Gundy, Cowboys Speak at Annual Media Day in Stillwater

Photo by: OSU Athletics

August 03, 2024 | Cowboy Football

STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State football program hosted its annual media day Saturday afternoon in the OSU Athletics Center, as head coach Mike Gundy and over 30 Cowboy football players met with the media to give an inside look at the upcoming season. Here are some of their comments:

Head Coach Mike Gundy

On the first week of practice:
"Good, it's kind of coach's talk. We just got into shoulder pads and the players are attentive. They're excited about being out there, but it's really difficult to tell other than being in pads. We had a competitive day, which is good but, as you know, we've got a long way to go."

On the benefits of the team's experience:
"We have a difficult nonconference schedule, so experience is going to help us in this area. It allows us to move forward a little quicker than what we've been able to over the last few years, which is necessary, because we're going to need to back off a little earlier in order to get ready to play in the first game."

On the challenges for newcomers:
"The incoming portal transfers and the young players are going to have to spend more time on their own in the evening prior to school starting to play catch-up. It's going to move really fast. That's just the way it is sometimes. I don't anticipate many of those guys making an impact in the first few games of the season anyways just because we have so many returning players. So, they'll have time to play catch-up, but the message that we had given them is that if you want to be in a position to contribute early, you're going to spend a lot of time. You're going to be force fed a lot of information. It's unusual because we do have so many mature players."

On the veteran offensive line:
"They're grown men. The best-case scenario would be that we could get to the first game with the faith to play eight or nine guys in that game. It's the one position that really gets fatigued and, as you know in my 20 years as a head coach, we haven't had the ability to rotate many of those guys. Over the last four years, the two positions that we've been really beat up at are wide receiver and offensive line. We are very fortunate to win as many games as we have with the situation we had from an injury standpoint at those two positions. Now, we've got a number of guys that have played and we actually can rotate guys and try to keep some of them fresh. If we do get a guy that gets banged up a little bit and has to miss some time, we don't have to hold our breath every play. So, that's kind of what our thought process is at this point."

On the threat wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling poses:
"It's a challenge. You have to be careful about playing man on him. Quite honestly, you have to be careful about playing man on our slot. So, if we can keep the guys healthy that we have on the perimeter, we're going to force people to play an extra guy in the box. You're going to have to stop Ollie (Gordon II) running the ball. I don't know if we'll be any good at it or not, but that's what we think we're going to do. So, if they can stop it with the correct number of guys in the box, then so be it. But, if you're going to put enough guys down in the box to stop the run, you're going to have to play some man coverage on the perimeter. That's a choice you have to make."

On the addition of wide receiver Gavin Freeman:
"He's done really well. Players have rallied around him. He seems to be comfortable here. He's a good addition for us. He's an interesting player. He ran 22 miles-per-hour in five games last year at this level, which is very unusual. He's got a lot of raw ability, (he) loves to play football, he's a former wrestler, he's an over 300-pound bencher. (He can) vertical jump 36 and a half inches and run 22 miles-per-hour in games last year, which means that he plays fast, not only in practice but in games. So, he's another guy that will jump in there for us at the slot position."

On players holding each other accountable:
"If your culture doesn't allow your players to hold themselves accountable, it's extremely difficult. This generation of young men doesn't really allow coaches to motivate them. So, our job is to put them in a position to be successful. If they can't drive themselves and motivate themselves and want to win for each other, it'll be really hard for us to want to win for them because I don't play in the games. Neither does anybody else that coaches. So, we have to instill that type of character in them over a period of time. Our job is to convince them that they're going to have to work, put forth effort like they never have before in their life and that's going to be okay, and it'll benefit them on Saturday in the fall. They have to hold themselves accountable. We'll be much more successful in that arena than if we tried to convince them to be successful by talking to them."

On the quarterbacks:
"They're doing good. (Alan) Bowman is more comfortable this year… My first year here, (Larry) Fedora was the coordinator and that system was driven by quarterback play. Quarterbacks that're in this system and understand the concepts of what we're trying to get accomplished always play better than they do when they just show up because one, they don't have experience and two, they don't really understand what we're trying to do on offense. Bowman has now had a lot of snaps and that's an advantage for him at this time. Rangel has never really been in there long enough for us to evaluate him. There are times he's shown that he makes plays and there's times people said he didn't play very good. He hadn't had a chance to learn our system and, you can go back over the years for all the quarterbacks we've had here, once you learn the system, you get a lot better. I think that benefits him at this time."

On the growth of quarterback Zane Flores:
"I think he's ready now, he's just not experienced. He's big, he's strong, he's fast, he's smart, he's tough. His attitude is good. He's humble, he's hungry. He hasn't played, but that's the difference now compared to this time last year."

On establishing OSU football as the face of the new Big 12:
"I think we all want to have success and try to establish ourselves. There's so many teams in this league now and it's so new. For example, two seasons ago, TCU had a season that nobody would've predicted, and then last year, they didn't fare as well as they wanted to and nobody would've predicted that. TCU, in my opinion when I look at what they have on paper, if they get good quarterback play, they're going to be pretty good again this year. So, it's hard to predict how you can establish yourself. The only thing that I would say is this: From day one when I was lucky enough to get this job, I said that our goal and my goal personally was to make sure that we put a product on the field that could fill the stadium every Saturday and people knew if we played well, we could win the game… That has not always been that way at Oklahoma State, but it is now. So, I'm comfortable with that. If we're the face of the league, that I don't know. My goal is to put a product out there that the fans can come and enjoy their Saturday, tailgate and say, 'You know what? We might win this game.'"

On managing running back Ollie Gordon II's workload:
"We're in a better situation than we were this time last year, in my opinion. Ollie's going to have to carry the load, but hopefully not quite as much. There were games last year where he carried the ball around 30 times. I would prefer that not to happen and I'm hoping we have a couple guys that could get in there and steal 10-12 carries from him to keep him fresh. My guess is that's going to happen. We'll know a lot more in two weeks, but Ollie is bigger, stronger, faster and better conditioned now than he was at this time last year. So, there will be times where he will have to carry the load. Hopefully, just not as much as what we did last year."

On depth at running back:
"They're doing good. They haven't been hit enough yet. I'm not worried about (Trent) Howland; I think he's been hit enough throughout his career. He's 242 pounds, so he should be able to handle that side of it. Sesi (Vailahi) is 207 now. He's dropped his 40-time by five-tenths since he's been here. He was a baby last year. He's grown up a little bit, he's showing some signs of maturity. He has good vision, so I'm comfortable in that area. We've got some young kids that have come in and are doing some things that might be able to help us a little bit anyway. Those (freshmen) can play four games until postseason and then they're active to play the rest of the year, so I guess a fair answer would be we're better off now than we were this time last year."

On defensive adjustments:
"This was an unusual defense last year. There were times that they won games for us and then were times that we gave up too many yards. We'd drop coverage and in the first three games, we didn't tackle very well. Some of the more important games early in the season last year, games we won that people didn't think we could win, our defense really kept us in those games and then finished them off for us. There were times we wished they would have played better because of some mistakes. The good news is we've identified what the issues were. Now, the coaches have to work to fix those issues and find a plan to get the players to understand why that happened and how we can get better. It's honestly not real complicated; You tackle better, you don't drop coverage, you keep everything in front of you, force the offense to run nine, 10, 11 play drives and in most cases, the offense will mess it up."

On safety Kendal Daniels:
"He's doing good. We're moving Kendal around. He's playing up some, he's playing back some. Again, he's only been in pads once. Kendal is 233 pounds, he's a good-looking guy. He's hanging in there no matter where he's at. He learned a lot of things last year. He's one of the players I'm excited about watching and seeing where he's at. There's been talk about how physical he would be if we wanted to play him down some, more than we did last year. He showed signs in the spring of that being okay. Spring is a lot different than it is in-season. Two months from now when they've been beat up on and you're in games and continue to get beat up on, that'll be the real indicator if it'll work."

On linebacker Collin Oliver:
"Collin is a pure Cowboy. He loves Oklahoma State, he's been tremendous for us. By the time he's finished, he'll have more than one degree. He does well in school, he's got tremendous social skills, he's a great ambassador for the university… He's put himself in a tremendous position for the future. He's been a really, really good football player for us. You can count of him, you can trust him. If things get going tough, he won't flinch. He can lead the locker room when coaches can't. Those guys are valuable."

Running Back Ollie Gordon II

On the start of fall camp:
"So far, I feel like it's been good. You can tell the team is really hungry. We have a lot of returners back and we can't be complacent. I feel like we haven't shown any part of being complacent, we've all been practicing like we haven't been here before and it's been a really great thing. As a team, especially on the offensive side, we've got to be better on third downs. We've got to be better on explosive plays, and I feel like once we get better with those we'll be a hard team to stop."

On the running back room:
"This year, the room we have is really great. Sesi (Vailahi) being here last year, he knows a lot about the offense. With the new guys we have, they just need to learn the offense and I feel like we'll be a great room."

On the returning production at offensive line:
"Just seeing what we did last year, having them back is a huge success. Teams around the country wish they could get all five of their fifth/sixth-year offensive linemen back, and for us to actually do it, it's a huge deal. It makes all of us excited, especially me. I get to run behind them again."

Quarterback Alan Bowman

On entering his second season as a Cowboy:
"I feel good. I feel as confident as ever, how could you not be? Coming through last year that had a little bit of a rocky start, trying to figure out who we were as a program, as an offense and as a quarterback. Now with a full year under the belt, understanding and taking everyone under my wing and moving forward, it gives a lot of confidence for me. I know who we are. I know who I am as a quarterback and to play to our strengths. I'm just excited to go play."

On motivation for his seventh year:
"Understanding that I can play this game at the highest level, in college and hopefully the NFL, knowing that I have the talent and ability. Through some injuries, head coaching changes and transfers, I haven't been able to truly show what I can really do. Now, it's one more year. There's no quarterback competition, no new school, no new offense I have to learn. I was just like, 'You know what? Let's put all your eggs in one basket. Let's put it back for one more year and let's see what you can do.'"

On the tight ends:
"I think Tyler Foster coming in this year from Ohio is great. He's a great receiving tight end and he's done really well. I think a name everyone is going to find out pretty soon is Josh Ford. Stillwater kid, unbelievable blocker. I think he's going to change the game in some ways with what he can do blocking-wise. He's definitely a game-changer and a difference-maker. We lost a lot with Josiah Johnson in productivity for sure, but those two guys coming in and, obviously, Jake Schultz and Quinton Stewart are really good guys. They've played a lot here. That's kind of our one spot that we don't have a returning starter, but we have four dudes there who can slot in at any time. You'd think that could be a weakness, but I think it'll be a strength for us."

Wide Receiver Brennan Presley

On how it feels to be back:
"Camp is going good so far. I'm really excited just to be back with most of the guys from last year, like Joe (Michalski), Rashod (Owens) and Alan (Bowman), just the rest of the guys coming back. So, it's kind of helped everybody through the process of going through the same things. There's a lot of veteran leadership on the team. It's been really good going through that together and learning more of each other, so the communication and camaraderie on the field is amazing."

On building off a big 2023 season:
"Just doing whatever the team needs me to do, which is how it's been every single year. That hasn't changed. If they need me to get open on option routes, they need me to go deep, they need me to block, whatever they need me to do that's what I'm willing to do for the team."

On training with the other wide receivers:
"At practice, the morale is someone makes a great catch, and you want to do the same thing. Then, if you make a good catch, everyone wants to make a good catch because you just did. The competition never stops but it's healthy competition. The best part about it for me is we're competing against each other, but when we get on the field, we know what everybody is capable of. It makes us all feel comfortable once we're out there."

Offensive Lineman Preston Wilson

On the offensive line's versatility:
"Most places, there's not guys with this much experience in the country. We're blessed to have a bunch of guys that can plug in and play multiple positions. We're a very versatile offensive line, one of the most versatile we've had in a long time. Guys can move and plug and play. Coach Dickey, that's a credit to him too. He's put in a lot of hard work to help develop us over these years. A lot of us have been here for six years, playing under Coach Dickey."

On his relationship with Coach Dickey:
"He's been the same dude the whole time. I'd say that everybody has gotten closer as a unit. I think that the coaches have gotten closer to the players. We do a bible study every day before practice that I think has gotten us closer as a unit. Just growing together closer."

On starting fall camp further ahead than previous years:
"I'd say that each year you have to pick up where you left off and I feel where we picked up from where we left off last year is so high. Each spring you've got to build, build and build. There's so much building to be done. I feel like since our starting point was so high that there's been not as many mistakes because of the amount of experience we have. We have so much room to grow, and just knowing that we started at such a great spot this year, I'm excited to see where we go from here."

Linebacker Nick Martin

On his focuses over the offseason:
"This past offseason, I was working on football IQ, moving and just really building on it. Meeting with Coach Nardo in the summertime to grow my knowledge of the game was something I was focused a lot on this summer. Also, improving my physical skills was important, getting stronger and putting on weight.

On the defensive culture:
"I feel like we're building a group of a bunch of great guys who want to play for each other and love each other. It's a real family atmosphere and culture. That's really been the identity since we played Kansas State last season, and we kind of built off that. Making sure we start on a leg up. We came back this year knowing who we were."

On goals entering the season:
"We have a strong group. My ultimate goal is to win the Big 12 Championship and win a National Championship."

Linebacker Collin Oliver:

On having an established identity this fall:
"Last year, we were all trying to figure our identity out. We had a slower start, and that bye week going into Kansas State, we figured it out. I think that bye week from last year helped us out from then up until now. We're all bought in as a team, and Coach Nardo, he's doing his best job."

On the team's defensive progression:
"The transition that he's about to make us have (is big). Maybe there were some things that we weren't as strong at yet. We needed to figure out how we were going to get started with that. They prepared us in the offseason, so when we started day one of fall camp, they told us, 'This isn't day one of fall camp. This is carrying on from spring ball day 16.' There was nothing that was slowing us down. They expected us to be ready from day one, so we'll expect to see a lot of progression this season."

On offseason training:
"We had a lot of player-led practices. We were able to go out there, fly around and have some fun. We returned a lot of our guys this season, and I think that helps in shaping our identity. Everybody on this team has their own leadership role."

Nose Tackle Justin Kirkland

On changes over the offseason:
"The biggest change for me was just getting more comfortable. It's all about recognizing the little things and playing faster. Instead of relying on strength so much, start with a pass rush move and then fall back into strength, things like that. I see what other people are doing, people in the NFL, and I'm trying to put that into my game and take advice from people who have done it. I'm trying to be a better overall, all-around helpless player."

On experience leading to comfortability:
"When we start doing pre-practice stretches, everybody's yelling. It's seriously like a family, everybody cares for one another. I think what's really cool about this team is no one cares who gets the credit. When one guy is blowing up on one day, everybody is rooting for him because somebody else the next week is going to blow up too. I think it just makes more bonds with everybody."

On defensive line coach Paul Randolph:
"Coach Randolph comes in with energy. He gets everybody ready to go and moving, so I love Coach Randolph. I think he's a great position coach to have, and all of our coaches there are really dialed in. You go out there and sometimes you think they're the ones with the pads on. It's a ton of fun with those guys."

Linebacker Justin Wright

On returning from last year's injury:
"It was tough initially getting hurt. Obviously, you never want to get significantly hurt anywhere. All the work that you put in the winter and fall camp, it just kind of goes to waste. Initially, it sucks, and then after a couple of days, I was like, 'Let's get the rehab done and I'm going to come back.' It was not easy. I wouldn't have been able to do it without my wife, my family and all of these guys."

On benefits of experience:
"Every single aspect of special teams, defensively, offensively. We could be down 21-0 in the first quarter and this type of experienced team will not get down on themselves, not be negative, come back and end up winning the game. To the same degree, we could be up 21 and not coast the rest of the game. We will finish games."