Cowboys Recruiting/Transfer Portal Update for the Weekend includes Kole Taylor

STILLWATER – Recruiting is coming up on the final weekend for official visits before the dead period starts at midnight on Sunday leading toward the early December signing day on Wednesday. Oklahoma State is holding strong with all of their high school commitments and looking to add a few before next Wednesday on Dec. 21. Decisions should be forthcoming from the likes of Macho Stevenson from Captain Shreve in Louisiana and the Pokes are back with Jelani McDonald of Waco (Connally), Texas. Those are two to watch along with junior college defensive tackle Iman Oates of NEO A&M J.C. plus there is the NCAA Transfer Portal activity. Yes, the Cowboys lost veteran corner Jabbar Muhammad, who was in and out, in and out of the portal in a 24-hour period but is now in. It is what Oklahoma State is taking out of the portal that truly counts forward. A real prize could be a visitor this weekend in LSU transfer and former four-star prospect from Colorado in tight end Kole Taylor. There will also be other visitors.

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Kole Taylor is a good looking athlete.

The 6-7, 250-pound Taylor is visiting on Sunday after he finishes a visit at West Virginia. He is a true in-line tight end that Oklahoma State doesn’t really have. The Cowboy back is going to stay in place with the versatility of players like Blaine Green, Braden Cassisty, Jake Schultz, and Tabry Shettron; but having an in-line tight end that can line up next to a tackle could really blow up some of these three-man front defensive schemes that have become popular and given Oklahoma State and other offenses trouble. An In-line tight end can also contribute to a gap scheme run attack and create some mismatches in the short and intermediate passing game. 

Taylor was a four-star prospect coming out of Central High School in Grand Junction, Colo. He was a top five prospect in Colorado in the 2020 recruiting class and the No. 10 tight end prospect nationally. AT LSU has has played in 32 games in three seasons and started seven games with 30 catches for 263-yards and a touchdown. 

He would represent a different kind of player and weapon for the Cowboys. 

Texas State Athletics

Dalton Cooper at Texas State is 6-6, 320-pounds.

Recently committed offensive tackles prospect Dalton Cooper out of Prague, Okla. that started 36 straight games for Texas State and earned multiple All-Sun Belt honors from the coaches will be in for his official visit. You can read more here on Cooper. Pro Football Focus had him as the top tackle in the Sun Belt this past season and had him allowing only one sack in 2022 and only seven sacks over the past three seasons. 

Here’s a prospect that warm’s my heart as Dallas (W.T. White), Texas defensive lineman Gabriel Jones will make his official visit this weekend.

Twitter (@D1gabeX)

Gabe Jones rushing a passer.

Credit the Oklahoma State recruiting analysts staff, defensive line coach Greg Richmond, and defensive coordinator Derek Mason on finding Jones. The 6-4, 270-pound Jones plays like a beast and finished the season with 64 total tackles, 8.0 sacks, and 11 quarterback hurries plus a defensive touchdown. He helped lead the White Longhorns to the playoffs.

Our information is there will be other prospects in making visits, but the Oklahoma State staff is keeping those identities close to the vest to make sure they get on campus and schools that troll Oklahoma State’s activities can’t try to squeeze a split weekend or a hyjack as this is the final days for visits before the dead period begins and there is no on or off campus visits.

Robert Allen - Pokes Report

Armstrong and his mother Heather (left) at practice.

Of course, there was a major campus visit for 24-hours on Wednesday with transfer portal quarterback prospect Brennan Armstrong of Virginia. Armstrong, who is also visiting Oklahoma State’s Guranteed Rate Bowl opponent Wisconsin kept it close to the vest. He was on campus and in Stillwater only 24-hours He was accompanied by his mother, Heather. The 6-2, 210-pound veteran of four college seasons from Shelby, Ohio has his degree from UVA and he was strictly analyzing the situation with regard to football.  We’ll see when he decided something. 

We will keep you posted as we learn more over the weekend.