STILLWATER - Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy announced the signing of 27 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday. Included in the total are four student-athletes who have been tabbed as high school All-Americans.
The newest class includes one junior college transfer and three new high school graduates who joined the program in January. Not included in that total is 2009 signee Joe Mitchell. Mitchell, a safety, began attending classes at OSU last month as well.
Over the past two years, OSU has seen its recruiting grounds grow, but the 2010 class takes on a much more local flavor. With the exception of two signatures, the enter class comes from Oklahoma or a border state. On paper, or at least in cyberspace, the 2010 class will go down as one of the higher-ranked in Oklahoma State history with at least one service placing OSU at or near the top 10 in the rankings entering signing day.
"We obviously like our class," Gundy said. "It's a testament to our program, and to our current student-athletes, that we can sign a class of this caliber. We think we have helped ourselves in a number of areas. This group has a nice mixture of skilled players, linemen and defensive players. It's a class that certainly helps us continue the momentum that our program has been building over the last couple of years."
The OSU class includes at least 14 players who appear to be headed for defensive duties. Among the new defenders is the highest-rated player in the class: linebacker Shaun Lewis.
"Everyone is excited on signing day. We are no exception," the head coach added. "We won't truly know about this class for a couple of years, but we obviously hope it turns out to be an exceptional group."
Highlights From Gundy Signing Day Press Conference
General Thoughts
"This is a very exciting day for us. We have the opportunity to bring in a very big class. There are young guys on the field on the defensive side of the ball that we've had committed for a long time. Our coaching staff is very excited that we're able to bring in 27 guys. We have four who are already on campus now."
On The Composition Of The Class
"This class is more diversified than what we've had here in the past. We have seven from Houston, five from Dallas, five from East Texas, three from San Antonio, two Oklahomans, two from Kansas, and one from Arkansas, California and Florida. We're a little more spread out than we have been in the past."
On Some Of The Help He Received During The Recruiting Process
"Our coaching staff would like to thank everyone in the Stillwater community. They have been tremendous for us. Professors on campus, personnel on campus and people in the community have always been tremendous recruiters for us. It always helps when families come in and feel very comfortable with Stillwater."
General Thoughts On The Offensive Signees
"We were able to sign five offensive linemen with more size than we've had in the past and we're excited about that. We were able to bring in quarterbacks who we've had committed for a long time. We're looking forward to getting those guys in the offensive scheme and give them an opportunity to learn the system. We also got the running back from Kansas, Joseph Randle, who we think will be a great fit for us."
General Thoughts On The Defensive Signees
"Defensively is where we signed the majority of our numbers. We were looking for a lot of defensive back-type skill players, corners and safeties, because we graduated a number of those guys. We picked up four defensive linemen and a number of linebackers. We're very excited about this class and looking forward to getting these guys up here in the summer."
What He Looks For When Evaluating Defensive Prospects
"Most coaches will tell you that when you can get defensive linemen, you have to take them. It's hard to find big guys who can run. From a safety standpoint, you look at Zach Craig, Lavocheya Cooper and Deion Imade, we wanted guys who are athletic and who can come up and tackle well. You're always looking for that guy who can also cover because of the way people spread out now. You have to be able to cover. At corner, and this is similar across the country, you are looking for guys with cover skills that allow you to overload the box and stop the run, but you also have to come up and make that tackle and get guys down."
