Why Derek Mason wants Oklahoma State linebackers chosen by 'natural order of selection'
Scott WrightSTILLWATER — The linebacker question clearly represents the biggest concern for the Oklahoma State defense in preseason camp.
Replacing either Malcolm Rodriguez or Devin Harper, both currently in the NFL, is a chore that no one player can accomplish on his own.
But when the Cowboys take the field for their Sept. 1 season opener against Central Michigan at Boone Pickens Stadium, two new linebackers will take the field.
Who will they be?
New defensive coordinator Derek Mason would prefer that practice performance — not coaches’ decisions — identify those players.
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“I think guys want the natural order of selection to figure it out, versus coaches,” Mason said. “I always have believed that coaches don’t determine the roster, players do. So you better compete. We need every one of those guys, we need their best.
“Every day is a job interview. So when they come out here, they’re not worried about the scouts. They’re worried about putting the best stuff on tape.”
Junior Mason Cobb and redshirt junior Xavier Benson have been the two identified as the most likely candidates for the starting roles this fall. But nothing is set, and even when those decisions are made, Mason knows he needs to nurture the depth behind his starters.
“They’re growing into the best parts of what they’re gonna be,” he said. “So we’re gonna need every one of those dudes and somebody’s gonna emerge. But right now, they’re all fighting for the same thing.”
Cobb played regularly on special teams and made occasional appearances on defense backing up Harper last season. The 6-foot, 230-pound native of Provo, Utah, is a physical player with the quickness to fill gaps behind the defensive line.
“Devin really took me under his wing,” Cobb said. “He and Malcolm were really good dudes. Being able to watch those two play with relentless effort, finishing strong, just having a love of the game — that’s what I took away from them.”
Benson was a junior-college All-American at Tyler (Texas) Junior College where he had 120 tackles. He also has Big 12 experience, having started 10 games as a redshirt freshman at Texas Tech in 2019.
Benson opted out of the 2020 season before transferring to Tyler. His speed to pursue ballcarriers from sideline to sideline has stood out in his brief time at OSU.
Last year, Harper and Rodriguez were so valuable, it became difficult to take them off the field. This season, Mason hopes he can dip into the depth chart a little more than former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles did a year ago.
Veteran players like Lamont Bishop and Na’Drian Dizadare have worked their way into prominent roles on the depth chart, along with younger players like Jeff Roberson, Nickolas Martin and Donovan Stephens.
“We’re gonna start to pick up the pace contact-wise a little bit over the next five or six practices,” head coach Mike Gundy said Saturday. “I don’t see any of those guys who are rotating through there shying away from contact.
“But the next four-to-six practices will be important for them, because they’re tired, they’re fatigued, they’re beat up a little bit. So we’ll see if they can push through it, because ultimately, that’s what we have to do in a game.”
Through the first eight months of his tenure at OSU, Mason has been most impressed with the desire to improve that he’s seen from his defensive players, especially at linebacker.
“They want this team to be different,” Mason said. “That means I gotta be able to challenge them and they gotta be able to challenge me as well.
“That’s how we all get better. And I like exactly where this group is.”
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Oklahoma State linebacker depth chart
Name, Class, Ht., Wt., Hometown (Previous school)
The starters
Mason Cobb, Jr., 6-0, 230, Provo, Utah
Xavier Benson, RJr., 6-2, 224, Texarkana, Texas (Tyler JC)
The reserves
Lamont Bishop, RSr., 6-2, 235, Country Club Hills, Illinois (Iowa Central CC)
Jeff Roberson, RSo., 6-1, 230, Harrah (Choctaw)
Na’Drian Dizadare, RJr., 6-2, 225, Shreveport, Louisiana (Evangel Christian)
Nickolas Martin, RFr., 6-0, 215, Texarkana, Texas (Pleasant Grove)
Donovan Stephens, RFr., 6-0, 220, Del City
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