Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Football Hosts Annual Media Day
August 04, 2018 | Cowboy Football
OSU Fan Day Photo Gallery
Saturday's Practice Photo Gallery
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State football program hosted its annual media day Saturday, as Coach Mike Gundy and more than 40 Cowboys met with media inside the OSU Athletics Center for two hours late this afternoon. Some of their comments:
Mike Gundy
Opening statement:
"We obviously haven't practiced very much - just one day in shoulder pads - so it's really early. Everybody is out there and going. Patrick Macon had a foot injury that might be longer than what we would want. It could be a couple, or three, months. He won't be out there for a while. Other than that, everybody is up and running."
On the depth at the receiver position helping out the quarterbacks:
"The guys at the quarterback position are fortunate that we have maturity and really good, awesome receivers. We have a number of guys that have a lot of experience and should be good players, and then of course we have the running backs. I also think we'll be better on the offensive line than we have been in a number of years just from experience and guys understanding our schemes and concepts. That should help in bringing those guys along."
On what he has taken from Jim Knowles:
"I went to a couple of his meetings in the spring and they were very interesting. I don't really know how to explain - I guess technologically savvy. He relates to the younger kids that way. You guys should probably go to one at some point. I don't do a good enough job of illustrating it, but it's a bunch of stuff that I have never been around before."
On the depth of this year's running back group:
"We have really two guys that are proven with (Justice) Hill and J.D. (King) having touched the ball on the road in conference play last year 48 times - I think that's the number. Thirty-eight or 48, it's all the same. He's a proven player for us, and then LD (Brown) has done well and we really like Chuba (Hubbard), so as a group they should be very effective if we can keep them healthy."
On Tylan Wallace:
"The guys that were at that position last year kept him hidden, for the most part, because of the guys we had there. The way I would illustrate him is that he's a lot like Josh Stewart. He's thicker, and bigger, but it's the same style of play in my opinion. He can make some really nice catches and very, very competitive. I'm looking forward to his maturity. He made some plays last year that caught all of our coaches' attention as a freshman. Josh Stewart would be the best type of example of the type of player that he should end up like, or the level he should reach, during his career."
On the value of experience for the returning offensive linemen:
"When you look at those guys. (Arlington) Hambright has been around, but hasn't played in a lot of games, but he's been around a while. Dylan Galloway has been around. (Marcus) Keyes has played a lot. (Deionte) Noel is a guy that has made tremendous strides in the last 12 months. He's been around forever and has finally decided that football is important to him. Johnny Wilson has played a lot. (Larry) Joubert hasn't played a lot, but has a pretty good feel for our system, and obviously it was nice to get Larry (Williams) back. We have some guys. Teven (Jenkins) had some quality reps last year and then Shane (Richards) worked out with the twos, but we didn't put him in games. The reason I think that we'll be better by October than we have in years past is because we have so many guys that have played. Our goal is to have three guards, three tackles and two centers, and anything over that has always been a bonus. I feel pretty good about the number of guys that we have. Our numbers are up in offensive linemen. I think we have something like 24 total in camp. For a while there, we were around 15 or 16 and it was kind of scary. So I'm really encouraged about where we're at with our offensive line."
On adjusting to life without Mason Rudolph:
"It was a little bit weird in the spring. You finish the bowl and everybody gets out there, but he's not there, James (Washington) isn't there, (Marcell) Ateman isn't there, (Chris) Lacy and those guys that were the core unit forever aren't there. They've adjusted now to Taylor (Cornelius) and it's a little different approach in that when you have as many gifted players as we had on the edge, you never worried about any type of pressure from a defense because if you were able to give the quarterback 1.6 or 1.5 (seconds), in most cases he's going to make a play. That's a little different than what it has been in the past, but I'm hoping that the strength we have at the running back position will offset some of that. You have the same philosophy going the other way. If they pressure you, you hand the ball off to a guy and he pops through there and it's going to be man coverage, so it's hard for them to catch you and bring you down. It'll be interesting to see how this second wave of receivers - which would be (Landon) Wolf, Braydon Johnson, LC (Greenwood) and those guys - I think they'll be just fine once we get into the season, but last year we had so many of them that we could just run them in there all the time and it could be a little different approach this year, meaning that we could maybe do some of the same things with the running backs."
On if he has a plan to utilize the new redshirt rule:
"I don't. I was asked that question in Dallas and my honest answer was that I don't know if anybody has a plan right now. We've had several discussions in staff meetings and there's a lot of different ways that you can look at it. I don't think there's any right or wrong way. Offensive lineman - the chance of those guys playing is probably less than a skill position, from the fact that a lot of your skill position guys will help you on special teams and a lot of offensive lineman are usually much further behind. The real question will be how we handle it at the quarterback position, and we won't know much about that for a couple weeks probably. I mentioned to our offensive staff that we need some information around the end of the third week of camp to get a feel for who we think can play there behind Taylor (Cornelius) and come up with a plan. Whether it's a freshman or a player that's already used his eligibility and is not in the same category, but that's really a long answer for 'not really.' We just have to see how it goes. At the corner position last year, we were down at the bare minimum. If we would've had a freshman that could help us and could've used four games, we would've certainly put them in there to try and give those two guys a break. Eight and four (Rodarius Williams and A.J. Green) were running crazy for two months."
On first-year coordinators:
"Everybody that we play, I would be willing to guess, has had all of Duke's tape with what coach has done there for the number of years he was there. They're going to prepare their offense based on what they've seen him do at Duke. His play calling and what his thought process will be, in our style of offense in this league could be different. The analytical part, the research that's out there, the studies that are out there based on offensive and defensive coordinators in college football. There's software out there that provides tendencies for coordinators at different schools. They take all that information and it spits out what their tendencies are based on games. The advantage we could have is that he's not going to have tendencies at this point in this league based on being in a different conference and a little different style of play offensively."
On Jelani Woods' impact:
"I would guess that he's more comfortable now just from a total number of plays and reps, and he's going to be given that opportunity to do some things that can help our offense based on his structure and his size and his ability to catch the ball. If he can hold point in the blocking game then that's a huge plus for us. With his body size and his length, in most cases he's going to be in a one-on-one with a 235, 240, maybe 250-pound end. We hope he comes on and the more he does the more we'll give him. At this point in camp it would be hard for me to say he's much different."
On Mike Yurcich:
"He has had offers. He could be a head coach now, if he wanted to. I think he's looking for a specific opportunity like they all have, the guys who were here before that. They all had opportunities and stayed until a certain job, with the exception of Dana … he started at a much higher level. Mike has been tremendous for us. He's going to be a head coach. It's just a matter of time. It's certainly better for us if he's here, but I also want him to get the job that he wants. He's worked extremely hard and been very loyal to Oklahoma State football. It'll be and exciting time for him and his family. He's got young kids. I guess maybe you're asking how much longer can we keep him here. I don't know that anybody knows that, but he's very capable of being a head coach at this time, in my opinion. I think we're far enough along here now, with my experience and the years we've had coaches come through here and leave or coaches that are currently on our staff that I would be surprised if I were to hire a coordinator from this point on, and maybe even an assistant coach, that has not played here, coached here or worked here at some time over the past 14 years. We have enough people out there. I'm in a much better place than I was, and I think that we certainly have quality people on our staff now that I would hesitate to move them into a coordinator role."
On Dru Brown:
"I like that he's competitive. He's essentially a gym rat shortstop. He's learned the offense on his own. He came and watched and took notes and put it all together. He's worked hard to get where he's at. I like that. It means it's important to him. I just don't have a way of giving you a barometer on where he's at right now just based on only seeing him for two days. I will say that I'm surprised that he and Spencer can function as well as they did in practice with handling our offense and being as young as they are, and/or as new. With Dru, even though he's played 25 games at this level, not in our terminology. There are similarities, but he's speaking a different language. I'm impressed with him and Spencer and how well they function out there in practice with our offense at such an early stage."
On the value of quarterback experience:
"It's interesting. I was driving and listening the other day on the radio, and I might get off statistically a little bit but think you guys will get the point. The top five quarterbacks in the NFL in average yards per game throwing last year were all over 36 years old except the guy from Philadelphia. What that tells you is how important experience is. I'm sure Brady is one of them, and he's like 40 or something. I don't know how old Ben is, but he was one of them. The other four, I don't remember their names. There's one guy, Wentz, but all the rest of them were over 36 years old. I was thinking that proves how important experience is at the quarterback position and Taylor's got a lot of experience. I've said this, and I'll say it again. I don't have any doubt that he can be a really good college quarterback. We just don't know what he's going to do in front of a crowd because he's never done it. That's the only thing we don't know about him. We've watched him function in practice. He understands our offense. He can run. He can throw. He's intelligent. He's tough. He's just never played in front of a crowd to start the games. He's come in, but it's a little easier to come in and be a relief pitcher if I'm up eight runs than it is to come in if it's a tie game and there are two people on with one out. I'm very confident in his ability, and his experience has played a key role in me feeling that way at this time."
On similarities between Justice Hill and Barry Sanders:
"They're very similar. I very seldom hear Justice talk. Obviously I heard Barry talk more because I was around him in the huddle. I don't know that our coaches ever really heard him say much. Their personalities, they're both very humble. They're very appreciative of what they've accomplished. They love being here, and they're very similar. I saw something the other day. Somebody put out a list of all-time great running backs. Once you get into the top 10 I don't know how you tell who's any better than the other. I think they had Barry in third or fourth. I think he's clearly the best running back ever, in my opinion. I've said this before, and I'll say it again. If he was running behind the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line during those years, he'd have 30,000 yards. One advantage Taylor and that gang has is they have two mature running backs and Hill is a fantastic player. People ask if he'll be a first-round pick. Well I don't know, sometimes they won't draft running backs first round. I would be shocked if he's not a top-three running back, whatever round that is. His confidence he brings, the fact that we handed the ball off to him in the bowl game last year on third and 14 against Virginia Tech on that last drive. Because he has shown the ability to make the first person miss and then be really good at running the ball. That certainly helps where we're at, and his presence is very important. His toughness and leadership all those little things. His mom and daddy are great people, and they've done a great job with him. He hasn't allowed himself to become entitled, which happens with humans all the time. He's the same person now that he was when he showed up, and that's what's made him a fantastic player. He's gonna be like James and Mason and those guys. He's a gold mine for the NFL because he's a guy who's going to do his job, and you're never going to hear about him. I couldn't be any more proud of him."
On Edison-McGruder's adjustments:
"Kenneth has made changes and if someone were to say you had to pick one player on the defense that this adjustment would fit best, it would be him. He went through a period of time last year where he was in a position that was hard for him to play based on his ability, his strengths. He's now in a roll that should really fit his style of play and his strengths and what he brings to the table. It just proves that when I watch him, it proves how powerful the mental approach to the game is. He feels good about his role. As I just sit back and watch it from a distance, in my opinion, a completely different person now than he was. Just because he thinks and feels like he fits this. This is perfect for me. He's done really well. His attitude's been great. He's one of the guy's I am excited about watching because his role has changed and really fits his style of play."
On Barry Sanders' national records still standing:
"The guy came out of the game all the time in the third quarter, but the game has changed a little bit to his advantage. There's more passes, but there's also more plays too. You don't see guys carry the ball as much as he did. The durability is not what it used to be. It's no different than the big leagues when they don't let a pitcher throw past five innings or so. The game's are changing. There are a lot of great players out there, but I don't know anybody I would pick before him. No disrespect to Detroit or anybody else, but I still say that if he was behind a different group at a different time that his records would be so out of reach that it would be hard for anybody to ever get to them."
On offensive line depth and future:
"I really feel good about the young people in this program, at all the positions. I think we're recruiting better than we ever have, in my opinion. Josh is doing a fantastic job. He's in a place that he loves. He and his wife both graduated from here. It's easier to work in an environment when you actually care about the product that's coming out of the environment because of the people around you. I think you're seeing that with Josh. In all of recruiting we're making some real headway. I give Joe Bob and Richmond a hard time on who's actually responsible for singing good players but they're working together and doing really well. Josh has done a good job. We have some quality bodies to work with. By the time that Rob Glass works on them for 24 months, he's going to trim them down a little bit and get them stronger and work on foot speed. That process is enjoyable to watch instead of reaching for guys and hoping they can make it through a season, which we did for about four years."
On the possibility of Cornelius being unseated:
"It's really difficult from a standpoint of reps. The ones can only go on the field so many times. If we think that Taylor's our guy coming out of spring, which we did. Even though he hasn't played in front of a crowd and proven anything to us, for the most part if you reflect back on Mason after playing those two or three games his freshman year, you couldn't just bet the house that he was still going to be a good player, because he really didn't have that much experience. But we had to say, 'ok you're our guy'. We're going to push all our money over there with you and we're getting behind you. And because of the way that reps are distributed in practice, that's why Taylor's our guy. He's proven to us that he understands and that we can win with him and be successful. When you have Wudtee and Dru and Spencer come in, their reps at this time are limited. Could it happen? Sure. You could have a guy come in and just takeover. Then you have to try to find a way to make it work for two people. That's not something we would want to do. Unless it's a goal line, short yardage situation. But if somebody earned that right then you'd certainly have to facilitate it. It could happen, but it's not likely to happen early in the season until we give the other guy his opportunity and he's earned his stripes from being here."
On Dru Brown:
"He is playing the game, threw 20, 25 hundred yards, played 25 games. He has experience and you can tell in practice, the little bit I have seen of it, he has more awareness than the younger players, just because he has been out there. In the speed of the game, there is a very drastic change for a high school player at this level. He's already been involved in the speed of the game, so he is further ahead. He's been out in the lines, he's played 25 games. Again, if somebody said 'You had to make a decision on whether you thought if he got into the game, could he function?' You would lean towards yes because he has already been out there.
On the special teams:
"We haven't changed a lot. We've increased some meeting time. We had some discussion over what might have been the reasons that we weren't as good as we thought. We've come up with solutions and put a plan in place. It wouldn't be a big difference from what we've done in the past. I just think we need to do a little bit better. In the end, if you have a fantastic returner, your special teams will look really good. If you don't have a fantastic returner, you're kind of average. So, I didn't want to get too out of the box and evaluate who we are. What I think we need to do in order to improve ourselves on special teams is get a couple of guys back there that can touch the ball and make somebody miss and go the distance. I think that will help as much as anything that we try to do from a scheme standpoint."
On Barry Sanders' time at OSU:
"Besides from the Nebraska game and the Oklahoma game, other than that, I don't think he ever played in the fourth quarter. Because we averaged 52 points a game back then, and so he wasn't in the game much."
On off the field behavior:
"I don't think there is any question that times are changing, people are more aware of what's going around for all the right reasons. Over the last two, three, four years, we've had a lot of education from people on campus, attorneys, different resources to educate us on what to do. I think it's just a matter of really saying, we need to get whatever could be to the proper channels. When, forever with coaches, that just wasn't a procedure. I think that's what's most important for us, at Oklahoma State. That's what we've been told to do. We have athletic department meetings with not just coaches but everybody, because any bit of information that gets to someone that needs to be forwarded to, for a lack of better term, the proper authorities. We will let them do the job, and then for us here as coaches, we remove ourselves. Essentially we don't have any say-so in anything that's going on and for the most part that's a good thing. That way you can't be influenced one way or the other. When I started running into certain issues, not particularly domestic, just issues that coaches have. I had a coach tell me the first year that when you have something happen that's an issue, he recommended the first thing you do, you sit down at your desk and you say 'What's the right thing to do?' And you come up with an answer and then you act on it. You don't sit down and say 'How are we going to win a game without this guy?' Because he might not be playing when it's the right thing to do because you won't make the right decision. That's the principle I try to live by here and I'm not saying it's easy but that's what we've done here. So for us in the department, we've had a lot of education to get things to the proper channels and let other people do their job. I think that's the right way to do it, so certain people aren't influenced one way or the other. I think it's important that we know nobody knows what's going on anywhere, there is almost more to every story. But that's what we do here and it's worked out good for us."
On the approach to the offense:
"The one area that I try to stress with offense, since I've somewhat removed myself, is when we were in high school, coach Evans was our coach. I've always thought he did a great job of making sure the best players that touched the ball and could give you a chance to score touchdowns got to touch the ball. From a basketball standpoint, if you have a fantastic shooter, we've got to make sure that he shoots the ball 25 times, so he could shoot 50 percent maybe and give us a chance to win. What we have done for a number of years is list from one to eight, if you are that lucky, skill guys. If you had to say 'this is the guy I need to touch the ball the most that help us score touchdowns, who would that be? And then who is second, who is third, who is fourth, who is fifth and all the way down.' We've been lucky around here. Last year we had ten of those guys. That was a long list. We felt pretty good about seven and eight touching the ball, but it's really the first four or five guys. That's the only things I've asked the staff to do is just important to know the guys that can actually make a play, needs to touch the ball during the game. At that position, we've got a number of guys who we are going to find out how good they are because they need to touch the ball. You would certainly hate, I'm not going to try and compare any of them, which I think he is very comparable but the running back that was at Penn State last year. To come out of the game and only have six touches, the other team would be like that's awesome. We used to have those issues with Dez [Bryant] the way people played Dez. So we used to have schemes that sometimes we had to run him and hand the ball to him or flip the ball to him so he could touch the ball. So that's kind of the concept that I would like these guys to use in the offensive room, with the maturity and the talent we have at that position."
On Larry Coker:
"A lot of good times. Really great guy to play for. He kind of fits the mold of what we've talked about. We were very simple on offense here but we were good, so they didn't try to do too much. I've spent a lot of time with him watching that old 16mm film and I have fond memories of being in that room and coming up with game plans and we had a relationship where we would joke and talk about things. A relationship a quarterback and his position coach should have in my opinion. He is very deserving. If there is a guy that ever got a bad deal, it's him. He should still be coaching. I don't know what his record was when he got let go of at Miami but it was pretty good. He was one call away from winning another one. He is very deserving of everything he is given at this time."
On the wide receivers:
"It's interesting that if you remove the guys that we had last year that are in the NFL. Just take those three guys and if you look at the circumstances, that was a very unusual class of wide receivers. People would look at us very differently at wide receivers this year. They are kind of just seeing them as what's left. I have a lot of confidence in one and 17 and 13, I think those guys can make plays. The timing for the quarterback at this time is pretty good for a guy that's just stepping in after having three guys going into the NFL."
On rushing:
"If you could average 4.2 yards a carry running the ball, you got a chance to be a decent offense. And when we weren't, we weren't very good offensively. When we do rush the ball for 4.2 or better, we've been a pretty good offense. The reason being, it forces the defensive to do a lot of things originally to stop that because most defensive coordinators don't like coming out of the game when they say we allowed them to run the ball. If you can't instigate that frustration on the defensive coordinator, in our history it hasn't been very good for the offense."
On uniforms:
"We have so many of them that I like. I'm pretty fond of that gunmetal color. I've always liked that. They do a great job. Coach Holder and them being able to work a deal with Nike has been awesome. It's the one thing I get home with my 13-year-old, is he wants me to tell him what we are wearing and I'll tell him I don't have any idea. He thinks that I can spill the beans, but I don't actually know in most cases until I actually get to see them myself. They've done a fantastic job, especially with the helmets."
Running Back Justice Hill
On if he gets annoyed when people compare him to Barry Sanders:
"Not at all, it's an honor to be compared to him, and he's definitely the greatest of all time."
On if he feels he's looked to as a leader:
"I always want to be a leader, whether it's leading by example, being vocal, or just encouraging people. This year is no different."
On what he has seen from the quarterbacks in practice:
"They're competing, they're going all out, and everyone is learning the system. Everybody is looking good, and looking sharp, so it will be interesting to see how it all turns out."
Wide Receiver Dillon Stoner
On how practice has been going:
"It's been really good, you know. The defense has a new scheme so we've been seeing some new looks. There's a lot of new faces in there, so it's pretty exciting."
On adjusting to losing key players, and integrating the new freshmen:
"We've been really good. We have got a lot of young talent, and you know I think a lot of people are going to sleep on us this year, and I hope they do. I think we will be a good team, and be exciting to watch as well."
Running Back J.D. King
On loyalty:
"My head coach in high school was all about loyalty. When it came to picking a school he said wherever I end up going he'd have my back. I loved what Coach Gundy and his coaching staff had to offer. They told me if I came in and worked hard I would play, and that's what I did."
On integrating new players:
"With the running backs, since we're young we stayed pretty strong, so that's been pretty natural."
Wide Receiver Tylan Wallace
On the first couple practices:
"Practice has been going pretty good. It's actually pretty different starting out there instead of taking the two reps, but it's been pretty good so far."
On potentially filling the starting role:
"It's fun. It's something that I did in high school. It's definitely a big change, and I'm definitely going to have some big shoes to fill this year."
Defensive End Jordan Brailford
On Jim Knowles and his defense:
"I like him a lot. I like the new defense. I think everyone on the defense likes the new defense. I think we're going to have a lot of fun with it this season."
On the Cowboys' No. 25 preseason ranking:
"It's a little low, but we always like to be underdogs. It's always a good feeling for us to come out and prove people wrong."
On his leadership style and the defensive line's mindset:
"I'm more of a lead by example guy. I don't really say much, but I play as hard as I can. I feel like we have good energy on the defensive line. We feel like it starts with us, then the linebackers and secondary get it going too."
Linebacker Kenneth Edison-McGruder
On the Cowboy Culture:
"We have a great culture. It's been going for years. Years before me. We have a lot of guys that buy into the culture. That's what makes us a great team, the fact that we can all bond and buy-in together."
On getting the season started and practicing in pads:
"It feels great. You get to hear the pads popping and get that little ding on your helmet. It's a great feeling."
On the Cowboys' No. 25 preseason ranking:
"We're not very worried about that. You've got to put a lot of work in regardless of whether you're in the top 25 or not. We're trying to be the best we can be as a team."
Cornerback A.J. Green
On the Cowboy Culture:
"It's focus, effort, toughness. Coach Gundy instills it into us every day. Past teams have done it before us and it's on us to buy in every day."
On the new defensive style:
"I really like it, I like what Coach Knowles wants to do. I like his aggressive nature of putting more defensive backs on the field to try to get more interceptions."
Linebacker Justin Phillips
On the Cowboy Culture:
"The Cowboy Culture relies on a lot of effort, focus, leadership. When you've been here for so long, it's in your blood. It's something you live by every day."
On getting back into practice and his leadership role:
"It feels good just to be out there with my team. I'm more of a guy that tries to show it more than say it, but I'll speak up when I need to."
On the new defensive coordinator:
"He's an energetic, humorous guy. He's all about the team and about football."
Defensive Tackle Trey Carter
On the defensive line's new scheme:
"I feel like we're not just about filling the hole, but it's more about everyone getting off. All of us are having our own pass rush and surrounding the quarterback. There is more focus on our one-on-one battles."
On the new defensive coordinator:
"I love that guy, he is a pretty cool guy. He's really open and about family, loving everyone one-by-one. He wants everyone to do their part in doing the best they can do."
Safety Thabo Mwaniki
On the defense's performance during the first three practices:
"Defensively we've been good. … We're still pretty young, so we're getting a lot of guys reps right now too. Once we get going and get them knowing where to be at the right time, it's going to be running smooth."
On the team's mindset after losing playmakers from last season:
"We've been adjusting really well. The offense still moves the ball. They have guys that know how to move the ball."
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The Cowboys open the 2018 season Thursday, Aug. 30, when they host Missouri State at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater with kickoff set for 7 p.m. on FS1.
Season tickets and single game tickets are available at www.okstate.com/tickets or by calling the OSU ticket office at 877-ALL-4-OSU.
Saturday's Practice Photo Gallery
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State football program hosted its annual media day Saturday, as Coach Mike Gundy and more than 40 Cowboys met with media inside the OSU Athletics Center for two hours late this afternoon. Some of their comments:
Mike Gundy
Opening statement:
"We obviously haven't practiced very much - just one day in shoulder pads - so it's really early. Everybody is out there and going. Patrick Macon had a foot injury that might be longer than what we would want. It could be a couple, or three, months. He won't be out there for a while. Other than that, everybody is up and running."
On the depth at the receiver position helping out the quarterbacks:
"The guys at the quarterback position are fortunate that we have maturity and really good, awesome receivers. We have a number of guys that have a lot of experience and should be good players, and then of course we have the running backs. I also think we'll be better on the offensive line than we have been in a number of years just from experience and guys understanding our schemes and concepts. That should help in bringing those guys along."
On what he has taken from Jim Knowles:
"I went to a couple of his meetings in the spring and they were very interesting. I don't really know how to explain - I guess technologically savvy. He relates to the younger kids that way. You guys should probably go to one at some point. I don't do a good enough job of illustrating it, but it's a bunch of stuff that I have never been around before."
On the depth of this year's running back group:
"We have really two guys that are proven with (Justice) Hill and J.D. (King) having touched the ball on the road in conference play last year 48 times - I think that's the number. Thirty-eight or 48, it's all the same. He's a proven player for us, and then LD (Brown) has done well and we really like Chuba (Hubbard), so as a group they should be very effective if we can keep them healthy."
On Tylan Wallace:
"The guys that were at that position last year kept him hidden, for the most part, because of the guys we had there. The way I would illustrate him is that he's a lot like Josh Stewart. He's thicker, and bigger, but it's the same style of play in my opinion. He can make some really nice catches and very, very competitive. I'm looking forward to his maturity. He made some plays last year that caught all of our coaches' attention as a freshman. Josh Stewart would be the best type of example of the type of player that he should end up like, or the level he should reach, during his career."
On the value of experience for the returning offensive linemen:
"When you look at those guys. (Arlington) Hambright has been around, but hasn't played in a lot of games, but he's been around a while. Dylan Galloway has been around. (Marcus) Keyes has played a lot. (Deionte) Noel is a guy that has made tremendous strides in the last 12 months. He's been around forever and has finally decided that football is important to him. Johnny Wilson has played a lot. (Larry) Joubert hasn't played a lot, but has a pretty good feel for our system, and obviously it was nice to get Larry (Williams) back. We have some guys. Teven (Jenkins) had some quality reps last year and then Shane (Richards) worked out with the twos, but we didn't put him in games. The reason I think that we'll be better by October than we have in years past is because we have so many guys that have played. Our goal is to have three guards, three tackles and two centers, and anything over that has always been a bonus. I feel pretty good about the number of guys that we have. Our numbers are up in offensive linemen. I think we have something like 24 total in camp. For a while there, we were around 15 or 16 and it was kind of scary. So I'm really encouraged about where we're at with our offensive line."
On adjusting to life without Mason Rudolph:
"It was a little bit weird in the spring. You finish the bowl and everybody gets out there, but he's not there, James (Washington) isn't there, (Marcell) Ateman isn't there, (Chris) Lacy and those guys that were the core unit forever aren't there. They've adjusted now to Taylor (Cornelius) and it's a little different approach in that when you have as many gifted players as we had on the edge, you never worried about any type of pressure from a defense because if you were able to give the quarterback 1.6 or 1.5 (seconds), in most cases he's going to make a play. That's a little different than what it has been in the past, but I'm hoping that the strength we have at the running back position will offset some of that. You have the same philosophy going the other way. If they pressure you, you hand the ball off to a guy and he pops through there and it's going to be man coverage, so it's hard for them to catch you and bring you down. It'll be interesting to see how this second wave of receivers - which would be (Landon) Wolf, Braydon Johnson, LC (Greenwood) and those guys - I think they'll be just fine once we get into the season, but last year we had so many of them that we could just run them in there all the time and it could be a little different approach this year, meaning that we could maybe do some of the same things with the running backs."
On if he has a plan to utilize the new redshirt rule:
"I don't. I was asked that question in Dallas and my honest answer was that I don't know if anybody has a plan right now. We've had several discussions in staff meetings and there's a lot of different ways that you can look at it. I don't think there's any right or wrong way. Offensive lineman - the chance of those guys playing is probably less than a skill position, from the fact that a lot of your skill position guys will help you on special teams and a lot of offensive lineman are usually much further behind. The real question will be how we handle it at the quarterback position, and we won't know much about that for a couple weeks probably. I mentioned to our offensive staff that we need some information around the end of the third week of camp to get a feel for who we think can play there behind Taylor (Cornelius) and come up with a plan. Whether it's a freshman or a player that's already used his eligibility and is not in the same category, but that's really a long answer for 'not really.' We just have to see how it goes. At the corner position last year, we were down at the bare minimum. If we would've had a freshman that could help us and could've used four games, we would've certainly put them in there to try and give those two guys a break. Eight and four (Rodarius Williams and A.J. Green) were running crazy for two months."
On first-year coordinators:
"Everybody that we play, I would be willing to guess, has had all of Duke's tape with what coach has done there for the number of years he was there. They're going to prepare their offense based on what they've seen him do at Duke. His play calling and what his thought process will be, in our style of offense in this league could be different. The analytical part, the research that's out there, the studies that are out there based on offensive and defensive coordinators in college football. There's software out there that provides tendencies for coordinators at different schools. They take all that information and it spits out what their tendencies are based on games. The advantage we could have is that he's not going to have tendencies at this point in this league based on being in a different conference and a little different style of play offensively."
On Jelani Woods' impact:
"I would guess that he's more comfortable now just from a total number of plays and reps, and he's going to be given that opportunity to do some things that can help our offense based on his structure and his size and his ability to catch the ball. If he can hold point in the blocking game then that's a huge plus for us. With his body size and his length, in most cases he's going to be in a one-on-one with a 235, 240, maybe 250-pound end. We hope he comes on and the more he does the more we'll give him. At this point in camp it would be hard for me to say he's much different."
On Mike Yurcich:
"He has had offers. He could be a head coach now, if he wanted to. I think he's looking for a specific opportunity like they all have, the guys who were here before that. They all had opportunities and stayed until a certain job, with the exception of Dana … he started at a much higher level. Mike has been tremendous for us. He's going to be a head coach. It's just a matter of time. It's certainly better for us if he's here, but I also want him to get the job that he wants. He's worked extremely hard and been very loyal to Oklahoma State football. It'll be and exciting time for him and his family. He's got young kids. I guess maybe you're asking how much longer can we keep him here. I don't know that anybody knows that, but he's very capable of being a head coach at this time, in my opinion. I think we're far enough along here now, with my experience and the years we've had coaches come through here and leave or coaches that are currently on our staff that I would be surprised if I were to hire a coordinator from this point on, and maybe even an assistant coach, that has not played here, coached here or worked here at some time over the past 14 years. We have enough people out there. I'm in a much better place than I was, and I think that we certainly have quality people on our staff now that I would hesitate to move them into a coordinator role."
On Dru Brown:
"I like that he's competitive. He's essentially a gym rat shortstop. He's learned the offense on his own. He came and watched and took notes and put it all together. He's worked hard to get where he's at. I like that. It means it's important to him. I just don't have a way of giving you a barometer on where he's at right now just based on only seeing him for two days. I will say that I'm surprised that he and Spencer can function as well as they did in practice with handling our offense and being as young as they are, and/or as new. With Dru, even though he's played 25 games at this level, not in our terminology. There are similarities, but he's speaking a different language. I'm impressed with him and Spencer and how well they function out there in practice with our offense at such an early stage."
On the value of quarterback experience:
"It's interesting. I was driving and listening the other day on the radio, and I might get off statistically a little bit but think you guys will get the point. The top five quarterbacks in the NFL in average yards per game throwing last year were all over 36 years old except the guy from Philadelphia. What that tells you is how important experience is. I'm sure Brady is one of them, and he's like 40 or something. I don't know how old Ben is, but he was one of them. The other four, I don't remember their names. There's one guy, Wentz, but all the rest of them were over 36 years old. I was thinking that proves how important experience is at the quarterback position and Taylor's got a lot of experience. I've said this, and I'll say it again. I don't have any doubt that he can be a really good college quarterback. We just don't know what he's going to do in front of a crowd because he's never done it. That's the only thing we don't know about him. We've watched him function in practice. He understands our offense. He can run. He can throw. He's intelligent. He's tough. He's just never played in front of a crowd to start the games. He's come in, but it's a little easier to come in and be a relief pitcher if I'm up eight runs than it is to come in if it's a tie game and there are two people on with one out. I'm very confident in his ability, and his experience has played a key role in me feeling that way at this time."
On similarities between Justice Hill and Barry Sanders:
"They're very similar. I very seldom hear Justice talk. Obviously I heard Barry talk more because I was around him in the huddle. I don't know that our coaches ever really heard him say much. Their personalities, they're both very humble. They're very appreciative of what they've accomplished. They love being here, and they're very similar. I saw something the other day. Somebody put out a list of all-time great running backs. Once you get into the top 10 I don't know how you tell who's any better than the other. I think they had Barry in third or fourth. I think he's clearly the best running back ever, in my opinion. I've said this before, and I'll say it again. If he was running behind the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line during those years, he'd have 30,000 yards. One advantage Taylor and that gang has is they have two mature running backs and Hill is a fantastic player. People ask if he'll be a first-round pick. Well I don't know, sometimes they won't draft running backs first round. I would be shocked if he's not a top-three running back, whatever round that is. His confidence he brings, the fact that we handed the ball off to him in the bowl game last year on third and 14 against Virginia Tech on that last drive. Because he has shown the ability to make the first person miss and then be really good at running the ball. That certainly helps where we're at, and his presence is very important. His toughness and leadership all those little things. His mom and daddy are great people, and they've done a great job with him. He hasn't allowed himself to become entitled, which happens with humans all the time. He's the same person now that he was when he showed up, and that's what's made him a fantastic player. He's gonna be like James and Mason and those guys. He's a gold mine for the NFL because he's a guy who's going to do his job, and you're never going to hear about him. I couldn't be any more proud of him."
On Edison-McGruder's adjustments:
"Kenneth has made changes and if someone were to say you had to pick one player on the defense that this adjustment would fit best, it would be him. He went through a period of time last year where he was in a position that was hard for him to play based on his ability, his strengths. He's now in a roll that should really fit his style of play and his strengths and what he brings to the table. It just proves that when I watch him, it proves how powerful the mental approach to the game is. He feels good about his role. As I just sit back and watch it from a distance, in my opinion, a completely different person now than he was. Just because he thinks and feels like he fits this. This is perfect for me. He's done really well. His attitude's been great. He's one of the guy's I am excited about watching because his role has changed and really fits his style of play."
On Barry Sanders' national records still standing:
"The guy came out of the game all the time in the third quarter, but the game has changed a little bit to his advantage. There's more passes, but there's also more plays too. You don't see guys carry the ball as much as he did. The durability is not what it used to be. It's no different than the big leagues when they don't let a pitcher throw past five innings or so. The game's are changing. There are a lot of great players out there, but I don't know anybody I would pick before him. No disrespect to Detroit or anybody else, but I still say that if he was behind a different group at a different time that his records would be so out of reach that it would be hard for anybody to ever get to them."
On offensive line depth and future:
"I really feel good about the young people in this program, at all the positions. I think we're recruiting better than we ever have, in my opinion. Josh is doing a fantastic job. He's in a place that he loves. He and his wife both graduated from here. It's easier to work in an environment when you actually care about the product that's coming out of the environment because of the people around you. I think you're seeing that with Josh. In all of recruiting we're making some real headway. I give Joe Bob and Richmond a hard time on who's actually responsible for singing good players but they're working together and doing really well. Josh has done a good job. We have some quality bodies to work with. By the time that Rob Glass works on them for 24 months, he's going to trim them down a little bit and get them stronger and work on foot speed. That process is enjoyable to watch instead of reaching for guys and hoping they can make it through a season, which we did for about four years."
On the possibility of Cornelius being unseated:
"It's really difficult from a standpoint of reps. The ones can only go on the field so many times. If we think that Taylor's our guy coming out of spring, which we did. Even though he hasn't played in front of a crowd and proven anything to us, for the most part if you reflect back on Mason after playing those two or three games his freshman year, you couldn't just bet the house that he was still going to be a good player, because he really didn't have that much experience. But we had to say, 'ok you're our guy'. We're going to push all our money over there with you and we're getting behind you. And because of the way that reps are distributed in practice, that's why Taylor's our guy. He's proven to us that he understands and that we can win with him and be successful. When you have Wudtee and Dru and Spencer come in, their reps at this time are limited. Could it happen? Sure. You could have a guy come in and just takeover. Then you have to try to find a way to make it work for two people. That's not something we would want to do. Unless it's a goal line, short yardage situation. But if somebody earned that right then you'd certainly have to facilitate it. It could happen, but it's not likely to happen early in the season until we give the other guy his opportunity and he's earned his stripes from being here."
On Dru Brown:
"He is playing the game, threw 20, 25 hundred yards, played 25 games. He has experience and you can tell in practice, the little bit I have seen of it, he has more awareness than the younger players, just because he has been out there. In the speed of the game, there is a very drastic change for a high school player at this level. He's already been involved in the speed of the game, so he is further ahead. He's been out in the lines, he's played 25 games. Again, if somebody said 'You had to make a decision on whether you thought if he got into the game, could he function?' You would lean towards yes because he has already been out there.
On the special teams:
"We haven't changed a lot. We've increased some meeting time. We had some discussion over what might have been the reasons that we weren't as good as we thought. We've come up with solutions and put a plan in place. It wouldn't be a big difference from what we've done in the past. I just think we need to do a little bit better. In the end, if you have a fantastic returner, your special teams will look really good. If you don't have a fantastic returner, you're kind of average. So, I didn't want to get too out of the box and evaluate who we are. What I think we need to do in order to improve ourselves on special teams is get a couple of guys back there that can touch the ball and make somebody miss and go the distance. I think that will help as much as anything that we try to do from a scheme standpoint."
On Barry Sanders' time at OSU:
"Besides from the Nebraska game and the Oklahoma game, other than that, I don't think he ever played in the fourth quarter. Because we averaged 52 points a game back then, and so he wasn't in the game much."
On off the field behavior:
"I don't think there is any question that times are changing, people are more aware of what's going around for all the right reasons. Over the last two, three, four years, we've had a lot of education from people on campus, attorneys, different resources to educate us on what to do. I think it's just a matter of really saying, we need to get whatever could be to the proper channels. When, forever with coaches, that just wasn't a procedure. I think that's what's most important for us, at Oklahoma State. That's what we've been told to do. We have athletic department meetings with not just coaches but everybody, because any bit of information that gets to someone that needs to be forwarded to, for a lack of better term, the proper authorities. We will let them do the job, and then for us here as coaches, we remove ourselves. Essentially we don't have any say-so in anything that's going on and for the most part that's a good thing. That way you can't be influenced one way or the other. When I started running into certain issues, not particularly domestic, just issues that coaches have. I had a coach tell me the first year that when you have something happen that's an issue, he recommended the first thing you do, you sit down at your desk and you say 'What's the right thing to do?' And you come up with an answer and then you act on it. You don't sit down and say 'How are we going to win a game without this guy?' Because he might not be playing when it's the right thing to do because you won't make the right decision. That's the principle I try to live by here and I'm not saying it's easy but that's what we've done here. So for us in the department, we've had a lot of education to get things to the proper channels and let other people do their job. I think that's the right way to do it, so certain people aren't influenced one way or the other. I think it's important that we know nobody knows what's going on anywhere, there is almost more to every story. But that's what we do here and it's worked out good for us."
On the approach to the offense:
"The one area that I try to stress with offense, since I've somewhat removed myself, is when we were in high school, coach Evans was our coach. I've always thought he did a great job of making sure the best players that touched the ball and could give you a chance to score touchdowns got to touch the ball. From a basketball standpoint, if you have a fantastic shooter, we've got to make sure that he shoots the ball 25 times, so he could shoot 50 percent maybe and give us a chance to win. What we have done for a number of years is list from one to eight, if you are that lucky, skill guys. If you had to say 'this is the guy I need to touch the ball the most that help us score touchdowns, who would that be? And then who is second, who is third, who is fourth, who is fifth and all the way down.' We've been lucky around here. Last year we had ten of those guys. That was a long list. We felt pretty good about seven and eight touching the ball, but it's really the first four or five guys. That's the only things I've asked the staff to do is just important to know the guys that can actually make a play, needs to touch the ball during the game. At that position, we've got a number of guys who we are going to find out how good they are because they need to touch the ball. You would certainly hate, I'm not going to try and compare any of them, which I think he is very comparable but the running back that was at Penn State last year. To come out of the game and only have six touches, the other team would be like that's awesome. We used to have those issues with Dez [Bryant] the way people played Dez. So we used to have schemes that sometimes we had to run him and hand the ball to him or flip the ball to him so he could touch the ball. So that's kind of the concept that I would like these guys to use in the offensive room, with the maturity and the talent we have at that position."
On Larry Coker:
"A lot of good times. Really great guy to play for. He kind of fits the mold of what we've talked about. We were very simple on offense here but we were good, so they didn't try to do too much. I've spent a lot of time with him watching that old 16mm film and I have fond memories of being in that room and coming up with game plans and we had a relationship where we would joke and talk about things. A relationship a quarterback and his position coach should have in my opinion. He is very deserving. If there is a guy that ever got a bad deal, it's him. He should still be coaching. I don't know what his record was when he got let go of at Miami but it was pretty good. He was one call away from winning another one. He is very deserving of everything he is given at this time."
On the wide receivers:
"It's interesting that if you remove the guys that we had last year that are in the NFL. Just take those three guys and if you look at the circumstances, that was a very unusual class of wide receivers. People would look at us very differently at wide receivers this year. They are kind of just seeing them as what's left. I have a lot of confidence in one and 17 and 13, I think those guys can make plays. The timing for the quarterback at this time is pretty good for a guy that's just stepping in after having three guys going into the NFL."
On rushing:
"If you could average 4.2 yards a carry running the ball, you got a chance to be a decent offense. And when we weren't, we weren't very good offensively. When we do rush the ball for 4.2 or better, we've been a pretty good offense. The reason being, it forces the defensive to do a lot of things originally to stop that because most defensive coordinators don't like coming out of the game when they say we allowed them to run the ball. If you can't instigate that frustration on the defensive coordinator, in our history it hasn't been very good for the offense."
On uniforms:
"We have so many of them that I like. I'm pretty fond of that gunmetal color. I've always liked that. They do a great job. Coach Holder and them being able to work a deal with Nike has been awesome. It's the one thing I get home with my 13-year-old, is he wants me to tell him what we are wearing and I'll tell him I don't have any idea. He thinks that I can spill the beans, but I don't actually know in most cases until I actually get to see them myself. They've done a fantastic job, especially with the helmets."
Running Back Justice Hill
On if he gets annoyed when people compare him to Barry Sanders:
"Not at all, it's an honor to be compared to him, and he's definitely the greatest of all time."
On if he feels he's looked to as a leader:
"I always want to be a leader, whether it's leading by example, being vocal, or just encouraging people. This year is no different."
On what he has seen from the quarterbacks in practice:
"They're competing, they're going all out, and everyone is learning the system. Everybody is looking good, and looking sharp, so it will be interesting to see how it all turns out."
Wide Receiver Dillon Stoner
On how practice has been going:
"It's been really good, you know. The defense has a new scheme so we've been seeing some new looks. There's a lot of new faces in there, so it's pretty exciting."
On adjusting to losing key players, and integrating the new freshmen:
"We've been really good. We have got a lot of young talent, and you know I think a lot of people are going to sleep on us this year, and I hope they do. I think we will be a good team, and be exciting to watch as well."
Running Back J.D. King
On loyalty:
"My head coach in high school was all about loyalty. When it came to picking a school he said wherever I end up going he'd have my back. I loved what Coach Gundy and his coaching staff had to offer. They told me if I came in and worked hard I would play, and that's what I did."
On integrating new players:
"With the running backs, since we're young we stayed pretty strong, so that's been pretty natural."
Wide Receiver Tylan Wallace
On the first couple practices:
"Practice has been going pretty good. It's actually pretty different starting out there instead of taking the two reps, but it's been pretty good so far."
On potentially filling the starting role:
"It's fun. It's something that I did in high school. It's definitely a big change, and I'm definitely going to have some big shoes to fill this year."
Defensive End Jordan Brailford
On Jim Knowles and his defense:
"I like him a lot. I like the new defense. I think everyone on the defense likes the new defense. I think we're going to have a lot of fun with it this season."
On the Cowboys' No. 25 preseason ranking:
"It's a little low, but we always like to be underdogs. It's always a good feeling for us to come out and prove people wrong."
On his leadership style and the defensive line's mindset:
"I'm more of a lead by example guy. I don't really say much, but I play as hard as I can. I feel like we have good energy on the defensive line. We feel like it starts with us, then the linebackers and secondary get it going too."
Linebacker Kenneth Edison-McGruder
On the Cowboy Culture:
"We have a great culture. It's been going for years. Years before me. We have a lot of guys that buy into the culture. That's what makes us a great team, the fact that we can all bond and buy-in together."
On getting the season started and practicing in pads:
"It feels great. You get to hear the pads popping and get that little ding on your helmet. It's a great feeling."
On the Cowboys' No. 25 preseason ranking:
"We're not very worried about that. You've got to put a lot of work in regardless of whether you're in the top 25 or not. We're trying to be the best we can be as a team."
Cornerback A.J. Green
On the Cowboy Culture:
"It's focus, effort, toughness. Coach Gundy instills it into us every day. Past teams have done it before us and it's on us to buy in every day."
On the new defensive style:
"I really like it, I like what Coach Knowles wants to do. I like his aggressive nature of putting more defensive backs on the field to try to get more interceptions."
Linebacker Justin Phillips
On the Cowboy Culture:
"The Cowboy Culture relies on a lot of effort, focus, leadership. When you've been here for so long, it's in your blood. It's something you live by every day."
On getting back into practice and his leadership role:
"It feels good just to be out there with my team. I'm more of a guy that tries to show it more than say it, but I'll speak up when I need to."
On the new defensive coordinator:
"He's an energetic, humorous guy. He's all about the team and about football."
Defensive Tackle Trey Carter
On the defensive line's new scheme:
"I feel like we're not just about filling the hole, but it's more about everyone getting off. All of us are having our own pass rush and surrounding the quarterback. There is more focus on our one-on-one battles."
On the new defensive coordinator:
"I love that guy, he is a pretty cool guy. He's really open and about family, loving everyone one-by-one. He wants everyone to do their part in doing the best they can do."
Safety Thabo Mwaniki
On the defense's performance during the first three practices:
"Defensively we've been good. … We're still pretty young, so we're getting a lot of guys reps right now too. Once we get going and get them knowing where to be at the right time, it's going to be running smooth."
On the team's mindset after losing playmakers from last season:
"We've been adjusting really well. The offense still moves the ball. They have guys that know how to move the ball."
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The Cowboys open the 2018 season Thursday, Aug. 30, when they host Missouri State at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater with kickoff set for 7 p.m. on FS1.
Season tickets and single game tickets are available at www.okstate.com/tickets or by calling the OSU ticket office at 877-ALL-4-OSU.
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