Notebook: OSU Defense’s ‘No Mas’ Mindset, Vailahi in the RB Room, Gundy on Scheduling

STILLWATER — The Cowboys on Thursday met with the media for the final time before they strap their helmets up for the 2025 season.

Here are three quick things that were discussed.

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Kabongo on Grantham’s ‘No Mas’ Mindset

David Kabongo is entering his sophomore season faster, more explosive and, perhaps most important, more experienced.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound safety from Fort Worth played in seven games as a true freshman in 2024. He finished the year with 20 tackles. Seven of those game in the season finale against Colorado, where Kabongo became the first true freshman to record that many tackles in a game since Kolby Harvell-Peel in 2018.

Kabongo also has a new defensive coordinator in Todd Grantham, who comes to Stillwater with NFL and SEC experience. When asked about his new DC on Thursday, Kabongo quickly pointed to the mindset the Grantham is instilling in the OSU defense.

“Grantham, he has the attack mindset,” Kabongo said. “We have this saying in the defensive room called ‘no mas,’ which basically means we’re trying to make the opponent quit. We really want to make the opponent quit. We’re gonna attack the opponent every play. It doesn’t matter how we’re feeling or how they’re feeling, we’re gonna get after them, and I love that mindset behind Grantham as far as that and his experience being a DC.”

Vailahi on OSU’s Deep Running Back Room

Redshirt sophomore Sesi Vailahi is the only running back on OSU’s roster who was with the team for the Cowboys’ Big 12 title game appearance in 2023, and he’s seen the room rebuild this offseason after the loss of Ollie Gordon.

Vailahi has carried 48 times as a Cowboy for 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He is one of three returning backs who carried the rock for the Cowboys last season along with Trent Howland (41 carries for 230 yards and a touchdown) and Rodney Fields Jr. (21 carries for 99 yards and two touchdowns). On top of that, the Cowboys brought in a pair of backs via the transfer portal who could contribute this fall in Kalib Hicks (OU) and Freddie Brock (Georgia State).

“The competition has been very good,” Vailahi said. “I think none of us are over our heads too much. I think everybody just wants to play for the team. We’re not like, who’s gonna start? Or who’s gonna do this? We’re just gonna play our part for the team and just do what we can.”

When asked about some of the other backs in the room, Vailahi praised Hicks’ ability to get downhill, Brock’s versatility and made note that Fields has put on some weight this offseason, which has helped him.

Here’s where Vailahi said he expects to be better in 2025 than he was in 2024:

“I would probably say my pass protection,” Vailahi said. “Getting my eyes on the right keys, who’s looking more antsy, like who’s gonna blitz or something. Make sure I catch that or if the defense is stacked. Working on my IQ of the defenses and seeing what they’re running.”

Gundy on Conference Scheduling

With the College Football Playoff committee saying strength of schedule will play a bigger factor as to which teams get into college football’s big dance, the SEC on Thursday announced that it will (finally) play a nine-game conference schedule starting in 2026.

Normally, SEC teams would play an out-of-conference opponent late in the year, like how Alabama is playing Eastern Illinois on Nov. 22 this season.

Scheduling and its effects on the CFP have been a big topic of discussion this offseason. OSU opens the year against an FCS opponent (UT-Martin on Thursday) before then going to the opposite end of the spectrum with a trip to Oregon to play the Ducks.

Here’s what Gundy said on scheduling just moments before the SEC’s announcement.

“The only thing I think helps Oklahoma State a little bit and the Big 12, we’re playing a maximum nine conference games,” Gundy said. “We hear a lot about adding more conference games and such. My personal opinion is, that would add a lot of distractions for matchups that people want to see, traditionally. But I don’t have any idea who’s governing that ship anymore. There’s so many people talking that I just ride the wave and go with whoever we’re playing and don’t worry about it.

“But I am glad that our conference is playing nine games. I think that’s the right thing to do, especially with conferences that have so many teams now.”