Report Day 2024 Goes Off Without a Hitch, But Does Produce a New Kicker

STILLWATER – Safety Ty Williams sat in his locker and worked on his acoustic guitar playing, while across the way Lyrik Rawks listened in. Up front there were a bunch of Oklahoma State players either playing or cheering on teammates involved in a College Football 2025 game on the big television. Oklahoma was beating Louisville in the third quarter 23-3. I paused long enough to lament that the Sooners were winning in anything inside the Cowboys locker room while adding that in reality they were out-of-sight and out-of-mind. 

Robert Allen - Pokes Report

College Football 2025 on the video screen in the locker room.

Everybody was in a good mood. This team has plenty to be exicted about. Despite what any outside noise or prognosticators have to say. There are 20 returning starters and a lot of other players with significant experience. Oklahoma State is the most experienced team in FBS Division I, but on this report day there was a brand new player expected to arrive that has never been to Stillwater before.

Charleston Southern transfer kicker and super senior Sam Babbush has been here all summer and worked out. He was set to compete with returning kickoff specialist Logan Ward for the field goal/PAT kicking duties. However, a promising job offer for the college graduate had Babbush rethinking his decision and he left to turn pro in something other than football. 

Kohls Kicking

Drake Tabor

Enter Drake Tabor as he was on his way early Tuesday afternoon (July 30) to Stillwater. His academic and admission information had all been sent in and the football office was waiting on the final approval. Tabor was seen this summer by new special teams analyst and co-coordinator Sean Snyder. That experience turned in handy with the need to have a kicker come in and compete with Ward. Ward has a strong leg but needs to continue to improve his accuracy on placement kicks. 

He has been at Samford, Auburn, and Ottawa College. His senior numbers at Spain Park High School in Birmingham, Ala. where he earned All-State honors were 37-42 on extra points and 3-of-5 on field goals with a 42-yarder as his longest. He was rated a five-star prospect in the Kohl’s Kicking 2021class that included Texas kicker Bert Auburn, Arkansas kicker Cameron Little, and Miami, Fla. kicker Andre Borregales.

Tabor was not going to arrive on time for the events of the day. Players needing equipment had opportunity to get that done in the afternoon and all players were picking up Gatorade from the weight room.   

Robert Allen - Pokes Report

Cowboy football players filtered in through most of the early afternoon on July 30.

Offense and defense met at 4:30 p.m. with a team meeting immediately following in the team room. Dinner in the training table was at 6:15 and another team meeting followed at 7:15. The team heard from nutritionist Sam Kostelnik, trainer Scott Parker, media relations specilist Sean Maguire. compliance, OSU Police acting chief Adam Queen as well as Mike Gundy and the coaching staff. 

With summer school continuing this week, practices starting on Wednesday will begin at 2:58 p.m. Those practices in the heat of the afternoon will go through Friday and then on Saturday practice times move to the morning. 

There will be 14 practices in fall camp not to mention all of the meetings and walk thrus. Fall camp closes with the practice on Saturday, Aug. 17. Classes for the fall semester at Oklahoma State begin on Monday, Aug. 19 and practices will revert back to the afternoons. There will be 24 practices on the books heading into the opening game with back-to-back defending FCS champion South Dakota State on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 1 p.m.