Oklahoma
Oklahoma State football film review shows Kendal Daniels as ‘Predator’ in hybrid LB role
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy talks about first spring practice
Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy talks about Cowboys’ first spring practice
OSU ATHLETICS
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy has spoken on multiple occasions this spring about the hybrid players on his defense, and two of the most important are Collin Oliver and Kendal Daniels.
Oliver was a traditional defensive end his first two seasons, but was used in a dual role as a linebacker and edge rusher last season. So far this spring, Oliver says he’s been working primarily on the defensive line, though his role will still contain some linebacker-style elements.
While neither of those aspects is entirely new to Oliver, Daniels has been working with the linebackers in addition to his usual role as the middle safety in the five-man secondary.
As Oliver has watched practice tape, seeing Daniels’ performance at linebacker has been exciting.
“I’ve watched plenty of film on the practices we’ve had, and I’ll tell you right now, he’s gonna be scary,” Oliver said. “Every time I watch it, he’s a huge dude with dreads, looking like a Predator. He’s gonna be real scary back there.”
For Oliver, adding some extra pass-rush opportunities gives him the best of both worlds. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound senior likely doesn’t project as a traditional defensive end in the NFL, yet rushing off the edge is his most dangerous weapon with the Cowboys.
And the inconsistency of the pass rush last season left room for improvement, which Oliver’s presence should help with.
“I love it,” he said. “With the teams we play, pass rushing is gonna be very important. That’s what a four-man front brings to the table.”
More: Why is Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy selling his $8 million home? Here’s what he said
Physicality of Nnodim, Ford standing out early
With only seven spring practices behind them, the true freshman early enrollees have had little opportunity to show off their football skills.
But Gundy noted a couple of the newcomers who have stood up to the physical test of transitioning to college ball.
Defensive lineman Armstrong Nnodim and tight end Josh Ford arrived in January prepared for the increase in physicality that they’d see at OSU.
“Armstrong, I would say, is able to hold his own on the physical side of it,” Gundy said. “And then offensively, Ford can hold his own in there. Now, their heads are spinning and they might go the wrong direction. But they’re further along physically, so they can battle and fight through things that some other high school players wouldn’t.”
Both are at positions of need, which could lend itself to early playing time if they stay on track into the fall.
Nnodim is listed at 6-foot-2 and 270 pounds and could work his way into the rotation, while Ford, who is 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, will have an easier path to playing time at tight end, which has limited returning experience.
More: Why Korie Black’s decision to stay with Oklahoma State football was hugely valuable
Kobe Hylton is ‘what we thought’
Because of the unknown element of players coming in via the transfer portal, the early portion of spring is important for them to show their ability to fit in with their new program.
So far, so good, for UTEP transfer Kobe Hylton. A 6-foot, 210-pound safety who is in his super-senior year, Hylton brings a veteran presence to a secondary that relied on multiple first-year starters last season.
“You can tell he’s experienced,” Gundy said. “He’s gonna be mature and physical enough. He’s fast enough. Now he’s learning new terminology, new schemes, new concepts. But he’s what we thought when we brought him in here.
“He gives us that extra experience to help several of the young guys at that position get through another year. Because those guys, as we develop them, can compete and play sparingly, but hopefully, Kobe can carry more of the load.”
What you need to know about Oklahoma ahead of the College World Series
North Carolina will face a dangerous Oklahoma team that is on a roll.
Oklahoma (41-22) has been just as dominant. The Sooners, making their 13th College World Series appearance and first since 2022, surged through the postseason as road warriors. They won the Atlanta Regional by upsetting No. 2 seed and ACC champion Georgia Tech in the final, then swept Big 12 champion and No. 15 seed Kansas by a combined score of 21-3 in the Lawrence Regional.
The Sooners, who are 3-0 in Omaha after beating No. 7 seed Alabama and knocking off No. 3 seed and SEC champion Georgia twice, are seeking their third national championship. Oklahoma won titles in 1951 and 1994 and finished as runner-up to Ole Miss in 2022.
Here are a few things to know about Oklahoma:
Best player: Catcher Deiten LaChance
LaChance is Oklahoma’s most powerful hitter. He is batting .333 with 12 doubles, two triples and team highs of 16 home runs and 65 RBIs.
Throughout the postseason, he is hitting .326 with four home runs and 15 RBIs. In Omaha, he is 5-for-14 (.357) with one home run and five RBIs.
Strengths
Like North Carolina, Oklahoma is a balanced team that is good at a little bit of everything and is built to frustrate opponents.
Oklahoma is a balanced hitting team like UNC, but the Sooners have hit a few more homers with 91, compared to the Tar Heels’ 82. That is largely due to the Sooners smashing 26 home runs in their 10 postseason games. In Omaha, OU has homered eight times, including five homers in its win over Georgia in its previous game.
The Sooners have stolen 129 bases this season. That is good for 24th nationally and second in the SEC.
Pitching-wise, OU is 18th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings and leads the SEC in shutouts.
Weaknesses
The most glaring weakness is the pitching staff, despite its ability to strike out opposing batters and record shutouts.
The Sooners have a 4.98 ERA as a staff. Only one pitcher with 10 or more appearances has an ERA under 3.60.
They also allow 4.51 walks per nine innings, which ranks 138th nationally.
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It was a Friday Night Lights in June kind of moment for the Oklahoma State Cowboys as Israel “Izzy” Hammons made his commitment announcement.
The Choctaw, Okla., rising senior announced his decision to commit to Oklahoma State on Friday during an Instagram Live session. The Cowboys beat out a roster of schools vying for the linebacker, most notably Texas.
Hammons made just two official visits — one to OSU and one to Texas last week.
His commitment pushed the Cowboys’ 2027 recruiting class back to nine players after the defection of Mount Carmel (Chicago, IL) offensive lineman Chase Clark to Purdue.
Commitments are non-binding. The earliest that Hammons can sign with OSU is in December.
Izzy Hammons to OSU
Hammons is the first four-star player to commit to the Cowboys this cycle. Their previous commitments all came from three-star players. The 6-3, 225-pound linebacker was considered a Top 200 player in the country by both On3/Rivals and 247Sports. Both services had him ranked as a Top 10 player in the state of Oklahoma at any position. He’s also considered the No. 1 linebacker in the state.
He also runs track and field, competing in the high jump and the 100-meter days, with a personal best of 11.30 seconds in the latter.
The Longhorns came in hot at the end but already had linebackers committed to the program this cycle. For the Cowboys getting a pledge from a player like Hammons is key to shore up a position where they didn’t have a commitment and where they plan to use senior transfers as starters in 2026. That means OSU and head coach Eric Morris must start building a pipeline now.
OSU’s Class of 2027
After Clark’s decommitment the Cowboys were down to eight recruits for 2027 entering Friday, most of which were on the offensive side of the ball and starting with Iowa Colony (Texas) quarterback Carson White, who was the cycle’s first commitment in April.
Up front, OSU has two offensive line commitments Jake Baker of Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tenn., and Sonny Mullen of Troy, Texas. When it comes to skill positions players the Cowboys have three commitments as well, including two wide receivers — Cooper Hooker of Pryor (Quapaw, Okla.) High School and Ake O’Neal of Argyle, Texas. Oklahoma State also has a pledge from tight end Talan Scott of Queen City, Ariz.
Defensively, the Cowboys have commitments from safeties Chayce Davis of Euless (Texas) Trinity High School and Bryson Brown of Broken Bow, Okla.
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — As an Oklahoma utility company seeks a multimillion-dollar rate increase, two Oklahoma state representatives are asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to give customers a voice.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is currently deciding on a $29 million rate increase for Oklahoma Natural Gas.
If approved, officials say it would mark the fourth rate hike the OCC has approved for ONG in the last four years and has led to an $128 million increase in customer bills.
Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, and Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, have filed an appeal with the Oklahoma Supreme Court, saying customers weren’t given a chance to participate in the case.
“The OCC has gone completely off the beam,” ONG customers Gann and Kevin West told the Supreme Court in their June 17 petition.
In the filing, they claim that the OCC set a March 27 deadline to intervene in ONG’s rate case but only set it after the deadline had already passed.
They say ONG’s customers weren’t notified about the case until late April.
“This case was rigged from the start to keep ONG ratepayers out,” said Gann. “The federal courts have said utility customers have constitutional due process rights – including a right to timely and adequate notice about these cases. We are asking the Supreme Court to uphold customers’ rights and require the OCC to change its rules to respect them. ONG ratepayers should be allowed to exercise their right to participate without being muzzled.”
The commissioners are expected to make a final decision on the $29 million rate increase later this year.
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ONG, the OCC, and the attorney general have 30 days to respond to Gann and Kevin West’s latest ONG appeal.
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