Should Oklahoma State Use Two-Quarterback System in Transfer Portal Era?

Oklahoma State’s depth chart is far from set, including the most important position on the roster. 

Throughout Mike Gundy’s two-decade tenure as OSU’s head coach, he has had the opportunity to coach some of the top quarterbacks in the country. From Brandon Weeden to Mason Rudolph and so on, the Cowboys have had some top-tier talents in recent history.

However, the Cowboys aren’t always blessed with one of the best quarterbacks in the country. That has led to some interesting quarterback battles throughout Gundy’s tenure in Stillwater.

Oddly enough, the Cowboys have had multiple battles featuring three quarterbacks. With Wes Lunt, JW Walsh and Clint Chelf competing in 2012, and Alan Bowman, Garret Rangel and Gunnar Gundy competing in 2023.

This season, OSU will only have two quarterbacks looking for the starting role, giving the Cowboys a situation much more similar to 2013, when Walsh and Chelf were battling for the starting spot. Considering the strengths of Zane Flores and Hauss Hejny, this quarterback battle could easily mirror some of the qualities of that 2013 season.

However, Gundy might be wise to consider using Flores and Hejny in a similar fashion to what OSU did in 2015. In that 10-win season, the Cowboys used Rudolph and Walsh in different situations throughout the season.

With Rudolph still getting his legs under him in his first full season as the starter, Walsh, a much more versatile rushing threat, would come in on short yardage and goal line situations to diversify OSU’s attack. With Flores being known best for his arm and Hejny being more of a dual-threat quarterback, there could be a window for a similar situation, especially as both try to carve out their ideal roles in college football.

However, there is much more risk involved for the Cowboys this time. In the era of the transfer portal, if either player is unhappy, they could simply leave the program and find another school that might let them run the offense full-time.

On the other hand, giving both an opportunity to showcase their skills and complement each other could actually keep both players happy and give the Cowboys two quarterbacks moving forward. There is no perfect solution when a team has two talented quarterbacks with different skillsets, but OSU might need to get unconventional to make things work in 2025.