Oklahoma State's Intriguing QB Situation Impossible to Predict

Oklahoma State has had some interesting quarterback situations in the past, and 2025 could feature another battle.

OSU is entering 2025 looking to turn things around after an abysmal 2024 campaign. After winning only three games last season, the Cowboys made some significant changes.

Among those changes was a major shakeup in the quarterback room. Alan Bowman finally ran out of eligibility while Garret Rangel and Maealiuaki Smith transferred elsewhere.

Those moves weren’t exactly shocking or crushing for the Cowboys, but they did leave OSU without any of the three players who took snaps last season. With such uncertainty at quarterback, it leaves the Cowboys in a strange position moving forward.

Recently, The Athletic ranked every FBS starting quarterback. From Clemson’s Cade Klubnik at No. 1 to Air Force’s Josh Johnson at No. 136, there are plenty of interesting rankings throughout.

One of the most interesting was where OSU’s quarterback landed. Despite the Cowboys having no one on the roster who has taken a snap at OSU, Mike Gundy’s starting quarterback still landed at No. 76, firmly in the middle of the list and toward the end of the power four.

This isn’t too surprising with where the Cowboys stand going into next season. However, the name on the list for the Cowboys is a bit surprising, with TCU transfer Hauss Hejny earning that spot for OSU over Zane Flores.

The general prediction in Stillwater is that Flores, entering his third season at OSU, will get the nod and be the starter for the Cowboys when Week 1 rolls around. Of course, there is still August camp and a potential quarterback battle to unfold, but Flores naturally seems like the frontrunner.

Still, Hejny has the talent to make the battle interesting and even win it. A much more dynamic rushing threat compared to Flores, Hejny will almost certainly get opportunities next season regardless of who wins the quarterback battle.

With Hejny’s No. 76 ranking among the entire FBS, that also means he ranked 15th among the 16 Big 12 starters. Considering how important quarterbacks are to winning, it makes sense that’s where OSU might fall in the conference hierarchy.