Depth Chart Released for Opener with Central Arkansas

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy held his first weekly news conference on Thursday, Aug. 24. Gundy tradition in recent years of pushing the opening game news conference up to Thursday and nine days ahead of the first game. 

There are 16 “or” on the depth chart signifying a lot of positions left to be established on the depth chart including, yes, quarterback.

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Most fans have expected Bowman to be named the starter.

“We will play multiple quarterbacks, maybe for quite a while, I’m not sure yet,” Gundy said and even elaborated that the game plan on how to rotate the quarterbacks would be at his disgression and could be adjusted. “Bowman is doing really well, but he hasn’t played in two years and we know what he did quite a while ago. He’s an example of a young man who is in our program that we really like, but we can’t discredit anybody who has been in our program that we really like.

“He has a different personality toward that because when he was at (Texas) Tech they played multiple quarterbacks,” Gundy concluded.

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Rangel has been consistent throughout August.

Honestly, it has been hard to distinguish on virtually a daily basis between Bowman and red-shirt freshman Garret Rangel, who started four games last season including the bowl game against Wisconsin. Gunnar Gundy plyed in multiple games, but only started the Iowa State contest. In fall camp he had a strong of 4-5 practices where he was the top performer at the position, at least through observation. Bowman has started 16 career games and played in 22 at both Texas Tech 2018-20 and just three games at Michigan the past two seasons. 

“Obviously the quarterback position gets more attention than others,” Gundy said of the microscope on the trio of Bowman, Gundy, and Rangel. “I think we’ll play a number of guys at a number of positions for several games to give everyone a fair chance to see what they can do and how they can produce.”

As for all the other “or” appearances throughout the depth chart, Gundy said it is a product of the portal era when you start a season with so many more players than you ever have that you have not seen play for your program in a game. There are 16 players listed on the depth chart that have never played in a game for Oklahoma State and only two of them are freshmen, punter Hudson Kaak and long snapper Shea Friebaum.

“We will have more players competing on game day for multiple games than ever before,” Gundy added. “The reason why, as I said earlier, is we have so many new players and we don’t know a lot about them. We watch them in practice, but some guys play different in games than they do in practice. I think the fair thing is to let them play, put guys in games and see what they do. If we didn’t feel like they gave us the opportunity to win, we wouldn’t do it. As I said earlier at any position, if we had a clear cut guy who was considerably better than the other and gave us a much better chance to be successful we would do that at every position.

OKLAHOMA STATE FOOTBALL DEPTH CHART  - Central Arkansas game on Saturday, Sept. 2

Offense

LT -  67 Cole Birmingham (6-5; 325; RSr.; Katy, TX)   71 Dalton Cooper (6-7; 311; RSr.; Prague, OK)

LG - 73 Jason Brooks Jr. (6-4; 298; RJr.; Houston, TX)   78 Davis Dotson (6-6; 301; RFr.; Tulsa, OK)

OC -  66 Joe Michalski (6-4; 303; RSr.; Kansas City, KS)   51 Austin Kawecki (6-5; 281; RFr.; Frisco, TX)

RG -  74 Preston Wilson (6-5; 295; RSr.; Argyle, TX)  68 Taylor Miterko (6-6; 296; RSr.; Carlsbad, NM)

RT -  61 Jake Springfield (6-5; 323; RSr.; Flower Mound, TX)   72 Calvin Harvey (6-8; 345; RFr.; Houston, TX) -or- 77 Noah McKinney (6-5; 317; RFr.; Henderson, NV)

WR - 88 De’Zhaun Stribling (6-3; 205; Jr.; Kapolei, HI)  2 Talyn Shettron (6-2; 195; RFr.; Edmond, OK) -or- 17 Leon Johnson III (6-5; 207; Sr.; Bothell, WA)

WR - 80 Brennan Presley (5-8; 175; Sr.; Tulsa, OK)   8 Blaine Green (6-1; 220; RSo.; Allen, TX)

WR - 5 Jaden Bray (6-2; 200; RSo.; Norman, OK)   10 Rashod Owens (6-2; 219; RJr.; San Antonio, TX)

TE - 16 Josiah Johnson (6-5; 235; *RSr.; Jacksonville, FL) -or- 82 Quinton Stewart (6-2; 255; RJr.; Salina, KS)   86 Ian Edenfield (6-5; 272; *RSr.; Uniontown, PA)

FB -  90 Braden Cassity (6-2; 241; *RSr.; Austin, TX)  38 Jake Schultz (6-3; 241; RSr.; Prague, OK)

RB  - 0 Ollie Gordon II (6-1; 211; So.; Fort Worth, TX) -or- 3 Jaden Nixon (5-10; 185; RSo.; Dallas, TX) -or- 24 Elijah Collins (6-0; 220; *RSr.; Detroit, MI)

QB -  7 Alan Bowman (6-4; 209; *RSr.; Grapevine, TX) -or- 12 Gunnar Gundy (6-1; 200; RSo.; Stillwater, OK) -or- 13 Garret Rangel (6-2; 189; RFr.; Frisco, TX)

Defense

DE - 96 Kody Walterscheid (6-6; 281; RSr.; Muenster, TX)  94 Anthony Goodlow (6-5; 283; *RSr.; Del City, OK) -or- 56 Xavier Ross (6-4; 290; RSr.; Cedar Hill, TX)

NT 93 Collin Clay (6-3; 310; RSr.; Oklahoma City, OK) -or- 97 Justin Kirkland (6-4; 346; So.; Roy, UT)  71 Aden Kelley (6-2; 295; RSo.; Thomas, OK)

DE -  92 Nathan Latu (6-4; 265; *RSr.; Salt Lake City, UT)  37 Isreal Isuman-Hundley (6-5; 257; RSr.; Colleyville, TX) -or- 87 DeSean Brown (6-3; 254; RFr.; Choctaw, OK)

LB -  30 Collin Oliver (6-2; 235; Jr.; Oklahoma City, OK)  33 Donovan Stephens (6-0; 220; RSo.; Del City, OK)

LB-  4 Nickolas Martin (6-0; 215; RSo.; Texarkana, TX) -or- 44 Justin Wright (6-2; 244; *RSr.; Abilene, TX)

LB -  1 Xavier Benson (6-2; 224; *RSr.; Texarkana, TX)  22 Jeff Roberson (6-1; 230; RJr.; Harrah, OK)

R -  5 Kendal Daniels (6-4; 213; RSo.; Beggs, OK)  15 Ty Williams (6-0; 200; RSo.; Muskogee, OK)

S - 9 Trey Rucker (6-0; 207; RSr.; Waldorf, MD)  7 Cameron Epps (6-3; 208; RFr.; St. Louis, MO) -or- 0 Lardarius Webb Jr. (5-10; 175; Jr.; Opelika, AL)

S - 6 Lyrik Rawls (6-1; 212; RSo.; Jefferson, TX)  14 Nick Session (6-0; 193; RJr.; Gardena, CA) -or- 27 Raymond Gay II (5-10; 180; RSo.; Red Oak, TX)

CB - 2 Korie Black (6-0; 185; Sr.; Waco, TX)  8 D.J. McKinney (6-0; 174; RFr.; Colleyville, TX) -or- 23 Kenneth Harris (6-0; 193; Sr.; Columbia, LA)

CB  - 3 Cam Smith (6-2; 191; RSo.; Little Elm, TX)  10 Kale Smith (5-11; 170; RSo.; Oklahoma City, OK) -or- 24 De’kelvion Beamon (6-0; 203; RSo.; Shreveport, LA)

Specialists

P - 79 Wes Pahl (6-5; 200; RJr.; Columbus, GA)  29 Hudson Kaak (6-1; 222; Fr.; Seymour, VIC, Australia)

K -  19 Alex Hale (6-0; 205; *RSr.; Point Frederick, NSW, Australia)  69 Logan Ward (6-0; 210; RSo.; Edmond, OK)

KO -  69 Logan Ward (6-0; 210; RSo.; Edmond, OK)  79 Wes Pahl (6-5; 200; RJr.; Columbus, GA)

LS - 44 Shea Freibaum (6-1; 200; Fr.; Scottsdale, AZ) -or- 63 Zeke Zaragoza (5-10; 205; *RSr.; Ontario, CA)

H - 79 Wes Pahl (6-5; 200; RJr.; Columbus, GA)  29 Hudson Kaak (6-1; 222; Fr.; Seymour, VIC, Australia)

KR -  80 Brennan Presley (5-8; 175; Sr.; Tulsa, OK)   3 Jaden Nixon (5-10; 185; RSo.; Dallas, TX)

PR -  80 Brennan Presley (5-8; 175; Sr.; Tulsa, OK)   3 Jaden Nixon (5-10; 185; RSo.; Dallas, TX)