Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Football Hosts Annual Media Day in Stillwater
August 05, 2023 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State football program hosted its annual media day Saturday afternoon in the OSU Athletics Center, as Athletic Director Chad Weiberg, coach Mike Gundy and 35 Cowboy football players met with media from across the state for nearly two hours.
Weiberg discussed the addition of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah to the Big 12 Conference, while Gundy and the Cowboys provided an inside look of what to expect from the OSU football team this season.
OSU's official content network, OSU Max, was also on hand to give fans a live view of all the action, carrying the news conferences of both Weiberg and Gundy, as well as live interviews with several standout players. The show is now archived on OSU Max to watch for anyone who missed it.
Here are some comments from the event:
Athletic Director Chad Weiberg
Opening statement:
"We're excited to welcome Arizona, Arizona State and Utah into the conference. Appreciate Colorado preceding that with their acceptance into the conference. I think it's going to be a great 16-team league and the future is very bright for the Big 12. I really appreciate, I think as we all do, the leadership of the board of directors, presidents and chancellors they had in this. Obviously Commissioner Yormark, who I think did a fantastic job with his leadership. We're very, very excited about where the conference is headed and the future of the league moving forward, and I'm excited about this year as well. So in the meantime, we'll kick off this football season and I'm looking forward to seeing what Cowboy football has to offer this year."
On the conference's urgency over the past two years:
"Well, I think that is what's important about what we've been able to accomplish. If you think about just two years ago what the narrative was about the Big 12 Conference and how that's changed two years later, I think it really starts with Bob Bowlsby's leadership and bringing in the four new members into the conference in September of 2021. That was good. Those are great new members coming in with competitive athletic departments, so I don't think we'd be where we are and able to make this move if we hadn't made that move and those additions. That was sort of the beginning of the stabilization. This is just kind of the next round of positioning our conference to move forward."
On potential travel benefits of the conference's heavier western presence:
"Commissioner Yormark has been pretty consistent from the beginning that we wanted to be a national conference, so I think this certainly accomplishes that. From a travel standpoint, it does help certainly with some of the sports. Every sport is a little bit different in the way they compete and the way they travel. We have not gotten into those kinds of details yet, obviously, but I think it does present some options for us in terms of minimizing, to the degree possible, some of that travel for our student athletes."
On if the incoming teams previously playing at Big 12 schools has familiarized them with the league:
"I think that'd be a question you'd need to ask them. I think yes, there is some familiarity there between the current Big 12 schools and the Pac-12 schools, because we've been pretty consistent about playing some of those (schools). I think other Big 12 schools have as well, but what I really think it speaks to is just there's some alignment in those schools that are coming. Commissioner Yormark, again, has been consistent in saying we want people who are going to fit, align with our board of directors and athletic directors, so I think there was a comfort level with those schools and their fit in conference."
On how the conference has thrived in recent years:
"I think there's a couple reasons why it's continued, and I think first and foremost it starts with our fans. I speak, obviously with knowledge of Oklahoma State fans, but I think this could be true of all the schools in the Big 12. We've got a passionate fanbase and that is part of what's really important for the media and how you're mapped in the market. It really does start with them and the importance they play in that. I've tried to continue to remind our fans of the importance of the role they play and are going to continue to play that important role in our brand – what people around the country think about Oklahoma State and Oklahoma State football and Oklahoma State athletics. But, I think all that is true whether it's Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, Iowa State. It's the same thing. We've got really, really passionate fanbases. Our stadiums are full, our arenas are full. The support is high for all of our student-athletes in all of our sports. Another thing is leadership. I think these things happen not by accident. You have to give a lot of people, the commissioners, our presidents and chancellors, our athletic directors, you have to give them credit for stacking a series of good decisions on top of each other to get where we are to survive and grow and position ourselves in the place we're in now."
On potential challenges of a larger conference:
"That's a good question, because I haven't been a part of a 16-team conference before, so we'll find out. I think there'll be some. We'll have to look at scheduling a little bit different. There'll be different scheduling options, but I think some of those will be really good. I anticipate there'll be opportunity in the way that works. There'll just be additional voices in the room, so as you are making decisions, whether it's at the board level or AD level, there's just going to be more people in the room that you have to get a consensus on. I think that really relates to the importance of what Commissioner Yormark was talking about in making sure that those additions and the additions that we had have some alignment in the way we think and what's important to us so that we can continue the dynamic we currently have as best as possible. Clearly it's a dynamic time and it's going to continue to be a dynamic time, so I think the more that you can be on the same page as you work through those types of decisions you have to make with them, the better you're going to be able to move and quicker you'll be able to react to what's going on."
On what makes the incoming schools a good fit to the league:
"I think it's just the role that intercollegiate athletics plays on the campus and part of the institution. The importance that the institution places in that and the belief in what college athletics is about. Certainly, I go back to the fan support those teams had among their fan bases. That's kind of what I think of when I think of the fit."
Head Coach Mike Gundy
On the Big 12's status after adding four new schools:
"I think it's all good. There's security in numbers. … The numbers are strength. How they're going to break it up, who's going to play who, I think that's the challenge, but that's a good challenge to have. When you look back from where we were a year-and-a-half ago, all of this is somewhat unsettling, right? There's a lot of history and a lot of tradition that's being crumbled, but it is what it is. So, now you just move forward and try to make the best out of it."
On the newest additions to the Big 12:
"They're good additions. We talked about this a little bit the other day, Arizona and Arizona State have the same Board of Regents anyway, so I don't know anything about it, but I don't know how they could be in that meeting and think it's good for one but not for the other. And then obviously Utah is a very good program. I think they're very well coached and they play over their head and win games that people think they shouldn't win and have done it consistently. (Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham) has been there the same amount of time I have, so he's got a tradition there and they play really well based on him being there so long and they kind of know what they're trying to get accomplished."
On scheduling with a 16-team conference:
"That's one of the things I haven't had a discussion about with the most innovative commissioner in all of sports, and I look forward to having a talk with him about that because I want to hear what he has to say. I think there's so many possibilities and there's pros and cons with both possibilities. We would like to establish something to start. You're trying to accomplish multiple things. You'd like for it to be somewhat geographical for travel for the fans and the student-athletes. You'd like to create rivalries somehow, but you also don't want to get locked in to two teams playing each other so much. How do we know who's best because we haven't played this team in four years? So I think there's a real challenge there, but it's a good challenge."
On the parody of the new Big 12 and postseason implications:
"I think it's going to be more challenging to get into the playoffs as we speak now with the teams we have in this league and you're building it up. You could have more seven-win teams than you do nine or 10-win teams in this league now. And ultimately, I'm going to guess the other coaches and players want to win the conference, and then they want to make the playoffs. So, we have to be careful about the position we put ourselves in that could minimize those opportunities."
On what Utah brings to the Big 12:
"Lately they've been very successful. You're putting a team in, and I haven't done my research on where they have finished over a period of let's just say 10 years. Because 10 years is a pretty good barometer for an organization and a coach, because most coaches don't make it 10 years. And with where he's been, I know there's a lot of graphics that come out on wins and bowl wins and a lot of different things and years in bowls because people text them to my phone, and it seems like Utah is always in that list of 10 or 12 or 15 teams. So, they're bringing in a really good team and they're one of those teams that - and I think Oklahoma State is this way - if you polled coaches anonymously across the country teams that you would really not want to play, because it's hard enough to play and beat them and you might not get the credibility that you think you're going to get from the exposure based on history. Utah is one of those teams."
On this being the least experienced quarterback group he's ever had:
"The year Dru (Brown) and Spencer (Sanders) were competing, Dru played in Hawaii but had never played for us, and so you have really the same kind of situation. (Alan) Bowman played at Tech but has never really played for us, and the other two and played three or four games each maybe, or in three or four games each, so pretty minimal at this point."
On who the starting quarterback will be opening night:
"Well, I don't suspect it'll be any of them right now, they're all sharing reps. I'd like to make a decision practice 12 to 14, somewhere in that area. But, the younger quarterbacks are improving, and they're making plays. We might play multiple quarterbacks. If there's two guys that deserve to play, we'll play multiple guys. If one guy takes the job, we'll play one guy, but if two guys deserve to play then we're going to have to play two guys."
Running Back Ollie Gordon II
On taking a different approach to prevent injuries:
"This offseason, I feel like it's been really great because I came early last year in the winter. Going into my second winter and second summer, you can tell the difference now. Our numbers in the weight room have gone up. Everybody's in there putting in the work. You can tell everybody's hungry for it. I feel like going through the injuries last year, it helped us prep for this year. There are certain steps that now we know to watch what we do. In the weight room, we'll focus on a bunch of deep tissue stuff to help those injuries."
On the mindset of the team following last season:
"I feel like we've bonded and came together as one. We're all on the same page and we all want the same thing. This year won't be a repeat of last year."
On goals for the upcoming season:
"One of our big goals is five yards per carry. We don't want to give up any sacks, great protection for the quarterback and limiting turnovers. As long as we protect the ball, we know the defense will go out and get it back for us."
Wide Receiver Blaine Green
On the mentality entering the new season:
"This year, I feel like it's all or nothing. We're definitely learning. Nobody wants to have a season like last year happen again. With all these new guys coming through the transfer portal, I feel like we're all starting to become a family and meshing all together. The mentality is to win the Big 12 Championship this year. You can already see in the weight room, we've put up higher numbers than we have in a while. Whether it be fall or spring camp, I feel like we've really had some of the best camps since I've been here. We're building on it day by day, knowing that other teams are going to be out there working. We have a chip on our shoulder and we're going to go straight for that championship."
On improvements by the wide receiver group:
"I would say that a lot of the transfer guys stepped in. You can tell they're high-level players. I feel like we're getting close to being on the same page with routes. Over the summer when we were working out together, we were working on coming in and out of breaks and the nuances of being a good wide receiver. That's helped transition to all aspects of the wide receiver room. Even the young guys are in there working on cuts so that it allows us to get out of breaks easier. As a whole, we're an elite-level wide receiver core group, and I think you'll see us at the top of the nation this year."
Quarterback Garret Rangel
On how he would describe himself:
"I'm obsessed. I love my craft. I love being with the guys. I love everything about football and Oklahoma State. I'd say I'm just really obsessed."
On the quarterback competition:
"I love competing. It's in my nature. At the end of the day, I'm taking it one day at a time and doing the best I can."
On what he learned after last year's Guaranteed-Rate Bowl:
"I learned that I wasn't quite ready yet, but I also learned that whatever is thrown at me I can handle it. I realized that. I didn't really mope around after the bowl game. I got right to work. Just to better myself as a player with my footwork, tidying things up mechanics-wise and getting better understanding of the offense."
Offensive Lineman Preston Wilson
On the depth of the offensive line:
"A lot of guys are healthy. Right now, we got about five deep at every position. Depth has been an issue in the past, but this is the most depth we've had since I was a true freshman so it's great. Practices are going very smoothly. We're able to work efficiently. Everybody's able to get enough reps and grind. I ultimately think that we have enough depth to be great and get everybody in."
On the focal points entering the new year:
"Having everyone locked in and on the same page. From an offensive line standpoint, it's just focusing on the little things, changing the little things and getting 1% better each day. Fixing one thing and having the mindset of 'each practice, I'm going to work on one thing – you're going to work on perfecting one thing.' And each day it stacks and stacks all camp. Being able to see improvement from day one to the end, especially in some of the young guys, is awesome."
On the team's strength and conditioning:
"We really did have one of the best strength and conditioning offseason programs we've had in a long time. It was the second-most Cowboy irons we've ever had. It was the whole entire team, so that's huge. Getting everybody there and meeting their max strength levels is awesome. It showed everybody came to work and it just is a little testament to show how far we've come as a team."
Linebacker Xavier Benson
On the biggest defensive change this year:
"I would say the biggest defensive change is being able to have guys understand they can end up at any spot. People understanding the whole concept of the defense, not just their position and what they have to do. It's more understanding the concepts of what the offense is running within your game."
On starting fall practice:
"It's been a blast. I think everybody's just locked in. I don't even know how to explain it. Everybody's been locked in, so it's just adding on to the process. Fall camp has been amazing. I think we're having really good, competitive, healthy spirit, a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy, a lot of identity on offense and defensively-wise. So it's pretty fun. I really enjoy that a lot."
On Coach Nardo joining the staff:
"I will say he's a lot younger than the last two (defensive coordinators) I've had, which makes him a lot more fiery, and I like it because I can correlate with it."
On changing schemes:
"We're more flexible with this defense. It's not set in stone where you have to be there or there. You could end up (somewhere else). You could see this, and you could play within that. Playing within this defensive scheme and making plays, anybody can make a play here."
Defensive Lineman Collin Clay
On the new defense:
"It's a huge transition, but I feel that I have more fun playing the nose guard. I always told myself that I never wanted to play in the three down, but it's fun."
On his biggest change from last year to this year:
"I've gained a lot of weight. I played around 290 to 300 (pounds) last year. Now I'm 320, so I think my weight has been a big difference, but I've gotten accustomed to it, especially at this position."
On leadership on the defensive side of the ball:
"It's great. We want everybody to have a voice regardless of who you are. Everybody's brought in every day, and we hold each other accountable every single day. It doesn't matter who you are. The leadership on that part, everybody is brought in and everybody has a voice."
Linebacker Nickolas Martin
On Coach Gundy calling him an emerging leader:
"It's really an honor. Coming here out of high school, I became one of the young guys, so I really just watched guys like Malcolm (Rodriguez) and Devin Harper and some of the other guys. I learned from them, and obviously watching (Xavier Benson). He's three years older than me, so I learn from him every single day on the field and off the field. It's really been a blessing hearing that from Coach Gundy."
On Justin Wright:
"Nothing but genuineness. He's a great addition to the team. He's my guy. He's a cool dude. He's done nothing but good things for the team."
On adjusting to new positions:
"It's been pretty smooth. In high school, I was all over the field. I was learning a new position every other week, so this has been a smooth transition for me. I really love how our defense has come together as a unit playing together and playing for each other."
Linebacker Collin Oliver
On his goals for the year:
"Just win a Big 12 Championship and have fun. Obviously, after that, the cards are on the table. National championship, playoffs and all that. Winning a Big 12 Championship is the main goal right now."
On the physicality of the offensive line:
"Huge improvements, as it should be. Every season they're making improvements from the previous. Those guys are really physical. We had pads on this morning, and those guys are banging heads with us. I love it."
On Coach Nardo joining the team:
"I'm really excited about what he brings to the table for our team. He's fiery, young. I wouldn't say too young. I call him old school. He's been a joy to play with and to be coached by. I feel like we're going to have a big year with him this year."
The Oklahoma State football team is scheduled to open the 2023 season September 2 when it faces Central Arkansas at Boone Pickens Stadium, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Tickets for Cowboy football are on sale now. Tickets are available online through okstate.com/tickets and by calling or texting 877-255-4678.
Weiberg discussed the addition of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah to the Big 12 Conference, while Gundy and the Cowboys provided an inside look of what to expect from the OSU football team this season.
OSU's official content network, OSU Max, was also on hand to give fans a live view of all the action, carrying the news conferences of both Weiberg and Gundy, as well as live interviews with several standout players. The show is now archived on OSU Max to watch for anyone who missed it.
Here are some comments from the event:
Athletic Director Chad Weiberg
Opening statement:
"We're excited to welcome Arizona, Arizona State and Utah into the conference. Appreciate Colorado preceding that with their acceptance into the conference. I think it's going to be a great 16-team league and the future is very bright for the Big 12. I really appreciate, I think as we all do, the leadership of the board of directors, presidents and chancellors they had in this. Obviously Commissioner Yormark, who I think did a fantastic job with his leadership. We're very, very excited about where the conference is headed and the future of the league moving forward, and I'm excited about this year as well. So in the meantime, we'll kick off this football season and I'm looking forward to seeing what Cowboy football has to offer this year."
On the conference's urgency over the past two years:
"Well, I think that is what's important about what we've been able to accomplish. If you think about just two years ago what the narrative was about the Big 12 Conference and how that's changed two years later, I think it really starts with Bob Bowlsby's leadership and bringing in the four new members into the conference in September of 2021. That was good. Those are great new members coming in with competitive athletic departments, so I don't think we'd be where we are and able to make this move if we hadn't made that move and those additions. That was sort of the beginning of the stabilization. This is just kind of the next round of positioning our conference to move forward."
On potential travel benefits of the conference's heavier western presence:
"Commissioner Yormark has been pretty consistent from the beginning that we wanted to be a national conference, so I think this certainly accomplishes that. From a travel standpoint, it does help certainly with some of the sports. Every sport is a little bit different in the way they compete and the way they travel. We have not gotten into those kinds of details yet, obviously, but I think it does present some options for us in terms of minimizing, to the degree possible, some of that travel for our student athletes."
On if the incoming teams previously playing at Big 12 schools has familiarized them with the league:
"I think that'd be a question you'd need to ask them. I think yes, there is some familiarity there between the current Big 12 schools and the Pac-12 schools, because we've been pretty consistent about playing some of those (schools). I think other Big 12 schools have as well, but what I really think it speaks to is just there's some alignment in those schools that are coming. Commissioner Yormark, again, has been consistent in saying we want people who are going to fit, align with our board of directors and athletic directors, so I think there was a comfort level with those schools and their fit in conference."
On how the conference has thrived in recent years:
"I think there's a couple reasons why it's continued, and I think first and foremost it starts with our fans. I speak, obviously with knowledge of Oklahoma State fans, but I think this could be true of all the schools in the Big 12. We've got a passionate fanbase and that is part of what's really important for the media and how you're mapped in the market. It really does start with them and the importance they play in that. I've tried to continue to remind our fans of the importance of the role they play and are going to continue to play that important role in our brand – what people around the country think about Oklahoma State and Oklahoma State football and Oklahoma State athletics. But, I think all that is true whether it's Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, Iowa State. It's the same thing. We've got really, really passionate fanbases. Our stadiums are full, our arenas are full. The support is high for all of our student-athletes in all of our sports. Another thing is leadership. I think these things happen not by accident. You have to give a lot of people, the commissioners, our presidents and chancellors, our athletic directors, you have to give them credit for stacking a series of good decisions on top of each other to get where we are to survive and grow and position ourselves in the place we're in now."
On potential challenges of a larger conference:
"That's a good question, because I haven't been a part of a 16-team conference before, so we'll find out. I think there'll be some. We'll have to look at scheduling a little bit different. There'll be different scheduling options, but I think some of those will be really good. I anticipate there'll be opportunity in the way that works. There'll just be additional voices in the room, so as you are making decisions, whether it's at the board level or AD level, there's just going to be more people in the room that you have to get a consensus on. I think that really relates to the importance of what Commissioner Yormark was talking about in making sure that those additions and the additions that we had have some alignment in the way we think and what's important to us so that we can continue the dynamic we currently have as best as possible. Clearly it's a dynamic time and it's going to continue to be a dynamic time, so I think the more that you can be on the same page as you work through those types of decisions you have to make with them, the better you're going to be able to move and quicker you'll be able to react to what's going on."
On what makes the incoming schools a good fit to the league:
"I think it's just the role that intercollegiate athletics plays on the campus and part of the institution. The importance that the institution places in that and the belief in what college athletics is about. Certainly, I go back to the fan support those teams had among their fan bases. That's kind of what I think of when I think of the fit."
Head Coach Mike Gundy
On the Big 12's status after adding four new schools:
"I think it's all good. There's security in numbers. … The numbers are strength. How they're going to break it up, who's going to play who, I think that's the challenge, but that's a good challenge to have. When you look back from where we were a year-and-a-half ago, all of this is somewhat unsettling, right? There's a lot of history and a lot of tradition that's being crumbled, but it is what it is. So, now you just move forward and try to make the best out of it."
On the newest additions to the Big 12:
"They're good additions. We talked about this a little bit the other day, Arizona and Arizona State have the same Board of Regents anyway, so I don't know anything about it, but I don't know how they could be in that meeting and think it's good for one but not for the other. And then obviously Utah is a very good program. I think they're very well coached and they play over their head and win games that people think they shouldn't win and have done it consistently. (Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham) has been there the same amount of time I have, so he's got a tradition there and they play really well based on him being there so long and they kind of know what they're trying to get accomplished."
On scheduling with a 16-team conference:
"That's one of the things I haven't had a discussion about with the most innovative commissioner in all of sports, and I look forward to having a talk with him about that because I want to hear what he has to say. I think there's so many possibilities and there's pros and cons with both possibilities. We would like to establish something to start. You're trying to accomplish multiple things. You'd like for it to be somewhat geographical for travel for the fans and the student-athletes. You'd like to create rivalries somehow, but you also don't want to get locked in to two teams playing each other so much. How do we know who's best because we haven't played this team in four years? So I think there's a real challenge there, but it's a good challenge."
On the parody of the new Big 12 and postseason implications:
"I think it's going to be more challenging to get into the playoffs as we speak now with the teams we have in this league and you're building it up. You could have more seven-win teams than you do nine or 10-win teams in this league now. And ultimately, I'm going to guess the other coaches and players want to win the conference, and then they want to make the playoffs. So, we have to be careful about the position we put ourselves in that could minimize those opportunities."
On what Utah brings to the Big 12:
"Lately they've been very successful. You're putting a team in, and I haven't done my research on where they have finished over a period of let's just say 10 years. Because 10 years is a pretty good barometer for an organization and a coach, because most coaches don't make it 10 years. And with where he's been, I know there's a lot of graphics that come out on wins and bowl wins and a lot of different things and years in bowls because people text them to my phone, and it seems like Utah is always in that list of 10 or 12 or 15 teams. So, they're bringing in a really good team and they're one of those teams that - and I think Oklahoma State is this way - if you polled coaches anonymously across the country teams that you would really not want to play, because it's hard enough to play and beat them and you might not get the credibility that you think you're going to get from the exposure based on history. Utah is one of those teams."
On this being the least experienced quarterback group he's ever had:
"The year Dru (Brown) and Spencer (Sanders) were competing, Dru played in Hawaii but had never played for us, and so you have really the same kind of situation. (Alan) Bowman played at Tech but has never really played for us, and the other two and played three or four games each maybe, or in three or four games each, so pretty minimal at this point."
On who the starting quarterback will be opening night:
"Well, I don't suspect it'll be any of them right now, they're all sharing reps. I'd like to make a decision practice 12 to 14, somewhere in that area. But, the younger quarterbacks are improving, and they're making plays. We might play multiple quarterbacks. If there's two guys that deserve to play, we'll play multiple guys. If one guy takes the job, we'll play one guy, but if two guys deserve to play then we're going to have to play two guys."
Running Back Ollie Gordon II
On taking a different approach to prevent injuries:
"This offseason, I feel like it's been really great because I came early last year in the winter. Going into my second winter and second summer, you can tell the difference now. Our numbers in the weight room have gone up. Everybody's in there putting in the work. You can tell everybody's hungry for it. I feel like going through the injuries last year, it helped us prep for this year. There are certain steps that now we know to watch what we do. In the weight room, we'll focus on a bunch of deep tissue stuff to help those injuries."
On the mindset of the team following last season:
"I feel like we've bonded and came together as one. We're all on the same page and we all want the same thing. This year won't be a repeat of last year."
On goals for the upcoming season:
"One of our big goals is five yards per carry. We don't want to give up any sacks, great protection for the quarterback and limiting turnovers. As long as we protect the ball, we know the defense will go out and get it back for us."
Wide Receiver Blaine Green
On the mentality entering the new season:
"This year, I feel like it's all or nothing. We're definitely learning. Nobody wants to have a season like last year happen again. With all these new guys coming through the transfer portal, I feel like we're all starting to become a family and meshing all together. The mentality is to win the Big 12 Championship this year. You can already see in the weight room, we've put up higher numbers than we have in a while. Whether it be fall or spring camp, I feel like we've really had some of the best camps since I've been here. We're building on it day by day, knowing that other teams are going to be out there working. We have a chip on our shoulder and we're going to go straight for that championship."
On improvements by the wide receiver group:
"I would say that a lot of the transfer guys stepped in. You can tell they're high-level players. I feel like we're getting close to being on the same page with routes. Over the summer when we were working out together, we were working on coming in and out of breaks and the nuances of being a good wide receiver. That's helped transition to all aspects of the wide receiver room. Even the young guys are in there working on cuts so that it allows us to get out of breaks easier. As a whole, we're an elite-level wide receiver core group, and I think you'll see us at the top of the nation this year."
Quarterback Garret Rangel
On how he would describe himself:
"I'm obsessed. I love my craft. I love being with the guys. I love everything about football and Oklahoma State. I'd say I'm just really obsessed."
On the quarterback competition:
"I love competing. It's in my nature. At the end of the day, I'm taking it one day at a time and doing the best I can."
On what he learned after last year's Guaranteed-Rate Bowl:
"I learned that I wasn't quite ready yet, but I also learned that whatever is thrown at me I can handle it. I realized that. I didn't really mope around after the bowl game. I got right to work. Just to better myself as a player with my footwork, tidying things up mechanics-wise and getting better understanding of the offense."
Offensive Lineman Preston Wilson
On the depth of the offensive line:
"A lot of guys are healthy. Right now, we got about five deep at every position. Depth has been an issue in the past, but this is the most depth we've had since I was a true freshman so it's great. Practices are going very smoothly. We're able to work efficiently. Everybody's able to get enough reps and grind. I ultimately think that we have enough depth to be great and get everybody in."
On the focal points entering the new year:
"Having everyone locked in and on the same page. From an offensive line standpoint, it's just focusing on the little things, changing the little things and getting 1% better each day. Fixing one thing and having the mindset of 'each practice, I'm going to work on one thing – you're going to work on perfecting one thing.' And each day it stacks and stacks all camp. Being able to see improvement from day one to the end, especially in some of the young guys, is awesome."
On the team's strength and conditioning:
"We really did have one of the best strength and conditioning offseason programs we've had in a long time. It was the second-most Cowboy irons we've ever had. It was the whole entire team, so that's huge. Getting everybody there and meeting their max strength levels is awesome. It showed everybody came to work and it just is a little testament to show how far we've come as a team."
Linebacker Xavier Benson
On the biggest defensive change this year:
"I would say the biggest defensive change is being able to have guys understand they can end up at any spot. People understanding the whole concept of the defense, not just their position and what they have to do. It's more understanding the concepts of what the offense is running within your game."
On starting fall practice:
"It's been a blast. I think everybody's just locked in. I don't even know how to explain it. Everybody's been locked in, so it's just adding on to the process. Fall camp has been amazing. I think we're having really good, competitive, healthy spirit, a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy, a lot of identity on offense and defensively-wise. So it's pretty fun. I really enjoy that a lot."
On Coach Nardo joining the staff:
"I will say he's a lot younger than the last two (defensive coordinators) I've had, which makes him a lot more fiery, and I like it because I can correlate with it."
On changing schemes:
"We're more flexible with this defense. It's not set in stone where you have to be there or there. You could end up (somewhere else). You could see this, and you could play within that. Playing within this defensive scheme and making plays, anybody can make a play here."
Defensive Lineman Collin Clay
On the new defense:
"It's a huge transition, but I feel that I have more fun playing the nose guard. I always told myself that I never wanted to play in the three down, but it's fun."
On his biggest change from last year to this year:
"I've gained a lot of weight. I played around 290 to 300 (pounds) last year. Now I'm 320, so I think my weight has been a big difference, but I've gotten accustomed to it, especially at this position."
On leadership on the defensive side of the ball:
"It's great. We want everybody to have a voice regardless of who you are. Everybody's brought in every day, and we hold each other accountable every single day. It doesn't matter who you are. The leadership on that part, everybody is brought in and everybody has a voice."
Linebacker Nickolas Martin
On Coach Gundy calling him an emerging leader:
"It's really an honor. Coming here out of high school, I became one of the young guys, so I really just watched guys like Malcolm (Rodriguez) and Devin Harper and some of the other guys. I learned from them, and obviously watching (Xavier Benson). He's three years older than me, so I learn from him every single day on the field and off the field. It's really been a blessing hearing that from Coach Gundy."
On Justin Wright:
"Nothing but genuineness. He's a great addition to the team. He's my guy. He's a cool dude. He's done nothing but good things for the team."
On adjusting to new positions:
"It's been pretty smooth. In high school, I was all over the field. I was learning a new position every other week, so this has been a smooth transition for me. I really love how our defense has come together as a unit playing together and playing for each other."
Linebacker Collin Oliver
On his goals for the year:
"Just win a Big 12 Championship and have fun. Obviously, after that, the cards are on the table. National championship, playoffs and all that. Winning a Big 12 Championship is the main goal right now."
On the physicality of the offensive line:
"Huge improvements, as it should be. Every season they're making improvements from the previous. Those guys are really physical. We had pads on this morning, and those guys are banging heads with us. I love it."
On Coach Nardo joining the team:
"I'm really excited about what he brings to the table for our team. He's fiery, young. I wouldn't say too young. I call him old school. He's been a joy to play with and to be coached by. I feel like we're going to have a big year with him this year."
The Oklahoma State football team is scheduled to open the 2023 season September 2 when it faces Central Arkansas at Boone Pickens Stadium, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Tickets for Cowboy football are on sale now. Tickets are available online through okstate.com/tickets and by calling or texting 877-255-4678.
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Cowboy Football
NT
/ Cowboy Football
RB
/ Cowboy Football
WR
/ Cowboy Football
LB
/ Cowboy Football
LB
/ Cowboy Football
QB
/ Cowboy Football
OL
/ Cowboy Football
LB
/ Cowboy FootballCowgirl Equestrian Big 12 Champs! - Inside OSU Athletics with Larry Sanchez
Friday, April 03
Title Talk | Landon Robideau Breaks Down His NCAA Championship vs. Defending Champ Antrell Taylor
Tuesday, March 31
Title Talk | Sergio Vega Breaks Down His NCAA Championship Win vs. 2x Champ Jesse Mendez (141 lbs)
Monday, March 30
Jax Forrest called it a tad early 🗣️🏆 #wrestling
Friday, March 27
