By Adeniyi Precious 
Big news for Oklahoma State football! Defensive back Kobe Hylton has decided to stay put, pulling his name out of the transfer portal. According to Pete Nakos from On3, Hylton had entered the portal on December 26 but had a change of heart just before things closed.
This is a relief for the Cowboys, especially after losing safety Kendal Daniels to rival Oklahoma. The team didn’t have the best season, starting strong at 3-0 but then losing their last nine games to finish 3-9 under head coach Mike Gundy. Tough year!
Hylton’s journey to Oklahoma State has been a wild one. He’s played for five different programs, starting back in 2019 at Long Island, where he got in some solid reps. He then went to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in JUCO, then Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns (but didn’t play), followed by UTEP, where he really started to shine. At UTEP, Hylton racked up 146 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and forced four fumbles over two seasons. Now at Oklahoma State, he had 40 tackles, one TFL, and an interception this year.
Even with Hylton staying, the Cowboys have had a lot of roster changes. They’ve gained 20 players from the portal but lost 13, including Daniels, running back AJ Green, safety Kam Franklin, and receiver De’Zhaun Stribling. To top it off, star running back Ollie Gordon II declared for the NFL draft in December.
It’s been a rollercoaster for Oklahoma State, but keeping Hylton is at least a step in the right direction. Let’s see what they can do next season!