Oklahoma State Fought and Won for Portal Linebacker Bryan McCoy

STILLWATER – There were multiple reports out there suggesting the Oklahoma State was about to add to their transfer portal pick-up list that included center Kasen Carpenter of Tulsa, offensive guard Lavaka Taukeiaho from Weber State, and Central Arkansas tight end Jordan Owens. Defense is a priority and the Cowboys staff has had several defenders on campus for visits. It reportedly went very well with Akron two-time All-MAC honoree Bryan McCoy. McCoy visited with his wife and other family and reportedly committed. Then the real battle ensued with other schools working to get McCoy. In a real battle, the Cowboys staff won out and added a strong prospect to help immediately on defense in McCoy.

Akron University Athletics

Bryan McCoy

Now, we’re hearing the battles for many of these transfer portal prospects are crazy. Most have representation and the requests for money upfront just to make a visit is happening a lot. There are some schools that don’t trust their evaluations and are simply finding out which prospects their rival schools have making visits. Then they are working to turn them during or after their visits. The commetns that it is the “wild. wild, west” out there are still being spit out. Oklahoma State was ahead of the game as their recruiting and roster-building staff had evaluated over 800 players across college football heading into this transfer portal window. It is about money now and schools are aggressive about offering players they think have the ability to move up the ranks. We reported last week that Oklahoma State is going to have a hard time being in the price range of portal transfers from power four schools and they are working smart in finding players that are talented and affordable. 

McCoy was high on the list. The 6-0, 225 pound linebacker is from Joliet, Ill. He went to school with OSU running back and another portal transfer from last season in Trent Howland. The two were teammates at Joliet West High School. McCoy was a three-time state finalist in wrestling and was All-Conference as a senior and was listed as a Top 50 prospect in Illinois. 247Sports rated him a two-star prospect.

PHIL MASTURZO / USA TODAY NETWORK

McCoy No. 40 in action against Northern Illinois.

At Akron, he has been very productive starting three games in 2022 with 23 tackles on thr season.

In 2023, he finished with a team high 95 tackles, 7.0 tackles-for-loss, one sack, a fumble forced, and a fumble recovered and returned 13-yards for a touchdown. he was named third-team All-MAC.

This past season he earned second-team All-MAC honors with a whopping 120 tackles with 1.5 tackles-for-loss and two passes defended. 

Several outlets were reporting that McCoy was likely to commit. He is now and the Cowboys feel they have a defender that will move their defensive forward.