The Transfer Portal Would Complicate, Not Solve, Oklahoma State's QB Situation in 2024
The transfer portal offers an entire world of possibilities for Oklahoma State at quarterback, but it may be a door best left closed.
At the very least, it is a door that the Cowboys should be comfortable avoiding for 2024. But it is a tricky situation.
OSU has the nation’s leading rusher in Ollie Gordon, and assuming he sticks around, Gordon could be an intriguing player to pair up with in the backfield for quarterbacks in the portal. Of course, going after talented quarterbacks in college football’s free agency is something OSU has to do if a big name declares interest in playing in Stillwater.
However, bringing in a guy such as another player of Dru Brown or Alan Bowman's caliber to be a starter may do more harm than good. Plus, Bowman may still be around if he decides to apply for a seventh year of eligibility.
Through 13 games with the Cowboys, including 10 as the full-time quarterback, Bowman threw for 3,058 yards with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He completed 59.7% of his passes for 6.8 yards per attempt.
If Bowman leaves, OSU has two players capable of stepping into the role and being the man under center long term. The first and likeliest candidate is Garret Rangel.
In his two freshman seasons at OSU, Rangel played in nine total games, racking up 883 yards passing, six touchdowns and six interceptions. While most of that came in 2022, Rangel had emerged as the potential starter through two games in 2023.
Against Central Arkansas and Arizona State, Rangel completed 16 of his 24 passes for 164 yards. He only got five pass attempts against South Alabama and never saw meaningful playing time after OSU shifted the offense toward Gordon.
The Cowboys could also try out Zane Flores, who will be a redshirt freshman next season after not seeing the field in 2023. The 2022 MaxPreps Nebraska Player of the Year led his high school to a state championship in his senior season.
He threw for 3,117 yards and 31 touchdowns while scoring another 10 touchdowns on the run in his final season at Gretna. However, OSU coach Mike Gundy downplayed the possibility of Flores stepping on the field after the struggles of the position group to begin the season, saying he was not ready.
With an entire season of practice under his belt, he could be ready to step into that position next season. In any case, the Cowboys cannot afford to go into game one without a clear starting quarterback again.
Sure, it’s possible that neither Rangel nor Flores will turn into a star at OSU. But not giving them the opportunity to become the next Mason Rudolph or Spencer Sanders may hinder OSU’s ability to ever find that guy again.
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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.