Two Oklahoma State Wide Receivers Ranked Top Ten at Position in Big 12
College football is nearly back, but it's going to look a bit different this time around. Conference realignment finally took place with the arrival of the 2024 college football season, and the power conferences have been shaken up because of it.
The Big 12 has now added eight teams over the last two seasons, which comes with the departure of Oklahoma and Texas -- both of which are transitioning to the SEC this season. While it sucks for the conference to lose two powerhouse programs, they've added eight new programs to the conference which brings in plenty of talent.
Oklahoma State could take the opportunity given, too. While Utah might be the newcomer program most likely to make the Big 12 title game, the Cowboys are staring at a wide-open conference following the departure of the Sooners and Longhorns. They're also returning some of the most production at the power conference level.
Headlined by running back Ollie Gordon, the Cowboys are going to have some elite talent at the skill positions. Their wide receiver room is quite underrated, though. The Oklahoman's Justin Martinez ranked the top ten wide receivers in the Big 12, with two Oklahoma State stars landing on the list.
Rashod Owens was the first of the Cowboys to get a mention, being slotted No. 7 in the conference at the position.
"Owens was one of OSU's biggest breakout players last season," Martinez wrote. "Owens recorded career highs of 63 catches, 895 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns as a junior. He also earned an All-Big 12 honorable mention and was named the Texas Bowl MVP in OSU's win over Texas A&M."
Given the star power on the Cowboys roster, it's not always the easiest for Owens to stand out or shine. Gordon is a superstar on the national stage behind a stout offensive line, and Oklahoma State has a couple of other strong talents at the wide receiver position -- one of which is Brennan Presley, who was ranked No. 2 on the list.
"Presley is back for his fifth season with the Cowboys," Martinez wrote. Presley earned an All-Big 12 second team selection last season for recording career highs of 101 receptions, 991 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. The accomplished veteran ranks fourth in program history in career catches (225) and seventh in career receiving yards (2,548)."
Presley has been a star for Oklahoma State during his four-year career, and him returning for a fifth season with the program will prove as such. He'll headline a strong wide receiver corps, which will see plenty of production from him, Owens and De'Zhaun Stribling next season to complement the ground game.
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Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's On SI in 2022