Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gundy, players talk Cowboy Football at media day
August 02, 2025 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State football team held its annual media day Saturday after wrapping up its opening week of practice for the 2025 season.
Head coach Mike Gundy addressed the media for half an hour, and more than 40 Cowboy players visited with media after that. Here's some of what they said:
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy
On how practice reps are split among the quarterbacks:
"Two guys are getting the majority of the reps, and the two young guys are actually doing really well, but the older guys are sharing the reps with the ones and twos."
On his timeline for announcing the starting quarterback:
"I can't put a timeline when it will happen, and we could wind up playing two in the first game."
On how the quarterbacks are handling the natural ebbs and flows of practice:
"They seem to be fine, both of them are very competitive, and they have high energy and play with all sides of it."
On what he looks for as it pertains to the quarterbacks:
"Production. At some point the team will start to migrate towards one guy which doesn't mean the other guy's not a good player. It means that the team might suddenly start to migrate towards a guy, and they have to be productive."
On how quarterback reps will be split for the season opener:
"It wouldn't even be fair for me to say, I don't have any idea. I'm not saying that we would be able to play two in the first game, I'm not sure. But at this point, we don't have a guy that we would name a starter. So, all options are on the table."
On the last time he had this level of quarterback uncertainty entering a season:
"Two years ago. We don't have anybody that's thrown a pass in a game at this level, so there's a lot of uncertainty. Both guys are doing well, but they've got a long way to go, and we're learning about them just as well as they're learning the system. I think they're well coached and I think they're performing, I think they're competing. But it's unfair for me to say, after four practices, or however many practices we've had, exactly what direction we would go."
On how different it is to coach with so many new players on the roster:
"What we're doing hasn't changed. The difference is what I had mentioned in Dallas, and was that you have approximately 34 new players that showed up right around June 1, and they're out there practicing, so it's the first time we've ever seen practice, and I'm guessing that 12 to 14 of those guys will be playing in the first game at some point. So that's what'd different."
On sorting out roles for new players after only seeing them for a limited amount of time compared to past seasons when he had better insight into his players:
"Well, we had better insight because they were on our team generally, for more than one year. We had 12 of those guys that I'm talking about that showed up around June 1 or high school players. So that would have been a normal transition. We would have been about 12 guys come because you have six or eight that show up in that semester, and maybe two out of that total 20 are going to even be on the field. That's not where we're now with the total number of mature transfers that you brought in. So, we have guys that are in a position and they're physical enough, they're mature enough to play in the games, they were scary weeks ago. That's what the change is."
On if he must be more hands-on with so many new coaches and players:
"Meetings are different. Obviously, I'm having to coach them up - what I want, what I expect from them, but that's information I share with them and the coaches and the players at the same time. There's an expectation from the coaches and the players in this culture, so there's a little more of a learning curve than what there's been, because these guys are new. Ultimately, I'm very pleased with the coaching and enthusiasm and the excitement from the coaches and what they've done at a very early stage."
On the impact of Kevin Johns:
"Coach is very mature where he comes from, and we were very fortunate that he was available."
On why it's difficult to hire a good quarterbacks coach:
"I don't jump around and take jobs all over the country, I only know what's been here, or the young people that I've developed throughout my coaching career that now are working for me, that are close to being able to do that, but maybe not mature or experienced enough to do this. When you start doing research across the country, the people you trust looking for coaches at certain positions, that becomes a very difficult coach to find based on the total number of opportunities that were out there."
On what drew him to Kevin Johns:
"His pedigree, his background is good for what he's done. He's called plays, he's been a coordinator, he's handled his own position, he's very experienced with quarterbacks. So, me personally, I have to do research with people that know him and have worked with him, and then players that have played for him and how they felt about him and whether they improved during the time that he was coaching."
On what makes hiring a quarterbacks coach difficult for him, specifically:
"There's not many of them out there that I trust. Maybe it's because I might know a little more about that position than I do, maybe linebackers or defensive line, and that could be the answer to that question. There weren't many guys when I started calling around and asking about guys, two or three of them in the country that I thought would be capable of doing it."
On if having multiple position battles in preseason camp is difficult to manage:
"Not really, each coach is responsible for that. We have two coaches in every position and at some positions we have three coaches. So, they're more than capable of identifying the players who continue to be productive and buy into the culture and do things that it takes for us to ultimately win games."
On if what he learned from previous preseason quarterback battles will shape his approach to this season's:
"So, the easiest thing to do would be having a veteran, returning starter. If Patrick Mahomes is coming back, he's the guy and everybody knows he's the guy. You have two or three guys who are working for the second-team job, and third-team job. So, you know the years that Weeden was here, and Rudolph was here, that makes it a much easier transition. Based on the total number of reps you can allocate 60% to this guy, 40% to this guy, and X number to this guy whenever we have the opportunity. That's the real challenge. The good news about where we're at now is there's plenty of reps for the two guys. When you have more than two then you cut into guys that really have an opportunity to improve and get better. In my opinion, the difficult part of it is you really want to keep those two guys healthy."
On offensive coordinator Doug Meacham and the quarterbacks:
"I think they both started at the same spot. There are a lot of similarities with what we are doing now with Coach Meacham. A lot of what he's doing is what we did when he was an assistant here. Then, when he came back, there are a lot of similarities there, but not enough to actually help in a carryover in a communication stage to those guys."
On the new faces on the offensive line:
"(The coaches) are playing quite a few of them there. A big number of transfers that came in there, mature guys, so you have to evaluate them, and in most cases should be able to get to a two-deep. You would think you could get to a two-deep by the 20th of August. That way, it gives you a week of practice and get ready for the start of the season."
On how Grant Garner, Andrew Mitchell and Cooper Bassett are doing as coaches:
"Those guys have been awesome. Grant Garner, Mitchell and Bassett have done a great job. As I said earlier, I am very pleased with what we are doing from a coaching standpoint."
On who the team's best players are:
"Not sure. You're back to a major transition of the total number of people, so you don't necessarily know who the best players are. It is not like you are coming back with a guy like Ollie or Spencer or Marcell Ateman or any of those guys."
On Grant Garner's role coaching offensive line:
"He coaches the offensive line. They are dividing it up; they've got guys split up, and I don't think that he is zeroing in on the middle part of (the line). He's been coaching the offensive line for about eight or nine years down in Mississippi."
On the benefits of having an entirely new coaching staff:
"You learn a lot. There is a real advantage to bringing in a bunch of new guys, because they have a wealth of experience and knowledge from other places. I have to watch and coach them on the run, but I had an advantage because they were here in the spring. A lot of things that maybe I wanted to do different, or I felt like should be done differently, those discussions all took place in the spring. When we got started a few days ago, I had a good feel for it. When we got started in the spring, I had no idea what we had. I have learned a lot from them, and different things and ideas on the way to go about the process of getting the team ready for the first game. It has been an advantage from that standpoint."
On the excitement of the new coaches and processes:
"It has been good. It has been energizing for me. Once you get through the part we've been through in the offseason, now you get to coach football. The coaches all have contracts, and the players all have contracts, so the renegotiating takes place in January. Now we get to the fun part, we get to coach football and get back to what feels like normal college football.
On what he is looking for from players like Jaleel Johnson, DeSean Brown:
"They are maturing and getting older; it is time for those guys to start making plays. They have been in the system for a number of years. The history of our culture is where those guys are starting to get to where they are at in their careers, where they should be starting to make plays. Now, both of them have been beaten up and injured at times last year, and up to this point, they are healthy, which is a good thing."
On the uncertainty of the depth chart:
"I'm not concerned. There are a bunch of guys running around and making plays, and the talent level is fine. The uncertainty is going to work in the morning and not knowing exactly what is going to happen. The uncertainty with the coaches is not there. The uncertainty with the ability is not there. The players have been excellent. We've had to mold a few of them over the summer, which has been different. They get in line and fall in order; that's been fine. We just have to watch. We put them into positions, and we just have to watch, and they will tell us who deserves to play in the games."
On the transfer portal athletes:
"There are young transfers and there are old transfers. We have quite a few transfers who are freshmen. They are still freshmen. The ones that come in that have been somewhat competitive at our level or a level below us for a couple of years are the ones that you hope could come in and impact your team - 20 plays a game, 50 plays a game, maybe, depending on their talent level. We have quite a few young guys who are still in the developmental stage. They are essentially redshirt freshmen."
On the benefits of transfers with experience:
"We've got quite a few guys on the offensive line that are mature, that have transferred in at that position. Those guys are showing their experience and their maturity. The thing you get concerned about now is that COVID gave these guys all an extra year, and essentially, from that year up till now, anybody who filed a waiver with the NCAA can get another year if they wanted. One thing you concerned yourself with is their bodies. It is tough, and the world they live in is a very physical game. We have taken some of that into account with some of these veteran offensive linemen."
On Terrill Davis's progression over the summer:
"He has done really well. I would say he has exceeded my expectations just based on my history, and he is very mature. I think he is comfortable because he's from right down the road. It was an easy transition for him, and he was able to get in here this summer and work and train with Coach Glass. He seems to be picking up the game and our system quickly. At this point, we've only been in shoulder pads for a couple of days, and it looks like he is going to hold up physically. If he can keep it up for the next 10 days, then he will be in a position to help us win games this fall."
On the run game:
"We have to be able to run the ball. We always rush the football, and in the years you have success, you rush football, so we are going to work hard to run the football. Fortunately, we have a number of guys that we are comfortable with, that we feel like we can rush the football in a game:
On a specific position group that has impressed him:
"The coaches have been really good. The players have been really good. The one interesting thing about where we are at now at Oklahoma State is that when you have as many new players as we have, you really don't have a culture that starts in fall camp and just takes care of itself like we have had for a long time. The other thing that seems to be an advantage is that these guys understand that they are being paid very well and that their contracts in the future are based on production. One thing that we've all expressed concern about, I speak for myself as a coach in college football, is that guys who are productive get new contracts next year, and guys who aren't productive don't get new contracts next year. Not only that, but they lose their education because that is the game we're in now. Just watching what happened, it is a very competitive environment."
On the consideration of multi-year contracts:
"All of that is under consideration. I think Kenyatta can help you with that. I would hate to speak about that, because I don't have enough knowledge on how that works. I'm still learning the process on a lot of this, but I would venture to guess that if we had young players that were very talented and/or a young player that came in on a one-year deal, and in our opinion was productive, and we say that this guy is going to be a good player at this level, I would guess Kenyatta would try to sign him to a multi-year deal.
On if he thought he'd be in college football for 40 years:
"I would have said no. I think anybody who thought when you took the job as the head coach of Oklahoma State Football, when I did, nobody would have thought whether it was me or somebody else that we would last more than five or six years. At that time, we had a lot of things that we had to overcome in order to be successful. We had some things that worked in our favor and to our advantage, but the good thing is that I've been very fortunate from a health standpoint, and my energy level is high, if not higher than it's ever been. I have mentioned, somebody had brought it up in Dallas, and I have referred back to Coach Stoops that whenever you get ready to get out of the game, you'll know it. I haven't known that yet, but I do at times find myself counting up the years."
On what's needed to fix college football as a whole:
"You need a commissioner. You have to get one person in charge, and you have to get the four power people in one room, and they all have to start talking about equality and how we can revenue share across the country. We can follow the NFL pattern. If you're not going to make them employees and collective bargain, I understand that, but how are we going to fix it? That is just the way I see it. You can't have a group that is getting a lot of money and a group that is getting a lot less and expect people to want to watch television when one of these teams plays one of the other teams. I think eventually, if they don't fix it, it is going to be difficult for people to want to watch college football."
On the development of players who came to OSU from high school (non-transfers):
"We've got a lot of guys. I was just visiting with Kenyatta about that this morning, and there are guys who are just starting to come on. We really need about seven guys to play those five positions; anything above that is a bonus. Some of those guys are just adapting and learning our system, and I can see where they are playing faster, but the one thing I am excited about is when they are in one-on-one coverage drills that have been very successful."
On how to improve tackling from last year:
"We did a lot of things last year that weren't very good. At one point, we lost one of the best defensive players on the team, and that hurt our tackling. For example, we had Obi playing last year, 70-something plays a game at 231 pounds. We brought him in to back up Collin Olliver and play 20 plays a game. At 231 pounds, he gave us everything he had, but he wasn't strong enough, or big enough or physical enough to play 70-something plays a game, but he had to the last three-fourths of the season. Those things start to show up in a big way. Tackling is something we talk about all the time. I'm guessing you can tour the country and talk with coaches, and they would tell you they worry they don't tackle enough, and they worry they tackle too much, because they don't want to get somebody hurt."
Quarterback Hauss Hejny
On his relationship with Zane Flores:
"Me and Zane respect each other a lot. We try to keep what's going on on the field not affecting what we have off the field. We're really good friends. We just support each other. He's a good player. He respects that I'm a good player. We have a really good friendship."
On quarterback coach Kevin Johns:
"It's been really nice working with Coach Johns. He's a real X's and O's guy. He knows defenses really well, so that's where I've grown the most in my game is mentally. It's slowed the game down for me and I've learned a lot about football in general since working with him, and just his concepts, playing the quarterback position. He expects a lot out of us, so he drives me to be a better player."
On his style of play:
"I'm a dual threat quarterback. A lot of people would describe me as that, but I'd like to say that I try to pass first and then run when things break down."
Quarterback Zane Flores
On adjusting to the coaching changes:
"I think it's been about as smooth as it can be, honestly. Obviously, it's tough, new coaches come in and a bunch of new faces on the team, but I've been able to get to know everyone, get to know the playbook, so it's been good."
On his relationship with Hauss Hejny:
"Me and Hauss are really close with each other. We hang out outside of football too, so we're really close. We're both battling. We're competitive and I think we bring out the best in each other too."
On quarterback coach Kevin Johns:
"I think he's done a great job coaching us as quarterbacks and preparing us. I feel like he's been helping my mind game a ton. He motivates us every day and tells us to go to work every day, and I appreciate that about him."
On the energy in fall camp:
"I think everyone is really motivated and excited for the season to start. There's a lot of new faces but I think we're all pretty close to each other, as close as we can be at this point. I think everyone is just overall excited."
Wide Receiver Christian Fitzpatrick:
On the wide receiver's depth:
"I would describe us as deep. We have a lot of guys that can play and play meaningful snaps too. It hasn't been like that everywhere I've gone. I would say that's going to be a big plus for us with how deep we are in that room. You're going to see kids going hard constantly. You shouldn't see anyone tired in the fourth quarter because we have a lot of guys that can come in and relieve you and make things happen."
On offensive coordinator Doug Meacham:
"I love Coach Meacham. He's a guy that when he walks in the room, the whole atmosphere is lifted. He's a one-of-a-kind type dude and it's great. I love him. Every day he keeps that fire lit under our butt. I would say the offense has been going really smooth, too. I wasn't here for the spring, so I'm truly learning as we go, step-by-step in practice, but he's doing a great job simplifying it for us when we need to and still giving us the details. I feel like by the time it's time to go, we're going to be ready to go."
On his excitement as it gets closer to game day:
"I'm always excited to display my skills, especially for Poke nation. Everybody's been trying to describe what a game day is like here, but they always say that you just have to be there. It's something special. I haven't played in a big stadium in a minute, so I'm really excited for it."
Running Back Rodney Fields Jr.
On what it felt like to make his debut last year:
"Obviously, it was very fun and it was a crazy atmosphere. It was a great experience to go out there and get the feeling of playing football, but it wasn't really much more than just going out there and being you."
On the running back room this year:
"It's very competitive all around. You get different styles of running from each of us, but we try to keep each other motivated and working hard every day to do the right thing."
On what he learned from redshirting last year:
"Just making sure that I'm staying on top of my studying and everything, so that if coach called me I'd be ready."
Outside Linebacker Malik Charles
On the first week of practice:
"The energy. All the guys were competing. We've had a couple of scuffles, but it's not fall camp if you don't have a couple of those. It's football. We're all out there going hard and competing."
On the leadership style he brings to the team:
"I'm young, but I bring a leadership aspect in general everywhere I go. I'm not the most vocal guy. I just try to lead by example. I'm not out there yelling or jumping around or anything because we have those kinds of guys already. I'm the kind of guy that when you look over at me, I'm going to be doing the right thing and going hard every time. I'm the kind of guy who wants to bring everyone with me in that way."
On what he brings to the team:
"Backfield gang is what I like to call it. I'm going to get back to the quarterback, and I stand on that. That's what I'm most confident about. If there is a big play to be made, I'm going to try and make it. That's how I approach every down, and I feel that everyone should know that about me."
Safety Cameron Epps
On the difference of being a veteran on the team this year:
"It's definitely been different. Oklahoma State prides itself on developing players and having them for four or five years, so the transfer portal has totally changed that. I've just been trying to show guys the culture around here. Just wanting to show them how we do things and stay out of trouble."
On his first week of practice:
"It's been fun to be back out there. I'm blessed and ready for another year with this team and want to go out and show the fans that this isn't like last year. I've missed it a lot, and I'm excited about this year."
On what the fans can expect this season:
"We're going to be good, that's what I can tell. The defense has been flying around, making plays. The offense has been making plays, so we're going to be way better than last year."
Linebacker Bryan McCoy Jr.
On the recognition he's been getting:
"It's a blessing and just so amazing. The recognition is nice because I've had to go and work for it. I haven't even been able to show but a slice of it yet, but trust, it's going to come."
On what he's going to show here:
"I've shown that I can smack a runner, like the running back, but I want more quarterbacks to feel me more this year. In the passing game, when he goes to throw, when he's outside the pocket, I'm going to get him. Even when he's just standing back there while I'm blitzing, just because of who our defensive coordinator is. There's going to be more of me violating the quarterbacks this season."
Linebacker Brandon Rawls
On the biggest change for him coming here:
"It's different being in a new place after you've been somewhere for four years. I'm just adjusting to some of the different ways they do things here and the new standards."
On his first week of practice:
"It was hot, very hot. Coming from Michigan, it was a very big change, but it's been great. The coaches have done a great job of pushing us and making us go hard to get to that next level, and I love that. I feel like I bring a calm voice to this defense, having played a lot of ball and been in tough situations. So, when things get in the fire and tensions are high, I can bring everyone down and calm everyone. The guys respect the work I've put in, and I can't wait to see what we show everyone this season."
On why fans should believe in this team this season:
"We have everything to gain and nothing to lose. I feel like this is a really hungry team. We've got a lot of young guys on this team who are hungry and ready to prove it."
Head coach Mike Gundy addressed the media for half an hour, and more than 40 Cowboy players visited with media after that. Here's some of what they said:
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy
On how practice reps are split among the quarterbacks:
"Two guys are getting the majority of the reps, and the two young guys are actually doing really well, but the older guys are sharing the reps with the ones and twos."
On his timeline for announcing the starting quarterback:
"I can't put a timeline when it will happen, and we could wind up playing two in the first game."
On how the quarterbacks are handling the natural ebbs and flows of practice:
"They seem to be fine, both of them are very competitive, and they have high energy and play with all sides of it."
On what he looks for as it pertains to the quarterbacks:
"Production. At some point the team will start to migrate towards one guy which doesn't mean the other guy's not a good player. It means that the team might suddenly start to migrate towards a guy, and they have to be productive."
On how quarterback reps will be split for the season opener:
"It wouldn't even be fair for me to say, I don't have any idea. I'm not saying that we would be able to play two in the first game, I'm not sure. But at this point, we don't have a guy that we would name a starter. So, all options are on the table."
On the last time he had this level of quarterback uncertainty entering a season:
"Two years ago. We don't have anybody that's thrown a pass in a game at this level, so there's a lot of uncertainty. Both guys are doing well, but they've got a long way to go, and we're learning about them just as well as they're learning the system. I think they're well coached and I think they're performing, I think they're competing. But it's unfair for me to say, after four practices, or however many practices we've had, exactly what direction we would go."
On how different it is to coach with so many new players on the roster:
"What we're doing hasn't changed. The difference is what I had mentioned in Dallas, and was that you have approximately 34 new players that showed up right around June 1, and they're out there practicing, so it's the first time we've ever seen practice, and I'm guessing that 12 to 14 of those guys will be playing in the first game at some point. So that's what'd different."
On sorting out roles for new players after only seeing them for a limited amount of time compared to past seasons when he had better insight into his players:
"Well, we had better insight because they were on our team generally, for more than one year. We had 12 of those guys that I'm talking about that showed up around June 1 or high school players. So that would have been a normal transition. We would have been about 12 guys come because you have six or eight that show up in that semester, and maybe two out of that total 20 are going to even be on the field. That's not where we're now with the total number of mature transfers that you brought in. So, we have guys that are in a position and they're physical enough, they're mature enough to play in the games, they were scary weeks ago. That's what the change is."
On if he must be more hands-on with so many new coaches and players:
"Meetings are different. Obviously, I'm having to coach them up - what I want, what I expect from them, but that's information I share with them and the coaches and the players at the same time. There's an expectation from the coaches and the players in this culture, so there's a little more of a learning curve than what there's been, because these guys are new. Ultimately, I'm very pleased with the coaching and enthusiasm and the excitement from the coaches and what they've done at a very early stage."
On the impact of Kevin Johns:
"Coach is very mature where he comes from, and we were very fortunate that he was available."
On why it's difficult to hire a good quarterbacks coach:
"I don't jump around and take jobs all over the country, I only know what's been here, or the young people that I've developed throughout my coaching career that now are working for me, that are close to being able to do that, but maybe not mature or experienced enough to do this. When you start doing research across the country, the people you trust looking for coaches at certain positions, that becomes a very difficult coach to find based on the total number of opportunities that were out there."
On what drew him to Kevin Johns:
"His pedigree, his background is good for what he's done. He's called plays, he's been a coordinator, he's handled his own position, he's very experienced with quarterbacks. So, me personally, I have to do research with people that know him and have worked with him, and then players that have played for him and how they felt about him and whether they improved during the time that he was coaching."
On what makes hiring a quarterbacks coach difficult for him, specifically:
"There's not many of them out there that I trust. Maybe it's because I might know a little more about that position than I do, maybe linebackers or defensive line, and that could be the answer to that question. There weren't many guys when I started calling around and asking about guys, two or three of them in the country that I thought would be capable of doing it."
On if having multiple position battles in preseason camp is difficult to manage:
"Not really, each coach is responsible for that. We have two coaches in every position and at some positions we have three coaches. So, they're more than capable of identifying the players who continue to be productive and buy into the culture and do things that it takes for us to ultimately win games."
On if what he learned from previous preseason quarterback battles will shape his approach to this season's:
"So, the easiest thing to do would be having a veteran, returning starter. If Patrick Mahomes is coming back, he's the guy and everybody knows he's the guy. You have two or three guys who are working for the second-team job, and third-team job. So, you know the years that Weeden was here, and Rudolph was here, that makes it a much easier transition. Based on the total number of reps you can allocate 60% to this guy, 40% to this guy, and X number to this guy whenever we have the opportunity. That's the real challenge. The good news about where we're at now is there's plenty of reps for the two guys. When you have more than two then you cut into guys that really have an opportunity to improve and get better. In my opinion, the difficult part of it is you really want to keep those two guys healthy."
On offensive coordinator Doug Meacham and the quarterbacks:
"I think they both started at the same spot. There are a lot of similarities with what we are doing now with Coach Meacham. A lot of what he's doing is what we did when he was an assistant here. Then, when he came back, there are a lot of similarities there, but not enough to actually help in a carryover in a communication stage to those guys."
On the new faces on the offensive line:
"(The coaches) are playing quite a few of them there. A big number of transfers that came in there, mature guys, so you have to evaluate them, and in most cases should be able to get to a two-deep. You would think you could get to a two-deep by the 20th of August. That way, it gives you a week of practice and get ready for the start of the season."
On how Grant Garner, Andrew Mitchell and Cooper Bassett are doing as coaches:
"Those guys have been awesome. Grant Garner, Mitchell and Bassett have done a great job. As I said earlier, I am very pleased with what we are doing from a coaching standpoint."
On who the team's best players are:
"Not sure. You're back to a major transition of the total number of people, so you don't necessarily know who the best players are. It is not like you are coming back with a guy like Ollie or Spencer or Marcell Ateman or any of those guys."
On Grant Garner's role coaching offensive line:
"He coaches the offensive line. They are dividing it up; they've got guys split up, and I don't think that he is zeroing in on the middle part of (the line). He's been coaching the offensive line for about eight or nine years down in Mississippi."
On the benefits of having an entirely new coaching staff:
"You learn a lot. There is a real advantage to bringing in a bunch of new guys, because they have a wealth of experience and knowledge from other places. I have to watch and coach them on the run, but I had an advantage because they were here in the spring. A lot of things that maybe I wanted to do different, or I felt like should be done differently, those discussions all took place in the spring. When we got started a few days ago, I had a good feel for it. When we got started in the spring, I had no idea what we had. I have learned a lot from them, and different things and ideas on the way to go about the process of getting the team ready for the first game. It has been an advantage from that standpoint."
On the excitement of the new coaches and processes:
"It has been good. It has been energizing for me. Once you get through the part we've been through in the offseason, now you get to coach football. The coaches all have contracts, and the players all have contracts, so the renegotiating takes place in January. Now we get to the fun part, we get to coach football and get back to what feels like normal college football.
On what he is looking for from players like Jaleel Johnson, DeSean Brown:
"They are maturing and getting older; it is time for those guys to start making plays. They have been in the system for a number of years. The history of our culture is where those guys are starting to get to where they are at in their careers, where they should be starting to make plays. Now, both of them have been beaten up and injured at times last year, and up to this point, they are healthy, which is a good thing."
On the uncertainty of the depth chart:
"I'm not concerned. There are a bunch of guys running around and making plays, and the talent level is fine. The uncertainty is going to work in the morning and not knowing exactly what is going to happen. The uncertainty with the coaches is not there. The uncertainty with the ability is not there. The players have been excellent. We've had to mold a few of them over the summer, which has been different. They get in line and fall in order; that's been fine. We just have to watch. We put them into positions, and we just have to watch, and they will tell us who deserves to play in the games."
On the transfer portal athletes:
"There are young transfers and there are old transfers. We have quite a few transfers who are freshmen. They are still freshmen. The ones that come in that have been somewhat competitive at our level or a level below us for a couple of years are the ones that you hope could come in and impact your team - 20 plays a game, 50 plays a game, maybe, depending on their talent level. We have quite a few young guys who are still in the developmental stage. They are essentially redshirt freshmen."
On the benefits of transfers with experience:
"We've got quite a few guys on the offensive line that are mature, that have transferred in at that position. Those guys are showing their experience and their maturity. The thing you get concerned about now is that COVID gave these guys all an extra year, and essentially, from that year up till now, anybody who filed a waiver with the NCAA can get another year if they wanted. One thing you concerned yourself with is their bodies. It is tough, and the world they live in is a very physical game. We have taken some of that into account with some of these veteran offensive linemen."
On Terrill Davis's progression over the summer:
"He has done really well. I would say he has exceeded my expectations just based on my history, and he is very mature. I think he is comfortable because he's from right down the road. It was an easy transition for him, and he was able to get in here this summer and work and train with Coach Glass. He seems to be picking up the game and our system quickly. At this point, we've only been in shoulder pads for a couple of days, and it looks like he is going to hold up physically. If he can keep it up for the next 10 days, then he will be in a position to help us win games this fall."
On the run game:
"We have to be able to run the ball. We always rush the football, and in the years you have success, you rush football, so we are going to work hard to run the football. Fortunately, we have a number of guys that we are comfortable with, that we feel like we can rush the football in a game:
On a specific position group that has impressed him:
"The coaches have been really good. The players have been really good. The one interesting thing about where we are at now at Oklahoma State is that when you have as many new players as we have, you really don't have a culture that starts in fall camp and just takes care of itself like we have had for a long time. The other thing that seems to be an advantage is that these guys understand that they are being paid very well and that their contracts in the future are based on production. One thing that we've all expressed concern about, I speak for myself as a coach in college football, is that guys who are productive get new contracts next year, and guys who aren't productive don't get new contracts next year. Not only that, but they lose their education because that is the game we're in now. Just watching what happened, it is a very competitive environment."
On the consideration of multi-year contracts:
"All of that is under consideration. I think Kenyatta can help you with that. I would hate to speak about that, because I don't have enough knowledge on how that works. I'm still learning the process on a lot of this, but I would venture to guess that if we had young players that were very talented and/or a young player that came in on a one-year deal, and in our opinion was productive, and we say that this guy is going to be a good player at this level, I would guess Kenyatta would try to sign him to a multi-year deal.
On if he thought he'd be in college football for 40 years:
"I would have said no. I think anybody who thought when you took the job as the head coach of Oklahoma State Football, when I did, nobody would have thought whether it was me or somebody else that we would last more than five or six years. At that time, we had a lot of things that we had to overcome in order to be successful. We had some things that worked in our favor and to our advantage, but the good thing is that I've been very fortunate from a health standpoint, and my energy level is high, if not higher than it's ever been. I have mentioned, somebody had brought it up in Dallas, and I have referred back to Coach Stoops that whenever you get ready to get out of the game, you'll know it. I haven't known that yet, but I do at times find myself counting up the years."
On what's needed to fix college football as a whole:
"You need a commissioner. You have to get one person in charge, and you have to get the four power people in one room, and they all have to start talking about equality and how we can revenue share across the country. We can follow the NFL pattern. If you're not going to make them employees and collective bargain, I understand that, but how are we going to fix it? That is just the way I see it. You can't have a group that is getting a lot of money and a group that is getting a lot less and expect people to want to watch television when one of these teams plays one of the other teams. I think eventually, if they don't fix it, it is going to be difficult for people to want to watch college football."
On the development of players who came to OSU from high school (non-transfers):
"We've got a lot of guys. I was just visiting with Kenyatta about that this morning, and there are guys who are just starting to come on. We really need about seven guys to play those five positions; anything above that is a bonus. Some of those guys are just adapting and learning our system, and I can see where they are playing faster, but the one thing I am excited about is when they are in one-on-one coverage drills that have been very successful."
On how to improve tackling from last year:
"We did a lot of things last year that weren't very good. At one point, we lost one of the best defensive players on the team, and that hurt our tackling. For example, we had Obi playing last year, 70-something plays a game at 231 pounds. We brought him in to back up Collin Olliver and play 20 plays a game. At 231 pounds, he gave us everything he had, but he wasn't strong enough, or big enough or physical enough to play 70-something plays a game, but he had to the last three-fourths of the season. Those things start to show up in a big way. Tackling is something we talk about all the time. I'm guessing you can tour the country and talk with coaches, and they would tell you they worry they don't tackle enough, and they worry they tackle too much, because they don't want to get somebody hurt."
Quarterback Hauss Hejny
On his relationship with Zane Flores:
"Me and Zane respect each other a lot. We try to keep what's going on on the field not affecting what we have off the field. We're really good friends. We just support each other. He's a good player. He respects that I'm a good player. We have a really good friendship."
On quarterback coach Kevin Johns:
"It's been really nice working with Coach Johns. He's a real X's and O's guy. He knows defenses really well, so that's where I've grown the most in my game is mentally. It's slowed the game down for me and I've learned a lot about football in general since working with him, and just his concepts, playing the quarterback position. He expects a lot out of us, so he drives me to be a better player."
On his style of play:
"I'm a dual threat quarterback. A lot of people would describe me as that, but I'd like to say that I try to pass first and then run when things break down."
Quarterback Zane Flores
On adjusting to the coaching changes:
"I think it's been about as smooth as it can be, honestly. Obviously, it's tough, new coaches come in and a bunch of new faces on the team, but I've been able to get to know everyone, get to know the playbook, so it's been good."
On his relationship with Hauss Hejny:
"Me and Hauss are really close with each other. We hang out outside of football too, so we're really close. We're both battling. We're competitive and I think we bring out the best in each other too."
On quarterback coach Kevin Johns:
"I think he's done a great job coaching us as quarterbacks and preparing us. I feel like he's been helping my mind game a ton. He motivates us every day and tells us to go to work every day, and I appreciate that about him."
On the energy in fall camp:
"I think everyone is really motivated and excited for the season to start. There's a lot of new faces but I think we're all pretty close to each other, as close as we can be at this point. I think everyone is just overall excited."
Wide Receiver Christian Fitzpatrick:
On the wide receiver's depth:
"I would describe us as deep. We have a lot of guys that can play and play meaningful snaps too. It hasn't been like that everywhere I've gone. I would say that's going to be a big plus for us with how deep we are in that room. You're going to see kids going hard constantly. You shouldn't see anyone tired in the fourth quarter because we have a lot of guys that can come in and relieve you and make things happen."
On offensive coordinator Doug Meacham:
"I love Coach Meacham. He's a guy that when he walks in the room, the whole atmosphere is lifted. He's a one-of-a-kind type dude and it's great. I love him. Every day he keeps that fire lit under our butt. I would say the offense has been going really smooth, too. I wasn't here for the spring, so I'm truly learning as we go, step-by-step in practice, but he's doing a great job simplifying it for us when we need to and still giving us the details. I feel like by the time it's time to go, we're going to be ready to go."
On his excitement as it gets closer to game day:
"I'm always excited to display my skills, especially for Poke nation. Everybody's been trying to describe what a game day is like here, but they always say that you just have to be there. It's something special. I haven't played in a big stadium in a minute, so I'm really excited for it."
Running Back Rodney Fields Jr.
On what it felt like to make his debut last year:
"Obviously, it was very fun and it was a crazy atmosphere. It was a great experience to go out there and get the feeling of playing football, but it wasn't really much more than just going out there and being you."
On the running back room this year:
"It's very competitive all around. You get different styles of running from each of us, but we try to keep each other motivated and working hard every day to do the right thing."
On what he learned from redshirting last year:
"Just making sure that I'm staying on top of my studying and everything, so that if coach called me I'd be ready."
Outside Linebacker Malik Charles
On the first week of practice:
"The energy. All the guys were competing. We've had a couple of scuffles, but it's not fall camp if you don't have a couple of those. It's football. We're all out there going hard and competing."
On the leadership style he brings to the team:
"I'm young, but I bring a leadership aspect in general everywhere I go. I'm not the most vocal guy. I just try to lead by example. I'm not out there yelling or jumping around or anything because we have those kinds of guys already. I'm the kind of guy that when you look over at me, I'm going to be doing the right thing and going hard every time. I'm the kind of guy who wants to bring everyone with me in that way."
On what he brings to the team:
"Backfield gang is what I like to call it. I'm going to get back to the quarterback, and I stand on that. That's what I'm most confident about. If there is a big play to be made, I'm going to try and make it. That's how I approach every down, and I feel that everyone should know that about me."
Safety Cameron Epps
On the difference of being a veteran on the team this year:
"It's definitely been different. Oklahoma State prides itself on developing players and having them for four or five years, so the transfer portal has totally changed that. I've just been trying to show guys the culture around here. Just wanting to show them how we do things and stay out of trouble."
On his first week of practice:
"It's been fun to be back out there. I'm blessed and ready for another year with this team and want to go out and show the fans that this isn't like last year. I've missed it a lot, and I'm excited about this year."
On what the fans can expect this season:
"We're going to be good, that's what I can tell. The defense has been flying around, making plays. The offense has been making plays, so we're going to be way better than last year."
Linebacker Bryan McCoy Jr.
On the recognition he's been getting:
"It's a blessing and just so amazing. The recognition is nice because I've had to go and work for it. I haven't even been able to show but a slice of it yet, but trust, it's going to come."
On what he's going to show here:
"I've shown that I can smack a runner, like the running back, but I want more quarterbacks to feel me more this year. In the passing game, when he goes to throw, when he's outside the pocket, I'm going to get him. Even when he's just standing back there while I'm blitzing, just because of who our defensive coordinator is. There's going to be more of me violating the quarterbacks this season."
Linebacker Brandon Rawls
On the biggest change for him coming here:
"It's different being in a new place after you've been somewhere for four years. I'm just adjusting to some of the different ways they do things here and the new standards."
On his first week of practice:
"It was hot, very hot. Coming from Michigan, it was a very big change, but it's been great. The coaches have done a great job of pushing us and making us go hard to get to that next level, and I love that. I feel like I bring a calm voice to this defense, having played a lot of ball and been in tough situations. So, when things get in the fire and tensions are high, I can bring everyone down and calm everyone. The guys respect the work I've put in, and I can't wait to see what we show everyone this season."
On why fans should believe in this team this season:
"We have everything to gain and nothing to lose. I feel like this is a really hungry team. We've got a lot of young guys on this team who are hungry and ready to prove it."
Players Mentioned
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