The Biggest Areas That Need Addressed in OSU’s 2017 Football Recruiting Class

Oklahoma State returns an impressive core of players from last year’s 10-win squad. But with experience, comes age. And several veteran standouts will be graduating – leaving the program in desperate need to reload at key positions.

Losing quality starters is never an easy task for a coaching staff, and a prime example will be how Gundy is going to replace Kevin Peterson, Jimmy Bean and Emmanuel Ogbah from last year’s defensive squad.

The coaching staff identified the cornerback position as a major emphasis last cycle, and signed four cornerbacks in the 2016 class.

And this season, they will lose some key players, too. But which positions will be most emphasized in the 2017 class – and where does OSU stand with progress to reloading those positions with talent? Let’s take a look.

Wide Receiver

Oklahoma State lost Brandon Sheperd last season, and will lose their 6-4 freak Marcell Ateman after this year. On top of that, Austin Hays and Jhajuan Seales are seniors, too, and the receiving core is going to look a lot different after these guys finish the year.

Looking ahead, the 2017 receiving corps. is going to be full of new faces. (Also not totally ruling out James Washington going Heisman Trophy on us and leaving early).

There’s already an early push at the position for 2017 – they’ve landed monster Under Armour All-American Tylan Wallace, and they also have their eyes on a few others. Namely, Lancaster’s Omar Manning and Octavius Evans, are two major targets left on the board. Wallace is a 6-foot athlete who could similarly replace Seales on the outside. And Manning, who stands at 6-3, would be a solid replacement for Ateman who could bring height and some charmin soft hands.

Defensive End

When you lose a potential first-rounder, most recruits flock to that school. Partly because they want to become the next big thing, and also because they know the school can develop talent at their position.

That has not been the case for OSU and Emmanuel Ogbah’s departure.

They’ve been in on several recruits, but several early offers have already chosen elsewhere. Guys like Logan Rudolph and Angel Dominguez, who I thought may be seriously considering the Pokes, are looking elsewhere and OSU’s chances moving forward appear slim.

A few names to keep an eye on: Tulsa Memorial’s Isaiah Thomas and Temple, Texas product Taquon Graham. It’s early in the evaluation process, and big names may emerge as the 2016 football season trudges on. But so far they’re shooting blanks early in the process.

Running back

Eno Benjamin decided for the land of corn country, which leaves OSU hunting out other options. The Cowboys lost Raymond Taylor, and will also lose Chris Carson and Rennie Childs after this season. Travis Etienne Jr. and Alex Fontenot are two names to keep an eye on. Fontenot made a visit for the spring game, and Etienne is tweeting out OSU edits frequently.

Another name to watch is JD King, the Georgia freak who is going to be an absolute monster at the next level. King is expected to take a visit to Stillwater, per a source, and could be a major sleeper addition who had one of the most productive seasons in the talent rich state of Georgia.