Oklahoma
Three Oklahoma State football position battles to watch in 2024 preseason practices
Mike Gundy expects Ollie Gordon to carry load for Oklahoma State football
Mike Gundy expects Ollie Gordon to carry load for Oklahoma State football
STILLWATER — With nearly every job already spoken for by a returning starter, preseason camp has been uneventful from a position battle perspective for Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys are just over a week into the preseason, and just over three weeks from the opening game against South Dakota State at 1 p.m. Aug. 31 at Boone Pickens Stadium.
While the Pokes return roughly 20 starters, that leaves only a few starting positions to be won, but here’s a look at three important ones at this point of camp:
More: How Oklahoma State football QB Zane Flores grew during redshirt year: ‘He’s ready’
Safety
This might be the most unique position battle in preseason camp for the Cowboys because it primarily involves experienced players. Five different guys started at least one game at safety last year and all five are back, plus UTEP transfer Kobe Hylton has inserted himself into the discussion since arriving in January.
One aspect that remains unclear is just how frequently Kendal Daniels will line up at safety, a detail coach Mike Gundy continues to dance around. Even when Daniels is at linebacker, the safety group has plenty of experience to go around for the three starting jobs.
Trey Rucker seems locked into his spot once again, but the other two openings could go a variety of ways. Cameron Epps and Dylan Smith got good experience splitting time after Lyrik Rawls was hurt last year. Rawls is back to health and in the mix as well. Hylton has looked good, and less experienced backups like Ty Williams and Parker Robertson are fighting for spots in the two-deep.
More: Sean Snyder brings ‘refreshing’ experience to Oklahoma State football special teams
Tight end
It’s hard to tell how much of a battle this one will be, but it’s the most significant job opening on the offensive side of the ball, where basically every other starter returns. Tyler Foster, the 6-foot-6, 255-pound super-senior transfer from Ohio, looks like the frontrunner after stepping in during the spring. He has experience, as well as the versatility to be an effective blocker and pass-catcher.
Quinton Stewart is a veteran who has filled the role of an extra blocker the last couple years. Stillwater product Josh Ford has wowed coaches with his physicality as a true freshman, which could earn him some snaps. And Tabry Shettron continues to develop in the background.
The position has good depth, which is important at a spot that became more frequently used in a variety of areas last year.
More: Oklahoma State football’s Lyrik Rawls aims to reclaim starting safety spot after ACL tear
Placekicker
This is an interesting one, because it includes a late addition to the party. Drake Tabor, a journeyman who was an all-state kicker at Hoover (Alabama) High School, joined the program a week ago and has thrust himself into the competition with Logan Ward and Kason Shrum.
Still, Ward looks like the favorite and is enjoying his recent work with newly added kicking coach Sean Snyder. Ward, a walk-on from Deer Creek High School in Edmond, has filled many roles for the Cowboys. He took over as punter in 2022 when Tom Hutton tore his ACL. He was the kickoff specialist last year, and filled in on extra points at times.
Ward has proven to have a strong leg and is working this preseason to dial in his accuracy.
Jeremiah Fears averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists for Oklahoma.
Jeremiah Fears has declared for the 2025 NBA Draft after one standout season at Oklahoma.
Fears made the announcement on a social media post Wednesday. The 6-foot-4 guard is projected by many to be a lottery pick. He averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists this season and helped the Sooners reach the NCAA Tournament.
“This year has been an incredible journey, and I am grateful for all the love and support I have received from the OU fan base!” he said in a statement on social media. “I want to express my gratitude to coach (Porter) Moser and the entire coaching staff, who believed in me and allowed me to showcase my abilities at the University of Oklahoma.”
The previous high-profile freshman at Oklahoma, Trae Young, has kept in contact with Fears. Young was the No. 5 pick in the 2018 draft and was an All-Star for the Atlanta Hawks this season.
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“Jeremiah is going to be a really good player,” Young said in January. “I mean, being one of the highest recruits that we’ve got at OU in a while, I’ve been keeping up.”
Fears had plenty of big games that boosted his stock. He scored 26 points against Arizona. He hit a 30-footer, drew a foul and completed a four-point play late that pushed the Sooners to an 87-86 win over Michigan in the Jumpman Invitational. He scored 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting and made four 3-pointers in a loss to No. 2 Florida.
He scored 29 points in an Southeastern Conference Tournament win over Georgia. In a loss to Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament, he scored 20 points and kept the Sooners in the game.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Thirty years ago, the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history devastated our nation.
National Geographic is taking an unprecedented look back in a docuseries called “Oklahoma City Bombing: One Day in America.”
On April 19, 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was under attack -168 people died in that bombing, including 19 children. Hundreds more were injured.
“This attack is still the deadliest domestic terror attack in the U.S. to date, but may not necessarily know all the details of it,” says Director Ceri Isfryn.
Isfryn wanted to change that.
“I hope people will listen to the stories of these ordinary people,” Isfryn says. “At the end of the day, they simply went to work that day and found themselves an extraordinary situation.”
Amy Downs is one of them. In the docuseries, she relives the harrowing experience of being trapped in the rubble for hours and shares her incredible survival story.
“I think something for me that was surprising was hearing from my rescuers and hearing their perspective,” Downs says, with gratitude. “That was really powerful.”
National Geographic takes us through the darkest days of this homegrown attack and the eventual arrest of Timothy McVeigh.
“You really do get that sense of relief when they realize they have got the right guy,” Isfryn says.
Downs says the love and support that followed was overwhelming.
“The last day I was in the hospital, eight days after the bombing, I remember looking out of the window and seeing, in the middle of the day, all of the cars driving with headlights on. People were doing that as a symbol of love and hope and support. I just remember that spirit of how people came together to help,” she says.
“Oklahoma City Bombing: One Day in America” is a three-part series.
It premieres April 2nd on National Geographic and streams starting April 3rd on Disney+ and Hulu.
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Ryan is managing editor at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City.
Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more.
Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com.
Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters.
Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK.
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