Last December, Jack Endean committed to Oklahoma State and shut down his recruitment. On Wednesday, the Tucson native put pen to paper and signed with the Cowboysโ 2023 recruiting class.
Endean, a 6-foot-6-inch, 290-pound offensive tackle who spent the last two seasons of his high school career at Tanque Verde after starting at Salpointe Catholic, was the only local player to sign with a Power 5 program.
Endean has already graduated from Tanque Verde; he will move to Stillwater, Oklahoma in January to participate in spring ball.
Thereโs a Tucson connection awaiting him in Oklahoma: Cowboys offensive line coach Charlie Dickey is a former UA player and assistant coach. He was college teammates with former Tanque Verde head coach Jay Dobyns.
Dobyns said earlier this year that Endean and Dickey โare very much alike.โ
โCharlie was a vicious competitor. He was a leader on our team and guys wanted to play for him and follow him,โ Dobyns said. โCharlie made players better in the huddle, and Jackie is a lot like that.โ
The Star caught talked to Endean about why Oklahoma State was the right choice, why he plans to enroll in the spring, and what it will be like to leave Tucson:
You were committed to OSU for essentially a year, but you had other offers. Why were the Cowboys the clear-cut choice for you?
A: โIโve also loved Coach Dickey from the first time I talked to him on the phone. Heโs super energetic and fun to talk to. Heโll ask you about football, but heโll talk about family, whatโs going on in life and in the world. Heโs just nice to talk to. Plus, the culture theyโve built out there, it speaks for itself. You never see guys getting into trouble. Years ago, there was that video of Coach (Mike) Gundy sticking up for one of his players after reporters were critical of him. Itโs easy to play for a coach like that. ... When I went out there, it felt like home. I talked to dad, some other people about it and prayed about it and I was like, โThis is where I want to play.โ That part was easy. I committed to them, gave them my word and thatโs all you really have. Iโm sticking to it.โ
What was the communication like with your dad, Ty, during this process?
A: โHe always told me to go where I feel like is a good fit and feels like home. The nice part about this is he and I are close enough to where he would give me advice and tell me what he was thinking, but he never tried to sway my decision at all. He let me make the choice. Thatโs nice, because I know a lot of guys who have parents โ momโs telling him to go here, dadโs telling him to go here, and the uncles, brothers and teammates are telling them something else. I have parents who talked me through the process, but I didnโt feel like they were trying to pull me anywhere.โ
How was the experience for you traveling with your dad during the recruiting process?
A: โIt was fun. Going to all these schools with dad, just because it was me and him. My mom and him went out with me (to Oklahoma State) for my official visit. It was a lot of fun. We went to the game where they beat OU and it was crazy. Iโve never seen anything like that. It was a packed house and they stormed the field afterwards. People were trampling over people, because they were so excited to get out there. It was a really cool experience.โ
Youโre graduating from Tanque Verde early and enrolling in the spring. Was that always the plan?
A: โThatโs always been the plan. I planned my classes according to that. Being at Tanque Verde, it was easier because you canโt really graduate early from Salpointe. I took an extra class over the summer, then I took more classes than I needed to my junior year. Then this past year, I took two online classes. I got it out of the way and I feel like this gives me the best chance to get out there to learn the program, learn the playbook, learn how the campus works and work out with the guys. Hopefully, I can play as a freshman; thatโs the goal.โ
You lived in Tucson your whole life. Are you excited or anxious about leaving home for the first time?
A: โIโm really excited. Iโve lived here my whole life and I like it here, but Iโm excited to experience some new stuff and spread my wings. None of this has felt real until the other day, when Coach Dickey was at the house and he was going over the letter-of-intent with us and thatโs when it hit me: this isnโt a dream anymore, this is a reality. Iโm really excited.โ
