Editor’s note: This is a story from “Gundy’s 20th,” The O’Colly’s weekly series to commemorate OSU football head coach Mike Gundy’s 20th season as the leading man. This week, we look at the 20 best players under Gundy.
Legends such as Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas, Hart Lee Dykes and so on played before Mike Gundy took over as Oklahoma State’s head coach.
But that doesn’t mean Gundy hasn’t produced some studs since he took the job in 2004.
This week’s “Gundy’s 20th” story includes a top 20 list of the best players under Gundy.
No. 1: Justin Blackmon, wide receiver, 2008-11
After being redshirted in 2008, Blackmon played 13 games the following year before breaking out in 2010 and becoming the nation’s best wideout. Blackmon won two straight Fred Biletnikoff Awards in ‘10 and 2011 and totaled 3,304 receiving yards and 38 receiving touchdowns those two seasons. He was the top target for not only the program’s best team in ‘11, but was undoubtedly the best receiver in the country.
No. 2: Brandon Weeden, quarterback, 2007-11
Listen, I don’t really want to put Blackmon and Weeden atop this list; it seems too easy. But Weeden made it easy, as his 2010 season (4277 passing yards and 34 passing touchdowns) and 2011 season (4727 passing yards and 37 passing touchdowns) are all-timers in Cowboy football history. OSU’s best receiver and quarterback as the top two? Sometimes the easy route is good.
No. 3: Russell Okung, offensive lineman, 2006-09
Okung started 47 games for OSU before the Seattle Seahawks selected him with the sixth pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He was a two-time All-American (a unanimous one in 2009) and held down the Cowboys’ tackle positions across four seasons.
No. 4: Mason Rudolph, quarterback, 2014-17
A three-year starter for the Cowboys, Rudolph is atop the lists of many OSU records, including but not limited to: competitions (No. 1), passing yards (No. 1), passing touchdowns (No. 1) and completion percentage (No. 2).
No. 5: James Washington, wide receiver, 2014-17
Funnily enough, Rudolph’s top target comes in right after him. Washington, a Fred Biletnikoff Award winner in 2017, too found himself atop OSU’s record books, as he had career totals of 4,472 receiving yards, 226 receptions and 39 receiving touchdowns.
No. 6: Malcolm Rodriguez, linebacker, 2017-21
The best defensive player under Gundy is Rodriguez, who was the backbone of that great 2021 Cowboy defense. Rodriguez’s 409 career tackles are the most under a Gundy defender, and he finished his career off as the MVP of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.
No. 7: Kendall Hunter, running back, 2006-10
Hunter is fourth all-time in career rushing and all-purpose yards for OSU, but if not for an injury in 2009, he may be No. 1 in both those statistics. Hunter was a Doak Walker Award semifinalist, a two-time All-American, and, despite being already a Cowboy great, is somewhat of a “what if” too.
No. 8: Tylan Wallace, wide receiver, 2017-20
Wallace is another great Cowboy receiver who, in his first season as a starter, was a Fred Biletnikoff Award finalist and an All-American. He finished fifth in OSU career receiving yards (3,434), sixth in receptions (205) and touchdowns (26).
No. 9: Dez Bryant, wide receiver, 2007-09
Yup, another receiver. In two full seasons — his 2009 season was limited to three games because of a suspension — Bryant was a consensus All-American (2008) with career numbers of 2,425 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns. His dominance for a short tenure in Stillwater was undeniable.
No. 10: Chuba Hubbard, running back, 2017-20
In 2019, after posting 2,292 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns, Hubbard was a Doak Walker Award finalist, eighth in Heisman voting and an All-American. He’s seventh all-time in OSU career all-purpose yards (4,490) and second in all-purpose yards per game (136.1).
No. 11: Ollie Gordon II, running back, 2022-present
Gordon has already won the Doak Walker Award, which is more than the two running backs above him, but his career numbers are to be determined. What’s certain is that Gordon is a wrecking ball of a runner who’s a fan favorite, and he might end up several sports higher on this list when he’s done in Stillwater.
No. 12: Justin Gilbert, cornerback, 2010-13
A consensus All-American in 2013, Gilbert was a Jim Thorpe Award finalist and set a Big 12 Conference record with six kickoff return touchdowns that year. He finished with 182 tackles, eight interceptions and 11 kickoff return touchdowns for his career before the Cleveland Browns drafted him with the eighth pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
No. 13: Zac Robinson, quarterback, 2005-09
Robinson is third in OSU’s total offensive career yards mark with 10,175, as the Cowboy quarterback in the mid-late 2000s was one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the sport.
No. 14: Brennan Presley, wide receiver, 2020-present
Like Gordon, Presley’s college career isn’t finished, and he might only climb this list before this season ends. Presley’s 16 receptions two games into this season have him only 53 catches away from breaking Rashuan Woods’ OSU career receptions record.
No. 15: Emmanuel Ogbah, defensive end, 2012-15
After redshirting as a true freshman and starting 13 games his sophomore year, Ogbah totaled 113 tackles and 24 sacks in his junior and senior seasons.
No. 16: Lane Taylor, offensive lineman 2009-12
Like Okung, Taylor made 47 starts on the Cowboy offensive line and was the star offensive guard on a couple of OSU teams with the best offenses of all time.
No. 17: Nick Martin, linebacker, 2021-present
Martin rounds out the trio of Gordon and Presley of current players who made the list. Martin’s fly-around-the-field play and tackling ability (he’s totaled 166 tackles from last season to two weeks into this season) are mostly unmatched in Gundy’s era.
No. 18: Brandon Pettigrew, tight end, 2005-08
Pettigrew was an All-Big 12 tight end who finished his career with 112 catches for 1,450 yards and nine touchdowns. His play and leadership at OSU propelled him to the 20th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, where he was selected by the Detroit Lions.
No. 19: Quinn Sharp, kicker, 2008-12
Most say Dan Bailey is OSU’s best kicker, and while he won the Lou Gorza Award and Sharp didn’t, I believe that Sharp’s the best. In the first two years Sharp saw the field, he served as OSU’s punter before becoming a full-time kicker. In his last two seasons, he went 72-for-72 on extra points and 50-for-59 on field goals.
No. 20: Brock Martin, defensive end, 2018-22
Although Rodriguez was the backbone of the great ‘21 Cowboy defense, Martin was his right-hand man. Martin finished tied for the fourth-most tackles for lost and third in quarterback hurries in OSU career marks.
