What Zane Flores' Return Could Mean for Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State is looking to pull a big upset this week, and having its quarterback could help.

On Saturday, OSU will be in Lubbock to take on No. 14 Texas Tech in another game as a heavy underdog. While the Cowboys won’t be expected to do much, they might still have some hopes internally of shocking the college football world.

As interim coach Doug Meacham put it, OSU did the things it needed to do to win outside of the scoreboard itself. While the Pokes did enough to have a moral victory and a generally successful homecoming considering the circumstances, they’ll need to be much more polished to have a successful outing in Lubbock.

Of course, it could help the Cowboys if they get their quarterback on the field again, and it appears they will. Zane Flores is no longer listed on OSU’s injury report headed into this weekend’s matchup at Texas Tech, signaling his return from injury. 

While opening starter Hauss Hejny is still recovering from a broken foot, Flores’ return could at least allow Sam Jackson V to return to his ideal position of wide receiver. Of course, throwing Flores into the fire on the road against one of the top teams in the country could produce similar results to the time OSU tried that earlier this season.

In a 66-point loss at Oregon, the Cowboys simply looked outmatched in every way, and Flores didn’t seem ready for the moment. While Flores has some more experience under his belt now, he will be coming off an injury and could be rusty going into this matchup. 

Throughout this season, Flores has been somewhat underwhelming and hasn’t been the most reliable quarterback. Although he probably won’t be throwing consecutive pick sixes against Texas Tech, the image of that performance in Eugene could give OSU some second thoughts about simply handing him the starting spot again.

While it seems likely that Jackson will get some snaps under center even with Flores available, getting the freshman back into a rhythm could set him up for a solid finish to the year. There isn’t much certainty about what OSU might look like beyond this season, but if Flores is going to be back, finding some momentum to carry into 2026 could be huge for him and the Cowboys.

It would be unreasonable to have high expectations for Flores this weekend against a stout Red Raider defense, but a solid return game could spark something for OSU.