Why is Brock Martin returning to Oklahoma State football in 2022? 'I haven’t quite had a good enough year'
Jacob UnruhOklahoman
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State redshirt senior defensive end Brock Martin announced Monday that he is returning next season, taking advantage of an extra year of eligibility.
And the reasoning is pretty simple.
“I haven’t quite had a good enough year to declare for the draft,” Martin said.
With the regular season over, players across the country are beginning to assess their futures. Even with the fifth-ranked Cowboys facing ninth-ranked Baylor in Saturday’s Big 12 Championship game, OSU players are beginning to make their decisions.
But for one of their defensive stalwarts, Martin’s decision is interesting.
The former Oologah star is having a career season. He has career highs in tackles (34), tackles for loss (10.5), sacks (6) and quarterback hurries (6).
He even missed a game this season — the Oct. 2 win over Baylor — with a dislocated elbow.
Still, in Martin’s eyes, it’s not enough.
“It’s a self-evaluation," Martin said. “You look at some of the guys that have gone and got drafted from here, from other schools, I gotta do some more. I gotta fine-tune some things, fix some things, master a little bit more of my craft and figure out what I’m going to do from there.”
Martin is unlikely to be the only veteran returning.
OSU coach Mike Gundy said this week that eight players who are graduating will return, with most coming on the defensive side of the ball.
“They love it here,” Gundy said.
The only seniors who do not have eligibility remaining for next season on the defense are Malcolm Rodriguez, Devin Harper and Christian Holmes.
Others have yet to announce their decisions.
“Me and Coach Gundy, we had a discussion about it already,” senior safety Tanner McCalister said. “I heard him make some statements, but I’m gonna make a statement eventually.
“And you guys might like it.”
JerryWorld a familiar place to some
McCalister grew up 42 miles from AT&T Stadium in his hometown Rockwall, Texas.He looked up to Dallas Cowboys stars like Tony Romo and Terrell Owens. McCalister even played several games throughout his life in the stadium.
So, Saturday is a bit of a homecoming.
“That’d be like playing home for me, at least personally and for a lot of guys that played high school football in Texas,” McCalister said. “It’s going to be exciting playing back in my hometown, where I’m from.”
But for some, the stadium is a new place.
“Never been,” receiver and returner Brennan Presley said.
A former Bixby star, Presley has heard one thing about JerryWorld.
“It’s just really big,” Presley said.
When informed that it seats 80,000 fans and has room for 20,000 more or so, he lit up.
“I have no idea if they would fill all 100,000,” Presley said. “If there’s 100,000 people actually there, then I will be incredibly shocked. I’ve just heard it’s really big with a really big screen.”
Beef, it’s what’s for dinner
Left guard Josh Sills prefers his steak medium rare, for the record. That’s what he gets with his NIL deal, too.Sills unveiled Tuesday that he and several other Cowboys — the starting offensive linemen, some defensive linemen, some linebackers and Jaylen Warren — all have a deal with a local company and Wagyu Beef.
Once or twice a month, the group of players get together with the Cowboys supporters and enjoy the prime cut of beef.
“It’s just a lot of fun,” Sills said.
And it’s a dream come true for a guy like Sills, who is 6 foot 6 and 325 pounds.
“I’ve never turned down food — ever,” Sills said. “And I can tell you I never will for the rest of my life, especially steak.”
All I want for Christmas …
McCalister has one item atop his Christmas list this holiday season.A Big 12 championship ring.
“I want to put that ring on my finger,” McCalister said. “I want to see what it feels like on my finger. I’m not a ring guy, but I want that one.”
