HOUSTON — The youngest of three brothers, Luke Webb constantly heard from the older ones that he was destined to be an offensive lineman.

But Webb’s passion was on the defensive side, so as he grew into his 6-foot-4, 275-pound body, he bucked his brothers’ projections.

“You’re gonna be an O-lineman,” they’d tell him. “You’ll never make it in college as a D-lineman.”

Partly because he loved it, and partly to prove his brothers wrong, Webb stuck with his defensive dreams.

“Next thing you know, I was the only brother to get scholarship offers to play college football,” Webb said with a hint of a smile. “That was pretty fulfilling, I guess you could say.”

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Webb, who starred as an interior defensive lineman at Deer Park (Texas) High School, signed with Oklahoma State in December and will be on campus in June. He picked OSU over offers from Houston, Kansas, SMU, Arizona, Washington State, Cal and a few others.

He could’ve stayed close to home. Deer Park is a suburb on the east side of Houston. He could’ve gone far. He took a visit to Berkeley, California, but decided that wasn’t his type of town.

Stillwater, on the other hand, absolutely was.

“It’s more my style up there,” Webb told The Oklahoman. “It’s spread out and it’s more of a country town. 

“Going on campus, getting there, it felt like family from the beginning. It just felt right.”

Determining where Webb fits on the Cowboys’ defensive line is a question for another day.

He played on the interior at Deer Park, but recruiting conversations centered around the possibility of an outside spot in OSU’s three-man front, which uses bigger defensive ends than a traditional four-man alignment. 

And the Cowboys have shown a desire for versatility with a big end even before Bryan Nardo brought his 3-3-5 scheme to town. Guys like Tyler Lacy, Nathan Latu and Anthony Goodlow have moved in and out, depending on the situation. 

On top of all that, OSU coach Mike Gundy hired a new defensive line coach, Paul Randolph, in January to replace Greg Richmond, who had recruited Webb and the other defensive line signees.

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So the specifics of Webb’s role will be determined in the summer and fall.

Meanwhile, his mother, Laurie Freeman, is counting the days until Oct. 26.

That’s when Baylor hosts OSU at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas, about a three-hour trip north from her home. A junior-high teacher and coach, Freeman finished her doctorate at Baylor last year. 

“I’m already trying to plan flights and days off, so we can get to as many games as we can, but I just don’t know what I’m gonna do when they play Baylor,” Freeman said with a laugh. “I’m probably gonna be in all orange with a Baylor hat on or something. But we’re excited. This is so much fun for us.”

Thanks to Webb’s older brothers, Freeman is confident her son can handle the physicality he’ll face in making the jump to college football.

“Luke has always been a spitfire, always been a go-getter,” she said. “My older two are amazing men, and Luke had good examples in that. But he had to be tough a lot. When he was younger, he was a little squirrely, but we’ve watched him blossom into the most amazing young man.

“One thing I admire about him is his work ethic, and he’s even helped his brothers learn that more now.”

With a couple games in central Texas on the schedule next year, plus regular visits to Houston in the future, Freeman is excited to have her son in the Big 12. And just like Webb, she sensed OSU was the ideal destination for him.

“Even though he’s gonna be eight or nine hours away, I feel comfortable that he’s gonna be there with that coaching staff,” Freeman said. “Education is big to us, and I was very impressed with their school of business. 

“I know he’s gonna get a good education and have fun while he’s doing it.”