an official visit to OSU and is still a prime prospect to commit to the Cowboys.
There is also the college football preview material in the magazine that includes a four-page preview of Oklahoma State that was written by yours truly. I think it’s a pretty good read as well.
The real value of the magazine its in 14th year is all of the high school coverage. If you are a fan of high school football, every school is previewed and there is so much material. It is a great information source for anybody interested in Oklahoma high school football.
Let’s start with the cover guys and Bixby’s Braylin Presley stands out on the cover. The small but electric and explosive running back rushed for 1,744-yards and 25 touchdowns last season while catching 57 passes for 727-yards and another 10 touchdowns. He returns punts and kickoffs as well. Presley has great speed and quickness and sudden moves.
The Pigskin Preview has him as a Mr. Football in Class 6A-II and a preseason All-State running back in the class. They have Bixby ranked No. 1 preseason in Class 6A-II.
“One of the most electric players in the 2022 class, Presley is impressive every time you see him play. Excellent speed, quick twitch muscles and a fluid runner.”
C.J. Brown of Beggs is on the cover and is a four-star prospect according to several recruiting sources. The Pigskin Preview has Brown as an All-Class 2A athlete preseason, and they have Beggs ranked No. 2 preseason in Class 2-A. The 5-11, 180-pound Brown carried 167 times for 1,502-yards and 19 touchdowns last season. He had 29 receptions for 267-yards and four touchdowns.
In his Mr. Football picture in the Class 2A section it read: “An Oklahoma State commit, Brown has the athleticism to be the most explosive player on the field in any contest.”
Mason Gilkey is pictured on the cover in his Pawhuska jersey that shows he is a team captain. I remember the day he committed that even people in the business of following recruiting were asking who he was. Some of us knew and knew well as he caught 56 passes for 1,261-yards and 26 touchdowns. He averaged a whopping 22.8-yards a reception. The 6-4, 185-pound Gilkey is a standout for Pawhuska coach Matt Hennesy.
“He’s my best player in that class,” Hennesy told Pokes Report after Gilkey had committed. “I’ve been doing all this recruiting information on my guys. I’ve got four other guys that are good enough to play (class of 2022).”
Pigskin Preview has Gilkey as a preseason All-State Class A wide receiver and has Pawhuska ranked No. 2 in the class as a team preseason.
His Mr. Football bio states: “He is one of the top receivers in the state. His route running is crisp, and he has great hands.”
Choctaw defensive end Desean Brown is not committed yet. The 6-4, 240-pound Brown visited Oklahoma State officially and has offers from Nebraska, Missouri, Michigan, Arizona State, Baylor, Iowa State, Louisville, and others as well. He is a devastating edge rusher but also has the ability to cover and defend the run either at the line of scrimmage or off the line as a linebacker.
The Pigskin Preview has him as preseason All-State Class 6A-II and they have Choctaw ranked No. 2 in the class preseason.
In his Mr. Football thumbnail, they said: “Easily one of the top prospects in the state, Brown can get after your quarterback off the edge. His quick release and ability to get by offensive linemen is the first thing you notice about Brown.”
Vype may have held up the presses a few days as they did get the recruiting story of the summer in their magazine with the Shettron brothers committing to Oklahoma State. Four-star wide receiver Talyn Shettron was committed to Oklahoma, but after taking an official visit with his brother Tabry to Stillwater, both Shettrons committed to Oklahoma State.
The 6-4, 190-pound Talyn has 136 career receptions heading into his senior season for 2,145-yards and 23 touchdowns. He is also involved in special teams including blocking kicks, which he has a knack for.
The Pigskin Preview from Vype has both brothers as preseason All-Class 6A-1 All-State and they have the Wolves ranked No. 4 preseason in the class.
On Talyn in his Mr. Football entry it reads: “A human highlight reel, Shettron is a four-year starter for the Wolves and a commitment to Oklahoma State. His big play capabilities caught the eyes of several Division I schools.”
Tabry Shettron is 6-4, 215-pounds and we look at him as a jumbo receiver as much as a tight end. His statistics were more modest that Talyn’s, but one thing stood out to us. Last season he had 19 receptions for 176-yards and six touchdowns. Most of those came late in the season in the Santa Fe run to the Class 6A-1 State Championship Game. The one touchdown in every three receptions ratio caught our eye.
“Tabry has tremendous size and is making gains in the weight room. His quickness is deceiving, and his blocking is improved.
That is what Pigskin Preview said in his Mr. Football bio. We say he could go that way toward a tight end or at Oklahoma State a cowboy back, but he could also be a big receiver.
Local hero Gabe Brown at linebacker for Stillwater was a very early pledge for Mike Gundy and company and Brown is amazing. He has been a two-year starter that is incredibly active for the Pioneers defense. Little known is that last season he tore his ACL in the playoff loss to Choctaw. He then went through football offseason and was playing baseball when he felt something wasn’t right. Yeah, the ACL was torn. He had surgery but is expected to be ready for the start of his senior season. His surgeon told the Stillwater coaches that Brown is amazing with his body structure as an athlete.
Pigskin Preview has him as a Class 6-II preseason All-State linebacker and ranks Stillwater No. 5 in the class preseason.
“Probably the most underrated inside linebacker in Oklahoma, Brown has shown he can carry a defense and set the tone. Great vision and instincts off the chart.”
That is what his Mr. Football copy read in Pigskin Preview.
Finally, Jaleel Johnson is pictured right above Brown in the Mr. Football section. The 6-5, 235-pound Putnam City North defensive end was maybe the best of all in the Cowboys Down and Dirty Lineman Camp and was offered a scholarship on the spot.
“Once you see this defensive end play, you will forget what star rating he has. Johnson is rangy, physical, and always in attack mode.”
He had 10 offers when Oklahoma State offered, and he committed. Besides the nice write up as a Mr. Football, Pigskin Preview has him as a preseason All-State Class 6A-II defensive end and the North Panthers are preseason ranked No. 7 in the class.