Why is Oklahoma State football buzzing about Xavier Ross? 'He's gonna get to the' QB
STILLWATER — This time of year, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is slow to pass out high praise for many of his football players.
But the coach recently shared a bit of his excitement about the progress defensive end Xavier Ross has made since January.
“He looks 100% different now than he did at this time last year,” Gundy said Saturday. “He’s bigger, he’s developed himself, he’s competing. He understands it’s ok, it’s gonna be violent, there’s a lot going on, just keep fighting. I’m very pleased with him.
“Somebody mentioned the other day about guys that have been around that have made big strides. He’s one of ‘em.”
A 6-foot-4, 290-pound redshirt senior, Ross hasn’t played a ton throughout his career, though he worked his way into a starting role for the final four games of last season.
The more surprising element in his emergence this preseason is the fact that not only is OSU adapting to a new defense under coordinator Bryan Nardo, but also, Ross has moved to a new position.
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The Cedar Hill, Texas, product has appeared in 16 career games at OSU, all at defensive tackle. But in spring camp, Nardo and defensive line coach Greg Richmond identified Ross as a potential defensive end.
So he began to work at both spots, but is primarily focusing at end in the three-man front. Yet when the Cowboys shift to a four-man front, he can still slide to the interior.
“I think the transition’s been smooth,” Ross said. “I lost around 10 pounds so I could be a little bit faster, a little smoother coming out of my stance. You have to cover more ground in this spot, so I have to make sure my conditioning levels are right.
“The technique is really different, but Coach Rich, he did a really good job coaching me up on the dos and don’ts of the position. My other D-line brothers that been playing D-end, they helped me out a lot, trying to give me pointers on how to rush and what to do.”
His teammates have seen Ross’ growth as well.
“He’s improved a lot from last year,” noseguard Collin Clay said. “He was one of our D-tackles last year and he’s on the edge now. He’s a very quick athlete, and he gets to finally just go out there and play football.
“This is a defensive end-friendly defense. He’s very quick and he’s gonna get to the quarterback, so I’m excited to see what he does this year.”
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Oklahoma State defensive end depth chart
Name, Class, Ht., Wt., Hometown (Previous school)
The starters
Kody Walterscheid, RSr., 6-6, 281, Muenster, Texas
Anthony Goodlow, RSr.*, 6-5 283, Del City (Tulsa)
The reserves
Nathan Latu, RSr.*, 6-4, 265, Salt Lake City (Snow College)
Xavier Ross, RSr., 6-4, 290, Cedar Hill, Texas
DeSean Brown, RFr., 6-3, 254, Choctaw
Isreal Isuman-Hundley, RSr., 6-5, 257, Colleyville, Texas (Heritage)
Landon Dean, RFr., 6-5, 270, Frontenac, Kansas
Jaleel Johnson, RFr., 6-4, 244 Oklahoma City (Putnam City North)
Jaedon Foreman, Fr., 6-5, 250, Del City
*-Super-senior
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football's Xavier Ross creating buzz after move to DE
