Crabtree: J.W. Walsh Will be ‘Back at Oklahoma State at Some Point’

Former quarterback J.W. Walsh has been a guy whose name has been thrown around as a fun (if far-fetched) potential replacement to Mike Gundy someday whenever he retires, and offensive lineman Zach Crabtree said that is Walsh’s dream.

“It absolutely is,” Crabtree said. “… J-Dub wants to be back here. That’s his goal. That’s where he wants to be, and I think you’ll see him back here eventually as an assistant before a head guy obviously.”

Walsh was hired on at Abilene Christian University as its running backs coach in December after a one-year stay at TCU as a graduate assistant.

Crabtree, then a sophomore, was roommates with Walsh, a senior, in 2015 as Walsh backed up Mason Rudolph after a beloved career (both ways) in Stillwater.

In that year Crabtree and Walsh lived together though, they became close friends, and that relationship has only grown since, Crabtree said.

“He was somebody who taught me a lot about leadership and the approach of things and how to do things,” he said. “He was a fun guy to be around.”

Crabtree said they played three rounds of golf together this past Fourth of July. In all that time together, Crabtree and Walsh got to talk a lot about their futures and found how similar their ambitions were, both wanting to get into the coaching field.

For Walsh, Crabtree said the final destination is set, and it’s one that will make some of you giddy.

“He’ll be back at Oklahoma State at some point,” Crabtree said.