‘We’re Working All of Our Guys’: Gundy Doesn’t Name Oklahoma State’s Starting Quarterback Heading to Provo

STILLWATER — A positive about this Cowboy season compared to the last was that Oklahoma State knew who its quarterback was entering the year. After six games in 2024, that no longer appears to be the case.

After earning the starting job through a three-quarterback rotation at the start of the 2023 season, Alan Bowman has been benched in two of OSU’s past three games in 2024. OSU is 0-3 to start Big 12 play, and Bowman has thrown four touchdowns to six interceptions during that stretch. Garret Rangel has come in for Bowman both times the seventh-year senior got the hook. OSU coach Mike Gundy on Monday didn’t name a starting quarterback for Friday night’s game against BYU but did say everyone was getting work.

“Well, we’re working all of our guys, getting them good quality work,” Gundy said. “I told the coaches that we needed to make a decision by Thursday after practice.”

Bowman had a promising start to the year. In OSU’s three nonconference games, he completed 67% of his 112 pass attempts for 967 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. The three games since, Bowman has completed 51% of his 102 attempts for 686 yards, four touchdowns and six picks.

“We need him to set his feet,” said Gundy of Bowman. “We need him to step up in the pocket. That’s the discussions we’ve had with him, and I’ve had them with you guys for the last two months. Early in the season, it was much better. Then the last three or four games, he’s not sitting in the pocket and stepping up and delivering to targets. He’s falling backwards, and that’s causing him accuracy issues, which you guys can see. It’s very simple when it comes to his issues. We need him to sit in the pocket, we need him to step up and work forward and deliver the ball. …

“I would’ve already stopped it if I had a reason for it. And I’m saying that in a very respectful way. I’m not out there doing it. I feel like we’re coaching it, and I feel like we’re explaining it. We have to get it done on the field. That’s what has to happen, and it’s not a really complicated concept. When he has set in the pocket and played forward, he has done very well. When he has drifted sideways or backwards, he’s performed poorly. That’s about as clear-cut as I can get.”

Rangel has made three appearances this season. The first came in a manner of which fans hope to see their backup QB — mop up duty of a blowout win. Against Tulsa, Rangel completed half of his eight passes for 35 yards. He also had two runs for 14 yards.

The Pokes were 3-0 heading into a highly anticipated Big 12-opener against Utah. With how well things were going for the Cowboys, not many would’ve expected Rangel to play in that game, but after the Bowman-led offense managed just three points in the first half, Rangel got the nod coming out of the locker room. He was just 3-for-11 that day, throwing for 31 yards before Bowman was re-inserted.

Then Rangel relieved Bowman again against West Virginia, OSU’s most recent game. It was Rangel’s best outing of the year statistically, as he went 4-for-5 for 75 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown pass to De’Zhaun Stribling.

“(Rangel) graded out and played much better in this last outing than he did in the first one,” Gundy said. “The first one, he misfired on a couple throws. But he was better in this last one.”

There has been a lot of social media discourse on redshirt freshman Zane Flores’ health status. Back in August, Gundy said that Flores was “ready now” but that Flores simply didn’t have experience. Yet in instances where Gundy could’ve gone to Flores this season, he has instead gone to Rangel, who was part of that three-quarterback rotation in 2023. Given the rumors circulating about Flores’ health, Gundy was asked about his young passer Monday.

“He’s practicing,” Gundy said. “He’s getting work like the other guys are.”

OSU plays BYU at 9:15 p.m. (Central) on Friday in Provo, where the world will likely learn what move the Cowboys make at QB.