Oklahoma State Could Thwart Breakthrough Seasons for Opposing QBs

Oklahoma State is hoping to look much different next season, and that includes a much-improved defense.

In 2024, OSU was among the worst in the country in most stats defensively. After the failure of Bryan Nardo’s second season as defensive coordinator, the Cowboys hired Todd Grantham as his replacement.

Grantham has loads of experience at the college and professional levels, and he should be able to give the Cowboys an edge on the defensive side of the ball. Of course, simply changing coaches won’t fix all of the problems for the Cowboys, but changing coaches has seemed to help add some potential impact players at every position.

Typically, the running game was the biggest killer for the OSU defense last season, but its pass defense wasn’t much better. As the Cowboys look to improve in 2025, they will need to slow down the dynamic playmakers under center that they face along the way, particularly in conference play.

In CBS Sports’ recent article detailing quarterbacks who could have breakthrough seasons in 2025, three OSU opponents made the cut. Kansas State’s Avery Johnson, Kansas’ Jalon Daniels and Houston’s Conner Weigman were all on the list and will all face the Cowboys this fall.

While Weigman is still a bit of an unknown after seeing inconsistent playing time across his first three seasons with Texas A&M, Johnson and Daniels are quarterbacks who have proven to be big producers when healthy. Last season, Johnson helped Kansas State be the only Big 12 preseason favorite to somewhat live up to expectations.

On the other side, Daniels struggled to live up to his production of the past couple of years and was a key reason the Jayhawks were unable to build off their recent success. He finished the year with a Big 12-leading 12 interceptions and has been notorious for his turnover issues throughout his career.

If the Cowboys can contain those players and their dynamic playstyles next season, they might just have a chance to get some important Big 12 wins in October and November. While the Cowboys’ defense won’t suddenly become one of the best in the country, they just need to improve enough to get some wins.