'We’ve been very fortunate': Why Oklahoma State football keeps finding success with transfers

STILLWATER — Danny Godlevske had entered the transfer portal and was looking for his next college, but it was the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, so all of his recruiting was done virtually.

Video tours of campuses. Zoom calls with coaches. Nothing in person.

Through the virtual recruiting calls, something stuck out about Oklahoma State.

“I could just tell the culture here was what I wanted to be a part of,” Godlevske said. “It reminds me of my high school back in Indianapolis. A winning tradition, great culture, great family atmosphere. It’s just somewhere I wanted to be, and it’s been more than that.”

As 10th-ranked Oklahoma State prepares to take on TCU at 7 p.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium, the Cowboys will be counting heavily on Godlevske as their starting center.

Just like they’ll be counting on Jaylen Warren at running back, Tay Martin at receiver, Josh Sills at offensive guard and Christian Holmes at cornerback.

All five of those players are transfers and all five are starters.

That combination is nothing new at Oklahoma State, which became a successful landing spot for transfers soon after the graduate transfer rule was put in place nearly a decade ago.

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Defensive back Tyler Patmon transferred from Kansas in 2013, excelled at OSU and spent six seasons on NFL rosters and practice squads. After Patmon came Michigan transfer Josh Furman, then Michael Hunter from Indiana, Lenzy Pipkins from Louisiana-Monroe and Barry J. Sanders from Stanford.

The list goes on and on, until you get to the current group of five transfers who are starting for this year’s squad.

The success OSU has had with transfers, factored in with the changing landscape of college football and the new rules regarding a player's ability to transfer, has changed Gundy's recruiting strategy. This year, he says he'll reserve two or three scholarships in the upcoming recruiting class for players off the transfer portal.

“We’ve been very fortunate with transfers,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. “Graduate transfers is how this all started, then portal transfers. I would have to say that we have an advantage because I’ve been here going on 18 years now, so our culture and our system and everything is in place.

“The system we have in place allows a young man to come in and get right in line, and he’s not lost. Most everything we do over here is pretty detailed to the second of the day. We’re a year in advance on our calendars in our building. So everything we do every day is to a detail.

“I think that allows him to get into the flow really easy.”

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When he came in from Miami of Ohio, Godlevske received a small but crucial bit of advice from Sills — now in his second year at Oklahoma State after transferring from West Virginia.

“Just keep your head down and work hard,” Sills told Godlevske.

And it has paid off.

That mature view of football life is a key for transfers across the board. Holmes, who came in from Missouri last year, has realized the importance of football above simply being a college kid.

“When a transfer comes in, we come in for a reason,” said Holmes, who had his first interception of the season last week. “It’s different from when you’re at your school for four years and that’s where you’ve been. You know the town, you know the people, you know where to go have fun at. Whereas a transfer, we’re here for one reason… we’re here for football. It allows us to focus on one thing and limit our distractions.

“I’m in grad school, so I’ve got school and football. As a transfer, you come in not knowing anybody. You gotta make friends as you go, and the friends you make are your teammates. So I don’t get distracted, so I can solely focus on my craft and that’ll help me on the field and that’ll help my team.”

Martin, the Cowboys’ star receiver who transferred from Washington State last year, understands, like most late-career transfers, that the clock is ticking on his opportunities to build himself into an NFL prospect.

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“Just knowing what time it is in our career, knowing we have to walk in and do the work off the field and on the field,” Martin said. “Just focus in and lock it in, just taking the next step toward being a pro. That’s how we approach the game, and it’s paying off.

“Knowing those things you want to do, your aspirations in life, you gotta sacrifice some things. You can’t worry about outside stuff and worry about what’s the main goal. That’s how I approach football and this last season of mine.”

Gundy credits director of recruiting Todd Bradford and his staff for working tirelessly to identify potential transfers who not only can succeed athletically at OSU, but also fit the culture.

“You have to evaluate a talent level, and can that talent level help you, based on the position,” Gundy said. “And then, why is he transferring? You have to know that, so you know what you’re dealing with when you get them.

“If you’re looking to go somewhere and play, athletically, are you good enough? OK, you’re good enough. But are you gonna fit into our culture and do what we do? If you’re not, you shouldn’t come here. It’s not good for you or us.

“You need to fit into our culture, and then we need you to be in a position that you’re gonna come in, buy into the system, and then you’re gonna have everything you need to be successful. That’s the philosophy we’ve had.”

The results show on the field. Warren, who transferred from Utah State, was sharing snaps in the backfield before he left, but OSU put him in a workhorse role, and his career has exploded. He has become the Cowboys’ offensive MVP of the season to this point with 928 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

His personality was an ideal fit for OSU, and OSU was a perfect fit for him.

“Discipline and toughness,” Warren said. “Everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to contribute. Nobody’s selfish. Everybody’s selfless. That’s really part of the community I wanted to be a part of and that’s why I like it here so much.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football: Transfers continue to find success at OSU