STILLWATER — The Oklahoma State football team is a week into preseason camp, and while coach Mike Gundy is keeping tight wraps on everything that’s happening on the practice fields, the players presented a feeling of excitement around the program.
More than 40 OSU players spoke with reporters Saturday at the Cowboys’ local media day inside the practice gym of Gallagher-Iba Arena, sharing their early thoughts on what’s ahead for a team trying to erase last year’s 3-9 performance.
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Here’s a look at some of the interesting nuggets regarding the first week of practice:
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Competition, friendship at heart of QB competition
When competition between quarterbacks is involved, personal relationships don’t always survive.
But through spring, summer and now preseason camp, OSU quarterbacks Zane Flores and Hauss Hejny have bridged that gap.
The two quickly became friends when Hejny arrived from TCU in January, and that relationship remains at the core of their interactions.
“We’re all really close to each other,” Flores said of the four quarterbacks, along with true freshmen Banks Bowen and Mason Schubert. “We hang out outside of football, too. We’re all cool with each other, but we compete with each other at the same time.”
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Coach Mike Gundy hasn’t given any hints of how the two contenders for the starting job have looked early in practice, but Flores and Hejny feel like they’re in a positive environment for competition.
“We’re both battling, we’re competitive,” Flores said. “I think we bring the best out of each other, too.”
Hejny has more familiarity with offensive coordinator Doug Meacham’s schemes after learning in a similar system at TCU. Meacham was involved in Hejny’s recruiting, but served as the inside receivers coach for the Horned Frogs last year.
The offense was new to Flores, who is entering his third year at OSU — though he’s classified as a redshirt freshman after the NCAA awarded him an additional year because of the ankle surgery he underwent last fall.
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“It was a big change at first,” Flores said of the new system. “But overall, the offense, it wasn’t as big of a change as some people might think. But it’s good now.”
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Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Zane Flores (6) warms up before a college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.
Safety Cameron Epps back to full health
One loss in the when-it-rains-it-pours portion of OSU’s season last October was the season-ending knee injury of safety Cameron Epps.
It came the same night as quarterback Garret Rangel’s broken collarbone and the eventual heartbreaking loss to BYU.
Now, Epps has recovered from the torn ACL he suffered that night and back on the field in OSU’s new-look defense.
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“I’m just past nine months and just got cleared by the doctor,” Epps said. “I’m feeling good, moving good.
“The first two months were really bad, just working back and learning how to do everything again. I made it through that. I’m coming along and learning the defense and getting better.”
Safety is one of the deeper positions on the roster, with returning players like Epps, Dylan Smith, Parker Robertson, David Kabongo and Landyn Cleveland, plus transfers Zaquan Patterson, DeAndre Boykins, Mordecai McDaniel and Jeremy Cook Jr.
Epps admits it’s been a whirlwind with all the new assistant coaches, plus 63 new players joining the locker room since December.
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“It’s crazy, man,” Epps said with a laugh. “It’s good to meet a lot of different people from different places and learn their backstories. We’re just trying to grow closer and build a team together.”
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Sep 9, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Cameron Epps (7) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Terrill Davis ‘exceeding expectations’ in early work
For a kid who didn’t play football until his senior year of high school at Choctaw, then became a Division II All-American at Central Oklahoma last fall, it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that Terrill Davis’ development has remained on a steady incline at Oklahoma State.
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Gundy likes what he sees from the 6-foot, 195-pound receiver, who arrived on campus two months ago.
“He’s done really well,” Gundy said. “I would say he’s exceeded my expectations, just based on my history. He’s very mature. I think he’s comfortable, because he’s from right down the road. It was an easy transition for him.
“He seems to be picking up the game and our system quickly. At this point — and we’ve only been in shoulder pads a couple days — but at this point, he looks like he’s going to hold up physically. And if he could do that over the next 10 days, then he’ll be in position to help us win games this fall.”
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Which Oklahoma State football player is ‘exceeding expectations?’
