Oklahoma State 2013 recruiting bios
BY KELLY HINES World Sports Writer
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
2/06/13 at 7:51 PM
Signing Day 2013: Stay up to date with the latest news on recruiting day with videos, bios and stories on Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Tulsa.
MARCELL ATEMAN
Position: Wide receiver
Height: 6-4
Weight: 189
High school: Wylie (Texas) East
Scout ranking: 4 stars
Rivals ranking: 4 stars
Fast fact: Ranked No. 37 at his position by Rivals, he averaged nearly 19 yards per reception while scoring 26 touchdowns as a senior.
Immediate impact: Although OSU returns all but one receiver, Ateman could compete for playing time in the fall.
DAWSON BASSETT
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6-4
Weight: 215
High school: Tuttle
Scout ranking: 2 stars
Rivals ranking: 2 stars
Fast fact: A two-way standout who also played tight end in high school, Bassett is following in the footsteps of older brother, Cooper, a graduating defensive end.
Immediate impact: One of the last offers for the class, Bassett will likely redshirt upon arriving in Stillwater because of OSU's depth at linebacker.
RENNIE CHILDS
Position: Running back
Height: 5-10
Weight: 175
High school: Houston Cypress Ridge
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: After rushing for almost 2,000 yards in an all-district senior year, Childs picked up late offers from OSU and TCU and interest from Oregon.
Immediate impact: With Joseph Randle gone to the NFL, Childs could compete for reserve reps in the backfield with the other underclassmen.
ZACH CRABTREE
Position: Offensive tackle
Height: 6-7
Weight: 270
High school: Mansfield, Texas
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: The tallest member of the class and the starting center on his school's basketball team, Crabtree paved the way for Mansfield's run-heavy offense.
Immediate impact: Like most linemen, Crabtree will probably need to continue to develop his skills and put on weight, but his size and speed offer a lot of potential.
DARIUS CURRY
Position: Cornerback
Height: 6-1
Weight: 190
High school: Flowery Branch, Georgia
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: Curry's older brother, C.J., is a sophomore wide receiver at OSU. Darius is the 14th Georgia native to sign with the Cowboys since 2006.
Immediate impact: He's already drawing comparisons to Justin Gilbert, an indication Curry has a chance to earn early playing time.
TRE FLOWERS
Position: Safety
Height: 6-3
Weight: 180
High school: Converse (Texas) Judson
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: One of three San Antonio-area signees, Flowers chose OSU after decommitting from Arizona State.
Immediate impact: After playing only two seasons of varsity football, Flowers likely will require time to adjust to the speed of the college game.
BRANDON GARRETT
Position: Offensive tackle
Height: 6-6
Weight: 285
Previous school: Trinity Valley Community College (Athens, Texas)
Scout ranking: 2 stars
Rivals ranking: 2 stars
Fast fact: Garrett, who enrolled at semester, switched to left tackle last season and has skills as both a run- and pass-blocker.
Immediate impact: "We expect Brandon to come in and challenge for a starting spot," offensive line coach Joe Wickline said. " ... He's got good fundamentals and is very intelligent."
BEN GROGAN
Position: Kicker
Height: 6-1
Weight: 175
High school: Arlington (Texas) Martin
Scout ranking:2 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: In a game last season, Grogan hit 6-of-6 field goals, including three from beyond 50 yards. He is ranked ninth nationally among kickers.
Immediate impact: With All-American Quinn Sharp graduating, Grogan could compete with sophomore Matt Green for placekicking duties.
OFA HAUTAU
Position: Defensive tackle
Height: 6-2
Weight: 290
Last school: Snow College (Ephraim, Utah)
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Scout rankings: 3 stars
Fast fact: As a first-team junior-college All-American, Hautau had 41 tackles, including 11 for loss, and five sacks. He is ranked by Scout as the No. 10 juco defensive-tackle prospect. His brother Siale is a tackle at Oregon State.
Immediate impact: "He's a guy that can be very disruptive for us up front," defensive line coach Joe Bob Clements said. "Our hope is that he comes right in and makes an impact immediately."
BEN HUGHES
Position: Defensive tackle
Height: 6-2
Weight: 310
High school: Waco (Texas) University
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: Hughes missed part of his senior season with a knee injury after he recorded 87 tackles and six sacks as a junior. He also is a shot-put district champ.
Immediate impact: If he can fully recover from injury and participate in summer workouts, Hughes could work his way into the rotation.
JACK KURZU
Position: Offensive tackle
Height: 6-4
Weight: 313
High school: Mary Institute and Country Day School (St. Louis)
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: Kurzu was the earliest pledge in the class who remained committed to OSU through signing day. As a junior, he helped his team average 5.5 yards per carry.
Immediate impact: Kurzu's bloodlines are a good sign of his potential: Dad, Bob, played tackle at Florida when Wickline was a graduate assistant there. His great-grandfather played football and basketball at Missouri.
VILI LEVENI
Position: Defensive end
Height: 6-4
Weight: 257
High school:Hurst (Texas) L.D. Bell
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: Leveni committed over the weekend, choosing OSU over Utah and Utah State. He had 41 tackles last season, including 11 for loss.
Immediate impact: In preparation for his senior year, Leveni put on nearly 30 pounds. That should give him a jump start on his college career.
TAYLOR LEWIS
Position: Cornerback
Height: 6-0
Weight: 180
High school: DeSoto, Texas
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: A former Kansas commit, Lewis was an all-district selection after recording 52 tackles and four interceptions last season.
Immediate impact: After starting for only one season in high school, Lewis will face a learning curve at OSU, but his size and speed have a lot of upside.
JEREL MORROW
Position: Athlete
Height: 5-11
Weight: 180
High school: Emporia, Kan.
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 4 stars
Fast fact: Ranked by Rivals as the No. 16 athlete in the class, Morrow is the top recruit from the state of Kansas. He's also a two-time long jump state, owning the state record (25 feet, 8½ inches).
Immediate impact: Wherever coaches put him -- he played safety and receiver in high school -- Morrow has a high ceiling because of his athletic ability.
NAIM MUSTAFAA
Position: Defensive end
Height: 6-4
Weight: 235
High school:Alpharetta, Ga.
Scout ranking: 4 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: Mustafaa is one of two defensive ends to enroll in January. His father, Najee, played seven seasons in the NFL and was a teammate of OSU defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer at Georgia Tech.
Immediate impact: "Naim is a big-time defensive end who can rush the passer and is very athletic," Spencer said. "He has a very high motor and is a competitor. He uses his hands very well."
DERIC ROBERTSON
Position: Safety
Height: 6-2
Weight: 195
High school: Killeen, Texas
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: Ranked 36th at his position by Rivals, Robertson was OSU's first defensive commitment. He had nearly 100 tackles during his junior season.
Immediate impact: Numbers don't always tell the story, but Robertson has some impressive ones that show his speed and strength: 4.4 40 time, 305-pound bench, 495-pound squat.
JESSE ROBINSON
Position: Offensive tackle
Height: 6-6
Weight: 275
High school: (Texas) L.D. Bell
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: Robinson chose the Cowboys three months before teammate Leveni. He is ranked No. 87 at his position by Scout.com.
Immediate impact: Like most of the other incoming freshmen, additional weight will help Robinson, who helped Bell to the first round of the state playoffs last year.
JAXON SALINAS
Position: Center
Height: 6-4
Weight: 290
High school: Irving, Texas
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 2 stars
Fast fact: A top-75 guard prospect by ESPN.com, Salinas joins Crabtree and Robinson in the Dallas Morning News' Top 100, which includes 15 offensive linemen.
Immediate impact: Salinas stuck with OSU after high school teammate Rami Hammad committed to the Cowboys before switching to Baylor and then Texas. Expect Salinas to develop under Joe Wickline.
RA’SHAAD SAMPLES
Position: Wide receiver
Height: 6-0
Weight: 170
High school: Dallas Skyline
Scout ranking: 4 stars
Rivals ranking: 4 stars
Fast fact: Samples is ranked 19th among receiver prospects by ESPN.com. He averaged 17.3 yards per catch while scoring 23 touchdowns last year.
Immediate impact: Anyone with the Twitter handle @10justscored likely expects to be an immediate contributor, but receiver should be among OSU’s most populated position next season.
JORDAN STERNS
Position: Safety
Height: 6-0
Weight: 195
High school:Cibolo (Texas) Steele
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: Scout.com ranks Sterns No. 30 among safety recruits. He also played running back in high school and has a 34-inch vertical.
Immediate impact: A first-team 5A All-Stater, Sterns’ quest to get on the field should be helped by athleticism. Two of his five interceptions went for TDs. He committed to Texas Tech before OSU.
VINCENT TAYLOR
Position: Defensive tackle
Height: 6-3
Weight: 277
High school: San Antonio (Texas) James Madison
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: If OSU is serious about improving on defense, it’s wise to sign a guy who is ranked high in the class of 2013 at his position by ESPN.com (24), Rivals.com (27) and Scout.com (33).
Immediate impact: Taylor tried to commit to Baylor before choosing OSU, but the Bears weren’t ready to accept his pledge. The Cowboys return two starting defensive tackles and they’ll embrace more help.
CORION WEBSTER
Position: Running back
Height: 5-11
Weight:185
High school:Atlanta, Texas
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: Rivals.com ranks Webster 12th among the nation’s all-purpose backs. He rushed for nearly 3,500 yards in the past two seasons.
Immediate impact: Ranked as a top 50 player in Texas by ESPN.com, Webster could be pressed into duty as a freshman because the Cowboys have unproven depth behind Jeremy Smith and Desmond Roland.
SAM WREN
Position: Defensive end
Height: 6-3
Weight: 250
Previous school: Arizona Western Community College (Yuma, Ariz.)
Scout ranking: 3 stars
Rivals ranking: 3 stars
Fast fact: Last season, he ranked second nationally with 14.5 sacks and also had 18 tackles for loss. Despite his size, he runs a 4.59 40 and has a 32-inch vertical.
Immediate impact: "Sam has a very good first step off the edge and has got the athleticism and burst to really be effective in the pass rush," former defensive coordinator Bill Young said. " ... We would expect him to contribute quickly."
