The three-star player from Del City was committed to TCU, but in his heart he wanted to be a Cowboy. Here’s a peek into the decision-making process that made that happen.

Oklahoma State had the trump card.

Even though TCU had LaDainian Fields’ early commitment, Oklahoma State had his cousin. Those family ties ultimately changed his college choice.

Fields, a three-star cornerback, signed with OSU on Wednesday, flipping on his previous commitment to TCU. 

OSU picked up a commitment from Jacobi Oliphant, a 6-foot-4, 175 pound (👀) corner.

Here’s the latest on the high school signing class, portal and returners for next season: https://t.co/4H9wmOJSLZ

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Fields’ mother, LJ Johnson, said the past few days have been hectic, and that her son has been in contact with both schools.

“It’s been an emotional roller coaster,” Johnson said. “I can’t lie about it. It’s been a flood of emotions, but we’ve worked through it and we’ve been praying and he decided his heart. He needed to be a Cowboy.”

Fields played both ways at Del City High School, scoring 22 offensive touchdowns as a receiver and intercepting seven passes at corner. He starred for the Eagles alongside his cousin Rodney Fields, who is a three-star running back committed to OSU in the same class. 

LaDainian and Rodney have been going to school together since fourth grade. Now, the streak will be extended into college.

“They are truly more like brothers than cousins,” Johnson said. “They are extremely close.”

OSU offered LaDainian last week, opening a door for him to join the list of people in his family with OSU connections. LaDainian’s uncle, Rodney Fields Sr., was a huge fan of the Cowboys. He was shot and killed in 2010. LJ said Rodney Fields Sr.’s childhood bedroom was OSU-themed. 

“(LaDainian) has been interested in us for a while,” coach Mike Gundy said. “He had another school that he’d been committed to, but obviously he’s close to home. We’ve had a number of players from Del City and he has got a relationship with (Rodney) Fields. So, as we just kind of pushed through it, there was a really good spot for him.”

Robert Jones is the coach at Del City. He played cornerback at OSU in the mid-2000s. Gundy said familiarity there helped OSU recruit LaDainian, as did the possibility of teaming up with Rodney for four more years.

“That played a huge role,” Gundy said. “To the other school, you can’t take it personal. None of us can. Because we had a trump card there that we were able to use.”

LaDainian also earned offers from Washington, Kansas State, Washington State and others.

“He felt like he’s a guy that can come in and can help us a variety of ways,” Gundy said. “He’s a little different from the standpoint of he’s a very successful offensive player, [and] we think he has great defensive skills and also in the return game.”

Johnson said it is hard to pinpoint when her son made the decision to flip to OSU.

“In his heart, he knew,” Johnson said. “But in his mind, we really had to sit down and really go over the pros and cons of each school.”