Oklahoma State starting QB update: Mike Gundy minces no words about Cowboys QB1 for 2025

Mike Gundy led the Oklahoma State Cowboys to a disappointing season in 2024. The team came into the season as the runners up in the previous Big 12 championship game, and were expected to do very well in a conference now without Texas and Oklahoma.

However, things did not turn out as predicted. In the end, the Cowboys had a 3-9 season, with no wins in the Big 12.

Gundy's attention has now turned to the 2025 season, where he will hope that the Cowboys are able to improve. At Big 12 Media Days on Wednesday, Gundy spoke about his plans for the starting quarterback this season.

"Mike Gundy says Oklahoma State has not decided on a starting QB. Notes he is going to go on a vacation next week and hopes to have an idea heading into fall camp."

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Last season, Oklahoma State had Alan Bowman as their quarterback. This was his seventh season in college football, and second with the Cowboys. After a strong 2023, he was unable to replicate it (as the whole team did), throwing for 2,432 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Bowman has not returned to the Cowboys in 2025 and has left college football altogether. He is still playing football, now playing for the San Antonio Brahmas in the UFL.

As for his replacement, Mike Gundy has been straight to the point with his response. They do not know who their starting quarterback will be.

However, it is generally seen as a two-way battle between Zane Flores and Hauss Hejny.

Who will Mike Gundy pick as the Oklahoma State quarterback for 2025?

The 2025 season will be the third season that Zane Flores has played in college football. However, he has not played a single game for the program. He was reshirted during his freshman year and then received a medical hardship waiver in 2024 due to an injury. While very inexperienced, Flores has many years of eligibility left and could provide coach Grundy with a long-term project at QB.

Hauss Hejny is the slightly more experienced contender. He has transferred in from TCU, having spent one season with the Horned Frogs. Here, Hejny was used in some games for his rushing abilities, something that was seen in the 48 yards he gained in the win over the Cincinnati Bearcats. However, we are yet to see him throw in a game.

Mike Gundy has a difficult decision in front of him.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.