Oklahoma State Makes Top 5 for Sierra Cannon 4-Star Jaden Nickens
The Oklahoma State Cowboys have struggled this season on the gridiron as they roll into Saturday’s showdown with the Baylor Bears. They are winless this year in the Big 12 Conference and boast an overall record of 3-4 on the season. They may not have made much noise this 2024 on the football field, but they have been hard at work on the recruiting trail.
A big announcement hit social media on Thursday when Sierra Canyon and former Milwood Falcon wide receiver Jaden Nickens listed Oklahoma State as one of his final five collegiate interest. Nickens is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound pure athlete who has history with the great state of Oklahoma.
Former 4⭐️ Millwood WR Jaden Nickens (@jaden_nickens) is closing in on his commitment at Sierra Canyon (CA).
— Jordan Davis (@jdavis34_) October 25, 2024
He announced his Top 5 schools via Instagram on Thursday evening. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound receiver will decide between Oklahoma State, Georgia, Kansas, Texas A&M and Cal. pic.twitter.com/r1AcwTpiMS
Many may forget that Nickens was a star athlete for Milwood High School and also won a state championship in basketball with Douglass. If Nickens stayed in state for his senior season, he would arguably be the No. 1 ranked football player in Oklahoma. But he made the move to one of the top private schools in the nation in Sierra Canyon California. He is currently the fifth rated receiver in the state of California and is listed as a four-star athlete.
Oklahoma State may hold the inside track on Nickens considering he is a native Oklahoman by heart. He also listed California, Kansas, Texas A&M and Georgia in his top five college choices moving forward. Nickens has caught 14 passes this season for 146 yards and one touchdown for the 5-3 Sierra Canyon Trailblazers.
Cowboys stay in state with first commit of 2025 class
Oklahoma State got to work early in the race to land the top athletes of the 2025 class. Their first hard commit of the 2025 class came way back in February when they landed three-star athlete Matrail Lopez. Lopez is currently the 18th ranked player in Oklahoma who has a tremendous athletic ceiling.
3⭐️ ‘25 Oklahoma St. WR Commit @LopezMatrail is a MOVEMENT Mismatch Every Phase of the Game. Has scored Multiple TD’s 4 Different Ways.@C4SportOklahoma @KWright_7 @JohnWozniak2 #C4Family #RecruitTEXOMAThursday pic.twitter.com/RQRbJXtGn4
— Sean Cooper (@seancooper_C4) October 24, 2024
He boasted offers from the University of Texas San Antonio, North Texas, Tulsa and Washington State. It was a no brainer for the shifty wide receiver from the small southeast town of Idabel Oklahoma. When the Cowboys came knocking… Lopez answered.
In his first seven games of the 2024 season, Lopez has racked up 1,248 all-purpose yards to go along with 20 total touchdowns. He has recorded at least one touchdown four different ways this season and could be a tremendous fit for the Oklahoma State receiving core during his time as a Cowboy. Lopez is very comparable to current Oklahoma State wide out Brennan Presley.
Lopez is on pace to graduate high school early and hopes to be on campus in Stillwater before the end of the year.
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Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.