Three Things I’m Most Intrigued by Entering Oklahoma State’s Spring Ball

The 2025 Cowboys will have their first spring practice on Tuesday.

It is setting up to be one of the more interesting springs in recent memory for Oklahoma State, with all the turnover in the roster and the coaching staff after a down year for the program.

Here are three things I’m thinking about entering OSU’s spring practices.

1. Quarterbacks, Quarterbacks, Quarterbacks

There should be a fourth “quarterbacks” up there because that’s how many OSU has going into this spring without a clear frontrunner.

Garret Rangel, Zane Flores, Maealiuaki Smith and Hauss Hejny are all relatively inexperienced, but all show promise.

After the Cowboys’ season ended last year, Gundy said the OSU needed to “try to get to who we are quicker in August than what we have the last couple years.” The most shining example of the opposite of that was the Cowboys’ three-QB carousel of 2023. I don’t know that OSU will publicly announce a starter in spring, but I imagine all OSU fans are hoping that the decision doesn’t linger into fall camp. With that being said, it feels like a tough decision because none of these guys have a ton of in-game experience.

Spring quarterback talk is a thing anytime a new starter has to step into the role, but with OSU having four guys going into spring ball, the position will garner even more of the headlines this spring.

2. Will the Cowboys Be Better Up Front?

As we’ve already discussed, there’s immense turnover up and down the roster, but one of (if not the) most important aspects the Cowboys need to get right is the offensive and defensive lines.

All of the Cowboys starters from last season’s offensive line are gone, and OSU has a pair of new O-line coaches in Andrew Mitchell and Cooper Bassett. Austin Kawecki is the only returner who played more than 40 snaps last season. I’d expect him to find a role in 2025, but outside of that, who knows?

There are a lot of newcomers — Tyler Brumfield (Snow College), Louie Canepa (New Mexico State), Kasen Carpenter (Tulsa) and Lavaka Taukeiaho (Weber State). That group will pair with developing pieces like Kawecki, Noah McKinney, Jakobe Sanders, Davis Dotson, Jack Endean and others.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Saquon Barkley provided just another example to how vital being good up front is, as Saquon went from 962 rushing yards in his final season with the New York Giants to 2,005 yards and a Super Bowl in his first season with the Eagles. If the Cowboys can be better on the offensive front, it’ll make a lot of things work more smoothly.

OSU has to be better on the defensive line of scrimmage, too, after the Pokes gave up 5.4 yards a carry on the ground in 2024.

Justin Kirkland and Iman Oates return after factoring fairly heavily into the Cowboys’ rotation last season. The Pokes hit this area hard in the portal, brining in guys who can play on the inside, the outside and even some standup edge rushers to try to create competition in that room.

3. How Much Is Different?

So much has changed over the past year whether that be the roster, the coaching staff or even college athletics more generally. But at the same time, Gundy is entering Year 21 as the Cowboys’ coach.

Will things feel different than year’s past? I’m not sure there’s a right or wrong answer to that given the success Gundy has had throughout his first 20 (last season notwithstanding). But with how tenured last season’s staff was, surely some things from a day-to-day standpoint have shifted at least a little going into 2025.

It’s a topic that might be hard to physically see, but I imagine Gundy and players will be asked throughout the next couple of weeks just how different this spring feels to those that have come before.