

The Oklahoma State Cowboys’ QB1 battle is still up in the air. Entering fall camp, the Cowboys have plenty of questions to be answered, but naturally, the most important questions will stem from that battle. After entering spring practice with four potential starting options, OK-State is down to Zane Flores and Hauss Hejny for that spot when they kick off against UT Martin in August. That equation wasn’t solved by Mike Gundy, and in came an alleged toe injury and news of a potential QB1.
Now, imagine being mid-August in Stillwater and hearing your projected starter might be sidelined by a toe injury. Rumors started swirling that Zane Flores, the frontrunner in the QB derby, had suffered a toe injury—just weeks before the Cowboys’ season opener. But thankfully, this wasn’t a case of bad luck. It was just bad reporting. Locked On Oklahoma State’s Cody Stovall was quick to squash the hysteria and bring some perspective—and humor—back into the conversation. “Today, we get to roll right into the conversation that has me more excited than a pig and poo. And that is Zane Flores showed up to practice, and he looked just fine,” Stovall said.
“We thought maybe it was going to take a couple of days to see if some of the conversations about his potential toe injury was going to end up being a problem. It seems as though that was just a bunch of smoke and a bunch of mirrors because Zane Flores, at least according to the clips that were put out by Oklahoma State yesterday, he looks fine.” And when he says “fine,” he means crisp-footed, high-tempo, all-gas-no-brakes kind of fine.
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“He’s running around practice fine. He’s doing drills fine. He’s running over bags fine. Running around tackles fine, throwing off platform just fine,” Stovall continued. “Therefore, it appears as though that the Zane Flores toe injury was just something that was unfounded.” The “Zane Train” isn’t slowing down anytime soon, and according to the Cowboy coaching staff, this could be the most exciting passer on campus since the Mason Rudolph era.
Zane Flores—at 6’3″, 215 pounds—isn’t just big; he’s built like a former running back, with the live arm to match. He further added, “Whenever you’re throwing for almost 9,500 yards in high school, you’re Mr. Nebraska, the Gatorade Player of the Year—that kind of speaks for itself, right?”
And yet, while Flores is the perceived leader, don’t count out Hauss Hejny. The true freshman is a bad mama Jama in cleats, boasting elite 100-meter track speed and more burst than a busted piñata. In fact, Hejny’s legs are what make him a legitimate threat in this race. But even with the athleticism, he’s raw—still developing as a passer—and his inexperience under center was exposed in a simulation run on EA Sports College Football 26.
Oklahoma State’s 2025 season sim with Hauss Hejny ended at 5-7 overall. That’s no death sentence, but it reinforces what the eye test already tells us: the upside is there, but the floor is shaky. Stovall, like most OSU insiders, views Flores as the higher-ceiling option and one the staff has quietly been building toward for over a year. “This is the guy that is now replacing Garret Rangel. And clearly, the upside is significantly higher. At least that’s viewed synonymously within the coaching staff,” he said.
The comparison to past QB hype cycles—Shane Illingworth, Spencer Sanders—adds texture to Flores’ potential. Illingworth flamed out. Sanders bolted for Ole Miss and didn’t play. Flores? Still unproven, but the buzz feels different. It’s not just about who starts Week 1. With all other QBs in the room still in the freshman phase, OSU’s situation demands versatility. The Cowboys have long struggled to keep QBs healthy for a full season.
A dual-QB system isn’t off the table, especially if Hauss Hejny can be used as a change-of-pace threat or in a designed run package. As much as Mike Gundy might prefer a traditional starter, 2025 might require creativity—and a little insurance.
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What’s your perspective on:
Is Zane Flores the next big thing for Oklahoma State, or is Hauss Hejny the hidden gem?
Have an interesting take?
What if Hauss Hejny starts for Mike Gundy?
If EA Sports’ simulation has any say in the matter, the digital prediction run with Hauss Hejny at quarterback paints an ultimately disappointing picture. One that swings from hope to heartbreak in true Stillwater fashion. Let’s start with the good news. Hejny, the electric freshman with track-star speed, put up a respectable 2,820 passing yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The Cowboys stormed out of the gate, winning five of their first six games, with the only blemish being a one-point nail-biter on the road to Oregon. At that point in the simulation, OSU looked every bit like a sneaky Big 12 contender, maybe even playoff-adjacent if you squint hard enough. Then came the collapse.
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Like a band with one hit song and a disastrous tour, the Cowboys lost six straight to end the year, finishing 5-7 and bowl-less. It was a brutal ending to what looked like a breakout campaign. Contrast that with the Zane Flores version of the same sim—he finished with 2,969 yards, 24 touchdowns, and only three picks over 13 games. That version of OSU went 8-5 and looked consistent, if not flashy.
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Is Zane Flores the next big thing for Oklahoma State, or is Hauss Hejny the hidden gem?