Oliver Gives Pokes Their First Four-Star Commitment/Santa Fe Good to Cowboys
EDMOND --Oklahoma State collected their first commitment from a four-star prospect (247Sports) on Friday afternoon when Edmond Santa Fe linebacker Collin Oliver pledged to the Pokes on social media including Twitter (@cloliver25).
Let’s get it.. #Committed #LLD🕊 #po4tc pic.twitter.com/DQRHiaiP3J
— Collin Oliver (@cloliver25) May 15, 2020
Oliver continues a cavalcade of Santa Fe football players that have gone to Oklahoma State. Oliver was recruited by Joe Bob Clements and Greg Richmond, both defensive line coaches. That signals that he could follow former Wolves standout Trace Ford, a freshman last season, that quickly became the top hybrid player on the defensive front seven. The "Leo" end is a player that moves around and will line up some on the defensive front, both inside and outside, and also line up at linebacker. He often has edge rush responsibilities in passing situations, but also is used in coverage too. It is a jack knife position for a good sized and athletic defender.
The 6-2, 220-pound Oliver has all of those qualities and also appears that he will get bigger, both during his senior season at Santa Fe and as he progresses in a major college program.
As for the athletic part of it, Oliver runs a forty in the 4.6 range and is a two-sport athlete as part of the Wolves track team. No track this spring but he has a 6'-2" high jump and long jump 21'-5". He could compete in the decathalon as he also has a best of 42'-9.5" in the shot put. Oliver is an explosive athlete.
"I told him this morning that I'm really proud of him for being a talented football player, but I'm even more proud of him for the kind of person he is," Edmond Santa Fe head coach Kyle White. "He is a very good football player and works hard and loves the game. I know he is going to go up there to Oklahoma State and I told him I look forward to the success he is going to have in Stillwater."
Of course, White and his defensive coordinator at Santa Fe, Chris Rose, have him for another season and the Wolves are loaded as a team.
Watching Oliver in football and analyzing his skills, he is very aggressive and when he draws a bead on the target he is quick to arrive and a mostly sure tackle. Sometimes his excitement of making the play causes him to play too high, both in fighting off blocks and making tackles. That is going to be corrected. He has excellent football instincts. It is a plus that he has been coached by Rose, who is a veteran defensive coach that uses multiple systems including the 4-2-5 scheme.
Don't be surprised to see Rose incorporate some of the hybrid player role on the defensive front after seeing Ford do it so well at Oklahoma State. Rose is good at picking up and incorporating nuances into the Wolves defense.
Last season Oliver had some injury issues, but still finished with 30 tackles, two tackles for losses, two sacks, and three fumbles caused. He had one interception and it showed off his football IQ as he read screen to the outside right and squatted on it, but not so much that the quarterback didn't throw it. He did and Oliver outfought the receiver for the pick.
As a sophomore, he really showed how good he was going to be with 56 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, and a fumble recovery. He has continued to progress and he loves football, which fits the Cowboy culture.
Oliver is a four-star prospect and he has a four-star offer list with the Cowboys beating Nebraska, Mississippi, Arkansas, Utah, TCU, Texas Tech, and Iowa State as the runners-up. In all, Oliver had over 20 offers.
