Big 12 Media Day OSU Notebook: Gundy Hits on Bedlam, Pokes Dressed as Cowboys
ARLINGTON, Texas – The last time I made the trip to AT&T Stadium, Oklahoma State and the Baylor Bears competed for the Big 12 Championship Title and OSU walked away from the championship with a strong foundation to build on. Today, walking away from the same stadium after day one of the Big 12 Football Media Days, I have some answered questions and more insight into what the quickly approaching 2022-2023 college football season might look like for Oklahoma State and the rest of the conference.
With head football coach Mike Gundy, defensive ends Tyler Lacy and Brock Martin, receiver Brennan Presley and starting quarterback Spencer Sanders all in attendance, I was able to gauge how they feel about this upcoming season, listen in on conference realignment talks and heard Gundy’s thoughts on no more Bedlam after Oklahoma makes the move to the SEC.
Each OSU player in attendance showed up in perfect Cowboy fashion, with a pair of jeans, boots and Martin topped it off with a fashionable cowboy hat. Lacy, Martin, Presley and Sanders all appeared to be pretty laid back and comfortable throughout the day, especially during their breakout press conferences. Sanders was the first player from Oklahoma State that the media questioned during his breakout session.
“100%. But honestly, I could say my whole four across are go-to guys,” Sanders said when asked if sophomore receiver Jaden Bray would be his go-to guy in light of his explosive growth this offseason. “It’s exciting. These newer guys are just hungry. They’re tired of hearing about filling Malcom Rodriguez’s shoes or Devin Harper’s shoes, they want to fill their own shoes and make a name for themselves.” Sanders remarked.
This response leads me to believe that, coming off of a successful 2021-2022 season, Sanders is confident in his team through his leadership role as fourth year starting quarterback for the Cowboys. Sanders has been an integral part of the foundation that Gundy and staff have solidified over the past few seasons, and he seems confident now more than ever in his own abilities as a leader and what his team can do to continue to make a name for themselves this year.
Presley was up next to speak to the media and was almost immediately asked about his thoughts on his new teammate and younger brother, Braylin Presley. “It’s cool,” Brennan said about playing football with the younger Presley. “But like, he’s in college too. He’s an individual, I let him live his life but I also try to give him any tips that I can offer so he doesn’t have to go through what I’ve been through.”
I imagine that Brennan probably gets tired of being asked about or compared to his younger brother, but it’s understandable that everyone wants to know about their relationship and what it’s like to play at the next level together. He even mentioned that he had to wear his brother’s jeans and boots because he didn’t have pairs of his own. Presley will likely have another breakout year during his junior season coming off of last season with 50 receptions, 619 yards, and several successful punt and kickoff returns.
Martin, the “old man” of the group according to Lacy, stepped up to the microphone in his boots, jeans and cowboy hat to answer questions the media had.
“We always seem to kinda figure it out and put ourselves in the mix,” Martin said when asked about how Oklahoma State typically reacts to rankings and opinions from the media, especially amid all of the realignment talks. “It’s the mentality, the culture and the recruits. I think the recruits are typically guys that flew under the radar for most of their high school careers, like Malcolm Rodriguez only had one other offer besides Oklahoma State going into the last game of his senior year of football and now he’s made it big time.”
A lot of the program’s recent success can be attributed to Gundy’s recruiting strategy and, of course, the Cowboy Culture that is so often talked about among OSU players, staff and fans.
Last up among the players was Lacy, who was very laid back, comfortable and touched on his thoughts about newly added defensive coordinator Derek Mason.
“He’s not much of a yeller or screamer, he’s a cool guy. He’s really for us, for the guys. He always tells us that whatever we need, he’s got us and I feel like that’s the type of coach that we need.”
After hearing statements from not just Lacy but all of the guys today, it’s evident that Mason is a great fit into the Cowboy family and will pick up right where Jim Knowles’ defense left off last season.
And finally, a very straightforward and brutally honest statement that Gundy made. “Bedlam is history,” Coach Gundy said. He was very adamant about the fact that, once OU goes to the SEC, the historic Bedlam rivalry game dating back to 1904 will no longer exist. He even said that there is a very low chance of the two Oklahoma schools playing each other in a nonconference game to keep the Bedlam tradition alive. This could cause fans to be upset or lose interest, which Gundy also addressed, but is ultimately out of OSU’s control. Gundy also stated that he thinks once the Big 12 realignment actually starts the conference will end up with 16 teams and is optimistic about this potential reality, stating that “there is strength in numbers.”
A very common topic that I noticed among talks today was the feeling surrounding the return to the very stadium that Oklahoma State suffered their last loss in. However, each of the players and Coach Gundy seemed to solely use the loss as motivation for this season, saying that everything they do in practice revolves around the idea that one yard makes all the difference.
Today provided an outline for what to expect from Oklahoma State this football season and has given me high expectations for a team that loves to prove critics wrong.