Because of spinal issue, former Jenks star Dylan Harding’s OSU football career ends

Updated: Saturday April 9, 2016 8:29 pm

Former Jenks High School star Dylan Harding announced on Twitter that his Oklahoma State football career has ended.
A backup safety who played for two seasons on special-teams units, Harding would have been a junior during the 2016 season.
Harding’s tweet: “For everyone that hasn’t seen or heard, I got diagnosed with spinal stenosis that’s causing me to leave the game I’ve played since the 2nd grade. I’ll never forget the young days of watching Bedlam games with my pops and dreaming of being a part of something that special.
“Thankfully, I got that opportunity and I’ll never forget it. I just want to say thanks to my family, friends and people who followed this dream of mine as it turned into a reality. I want to specifically say thank you to all of the coaches and my dad who have spent countless hours with me, trying to better me as a person and a football player.
“I got to experience something I’ll never forget and (will) cherish forever. . . . I’ll forever be grateful. #GoPokes.”
According to the Mayo Clinic website, spinal stenosis is “a narrowing of the open spaces within the spine, which can put pressure on the spinal cord and the nerves that travel through the spine to the arms and legs. Spinal stenosis occurs most often in the lower back and the neck.”
At Jenks, Harding was a member of two state championship teams. At Oklahoma State, he played in a two-season total of 22 games. This is an excerpt from a 2015 Tulsa World piece: “If you examine a replay of the 2014 Bedlam punt return — Tyreek Hill’s 92-yard, fourth-quarter runback that pushed the game to overtime — there was an interesting convergence of former Jenks teammates Harding and Steven Parker (then a freshman at OU).
“As Hill drifted toward the Cowboys sideline, Parker was in pursuit. Near the OSU 20-yard line, Harding made contact with Parker, but didn’t attempt a knockdown because it could have resulted in a flag for a block in the back. Harding’s restraint was a factor in what became a historically significant Bedlam moment.”
As a Jenks senior, Harding was a Tulsa World All-State selection who excelled both as a safety and a receiver (21 catches, 563 yards, seven touchdowns). The most memorable of his TDs occurred with 25 seconds remaining in the 2013 MidFirst Bank Backyard Bowl, when he collected a Cooper Nunley pass and raced to the end zone to complete a 76-yard play and give the top-ranked Trojans a 20-16 victory over No. 2 Union.Source--tulsaworld