Mike Gundy didn’t mince words at Big 12 Media Days this summer. 

The Oklahoma State coach wasn’t sure who would emerge as major contributors for the Cowboys this season, but he did express an extra level of confidence in the defensive backs.

“The one position is in our secondary,” Gundy said. “There’ll be returning starters that we’ve seen play.”

That makes sense when examining the experience Oklahoma State has on the back end this season. Eight Cowboy defenders have played at least 700 snaps at the FBS level, and six of those guys play cornerback or safety.

The experience at corner is especially overwhelming.

MORE: OSU’s offensive might be more experienced than you think

Leading the Way

Cam Smith represented the Cowboys at Big 12 Media Days for good reason. 

He has started 29 games at OSU and played 1,472 total snaps. In that time, Smith recorded 83 tackles and gave up 62.4% of 117 targets thrown against him while recording double-digit pass breakups and a pair of interceptions.

UCLA transfer Jaylin Davies is easily the most productive defensive back on the team. He recorded 108 tackles during his career while allowing 67.3% of 147 targets against him. Davies has four career interceptions and 15 pass breakups and has played 1,571 snaps.

Kenneth Harris has the numbers to compete with those guys, but he has yet to prove that in his two years in Stillwater. Harris has 1,600 snaps at the FBS level, but only 96 of those came since he transferred from Arkansas State. Still, Harris has 80 tackles and is holding opponents to an impressive 54.1% completion rate while recording three interceptions and 22 pass breakups.

Other Corners of Note:

Kale Smith: 626 snaps, 55 tackles, 65.3% completion rate against him, 1 INT and 6 pass breakups; He finished third among returning OSU defensive backs with 394 snaps last season.

JK Johnson: 528 snaps, 25 tackles, 55.6% completion rate against him; formerly with LSU and Ohio State, Johnson missed all of 2023 and most of 2021 due to injuries, which undoubtedly stunted his career at his previous programs.

Familiar Faces Fill Safety Room

Two of OSU’s most experienced safeties played huge roles last season, including the team’s top returner, Dylan Smith.

Smith played 592 snaps last season to lead all Cowboys. He also started 11 games. In his career, he played 872 snaps and recorded 63 tackles. Smith gives up 63.2% of 57 targets while also recording two interceptions and three pass breakups.

Smith is probably the safest bet to emerge from a competitive safety room, but North Carolina transfer DeAndre Boykins has him beat on snaps played with 1,074. Most of that came in 2022 when he started all 14 games for the Tar Heels before missing all of the 2023 season due to injury. Boykins has recorded 77 tackles and gives up 74.3% of targets. He has one career interception and eight pass breakups.

Cameron Epps, the other name familiar to Cowboy fans, played 165 snaps last season before missing the final chunk of the season due to injury. He has 723 career snaps and turned those into 54 tackles while holding opposing quarterbacks to 67.3% when challenging him. Epps has three interceptions, including one pick-six, and five pass breakups.

Other Safeties of Note:

Mordecai McDaniel: 509 snaps, 62 tackles, 66.7% completion rate, 1 INT, 4 pass breakups; former Florida Gator took two years off before returning to football at Charlotte last year.

Parker Robertson: 395 snaps, 69 tackles, 69% completion rate, 2 INTs, 1 pass breakup; the former OSU walk-on played 340 of his career snaps last season as he proved more than capable defensively.

Zaquan Patterson: 159 snaps, 19 tackles, 50% completion rate (8 targets); the Miami transfer started one game last season. Can he make the jump this season at OSU?

David Kabongo: 95 snaps, 16 tackles, 100% completion rate (5 targets); Kabongo seemed on the verge of a true breakout at Colorado last season, earning him a speculative spot on a list mostly devoted to experienced players.

On Paper This One Is Easy…

Akron transfer Bryan McCoy Jr. doubled the No. 2 linebacker in FBS snaps played (he has 1,351) and has almost a 100-tackle lead at the position (McCoy has 237). 

McCoy finished eighth in the FBS, averaging 10 tackles per game in 2024, and he has 18 career starts. However, he only has 7.5 for loss and one sack.

Other Linebackers of Note:

Darius Thomas: 626 snaps, 63 tackles, 6.5 for loss, 4 sacks; started 13 games at Western Kentucky and has proven effective at forcing negative plays.

Brandon Rawls: No snaps tracked; D-II transfer has 153 career tackles, 24.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks. Now he just has to prove he can do that against Big 12 competition.

The Biggest Question Mark?

These position distinctions were determined by Oklahoma State, but until we see how the Cowboys deploy the personnel, it’s impossible to truly lump any of these guys into a certain role. 

Still, based on the current assignments, the outside linebacker group is hurting for experience.

Malik Charles, who is turning into an early fall camp sensation, has 520 snaps at the FCS level, where he recorded 37 tackles, including 11 for loss, to go along with seven sacks, 16 hurries and two quarterback hits.

Colorado transfer Taje McCoy has 197 career snaps and turned that into four sacks, 11 hurries, three hits and 24 total tackles.

Junior college transfer Chandavian Bradley recorded 23 tackles, including six for loss and one sack last season.

Duhon Versus the Dynamic Duo?

UTEP transfer Kyran Duhon recorded all seven of his sacks last season during his final seven games. The sophomore finished his first season with 43 tackles and could be one of the Cowboys with the highest ceiling. 

Duhon and his 395 snaps will have to fight two familiar faces for playing time at defensive end this season, as both DeSean Brown (674 snaps) and Jaleel Johnson (440 snaps) have an edge on him from an experience standpoint.

Often, it felt like OSU couldn’t get to opposing quarterbacks unless one of those guys made the play last season. The numbers reflect that as Brown and Johnson finished second and third on the team in total pressures, combining for 51 total. Brown has the lead all-time with 34 hurries, 11 hits and 1.5 sacks. While Johnson has 16 hurries, five hits and three sacks. However, Johnson leads in total tackles with 33 to Brown’s 22.

What Is Age Worth?

Some of Oklahoma State’s oldest defenders could see the field at defensive tackle. Three of the four most experienced options will be participating in their fifth or seventh seasons this fall.

Virginia transfer Michael Diatta leads the room in FBS snaps (735) and tackles (55). He also recorded five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks to go along with seven quarterback hurries.

Iman Oates is the returning name of note, and he peaked late last season, recording 11 of his 25 season tackles in the final four games. He also recorded all three of his tackles for loss and his two sacks during that stint against Arizona State, TCU and Colorado. Oates also has 69 additional tackles, including 19 for loss and eight sacks recorded back during his junior college days.

Other Defensive Tackles of Note:

De’Marion Thomas: 494 snaps, 34 tackles, 1.5 sacks; the Vanderbilt transfer is the young guy in the group, considering he’s only a junior. However, he started 13 games last season, which puts him ahead of his older peers in the room.

Sitiveni Havili Kaufusi: 528 snaps, 22 tackles, one for loss; the UCLA transfer is the seventh-year guy in the room. Injury contributed to a slow start in his career. It remains to be seen if all that time learning will pay off for the Cowboys this season.

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The college basketball season is still a little ways away, but one insider had some nice things to say about the group Steve Lutz has assembled this week.

Talking on the Inside College Basketball Now podcast, Jon Rothstein did an early Big 12 breakdown complete with a power ranking of the conference. Say what you will about Rothstein having tweeted 168,600 times, but you can’t question his dedication to the college basketball world. In a world full of players moving from one team to the next, he’d probably at this point have a better idea than most in regards to which teams have a shot at being good in the 2025-26 season.

Rothstein had Oklahoma State at 11 in his Big 12 power ranking. That’s not immaculate, but it is higher than the Cowboys have finished the past two seasons since the league expanded from 10 teams. And while the ranking might not allude to it, it sounds like Rothstein thinks highly of the Cowboys.

“Steve Lutz has a sneaky roster at Oklahoma State,” Rothstein said. “This guy, as we know, went to the NCAA Tournament at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, went to the NCAA Tournament at Western Kentucky, and I believe there will be a day sooner rather than later where Steve Lutz will get Oklahoma State into the NCAA Tournament.”

Rothstein singled out a handful of OSU players when discussing the Pokes.

The first was Mississippi State transfer point guard Kanye Clary. A 6-foot-1 guard from Virginia, Clary started his college career at Penn State. He spent two seasons at State College, and in his sophomore year, he averaged 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists a game while shooting 38% from 3 and 81% from the charity stripe.

Clary played just seven games at Mississippi State last season, averaging 6.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists a game.

He recently sat down with Dave Hunziker, where Hunziker asked Clary to describe his game.

“I would say you got a fast, shifty point guard who can score at all three levels but also can run a team, get people involved,” Clary said. “I change pace. I feel like I can dictate the flow of the game. You’re gonna know I’m out there. When I’m on the court, you’re gonna know I’m out there.”

Next, Rothstein took note of Green Bay transfer Anthony Roy. A 6-foot-5 guard, Roy can fill it up. He’s had a winding college journey that has seen him at three other Division-I schools (San Francisco, New Mexico State and Green Bay) as well as a year at junior college Wenatchee Valley and another at NAIA Langston.

But no matter where Roy has been, he’s left the basket filled. He played just 11 games at Green Bay last season under OSU alum Doug Gottlieb where Roy averaged 25.7 points a game while shooting 43% from deep. He scored 30 or more points in five of those 11 games.

The year before that, he was an NAIA All-American at Langston and the Sooner Athletic Conference’s Player of the Year after averaging 18.4 points a game and shooting 42% from 3.

LSU transfer Vyctorius Miller also got a hat tip from Rothstein. Listed at 6-foot-5, Miller was a four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class and chose LSU over offers from USC, Oregon, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Auburn and others. As a freshman in Baton Rouge last season, Miller averaged 8.9 points a game while shooting 32% from deep. He scored in double figures 11 times as a freshman including a season-high 20 against Mississippi Valley State.

Lastly, Rothstein took note of Seton Hall transfer Isaiah Coleman. This upcoming season will be Coleman’s junior year after spending two with the Pirates. In his final season in New Jersey, Coleman averaged 15.6 points and 5.3 rebounds a game.

“I think there’s a real chance — it wouldn’t shock me if Oklahoma State finished better than the 11 spot,” Rothstein said.

Rothstein called TCU his Big 12 sleeper, but he also included the Cowboys in his discussion about the matter.

“I think there’s a window for the TCUs and the Oklahoma States to make a move towards the middle of the Big 12 standings,” Rothstein said.

It feels like it’s been a while since OSU has even had this sort of buzz going into a season.

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Oklahoma State’s starting offense will include almost zero familiar faces this fall, but that doesn’t mean these Cowboys are inexperienced.

In fact, five players have at least 850 career offensive snaps at the FBS level, according to Pro Football Focus. For context, former Cowboy Joe Michalski led the offense last season with 810 snaps.

Experience isn’t everything in college football these days, but it does establish a foundation for the Cowboys. If these guys don’t win starting jobs during the ongoing fall camp, then Oklahoma State probably has some pretty talented younger players stepping up instead.

Four Wide Might Not Be Enough

Oklahoma State’s receiver group is the Cowboys’ most experienced offensive unit, and it isn’t particularly close.

Christian Fitzpatrick leads all OSU receivers with 1,185 snaps at the FBS level, including 722 last season at Marshall. Throughout his career, Fitzpatrick has hauled in 56 receptions for 848 yards and seven touchdowns.

Da’Wain Lofton looked the part for Oklahoma State last season in his four-game run that saw him play 83 snaps while grabbing six receptions for 140 yards before redshirting to preserve his final season of eligibility. Lofton is second among OSU receivers with 994 career snaps on offense and has 41 catches for 550 yards and three scores.

Gavin Freeman also decided to redshirt last year after four games. During his limited run, he hauled in six catches for 45 yards. He played 284 snaps across his career, including his time as a Sooner. Freeman has 28 career receptions for 186 yards and a touchdown in addition to 12 rushing attempts for 93 yards and another score.

Jaylen Lloyd: 327 snaps, 19 receptions for 492 yards and 3 TDs

Shamar Rigby: 327 snaps, 11 receptions for 113 yards, one rush for 5 yards, 1-of-1 passing for 8 yards

Lloyd, a Nebraska transfer, represents a big-play threat with eight career catches of at least 25 yards. Meanwhile, Rigby, a sophomore from Purdue, proved his versatility in his first season last year.

Other receivers of note:

Sam Jackson V: 381 career snaps (299 at quarterback); flashed his athleticism in the spring game, but only has two career catches for 63 yards.

Talyn Shettron: 361 career snaps, 21 receptions for 354 yards and 2 TDs; broke out last season, but his availability this season seems murky at best as he recovers from a late season-ending injury suffered in 2024.

Terrill Davis: D-II snap numbers not tracked, 164 career receptions for 2,288 yards and 19 TDs; the Central Oklahoma transfer finished with 1,609 yards last season, which topped all NCAA receivers regardless of division.

Cam Abshire: D-II snap numbers not tracked, 89 career receptions for 1,718 yards and 19 TDs; like Davis, he will get the chance to prove he can keep putting up numbers at the FBS level during fall camp.

The OL Rebuild Might Be Overblown

Oklahoma State’s two most experienced offensive players this season line up in the trenches, and the third isn’t far behind them, so perhaps this is closer to a reload than the complete rebuild it appeared initially.

Virginia Tech transfer Bob Schick started 23 games in the last two seasons and played most of his career 1,276 snaps during that stretch at either guard position.

Louie Canepa followed offensive line coach Andrew Mitchell from New Mexico State. Canepa started 14 games and played all but 44 of his 1,199 career offensive snaps during the last two seasons. His time was split close to evenly between the right guard and right tackle positions.

Tulsa transfer Kasen Carpenter (876 career snaps) played 853 snaps at center for Tulsa last season, where he started 11 games. 

Lavaka Taukeiaho started nine games during his time at Weber State, where he played 745 snaps at the FCS level. His case for playing time is weaker since Taukeiaho will need to prove he can handle what should be much larger, faster defensive linemen in the Big 12.

Other OL of note:

Austin Kawecki: 163 snaps, no starts; leads all returning OSU OL in snaps played last year or ever.

Tyler Brumfield: Earned All-American honors at the JUCO level in 2024 at Snow College in Utah.

The Most Proven Unit

Earlier this offseason, Marshall declared OSU’s running backs to be the position group he was most confident in despite the departure of Ollie Gordon.

Rodney Fields Jr. appeared on the verge of a true breakout before redshirting last season. He still finished with 21 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown. Considering how much OSU struggled to run the ball and the fact that he produced in critical moments at BYU, on paper, Fields seems like a safe bet for OSU coaches to make when it comes to playing time in 2025.

And yet, he will have to fight to see the field based on the experience and proven production from two of the running backs suiting up for OSU this season.

Georgia State transfer Freddie Brock IV played 458 snaps in the last two years. During that time, he rushed for 1,126 yards and nine touchdowns while picking up 181 additional yards and a score on 23 receptions. That’s enough to put him on top in the room in terms of experience, but it doesn’t include the additional 700 snaps he played at Maine from 2020-2022 when Brock rushed for 1,273 yards and 10 touchdowns. At the FCS level, he caught another 38 passes for 276 yards and four scores.

Trent Howland joined the Cowboys just over a year ago. Playing behind Gordon, a struggling offensive line, while trying to pick up the playbook on the fly definitely limited him. He finished with 27 carries for 154 yards, but Howland is a proven commodity at the Power Conference level. The former Hoosier has 340 career snaps and 123 carries for 613 yards and three scores to go along with six catches for 29 yards.

Other running backs of note:

Sesi Vailahi: 173 snaps, 48 carries for 126 yards and two TDs, 10 catches for 58 yards; Vailahi has yet to really pop in the backfield, but teammates consistently point to him as a guy with potential.

Kalib Hicks: 26 snaps, five carries for 25 yards and a touchdown; the former Sooner is the only other back on the roster to play a down at the collegiate level.

A Break from Competition

As Oklahoma State’s only returning starter, sophomore tight end Josh Ford seems like the safest starter to project during the first week of fall camp. 

He played 392 snaps last season, which is more at the FBS level than any of his teammates can claim across their entire careers.

Ford only caught 10 passes for 92 yards and one score, so it remains to be seen how much the starting tight end job is worth from a production standpoint, but that could change with Doug Meacham taking over as the Cowboys’ play-caller.

Ford’s biggest competition is North Texas transfer Oscar Hammond, who played 333 snaps last season and finished with 19 receptions for 238 yards and one score. Hammond also caught 58 passes for 790 yards and five touchdowns while at Central Oklahoma earlier in his career.

Other tight ends of note:

Will Monney: 228 snaps, 12 catches for 141 yards and one score; transferred from Utah State after two seasons

Quinton Stewart: 191 snaps, one catch for 2 yards and a touchdown; Oklahoma State’s longest-tenured Cowboy is hoping to earn a more consistent role with the offense this season.

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Jaylen Warren is finally eying a starting role for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s faced an uphill battle at every stop along his way to No. 1 NFL running back, and those hurdles aren’t going anywhere.

Warren’s circuitous path to making highlight plays on Sundays took him through junior college and a group-of-five stop at Utah State before he finally made it to Oklahoma State. But even in Stillwater, it took him until Week 3 of his senior season before he was able to take the reins. All he did after that was put together one of the most impressive and exciting single seasons for a Cowboy running back in recent memory. Still, the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year went undrafted.

The Steelers added the undrafted free agent to a stacked RB room featuring Najee Harris and Benny Snell Jr. Shortly into his rookie season he had grasped the No. 2 role and was an important lightning to Harris’ thunder the last four years. In three years, Warren has rushed for 1,674 yards and six touchdowns in a reserve role. Now we should be able to see what he can do as a No. 1, sharing an offense with marquee offseason additions Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf.

“Jaylen’s super smart,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “Just from playing against him, I know that he was a great changeup back. He was great in protection, was great on third downs. But I think he can be a three-down back, and that’s the biggest compliment you can give a running back.”

Even if Warren takes the most handoffs, the Steelers are still willing to let him make plays where plays are needed. He could also continue to getting opportunities on special teams. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin mentioned him as one of several candidates to be a playmaker in the return game. In 2024, Warren returned nine kickoffs for 227 yards.

When Harris left in free agency this offseason and signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, it looked like the RB1 role was wide open. But, once again, Warren finds himself in a crowded backfield in Pittsburgh, with the addition of third-round pick Kaleb Johnson by way of Iowa and offseason signee Kenneth Gainwell by way of the Philadelphia Eagles. But Warren’s overall game, specifically his pass protection prowess, should give him an edge, especially considering how much hope Steelers brass is putting on the shoulders of an aging Rodgers.

At this point, Warren is tabbed as RB1. And he’s the man to beat if you asked the Steeler defenders that have to face him day in and day out on the practice field. Second-year linebacker Payton Wilson fired a playful shot at Warren when talking about the Steelers donning pads for the first time during training camp.

And if it helps, he’s got the confidence of another former Cowboy standout.

 

Warren will be a top Running back this year! Bookmark this tweet https://t.co/bj58WLqF0C

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) June 29, 2025

The Steelers open their preseason slate with a trip to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars at 6 p.m. Aug. 9.

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There hasn’t been a ton of preseason recognition headed the Cowboys’ way this year, but it was announced Wednesday that the Butkus Foundation thinks highly of a transfer linebacker.

Bryan McCoy Jr. is one of 51 players to be included on the Butkus Award’s preseason watchlist, an award given annually to the nation’s top linebacker.

Listed at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, McCoy spent the past three seasons in the MAC at Akron. He was an All-MAC selection the past two seasons. In 33 career games to this point, McCoy has 237 tackles and eight tackles for loss.

McCoy made 120 tackles for the Zips in 2024 with his 10 tackles per game ranking third in the MAC. He also had a pair of tackles for loss and a pair of pass breakups.

He wrapped up 94 ball carriers as a true sophomore in 2023 to go with six tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery that he returned for a touchdown.

McCoy made an immediate impact in Akron, playing in 10 games as a true freshman in 2022 where he made 23 tackles.

From Chicago, McCoy joined Oklahoma State via the transfer portal this offseason, also announcing portal offers to Kansas and Memphis.

McCoy is one of nine Big 12 linebackers on the Butkus’ preseason watchlist. Semifinalists for the award will be announced Nov. 4 and finalists on Nov. 25. The winner will be announced by Dec. 10. A 51-member selection committee votes on the award based on qualities that defined Dick Butkus’ career: toughness, leadership, competitiveness, football character and traditional linebacking skills.

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Thanks for stopping by – here’s your daily dose of Oklahoma State sports news.

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OSU Bullets

• All-time piece on strength coach Rob Glass came out yesterday in the WSJ – stories about Barry Sanders, Chuba Hubbard, and this quote from Emmanuel Ogbah were staples. 

“Oh my gosh, I’m still having nightmares about the stadiums,” Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah said. After running stairs, Glass would compound the punishment by having the players do squats with heavy weights.

[WSJ]

• Looking through this list of graduated/transferred OSU players from the football team was wild (247 Sports $$$)

• It’s apparently not an issue, but athletic director Chad Weiberg is working without a contract in place as his initial contract has expired. 

While no specifics were given by the university as to why (Chad Weiberg’s contract) was allowed to lapse without a new deal in place, both Weiberg and the office of new OSU president Jim Hess voiced support for the direction of the athletic department with Weiberg at the helm.

[NewsOK]

• It’s a video game, but still, the fact that OSU won three or four games 50 percent of the time was wild. Even crazier: three times OSU lost to FCS Southeast (UT-Martin) and just one more time did OSU beat Oregon on the road. (PFB)

Through the 100 sims, OSU won three games more than any other number, going 3-9 on 26 occasions. The Cowboys won four games in 24 sims and five games in 20. So, the game gives OSU a 70% chance to fall somewhere between three and five wins. It gives OSU an 18% chance to finish with six to eight wins and a 12% chance to finish with one or two wins. [PFB]

• Lots of positions open for grabs with fall camp opening (TulsaWorld)

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Non-OSU Bullets

• Live without counting • The sudden ruin of a stubborn heart (faith-based)

“You can drive great people away by making the speed of decision making slow. Why would great people stay in an organization where they can’t get things done?”

Jeff Bezos on how people want to work for an organization with velocity

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Malik Charles has taken quite an interesting path to Power Conference football, but he certainly looks the part as the Cowboys head into their 2025 season.

Oklahoma State started its fall camp on Monday, where Charlies is listed as a 6-foot-3, 283-pound outside linebacker. When Charles got to Stillwater in the spring after transferring from West Georgia, he was listed at 255 pounds — a 28-pound difference. And based on a video OSU Athletics shared with the media after the Cowboys’ opening day on the practice field, it looks like a healthy 28 pounds.

.@ngslider pointed out today that Malik Charles is up to 283 pounds on #okstate‘s roster. He was listed at 255 on the spring roster.

Certainly looks the part. pic.twitter.com/U3KPwwfFgI

— Marshall Scott (@MarshallScottOK) July 29, 2025

“I’ve put on, I want to say, 30 pounds of muscle over the past couple months,” Charles said after the spring game. “It’s not so much really the eating. I eat the same I did previously, but it’s really just all the work we put in (in the weight room), on the field across the street. It’s just all coming together.”

Who Is Malik Charles?

For much of Charles’ high school journey, he thought his future was in basketball.

Charles decided in his senior year that he instead wanted to pursue the gridiron at the next level. Despite him not having a ton of football film, Western New Mexico saw Charles’ potential and brought him in at a position most transitioning basketball players take up — tight end.

“Everybody coming from basketball, everybody wants to play tight end,” said Charles in a sit down interview with OSU director of football business Kenyatta Wright. “You look at Antonio Gates — ‘Oh, yeah, I’m gonna be the next Antonio Gates.’ …

“Let me tell  you, tight end is not for me. Don’t like blocking. I was just out there running routes, I didn’t like it. But on the other side of the ball, I loved D end. I love the physicality, hitting. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I need to play that.’ Didn’t get to play that there so I transferred.”

After his year with Western New Mexico, Charles made the move to Northern Arizona as a walk-on for the 2023 season as a defensive lineman. He took part in 11 games that season where he made four tackles, including a tackle for loss in his first season as a defender.

He then transferred to West Georgia this past season, and his potential was realized. Charles was a unanimous selection to the All-United Athletic Conference first team after making 33 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 11 games.

That standout season propelled Charles to the FBS level, as he had portal offers to OSU, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Texas Tech and others before choosing to be in Stillwater.

Football Is in His Genes

Although basketball might’ve been his first love, Charles has a football pedigree.

His father, Mike Charles, was an NFL defensive lineman from 1983 to 1991, playing with the Miami Dolphins, San Diego Charges, Los Angeles Raiders and Los Angeles Rams. He played in 101 career games and made 58 starts.

Mike was a second round draft pick out of Syracuse after he was a First Team All-American in 1982 with the Orange. His 199 career tackles at the college level are the sixth-most of any Syracuse down lineman.

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