What Will It Take to Win Oklahoma State’s Quarterback Battle?

FRISCO, Texas — The first time Oklahoma State cornerback Cam Smith saw Hauss Hejny run, he thought he was scouting a wide receiver he’d be going against in practice this spring.

“He is extremely fast,” Smith said. “I remember watching him in the winter, seeing him run I am thinking he played receiver. Oh, nah, this is the new quarterback, I am like, oh. Oh yeah, he definitely got a second gear to him.”

Hejny is one of two quarterbacks remaining in the competition to start this fall, alongside Zane Flores. 

At Big 12 Media Days on Wednesday, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said that one of them would have to “take the job” during fall camp or the Cowboys would have to play both during the first game of the season and evaluate from there.

“You can’t make that happen,” Gundy said. “That has to happen itself. … What if we try to make that happen with a certain person and it’s wrong? That is to me worse than not knowing. And you’re better off not knowing and let them figure it out versus trying to make this happen, and it could be the wrong way because what happens is you lose credibility with the team.”

Perhaps the most difficult part of the evaluation is that neither quarterback has thrown a pass in a college game yet, presenting a rather unique decision ahead for Cowboy coaches.

“I don’t think ever that we’ve had not anybody on the roster ever attempt a forward pass in the game,” Gundy said. “I am glad you brought that up … (right before) my vacation. I might be at happy hour longer now.”

While that fact paints a certain doom and gloom over the position battle, there’s also a bright side. The potential of these guys is somewhat impossible to predict, meaning Oklahoma State could in theory have one or even two quality starters in camp.

“I am excited to see the roles that they take on the team,” Oklahoma State defensive lineman Iman Oates said. “You know they’ve both been more commanding. They both been carrying themselves in a great manner as quarterbacks should, like being more vocal to the team.”

Oates, who has faced each guy in practice at this point, said both quarterbacks can run, but described Hejny as “the runner out of the two.”

“Containment of the quarterback, rush lanes are very important,” Oates said of facing Hejny. “Because he might look at his first, maybe his second read if it is not there, I mean, he’s ready to go. … If he got an inch to run on then it is like a sprinter hitting that curve on the track. Like he can turn that corner pretty quick and once he gets rolling he got the wheels.”

Oates described Flores as a precise thrower who is good in the pocket, however the defense can’t relax when he leaves the pocket either because Flores continues looking downfield for an opening to pass the ball instead of running it himself.

“I think that is the type of quarterback he is,” Oates said. “He is always looking to throw it. … He can run the ball when he wants to, but he looking to throw.”

Despite not seeing the field, Flores is the quote-unquote old guy in the room this season. He almost certainly would have played and perhaps even started multiple games for OSU last season if not for a season-ending injury sustained around the middle of the year.

“I definitely can say I’ve seen maturity out of him,” Oates said. “… He’s allowed himself to grow in the program and stay patient and be willing to work for what he wants.”

Gundy described both as mobile, tough, grinders with a lot in common. Without seeing either in a game, he couldn’t really offer any meaningful stylistic differences.

The Cowboy coach didn’t describe exactly what it would take for either to “take the job,” but it is clear from his press conference that leadership ability will play an important role in the decision.

“They’ll have to get the team to migrate and follow them,” Gundy said. “More challenging for a guy that might be just showing up, but I think it can happen. We’ve seen it. I’ve seen portal quarterbacks across the country show up and to me I think they look like leaders from the outside.”