'I just have to go get it': How CJ Tate made a statement in Oklahoma State's spring football finale
Jacob UnruhScott WrightOklahoman
STILLWATER — CJ Tate felt like it was a time for a statement.
For three years, the Oklahoma State walk-on receiver was mostly in the background. Injuries struck early and they derailed him when an opportunity emerged.
But with each catch in Saturday afternoon's spring finale — and there were plenty — his confidence jumped. It was finally his time.
“I feel like it was my time to come out and show the fans what I can do and who I am,” Tate said. “It was definitely a good day to finally put my name out there as somebody that’s going to contribute, help the team and make big plays.
“It was definitely a good day to have for me.”
On a day where the Cowboys revealed little in a practice to end the spring workouts inside Boone Pickens Stadium, Tate emerged as a threat to make plays when needed.
He caught around seven passes, including a deep touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Garrett Rangel.
It was a moment he’s been preparing for since he was a star at Putnam North High School.
“He’s a good example of the quality reps that we were able to give the threes and the young kids the last two years,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. “His reps have come from that time, and you’re seeing him now, today when he got in with the twos some, he was able to make some plays.”
Tate signed with Tabor (Kansas) College, an NAIA school out of high school. It was all part of his plan.
He told his friends and family that he would play two years and then transfer to either OSU or OU.
“I was saying it, but I wouldn’t say I was truly believing it,” Tate said.
After two seasons in which he caught 30 passes for 491 yards over two seasons, he bet on himself and the plan.
He transferred to OSU in 2019 as a walk-on, where his uncle Toné Jones played quarterback in the early 1990s.
“After my second year at Tabor, I saw I really can be something,” Tate said. “I had to believe in myself. I took a big leap of faith because not a lot of people supported me coming here to a much bigger level than NAIA.
“I believed in myself and the people around me really supporting me. I wouldn’t be here without them.”
It has still been far from easy.
Tate said he suffered multiple hamstring injuries his first season.
“I popped my hamstring probably five times,” he said.
Tate did not play in a game in 2020 but was prepared to make his presence known in last year’s spring game. Instead, he suffered an ankle injury on his first play.
The injuries took a toll on him mentally. But he kept battling.
And he played in his first Division I game last season, entering against Kansas. That set up a strong spring period.
“I just had to really get right with myself and really just talk to myself and tell myself it’s in me,” Tate said. “I just have to go get it. Just the mental part is where I really grew and I feel like it’s really going to take me to the next step.”
Gordon, Shettron suffer injuries
Gundy elected for a spring practice primarily due to low numbers on the offensive line, but also to avoid injuries.The injury bug quickly became a concern.
True freshmen Ollie Gordon and Talyn Shettron suffered injuries. And offensive lineman Eli Russ also suffered an injury on the practice’s final play.
Gordon suffered a shoulder injury when he was tackled on his first carry in 11-on-11 action. He went to the locker room and returned with his arm in a sling.
But it’s not considered serious.
“If it was a game, we would’ve put him back in,” Gundy said. “But we’re not gonna do that in the spring.
Gordon, a four-star running back from Euless Trinity (Texas), was the talk of the spring for his talent and size. He’s listed at 6 feet 1 and 211 pounds.
He is expected to be a part of a young but talented group of running backs.
Shettron — a four-star receiver from Edmond Santa Fe — made some big catches but later suffered an ankle injury. He was in a walking boot after the practice.
“The one thing you get concerned with is that they get beat up,” Gundy said. “Their bodies are much different at 20 than they are at 18. I’m guessing (Shettron) will be fine, but he made some plays.”
Russ suffered a knee injury. Gundy was unsure of the severity.
Offensive line shows growth
Low numbers aside, Gundy was pleased with the growth of his healthy offensive linemen during the spring.Only nine offensive linemen dressed out for Saturday’s spring finale, and one of them — center Preston Wilson — was excluded from contact drills. He worked exclusively as the center in 7-on-7 action.
Other starters from last year who were out on Saturday included Hunter Woodard, Cole Birmingham and Joe Michalski.
“We’ve been down a bunch of numbers, and they’ve had lots and lots of reps,” Gundy said. “But I think they’ve improved.
“We have to make up some ground in August in the scenarios we didn’t get this spring without having, really, a second or a third offensive line. We can account for that with our preparation in August. We’ll have 25 offensive linemen in August, so we’ll be able to practice three groups full-speed.”
Gundy expects the injured offensive linemen all to be healthy by August, with some returning for summer conditioning. And the Cowboys are set to add three linemen from the transfer portal in the summer as well.
Not having enough linemen to have two full units on Saturday, Gundy alternated between 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 to give the blockers a breather in between full scrimmage drills.
The added reps for linemen throughout spring has helped the development of players who will be competing for starting and backup jobs in the fall.
“I tell them, ‘Man, you’re getting a lot of work, more work than you really need,’” Gundy said. “Those guys, it’s hard. They’re the 300-pounders, they’re the most non-athletic on the field, and they’ve been getting more reps than all these skill guys that weigh 190 and can run around all day and it not affect them.
“There’s some toughness that’s instilled in them during this process that’ll pay off for them as we move forward. I’m gonna bet if you ask them, they’re gonna want a smoke break and they’re glad that spring ball’s over.”
