Oklahoma State Has Two of the Top Returning Safeties in 2021
STILLWATER – It’s never too early to look-ahead lists or try and figure out the top returning players at each position. So, that’s what we’re going to be looking at today as Pro Football Focus dropped its top 10 returning safeties list for the 2021 season, which features two Cowboys.
There’s really no question as to whether or not Oklahoma State is going to have one of the top secondaries in the Big 12. Sure, the Cowboys lost one of the top corners in Rodarius Williams, but they return everyone else, including Tre Sterling and Kolby Harvell-Peel.
PFF lists Sterling as the sixth-best returning safety in the country and Harvell-Peel as the 11th player on the list, or as they put it, the “one more name to watch” player.
“Sterling first took on a starting job in the 2019 season and immediately made his name known as one of the top cover safeties in the country. Since then, he ranks fourth among all FBS safeties in coverage grade and has racked up 14 combined pass breakups and interceptions over that span, seventh at the position in the FBS.
Sterling is an instinctual player who puts his tape study into action. A prime example of this was his pick-six against Texas Tech last season: The Red Raiders had run their smash concept a few times earlier in the game, and Sterling reportedly picked up on this and declared, “If they run that route concept again, I’m stepping underneath it and running it for a touchdown.”
Sure enough, they ran it one more time. And he housed it.” -PFF.
Sterling finished the 2020 season with 74 total tackles, 51 of which were solo stops. His 12.0 tackles for loss led the team and his two fumble recoveries led the Big 12 and 5.1 solo stops per game ranked second in the conference. Ironically enough, his two interceptions tied for best on the team with….you guessed it, Kolby Harvell Peel.
“Harvell-Peel was one of the biggest breakout safeties of the 2019 season, as he recorded an 89.5 coverage grade that ranked seven in the FBS. However, he looked like a vastly different player in 2020, as that coverage grade tanked 30 points down to 59.5.
He saw an uptick in coverage snaps in the slot, which is where he faltered the most, though he still looked a ballhawk roaming around at deep safety. His 10 plays on the ball at free safety since 2019 are the most in the FBS.
The decline may be scary, and he may not be the best tackler, but Harvell-Peel possesses top-notch coverage ability. If he can reclaim his old form, Oklahoma State will be vying for the honor of top secondary in the Big 12.” -PFF.
Kolby recorded 44 total tackles this past season, 31 of which were solo stops. He also recorded 3.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions and four pass break ups.
He might have had a reduction on the stat sheet from 2019 to 2020, but his return to Oklahoma State in the offseason should make every Cowboy fan happy and scare every other Big 12 team.
The ball hawking duo of Harvell-Peel and Sterling, along with the rest of the Cowboy secondary, linebacking corps and defensive line has a chance to continue off of last year’s successes and make this one of the best defenses we’ve seen in program history.
