Could Ayo Shotomide-King be Oklahoma State football's next uncovered gem at receiver?

OKSTATE1 · Aug 22, 2024

Could Ayo Shotomide-King be Oklahoma State football's next uncovered gem at receiver?

Scott Wright
The Oklahoman

STILLWATER — Long before he was Oklahoma State’s offensive coordinator, Kasey Dunn was building a reputation for discovering hidden gems.

James Washington was the poster child, an unheralded two-star recruit from a tiny, rural Texas town who went on to win the Biletnikoff Award winner.

Leon Johnson III is the most recent Dunn discovery, plucked from Division III George Fox University before becoming a key factor in OSU’s 10-win season last fall.

And there have been plenty more over Dunn’s OSU tenure, which is entering its 14th year.

Could Ayo Shotomide-King be next on the list?

Even some of the hardcore Cowboy recruiting followers are just beginning to learn about the 6-foot-4, 215-pound walk-on receiver from Snow College in Ephraim, Utah.

He arrived over the summer and began to catch the attention of his teammates right away.

Then preseason camp began and his skills continued to pop.

“His big body, the way he’s able to run through contact, run through arm tackles, catch the ball strong, catch the ball out there, has strong forearms,” redshirt junior receiver De’Zhaun Stribling said. “That’s one of his best features. He’ll be a good, complete all-around receiver pretty soon.”

A redshirt sophomore who played one season at the junior college level, Shotomide-King caught 37 passes for 438 yards and two touchdowns at Snow last season. His best game was a nine-catch, 161-yard performance in November.

Despite solid numbers and good size, Shotomide-King’s recruiting was limited primarily to FCS-level programs.

Until Dunn caught on.

In fact, Dunn pulled in Stribling to get extra eyes on Shotomide-King’s recruiting tape.

“Just watching his film and seeing what he does,” Stribling said. “I felt like he was somebody who could come here and help us win games.

“The first time I saw him was during summer, and his big body stood out. Good guy, even better player.”

Shotomide-King might need extra time to adapt to Power Four football, but he has the qualities to be an impactful player at some point.

And he adds to the Cowboys’ depth at receiver, which is an important factor should they face injury issues that have haunted them the last few seasons.

While the Pokes have an incredibly talented starting group with Stribling, Brennan Presley and Rashod Owens, the depth behind them is somewhat inexperienced.

Talyn Shettron has been in the regular rotation, but has also battled health problems the previous two years. Transfers Da’Wain Lofton and Gavin Freeman saw consistent playing time at their previous schools. And former walk-on Cale Cabbinness has been a valuable backup the past few seasons.

The group of youngsters from the past two recruiting classes are also getting a chance to compete for spots in the rotation, thought the experienced players might have an edge.

“With the new receivers that came in, especially with having veterans with experience, it’s very helpful,” Owens said. “Because it almost looks like they’ve been here. So, it’s like, we sitting there coaching them up on little things, little techniques to fix up and how to run certain things. And they’re so quick to learn it, and they go and perform it out on the field.”

Oklahoma State receiver depth chart

Name, Class, Ht., Wt., Hometown (Previous school)

The starters

De’Zhaun Stribling, RJr., 6-2, 200, Kapolei, Hawaii (Washington State)
Brennan Presley, Sr.*, 5-8, 175, Tulsa (Bixby)
Rashod Owens, RSr., 6-2, 230, San Antonio (Roosevelt)