The Top 5 Quotes from Mike Gundy’s Tuesday News Conference

STILLWATER — Spring ball is trudging along, as the Cowboys are a little more than a week out from their open spring practice.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy met with the media after his team’s Tuesday practice. Here are five things that stood out. You can watch his full news conference below.

1. Quarterback Update

There isn’t a ton to update on the Cowboys’ four-way quarterback battle.

The battle among Garret Rangel, Zane Flores, Maealiuaki Smith and Hauss Hejny goes on.

“I watched pretty close today, but all of them are doing pretty good,” Gundy said. “They all seem to be making plays. Every once in a while they’ll make a mistake, but nothing that would change rotation at this point.”

2. The Running Back Group Has Been ‘Pretty Impressive’

In many different facets, the biggest hole the Cowboys will have to fill going into next season is the void Ollie Gordon left, but Gundy seems excited about the future of the running back position.

It’s a group that will add one more, as Georgia State transfer Freddie Brock is set to transfer to Oklahoma State. Brock will join the likes of Trent Howland, Sesi Vailahi, Rodney Fields and Kalib Hicks battling for carries going into next season. Gundy was asked Tuesday if he wanted someone from that group to take on a featured role or if he was after a committee approach.

“I’ve always felt comfortable with one guy getting 20 carries a game, and I feel like he can establish himself but he can also save his body and not get beat up too much,” Gundy said. “They’ve been pretty impressive as a group. Hicks has come in, and he’s experienced. Sesi has had reps. (Howland) has had reps. Rodney has not had a lot of game reps, but he had a lot of practice reps last year. As a group, those guys overall are doing pretty good.”

Gundy mentioned last week that redshirt freshman Jaden Allen-Hendricks suffered a lower body injury that would see him miss time.

3. Shettron ‘Out’

Speaking of spring injuries, Gundy said Tuesday that Talyn Shettron has been out.

Injuries have hampered much of Shettron’s career to this point. He has showed promise when he has been on the field. Entering his redshirt junior season, Shettron has caught 21 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns. He had a three-week stretch this past season that saw him catch nine passes for 201 yards and a touchdown. But, for now, he’s back on the shelf.

“He’s out right now,” Gundy said. “He won’t be with us for a while. I don’t know what his long term is, but he hadn’t been at the last couple practices.”

4. Freeman’s Return

Former Heritage Hall standout Gavin Freeman is expected to play a larger role for the Cowboys this season after transferring from OU ahead of last year.

Freeman played in four games with the Pokes last season before taking an agreed-upon redshirt. In that limited time, he caught six passes for 45 yards and totaled 194 return yards.

He showed flashes of just how dynamic he can be while with the Sooners. In 26 games in Norman, Freeman caught 22 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown; had 12 rush attempts go for 91 yards and a touchdown; and he returned 18 punts for for 122 yards and a score.

“He could’ve played through the rest of the year for us and helped us,” Gundy said. “I had an agreement with his family based on what he wanted long term because Brennan Presley was here. We stuck to our word. We could have used him during the rest of the season. He would’ve helped us, but we had a deal before the season started. The amount of time he played will help him. He played down in Norman also.”

5. The Boys From Oklahoma

Usually about the Thursday or Friday of a football game week, there’s a different feel in the air in Stillwater. A similar feeling is in the air week.

The Boys From Oklahoma concerts featuring Cross Canadian Ragweed, Turnpike Troubadours and more are set to take place Thursday through Sunday at Boone Pickens Stadium. Setup has started, and they were doing soundchecks Tuesday in BPS while the Cowboys were practicing across the street.

“They’re getting ready to take this place over for four days,” Gundy said. “There’s gonna be 60,000 people here. You’re talking about a game day four days in a row. Lot of fellowship, lot of eating, lot of drinking, lot of partying. Then you do it again the next day, and the next day, and the next day.”

Gundy said he will be a small part in the festivities — as for what he’s doing exactly, he still needs to figure that out.

“I’m involved in some of it,” Gundy said. “I need to find out. They asked me to do it. I said I would do it. I’m not sure what I’m doing yet. I’ll find out tomorrow or hopefully before the concert, but I have to be involved in it doing something. …

“I wish I could play an instrument, and I wish I could sing. Looks like a lot of fun, but I mean, it’s awful.”