OSU Football: Players To Watch During The Spring Game

Oklahoma State will hold a Spring Game on Saturday and for the first time since 2013 the Cowboys will hold a full length scrimmage. It's perhaps Gundy's deepest roster yet and he said the rosters are divided evenly for the purpose of competition.

With that, here are some players to watch during the Spring finale.

Ashton Lampkin (6) and Ramon Richards (18) – White Team – these two corners are neck-and-neck in a battle to start opposite Kevin Peterson. Lampkin emerged as a starter last year but was lost for much of the season to injury. Richards took advantage of the opportunity to start as a true freshman and led the team with three interceptions. While he got lots of invaluable experience, Richards was picked on by opposing quarterbacks and was one of the weaker links on the defense. He'll need to continue improving if he wants to start ahead of a healthy Lampkin.

Keenen Brown (6) – White Team – and Chris Lacy (15) – Orange Team – are a pair of receivers to keep an eye on. You know about Sheperd, Washington and Glidden. You've seen what Seales and Hays and Ateman are made of. Brown and Lacy are toward the back of the receiver bus but both are interesting prospects who need to be ready to contribute if someone goes down. Brown was a highly-rated, four-star prospect in last year's class. He was redshirted while Lacy, also part of the 2014 recruiting class, was less heralded coming out of high school. However, Lacy was a factor as a freshman playing in 12 games and recording four catches for 47 yards.

Vincent Taylor (96) – White Team - and Motekiai Maile (56) – Orange Team – it's no small task to replace James Castleman and Ofa Hautau but some combination of Vili Leveni and these two guys are expected to do the heavy lifting on the defensive front. Taylor was one of OSU's top recruits in the 2013 class. He saw action in 10 games last year as a redshirt freshman and notched 10 solo tackles and one tackle-for-loss. Maile (his full name is pronounced “Moe-tay-key-eye My-lay”) transferred in this semester from Tyler J.C. expects to contribute immediately after committing to Oklahoma State over TCU, Mississippi State and Arizona State. Also, you have to love defensive tackles wearing linebacker numbers.

Speaking of linebackers, the Cowboys have an embarrassment of riches at that position heading into the 2015 season. Three to watch on Saturday are sophomore Justin Phillips (19), junior Jordan Burton (20) – both on Orange Team – and senior Kris Catlin (32) – White Team. When Josh Furman was out for the Bedlam game it was Phillips who stepped in and recorded 10 tackles at the “star” position. He'll be battling transfer Jordan Burton (Kilgore College), a converted safety like Furman last year, to start at “star” this fall. Burton has speed and a nose for the ball; he averaged 10.8 tackles per game in junior college. Catlin returned for the bowl game after missing his junior season due to academic ineligibility. He's a candidate to get playing time at any linebacker spot thanks to his versatility.

Offensive tackles Zach Crabtree (60) and Victor Salako (73) – Orange Team – will be protecting Mason Rudolph from pass rushers this fall and they'll be matched up against Emmanuel Ogbah, Victor Irokansi and others in the Spring Game. Crabtree started eight games as a true freshman last year and in games he started the Cowboys were 6-2 with losses to No. 1 Florida State and No. 6 Baylor. That's a mic-dropping stat considering OSU was 7-6 on the season. Salako transfers in from UAB where this 6-6, 330-pound behemoth started 23 games in two seasons. He should be good-to-go at left tackle.

Rennie Childs (23) – Orange Team – is the lone returning difference-maker from OSU's running back stable. The Spring Game is the first chance to see Rennie as the feature-back and he'll definitely be trying to make an impression before Chris Carson gets to Stillwater.

Victor Irokansi (87), Jarell Owens (93) – White Team – and Trey Carter (99) – Orange Team – Oklahoma State has a wealth of experience at defensive end; most notably Emmanuel Ogbah and Jimmy Bean. But someone out of this group is bound to break out. Irokansi saw playing time in nine games last season and he did log a sack, but he's just now nearing the two-deep on the depth chart. Owens redshirted last year but was a standout for the scout team and could be pushing for playing time as well. Carter also redshirted due to the clogged depth chart but the four-star prospect will have a chance to show why he deserves to see his share of snaps. Owens seems like the trendiest pick to emerge from this group.

Lastly, keep an eye on true freshman John Kolar (9) – Orange Team – who would still be in his senior year at Norman North had he not enrolled early at OSU. Kolar is obviously third on the quarterback depth chart but will he redshirt this fall or not?