Oklahoma State Starting Safety Announces Return For 2024 Season

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are going to have a wealth of experience returning for the 2024 college football season. The first dominos began to fall when the offensive line announced they were all returning for the next season, which led to an eventual announcement from Cowboys star Ollie Gordon.

With the entire offense announcing their plans to return to Stillwater next season, including Alan Bowman, who received a seventh year of eligibility, the defense began to see some returns for next season.

Add Trey Rucker to the mix of returnees, as he announced his decision to return to the program on Tuesday. Rucker joins Kendal Daniels as two of the starting safeties to announce their return next season, as the playmaking duo will work to hold things down in the secondary.

Rucker tallied 100 tackles in 14 games for Oklahoma State last season. He added an interception, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and a pass defended over the course of the season. He's entering his sixth season in college football and his fourth season with Oklahoma State.

For Bryan Nardo, he's been implementing his system over this past season as a first-year Oklahoma State defensive coordinator. The season started off rocky with tackling issues and timely blown coverages, but things eventually began to come together for the defense.

Now, Nardo is seeing veteran defenders return for another season, which will help him ensure the scheme is executed and younger, developing players can learn from them under the system.

Bringing back veterans like Rucker and Daniels are perfect for what Nardo is implementing in Stillwater and they'll be able to ensure the Cowboys' defense is solid as the program looks to compete for a Big 12 title once again.

With a plethora of returnees and a solid 2024 class coming in, Oklahoma State should be able to make some noise in the new-look Big 12.

Want to join the discussion? Like All Pokes on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.