Oklahoma State Football Recruiting: Top Targets, Positional Needs, Predictions

After a great 12-1 season, the Oklahoma State Cowboys now look to recruiting to bolster their position and build to keep their success going into the next few years.

The Cowboys' recruiting trail has been more publicized this offseason for obvious reasons. When you win big, you get big press.

Here are some targets, needs and predictions for the rest of the Cowboys recruiting season.

A Few Targets to Watch

OLB Seth Jacobs is 6'2" and 215 pounds. Oklahoma State is competing with Arkansas and Colorado for his commitment, with UCLA still in the mix but secondary to those schools, according to ESPN Los Angeles. Oklahoma State is one of just four schools he has visited.

WR Jaydon Mickens is 5'9" and weighs 175 pounds. He's also played significant time at the running back position, so he could be more of an all-purpose offensive guy. Oklahoma State is competing with mostly Pac-12 schools for his commitment and has the lead, according to a Tulsa World interview with Mickens.

WR Jhajuan Seales is a 6"1', 185-pounder who was a late bloomer in high school. He had no offers going into his senior season, but had a good enough year to get offers from multiple D-I programs. He is currently committed to Houston, but he visited Stillwater this weekend. The Cowboys still have a good shot at this kid, as he committed to Houston before receiving Oklahoma State's offer.

CB Kevin Peterson is a 5'11", 170-pound defensive back who de-committed from Oklahoma and committed to Oklahoma State, according to ESPN, after the departure of Sooner defensive coaches Brent Venables and Willie Martinez.

WR Keon Hatcher is a 6"1' Arkansas commitment who visited Oklahoma State about a week ago and was apparently impressed, according to Scout.com. He's still a Razorback for now, but the battle isn't over yet.

Regional Recruiting Battles

I already mentioned Keon Hatcher, the Owasso High School wide receiver who is being battled over by the Cowboys and Arkansas. Similar recruiting battles have been waged this season by Oklahoma State with other regional neighbors.

Scottsdale Community College tight end Blake Jackson committed to the Cowboys just days after their 44-10 Bedlam domination of Oklahoma. The Sooners had been the other team Jackson was considering. At 6'4" and 235 pounds, Jackson is a big guy who has the speed and athleticism to fit into the Cowboys' up-tempo offensive attack.

WR/CB Kendall Sanders was another recruit the Cowboys had been fighting for. After securing a commitment from the 6'1" 175-pounder as a defensive back, the Texas Longhorns were able to snake Sanders away by promising him a spot as a wide receiver.

Brandon Sheperd is the No. 1 wide receiver prospect in the state of Missouri. He committed in December to the Cowboys over the hometown Missouri Tigers.

These regional battles aren't over yet. Trey Williams, a 5'8" running back committed to Texas A&M, will be visiting Oklahoma State on Jan. 28.

Losing out on Barry Sanders, Jr. Will Be Better for Both Parties

Barry Sanders, Jr. appears to be a chip off the old block and was one of the best recruits out of the state of Oklahoma this season. However, the fact that he chose Stanford over Oklahoma State will benefit both parties.

Sanders will benefit because he won't have to play his entire college career in the shadow of his father, who set the single-season rushing records for yards and touchdowns and won a Heisman in 1988 at Oklahoma State. Plus, Sanders would have been behind at least three, and maybe four, very good running backs on the depth chart. At Stanford, he will be able to compete for playing time immediately.

Oklahoma State will be better off because it won't feel pressured to play Sanders because of his name. He's a very good player, but I can see fans expecting him to play even when he isn't the best guy. No pressure would come from his father, but it would come from the fanbase.

Stanford is lucky to have Sanders and the whole Cowboy family wishes him luck.

The Usual Underrated Recruiting Class

Mike Gundy and his staff have done a great job recruiting through Gundy's tenure as head coach, and that has been a huge part of their success. That hasn't been accomplished with Top 10 recruiting class, but rather by finding guys who fit the Cowboys' system and who are high-character, hard-working players.

This class is no different. The quality of recruit is going up slowly, but, for the most part, the Cowboys are still recruiting this way. They do their homework and find guys that will fit. They do not just look at the stars beside a guy's name.

Right now, Rivals has the Cowboys class ranked 38th. In the last three years, their classes have been ranked 28th, 31st and 36th. As usual, Gundy is finding underrated guys who will pay off big later on.

Needs

As I stated here, the Cowboys' biggest need is to fill the coaching vacancy left when special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach Joe DeForest left for West Virginia.

DeForest is one of the best Houston-area recruiters in the country, and you can bet the Cowboy program will miss him. So far, his departure hasn't resulted in any lost recruits, but it may hurt future classes if they don't get someone good quickly.

As far as player needs, there aren't that many. The offensive line and defensive backfield could use some bolstering, and, with the Cowboys' offensive system, more wide receivers could never hurt.