OSU recruiting update
BY JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
Sunday, January 06, 2013
1/25/13 at 2:46 PM
News of the week
Pleasant surprise: Naim Mustafaa, a defensive end from Alpharetta, Ga., committed to Georgia in June, but instead trekked to Stillwater this weekend and intends to enroll for the spring semester at Oklahoma State.
He told GoPokes.com that his father - former NFL defensive back Najee Mustafaa - played at Georgia Tech with OSU co-defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer.
Among players in the class of 2013, he is ranked 20th at his position by Scout.com and 26th by Rivals.com.
Committed, but looking: Running back Altee Tenpenny of North Little Rock High School in Arkansas committed to Alabama, but is checking out other campuses. He is on the Cowboys' wish list and is expected to visit Arkansas and OSU. He is ranked as the nation's 13th-best running back prospect by Scout.com.
So far, OSU's commitment list includes only one running back, Corion Webster of Atlanta, Texas.
Money player: One of the best recruiting names in the class of 2013 belongs to safety "Money" Hunter of Prosper, Texas.
Hunter hasn't gotten the kind of offers he would like and told Scout.com in mid-December that, though he hadn't heard from OSU, he might be interested in walking on there.
Update? He said this week that he once had offers from West Virginia, Utah and SMU and now is considering walking on at Arizona.
Hunter (whose real first name is Monshadrick) is the son of professional baseball player Torii Hunter. Another of the baseball player's sons, Torii Hunter Jr., committed to Notre Dame.
Signing day countdown
Commitments are non-binding. Prospects aren't bound to the schools that they choose until they sign a letter of intent. The first day - it's referred to as national signing day - recruits can sign a letter of intent is Feb. 6.
OSU will play host next week to the highest-ranked recruit that is still on the Cowboys' radar.
Laquon Treadwell of Crete-Monee High School in Crete, Ill., is rated among the nation's top receiver prospects. Mississippi, Oklahoma and OSU are among schools he will visit.
The rankings
Scout 13th, ESPN 25th, Rivals 22nd
Position watch: Quarterback
This is not a position of need for OSU, which returns three quarterbacks (Wes Lunt, J.W. Walsh, Clint Chelf) who started games in 2012. All three threw for at least 1,000 yards and all of them led the Cowboys to at least one Big 12 victory.
Lunt won a three-player race for the starting job in the spring, but the first-year freshman twice left games with injuries and was replaced first by Walsh and then by Chelf. They'll compete again when spring drills begin anew. Arizona transfer Daxx Garman also becomes eligible in 2013.
OSU had gained a commitment from quarterback prospect Luke Del Rio, son of former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio. But Luke Del Rio de-committed after the departure of OSU offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who became close to the Del Rio family when he was an assistant coach with the Jaguars.
Luke Del Rio then announced that he was walking on at Alabama because he felt "wanted." It was a puzzling choice of words because the Crimson Tide didn't "want" him enough to offer an immediate scholarship.
In the aftermath, OSU may try to lure a choice walk-on QB to campus.
