Gabe Brown "100% Surprised" By Oklahoma State Offer
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State football did something on Thursday night that they typically haven’t done in the past: they offered a Stillwater football player.
Gabe Brown, a 6-2, 210-pound linebacker out of Stillwater High School in the 2022 class, tweeted out an offer from Oklahoma State on Thursday evening.
“100% surprised,” Brown told Pokes Report of the offer. The staff had been in contact, then coach [Jim] Knowles texted me [Thursday night] around 8:30 and asked me to call him at 9:15 p.m. We spoke a little and then he offered me. I was almost speechless; words can’t describe how I felt.”
While they offered, Kansas State and New Mexico is showing interest in Brown. But if history has shown us anything, it’s that as soon as Oklahoma State offers a kid, a bunch of other schools will jump in and offer as well.
It’s been quite a few years since Oklahoma State has offered a Stillwater player. A few prominent players come to mind in Josh Fields and Matt Holliday, but Matt chose baseball and obviously made the right choice as he became a World Series champion and a multi-time Major League All-Star.
After quite a few down years, head coach Tucker Barnard has turned Stillwater around and has the Pioneers contending for state championships year in and year out.
Brown was a major force on the Stillwater defense last year as a sophomore as he recorded 126 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Stillwater’s set to play in their second game of the season tonight and Brown’s already a major force to be reckoned with.
He recorded several tackles in the season opening 45-32 win over Edmond Santa Fe, as well as recording an interception on Santa Fe’s second play of the game.
"Well [Santa Fe] called a blitz and I'm supposed to drop in that guy’s zone when he blitzes. So, I dropped and the tight end went there and [the quarterback] didn't even see me at all, I was right there,” Brown said of his interception.
While the surprise Stillwater offer is something to take note of, I think one of the biggest takeaways is Brown’s size. 6-2, 210-pounds. If you look at the freshmen linebacker class Knowles brought in the recent class, it’s full of smaller, faster guys. Jeff Roberson out of Choctaw is 6-1, 215-pounds, Cole Thompson out of Norman is 6-0, 210-pounds. Lamont Bishop out of Iowa Central C.C. is 6-3, 215-pounds.
Of course, you still have your bruisers such as Amen Ogbongbemiga, 6-1, 235-pounds and freshman Mason Cobb, 6-0, 230-pounds, and there will always be guys like that because they’re essential.
But senior Malcolm Rodriguez is the perfect example of smaller, faster and more versatile linebackers that Knowles is bringing in and Gabe Brown fits that mold.
