The Oklahoma State Cowboys‘ defense was the worst in the Big 12 and one of the worst in all of college football in 2024.
Here was how the Oklahoma State defense ranked last season in FBS:
Points allowed per game: 35.6 (No. 125)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 215.0 (No. 128)
Passing yards allowed per game: 285.6 (No. 131)
Total yards allowed per game: 500.6 (No. 132).
The Cowboys went out and hired Todd Grantham, a long-time collegiate defensive coordinator, to get the unit moving in the right direction. Only one starter from a season ago returns.
Here are three defensive players to keep an eye on for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
DT Iman Oates
Oates is the only returning starter from last season. It’s up to Cowboys fans to decide if that’s a good thing, based on how the unit performed a season ago.
He performed solidly last season and started in every game. He finished with 25 tackles (13 solo), with three tackles for loss and two sacks. He also had a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup.
He’s a fifth-year college player. He redshirted in 2023, and before that, he played two seasons at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in Miami, Okla. The Tulsa Edison product is entering his final year of college football.
DE Kyran Duhon
The Cowboys desperately need Duhon to be more than he was last year at UTEP — and that’s not a knock on what he did last year. It’s just that OSU needs as much of that as possible.
As a true freshman, he was an all-Conference USA second-team selection after he finished the season with seven sacks, which was second at UTEP and second in the conference. He also had 41 tackles (21 solo) with two passes defended.
He earned all-America freshman honors from The Athletic, On3, and Conference USA.
If he can rush the passer like that in the Big 12, great things are ahead for the sophomore.
LB Bryan McCoy
Only a handful of the transfers the Cowboys brought in are as equipped as McCoy to make an immediate impact.
He spent his first three years of college at Akron, where last year he was named second-team All-MAC. He ranked eighth in FBS with an average of 10 tackles per game. He finished the campaign with a team-leading 120 tackles, including 54 solo tackles.
He also earned Group of 5 all-America honors from HERO Sports. If he’s an all-America pick this year, then the Cowboys have vastly improved defensively, and McCoy has led the charge.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
