‘I Want Us to Be Known for Toughness’: OSU’s O-Line Rebuild as Important as Any Position Group for Cowboys

STILLWATER — Who plays at quarterback or running back might not matter all that much in 2025 if the Cowboys can’t figure out the offensive line.

Although most of Oklahoma State’s position groups were revamped this offseason, perhaps none has undergone as big a change as the Cowboys’ O-line.

Coach Charlie Dickey is gone after six years, and head man Mike Gundy has replaced Dickey with three Cowboy alums: Andrew Mitchell, Cooper Bassett and Grant Garner.

Also gone is everyone who has ever started a game on the Cowboys’ offensive line. Austin Kawecki is the most experienced returner after taking part in 163 snaps last season. Of the 21 offensive linemen listed on the Cowboys’ roster, 11 are newcomers — seven transfers and four freshmen.

Just because the group is new, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s inexperienced. One of those transfers is Markell Samuel, who played 820 snaps at Appalachian State last season. He started all 11 of the Mountaineers’ games at left tackle en route to an All-Sun Belt honorable mention nod.

“It’s been great,” Samuel said Saturday. “We have a lot of talented guys. We have a lot of young talent that still has to develop and is developing fast right now. It’s been great competition, and it’s been great to come here and kind of lead those guys. It’s great when those guys come in asking me questions on different techniques and stuff. It’s been great being a part of this O-line group.”

At OSU’s media day this past Saturday, OSU coach Mike Gundy said his three new O-line coaches rotated in quite a few guys in the opening week of fall camp. He said he’d like to have a two-deep established by about Aug. 20 so whomever comes out of the various position battles up front has a chance to practice together ahead of the Cowboys’ Aug. 28 season-opener against UT-Martin.

Samuel, who played in 29 games across five seasons at App State, said part of the reason he came to Stillwater had to do with the Cowboys having three coaches for the offensive line.

Bob Schick, who played in 38 games across four seasons at Virginia Tech, also said having multiple O-line coaches is a positive.

“I personally think it’s helpful, especially for a room where you have 20-plus guys in there, too,” Schick said. “One guy really can’t get the job done sometimes. You need extra guys to add their pieces and their techniques and stuff, too.”

Kawecki noted that having the three coaches ensures no one is getting overlooked. As for his new teammates, Kawecki said it’s evident on the practice field that Samuel and Schick have been around the block.

“(Schick) and Markell, I can tell they’ve played some football already,” Kawecki said. “It’s kind of exciting to see, kind of pick their brains about what they know, what they see. I think it’s really been helpful to all of us about what they know. I feel like they’re still fired up to be here.”

Not having seen a lot of the Cowboys’ returners before getting to campus, Samuel pointed to redshirt junior Noah McKinney as someone who has stood out to him thus far.

A 6-foot-4, 330-pound redshirt junior from Frisco, McKinney joined the Cowboys after the 2022 season from UNLV. He primarily played special teams in 2023 but got a little bit of offensive run this past season against Baylor and Tulsa, particularly.

“He’s stepped up,” Samuel said. “He stepped up in the spring. I watched spring practice, and then throughout fall camp. He’s really been making improvements, and I can’t wait to watch him ball out this year.”

It’s hard to say for sure how this group full of new faces that is coached by new faces will perform in 2025, but if it can take steps in the right direction, it’ll help unlock any other uncertainties around the field.

“I want us to be known for toughness,” Samuel said. “Whatever play it is — pass-pro, run-blocking — whatever it is, get out on a screen and just be tough. Run to the ball, get to the ball and push piles, and we’ll get on from there.”