Oklahoma State Football: Gundy's 2008 Recruiting Class May be Best Yet

For the Oklahoma State Cowboy football program, the 2008 recruiting class may be the best yet under third-year head coach Mike Gundy. 

It was important for the Cowboys to bring in defensive help that could actually make an impact right away.

Well, the Cowboys brought in 27 signees for the 2008 season, eight of which hail from the JUCO ranks.

The incoming class had eight prospects (seven JUCO, one high school) that enrolled in OSU in January and are taking classes during the spring semester.  Six of the eight mid-year enrolless are from the defensive side of the ball, the area where the Cowboys need the most help.

The Cowboys defense was atrocious at times last season.  If OSU could have produced even a mediocre defense they could have been a sleeper team that snuck up and won the Big 12 last season.

Knowing they needed defensive help, the Cowboys signed 13 defensive players.

The biggest defensive signees are DT Swanson Miller and DB Maurice Gray, both of whom should contribute right away.

The Cowboys badly needed help in the secondary as well, and they satisfied that by bringing in six newcomers, highlighted by highly touted junior college players Gray and Lucien Antoine, and two Top-20 national high school safties, Markell Martin (already enrolled and on campus) and Victor Johnson.

One player that is going way under the radar is Jeremy Gray, a 6-6 defensive end. He is huge and with a good redshirt year he could be a force to deal with for years to come.

Although defense was key for the Cowboys, they still added plenty of great skill players that should be heck to deal with in Gundy's high-flying offense.

The biggest offensive gets for the Cowboys are JUCO All-American RB Beau Johnson and high-school stud athlete Kye Staley.

Johnson, the brother of former Auburn star Kenny Irons, is a great athlete that has talent running deep in his blood. He is a grinder and possibly could start right away for the Cowboys with the departure of Dantrell Savage.

The sleeper of the whole class for the Cowboys however, is tight end Cooper Bassett, who originally committed to Kansas State, but had a change of heart when his favorite team came calling with an offer.

Bassett is very athletic, reminiscent of current Cowboy Brandon Pettigrew. Both guys love to play the game, can block like a lineman and catch like everyday wide receivers.

The player that will have the biggest impact right away will be the nation's No. 1 kicker, Quinn Sharp. He has good range, and word has it that his kickoffs consistently reach the endzone for touchbacks.

I am not sure who the best players will be down the road, but only time and play on the field will tell. 

Here is the list of players that signed with the Cowyboys for 2008:

Offensive Players

Running Backs - 3
Beau Johnson :: Lawrenceville, Ga.
Travis Miller :: Marlin, Texas
Kye Staley :: Guthrie, Okla.

Wide Receivers - 3
Isaiah Anderson :: Wichita Falls, Texas
Justin Blackmon :: Ardmore, Okla.
Adrian Richards :: Mesquite, Texas

Tight Ends - 3
Cooper Bassett :: Tuttle, Okla.
Justin Horton :: Henderson, Texas
Jamal Mosley :: Memphis, Tenn.

Offensive Linemen - 4
DeJuan Davis :: Fort Worth, Texas
Patrick Hoog :: Castroville, Texas
Andrew Mitchell :: Choctaw, Okla.
Lane Taylor :: Arlington, Texas

Kickers - 1
Quinn Sharp :: Mansfied, Texas

Defensive Players

Defensive Ends - 3
Jeremy Gray :: Sherman, Texas
Nigel Nicholas :: Rossville, Ga.
Jeremiah Price :: Collins, Miss.

Defensive Tackles - 2
Chris Donaldson :: Anderson, S.C.
Swanson Miller :: Alachua, Fla.

Linebackers - 2
Donald Booker :: Houston, Texas
Alfred DuPree :: Dallas, Texas

Defensive Backs - 3
Brodrick Brown :: Houston, Texas
Maurice Gray :: Kathleen, Ga.
Johnny Thomas :: Texas City, Texas

Safeties - 3
Lucien Antoine :: Coral Springs, Fla.
Victor Johnson :: Waco, Texas
Markelle Martin :: Wichita Falls, Texas