Should Oklahoma State Pursue a Quarterback in the Transfer Portal?
Oklahoma State has plenty of offseason decisions to make, but how it handles the quarterback situation could be the most interesting.
2024 began with OSU having no doubts at quarterback. With Alan Bowman entering his seventh and final season, OSU’s situation under center was as cemented as any in the Mike Gundy era.
However, as the season went along, Bowman’s grasp on the starting role began to slip. His poor performances allowed Garret Rangel to start before getting injured in his first start, and eventually, Maealiuaki Smith got the same luxury.
Rangel and Smith still have plenty of time left in their college careers, going into their junior and freshman seasons next season, respectively. Meanwhile, Zane Flores will be entering his sophomore year after missing most of the season with an injury. With all three quarterbacks in different classes and having taken their redshirts, there should be a competitive quarterback battle entering next season.
In one of his final press conferences of 2024, Gundy said he expected all three young talents to be back in Stillwater next season. Of course, there is no certainty in the transfer portal era, but the portal should also make Gundy’s job easier when it comes to the quarterback position.
Rangel and Smith each got solid playing time at points this season and showed they have the ability to lead a thriving high-level offense, but they also showed they might not be ready to take over for a full season yet. Flores will go into 2025 as the big unknown again, as OSU never got him on the field prior to his injury.
Still, OSU has seen enough that it should be comfortable putting one of those guys on the field next season. Of course, it might be smart to grab another veteran quarterback in the portal as OSU did with Bowman in 2023 should one of the three pursue other options.
OSU should feel content about its quarterback situation if nothing changes in the coming weeks. While the Cowboys’ answer offensively might not involve any of those guys, Rangel, Flores and Smith have earned an opportunity to prove themselves.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.