Originally published at: https://pistolsfiringblog.com/what-will-it-take-to-win-oklahoma-states-quarterback-battle/
Zane Flores and Hauss Hejny enter the fall in a quarterback battle.
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I could see Flores starting with Hejny coming in for short yardage / goal line situations.
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I want to see Zane I think we see Hejny. With neither having thrown a pass yet we have his mobility to bail us out.
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Just don’t let Gundy decide who QB1 is and we should be fine. 
I want Flores. Hejny’s passing is questionable and it sounds like he needs to become a slot receiver w/ those wheels! 
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If Hejny becomes a slot receiver, then who is the backup? Better to keep him at QB2 and make a run/pass package for him like we did with JW Walsh.
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Won’t happen. His name doesn’t easily turn into -dozer.
This current situation totally exposes the major flaw in Gundy’s approach to QB development, in more than one way.
First of all, he whined all last year (and every year, really) that he doesn’t play the young guy(s) because “he hasn’t gotten the reps. He’s not ready. They’re not ready. We have to play the guy with experience that gives us the best chance to win.” Well, here we are, and now he HAS to throw a guy in there, no matter who it is, who has never played. Because he never LET them before.
Secondly, here we go again with the season approaching and he has ZERO idea which one of them it’s going to be, starting the season. He is doing the exact same thing he did when he couldn’t decide between Rangel, his son, and Bowman and the debacle that followed. He’s learned nothing, and he WAS a quarterback and is now a 20+ year head coach. This is unacceptable and another train wreck is coming due entirely to his mishandling.
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We finally hired a real QB coach. So who knows 
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That’s why you let the new QB coach decide. I mean…is that not really his job? I have more confidence is John’s observations than Gundy’s. If Johns and Meacham can’t figure out who should be our starting QB by the first game of the season. Then we’ve hired the wrong guy’s, and if we didn’t hire the wrong guys Gundy should just let them be.
It only tends to get worse when he interjects himself into the equation. Just like he admitted he did with Nardo. I do like the fact he was finally humbled by an 0-9 conference record, and realized he need to hire experience coordinators to help fix the mess he created.
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Jon2, you are confused. Flores was injured last year. That is why he didn’t get any game reps. The other two got game reps but were inconsistent and lost the confidence they could ever start here. That is why they transferred. Hejny wasn’t here last year so you can’t blame Gundy for not giving him game reps. If Hejny can throw the ball he is our starter because he adds a dimension that elite teams have nowdays - another runner in the backfield.
It matters not. The players involved don’t matter. Neither Hejny or Flores would have played anyway. Gundy may have “punished” Bowman by making him sit while Rangel or Smith played a bit, but that doesn’t change who he is or what he does. If he has an upperclassman, that’s going to be the guy.
If our new, unknown offensive line can’t block, we need Hejny back there because he is the most qualified to run for his life most of the game.
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Maybe the real problem was that Bowman was actually the best we had even though he peaked several years ago at Texas Tech and had turned into an average QB that would normally just run the scout team on most Power 4 teams.
I don’t disagree with that at all. He’s probably the best option right now
“Like every other position, experience and reps is something that we feel like you can’t really replace”
Mike Gundy, April 2, 2024
Source: Gundy, Cowboys Talk Spring Practice - Oklahoma State University Athletics
All that tells me is that we didn’t do a good enough job with our QB recruiting and evaluations. What business does an injured third string QB, from a BB school that had seen 12 snaps in one year, have starting for a supposedly top 25 program?
Gundy said he plans on playing both guys. So I guess we’ll see what happens . If we’re struggling to run the ball against UT-Martin, we have huge problems.
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What have I missed?
That would require Gundy to cede authority, which is doubtful to happen.
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This is untethered from reality.
He put both Rangel and Smith in, but wouldn’t have played Flores who was ahead of Smith on the depth chart? People think I’m a Gundy fanboy, but it’s just because the criticism of him can’t stay within the bounds of reality. He wasn’t “punishing” Bowman, he was actively trying to replace him all season, but everyone got hurt except, yes, the freshman with no experience who still got to play. If Rangel would’ve played decent in the Utah game, he would’ve been starting at least the next game or two.
If going two blowouts before changing your QB situation wasn’t a sign. If going 0-9 in the conference wasn’t a sign. If having the worst P4 defense in the country wasn’t a sign. Then perhaps no sign will indicate to Gundy that his own worst enemy has been himself?
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So you’re admitting we have a QB recruiting and evaluation issue previous to our new coaching staff? Or was it the previous coaching staff or both?