Oklahoma State football: Three priorities for new DC Derek Mason in 2022
By John Scimeca
2. Develop OSU’s future stars
It’s true that the Cowboys have lost a significant amount of talent from last year’s historically great defense. Fifth-year seniors graduated, with several likely headed to the NFL.
But there’s plenty of talent left for OSU’s defense to be the strength of the team again. Start with the defensive line, which helped the Cowboys lead the country in sacks last year and expects to return Collin Oliver, Brock Martin, and Tyler Lacy. Experienced playmakers like safety Jason Taylor II and cornerback Christian Holmes will help anchor a defensive secondary that has lost some truly talented players.
Collin Oliver had an exceptional season as a star pass rusher in his freshman season at OSU. The former Edmond Santa Fe was second among all freshmen in the nation in sacks and helped the Cowboys lead the country in team sacks.
Oliver and the Cowboy defensive line stifled the opposing team’s offense time and time again, stuffing teams on third-and-shorts and constantly harassing the quarterback in throwing situations.
Who could be the next first-year star for the Cowboys in 2022?
Another pair of Edmond Santa Fe players join the Cowboys this fall, including Talyn Shettron, whom ESPN rates as the eighth-best high school wide receiver prospect in the nation. He chose OSU over reported offers from OU, Notre Dame, Texas, and Texas A&M.
On the defensive side of the ball, there’s linebacker Xavier Benson, who joins the Cowboys as the nation’s second-best rated juco linebacker prospect after beginning his college career at Texas Tech in 2018.
Maybe another homegrown player will step up for the Cowboys defense this fall: Stillwater High School standout Gabe Brown is a two-time All-State selection and could help OSU replace one of its departing stars.