Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy announced Monday that Cowboys wide receiver Jalen McCleskey has decided to redshirt the 2018 season and transfer from the school. According to Gundy, the reason McCleskey has decided to transfer is that he's not getting the ball enough.
Players announcing their transfer four games into the season is a trend that we should get used to seeing due to the NCAA's new redshirt rules that allow players to appear in up to four games and still redshirt a season. McCleskey certainly isn't the first player to take advantage of this rule in 2018, but his case is a bit different than the others we've already seen in 2018.
McCleskey may not feel he's getting the ball enough, but he's been getting the ball more than others.
Through four games this season, McCleskey has caught 15 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Both of his touchdowns came in the season opener against Southwest Missouri State, but he did catch four passes for 52 yards against Texas Tech on Saturday in Oklahoma State's loss.
Furthermore, McCleskey is a top-10 receiver in Oklahoma State school history. Since coming to Oklahoma State in 2015, he's caught 167 passes for 1,865 yards and 17 touchdowns. That's good enough for sixth all-time in the Oklahoma State record books for receptions and ninth for touchdowns.
The former three-star recruit out of Louisiana shouldn't have a difficult time finding a suitor for his final year of eligibility in 2019.