Storylines to watch from OSU’s first week of fall practice

Fall practice begins this week for the Cowboys, signaling football season is just a month away.

There’s plenty of question marks and topics of discussion as coach Mike Gundy and the team make the final push to the 2023 season.

Here are a few storylines heading into fall practice.

Any QB updates?

The starting quarterback job has been the biggest topic of discussion since Spencer Sanders entered the transfer portal in December, and even seven months later at Big 12 Media Days in July, no clarity was offered.

“If there’s somebody we feel like gives us the best chance for early-season success, we name it. If not, we don’t,” Gundy said in Arlington. “And I don’t really know right now, like, people think, ‘Well, he knows he’s just not saying it.’ Why would I say it? I mean, I’ve said it before in the spring, I’ve said it before in the summer, I don’t know right now.”

Alan Bowman, a Michigan transfer who spent three seasons at Texas Tech, brings in five years of experience in major college football and is a top candidate for the job. He only attempted 11 passes in two years with the Wolverines, but he showed his potential at Tech, throwing for more than 5,200 yards, which was enough for the Cowboys to bring him on in the spring. During the summer, Bowman took a group of OSU receivers with him to a camp in California where they trained together and bonded.

Another option is Garret Rangel, who as a redshirt freshman doesn’t offer the experience of Bowman, but he did start three games in 2022. He was thrown into the lineup earlier than expected when Sanders dealt with injuries, but that gave him valuable reps and experience leading the offense. Rangel completed 51.3% of passes and had five interceptions to go with four touchdowns.

Behind those two, Gunnar Gundy appeared in four games last year with one start, and Zane Flores, a true freshman, was a top-20 quarterback recruit in the 2023 class and was the 2022 MaxPreps Nebraska Player of the Year. Redshirt senior Peyton Thompson rounds out the quarterback room.