Which Oklahoma State football players have most to gain in spring practice?
STILLWATER — Coming off a 10-win season, the Oklahoma State football team enters spring practice with few changes on the roster.
Only seven scholarship players transferred out, and five came in — a far cry from what the Cowboys were facing at this time a year ago. So the uncertainty of the team is less severe.
The Pokes open spring ball Tuesday afternoon, with three practices a week for the next five weeks to reach their 15-workout limit.
With the south side of Boone Pickens Stadium under construction, OSU won’t have a spring game for the second straight year.
The spring will be a season of fine-tuning and depth development, which is the ideal situation.
Here are three questions examining the potential growth ahead for the Cowboys in spring:
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Which returning offensive player has the most to gain in spring?
De’Zhaun Stribling. The Washington State transfer looked to be emerging as a prime target at outside receiver last year before a wrist injury ended his season. With limited openings to fill in the starting lineup, spring is more about depth development for the offense.
Yet Stribling, a redshirt junior, has a wide-open path back to his starting job, and if he returns to the track he was on last September, he will be the perfect complement to the group with Brennan Presley and Rashod Owens.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Stribling has an NFL body with good speed and hands. He really only played in three games last season, averaging 66.0 yards and 4.7 receptions per game.
Which returning defensive player has the most to gain in spring?
Cam Smith. The redshirt junior cornerback was a regularly used backup when the group was dealing with injuries two years ago, then he moved into the primary rotation last season. But the opportunity exists to take over as the starting job opposite Korie Black.
The cornerback rotation lost one piece with the departure of D.J. McKinney, who transferred to Colorado. That means there are more snaps to go around. The 6-foot, 185-pound Smith has appeared in 29 career games, including special teams, and had five pass breakups last year.
He was a step ahead of Kale Smith in the rotation last season, but spring presents an opportunity for one of them to take a step forward.
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Which newcomer has the most to gain in spring?
Obi Ezeigbo. You could make a case for any of the guys coming in from the portal, but Ezeigbo has the largest collective possibility of development and opportunity.
The defensive end transfer from Gannon had good numbers and multiple Power Four offers, so there’s good evidence the 6-foot-5, 252-pound super-senior should be able to make the transition to Big 12 football. But this spring will be critical in that development.
On top of that, defensive end is one of the biggest areas of need for development after losing two of their top players from last year’s rotation. Ezeigbo spent a year running defensive coordinator Brian Nardo’s system, so the learning process shouldn’t be as high. But making the jump from Division II remains the key. If it goes well, Ezeigbo will be a heavy piece of the rotation by fall.
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football: Where are key areas for growth in spring?
