What Are Mike Gundy’s Thoughts on the 2024 Signing Class?
Early signing day happened across the country on Wednesday, and Oklahoma State came out of it with a lot to be happy about.
The Cowboys finished the day with 16 signees, including a flip from LaDainian Fields, who was originally committed to TCU.
Gundy said TCU was a player to keep Fields, but OSU had more ties with the star athlete from Del City High School.
“The number of flips late has gone down consistently,” Gundy said. “I’m not sure why that is, but (TCU) pushed hard on him, which they should’ve, to keep him. They wanted him. We’re closer. We have more connections there. His home base is surrounded by Oklahoma State people.”
Another player the Cowboys nabbed this week was running back Jaden Allen-Hendrix. Allen-Hendrix comes from Irmo High School in South Carolina, and he had a terrific senior season.
He collected 2,215 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns this season, leading his team to a 13-1 overall record this season.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound running back is already built, but Gundy said he will get even bigger before next season.
“When he spends 18 months in the weight room with Coach (Rob) Glass, with what he has, he’s gonna go to 240,” Gundy said. “He’s gonna drop two-tenths off his 40 because of the massive body he has to develop. So I envision him being 240 [pounds] and running in the 4.5s in a couple years.”
Overall, Gundy is impressed with the class the Cowboys secured on early signing day.
“Most of these guys have been committed to us for a long time. We really like it. It's balanced,” Gundy said. “It's a good number for the direction that we'll go as we try to manage through the changes with rosters and such. Fifteen was the number we felt like would be fairly close to where it needs to be.
“This is obviously the first signing. There'll be another one. There won't be a signing, but portals, moving forward as we get into the latter part of January. And then again, it could change again with the portal window in the spring, but this will be the majority of it. It'll be pretty close for the direction that we're going.”
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Nick is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University, where he also minors Sports Managment. He has covered OSU softball for 107.7 The Franchise and also covers Oklahoma high school football for Enid News & Eagle.