The Cowboys have secured their third commitment for the 2026 recruiting class, and this one hails from Missouri.
A 6-foot-4, 230-pound edge rusher from Carthage, Missouri, chose Oklahoma State on Friday, turning down offers from Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas State, Iowa State, Kansas, Illinois, and others. He made the announcement on his Instagram. Bland ranks as the No. 747 player in the 247Sports Composite rankings, positioning him as a top 70 edge rusher and a top 10 player in Missouri.
Bland received his offer from OSU in January, and from that point on, the OSU coaching staff seemed to make him a top priority. Later that month, Todd Bradford, OSU’s director of football recruiting, visited Carthage to take a photo with Bland, and about a week after that, Mike Gundy traveled to meet with the edge rusher. Bland also scheduled an official visit to Stillwater for April 25.
During his junior season, Bland helped lead the Carthage Tigers to a 9-2 record, advancing to the third round of the Missouri Class 5 state playoffs. In addition to his role as an edge rusher, he also plays tight end for the Tigers. One standout feature of his highlights is his relentless effort—if a run play breaks to the opposite side, Bland often chases down ball carriers from across the field.
Recently, the Cowboys have been focusing more on recruiting Missouri, both through high school prospects and the transfer portal. In the 2022 recruiting cycle, OSU landed jumbo defensive back Cameron Epps, and in the 2024 class, they added another jumbo DB, Jacobi Oliphant, both from St. Louis. Additionally, two of OSU’s incoming transfers are from Missouri: junior college outside linebacker Chandavian Bradley from Kansas City and LSU transfer cornerback JK Johnson from St. Louis.
Bland joins Pearland, Texas edge rusher Jaylen Stewart and Berryhill offensive lineman Aiden Martin as the third commitment in OSU’s 2026 class. Stewart was the first to commit, announcing his decision on February 20, followed by Martin’s commitment on Monday.
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