Oklahoma State football finished the job in a tough spot against Arkansas over the weekend. The Cowboys won the double-OT affair 39-31, keeping them firmly entrenched in the nation's top 25 for at least another week. However, some devastating injury news has struck early this week on key defensive leader Collin Oliver. Daniel Allen of O'Colly Sports posted on X, formerly Twitter, that head coach Mike Gundy says “it's gonna be while” before Oliver can return to the field.
Oliver has posted four tackles, one sack and one pass deflection through two weeks of the 2024-25 campaign. The senior linebacker exited with a leg injury in the first half of the Arkansas matchup last Saturday, and later returned to the sideline after halftime with crutches and a boot. Gundy was far from optimistic about the situation after the game.
“I think that he's done for the year,” Gundy said. “I'm not sure. I haven't gotten an update other than the game when they said that he wasn't coming back and they thought that he might have had maybe a fracture or a crack or something, but I'm not for sure.”
While Oklahoma State will await for more insight on Oliver, it appears that Gundy is already prepared to fill the void at linebacker. Obi Ezeigbo, a D-II transfer from Gannon, will reportedly step in and play alongside leading tacklers Nick Martin and Jeff Roberson.
“Do you want me to go back into coach talk or do you want the truth? He was very inexpensive,” Gundy told reporters on Monday. “The number of players that we go after that were ready to play at this level, we can't afford.”
Along with Ezeigbo, the defensive line will play an integral part in keeping the success going for Oklahoma State football.
How will Obi Ezeigbo impact the Oklahoma State football defense?
Gundy sees something special in Ezeigbo, but whether or not it translates to the game field in the long run remains to be determined. He hasn't played much since transferring in the offseason, other than stepping up in a huge way against the Razorbacks last week. The senior recorded nine tackles (three solo) and two sacks on Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green. He also played sparingly against South Dakota State on Aug. 31, with one tackle for loss.
Oklahoma football will continue to monitor the status of Oliver and provide another update later in the week. Until then, the Cowboys have a new-look defensive game plan to carry with them into a clash with Tulsa on Sept. 14.
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