Mike Gundy is considering more snaps at freshman quarterback

The ship is slowly sinking for the Oklahoma State Cowboys in 2024. They have dropped six straight Big 12 Conference games and are limping into their final three games of the season. The Cowboys’ hopes of a bowl game in 2024 are just a glimmer in the distance with three games remaining in the regular season.

Cowboy football fans got some promising news during a recent press conference. Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy praised the play of true freshman Maealiuaki Smith, who logged his first minutes late in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys’ 42-21 loss to Arizona State.

Gundy said they would consider giving Smith more action in games. Now that Smith has secured his redshirt season in 2024, the question remains. Why not start the rest of the season as a freshman sharpshooter?

In NCAA football, players can play up to four regular season games and still redshirt year-round. The NCAA recently updated the rule to exclude all postseason games from counting toward the four-game limit.

With the recent rules update, Smith could start the remaining three games of the regular season and still be eligible to play in a bowl game if the Cowboys can somehow run the table to become bowl eligible in 2024 to become.

Smith’s numbers Saturday against Arizona State weren’t explosive, but he made things happen on the field. Smith completed his first collegiate pass for 11 yards and also added another 5 yards on the ground. With Smith on the field, the Cowboys have the RPO quarterback they need to potentially give Oklahoma State their first Big 12 Conference win of the season.

We all saw Garret Rangel’s success on the ground before his injury and how much better the Cowboys offense looked with a versatile quarterback in the backfield. Smith may be a better option at quarterback, and with him on the field, Oklahoma State immediately becomes a threatening offensive unit again.

Only time will tell if Smith ultimately gets the start at quarterback this season over veteran Alan Bowman. One thing’s for sure: there’s a good chance we’ll see more of the freshmen this season.

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