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Oklahoma State recruiting: Marcell Ateman tops the Cowboys' class

Receiver from Wylie, Texas, has always admired Dez Bryant and Justin Blackmon. On Wednesday, he'll sign with OSU in hopes of following in their footsteps.

By Gina Mizell | Published: February 5, 2013 Comment on this article

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Ateman, a receiver from Wylie (Texas) East, is one of the headliners expected to sign with Oklahoma State Wednesday, joining Dallas Skyline's Ra’shaad Samples to form a duo of four-star pass-catchers that hope to be the next to thrive in the Cowboys’ Air Raid spread offense.

The pair originally looked like it would be a trio, before Tyler (Texas) John Tyler's Fred Ross, a longtime OSU commit, made a last-minute switch to Mississippi State Tuesday night.

“Just knowing they put out some good wide receivers like Dez Bryant and Justin Blackmon,” Ateman said. “People I look up to. Knowing they went to the NFL and did good, it’s like Oklahoma State is a good wide receiver school.”

Ateman fits the physical outside receiver mold, using his 6-4, 200-pound frame in high school to out-jump and out-muscle cornerbacks for the football.

That size is part of the reason Ateman’s first love was basketball. But by his junior year of high school, he was improving in football at a much faster rate. Soon after, he had more than 15 offers, including Texas Tech, Tennessee, Michigan, Baylor, Iowa State and Missouri.

Ateman pledged last May to the Cowboys and has remained solid since, despite former offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s departure for Southern Miss. That’s because his primary recruiters have been wide receivers coach Kasey Dunn and head coach Mike Gundy, and both have assured the Cowboys’ offensive system will not change no matter who is hired as the next coordinator.

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