Cowboys Newcomers Settling In as Big 12 Delays Football Media Days and Continues Surveying the Covid-19 Situation

Our daily update on college football, Oklahoma State, the Big 12, and the COVID-19 pandemic looks at how the newest of Cowboys are doing and the results of the Big 12 athletic directors' meeting.

STILLWATER -- The latest news is that the Big 12 is delaying their football media days, which were schedule for Monday, July 20-through-Tuesday, July 21 and moving them to Monday, August 3. The now virtual media days have been postponed because of interruptions to training for Big 12 teams. That is what the Big 12 commissioner said in the release. 

“As everyone is aware, our head coaches and student-athletes have not been able to collectively engage in organized team functions since athletics activities were suspended in March. We felt it was prudent to give coaches a chance to re-acclimate with their teams prior to participating in our annual season preview event,” said Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby.

Maybe, but the uncertainty of whether there will be a season or how much of a season there will be has to be a part of it. It was going to be the most asked question and topic of every player and coach, except maybe for Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State, who would be talking for the first time since all of the events of June. It might be a reprieve for Gundy and the Oklahoma State players.

Pokes Report is now committed to giving our readers a daily update on what is going on and what we can find out about the lay of the land and chances of playing college football at Oklahoma State and in the Big 12. The athletic directors meeting ran long, so long that some of the athletic directors were taking breaks. About the only thing that was decided is that the Big 12 is going to wait longer before making a decision. 

”I believe it’s too early to be making those decisions,” Bowlsby said to the Dallas Morning News following a Tuesday meeting of conference athletic directors. “Frankly, we haven’t been advised to do that by our scientists and medical advisors. We’ve been advised to move forward slowly and constantly re-evaluate and that’s what we’ll keep doing until we’ve told it’s inadvisable.”

This puts the Big 12 in the same club with the SEC and the Atlantic Coast Conference in waiting to make their decision after the Big Ten and the PAC 12 made their decisions late last week to play conference games only this fall, if they are able to play at all. 

According to Bowlsby, the Big 12 athletic directors were advised on the latest COVID-19 information by Kansas State team physician Dr. Kyle Goerl. Oklahoma State has their team physician in Dr. Val Gene Iven, who is a leader in the athletic team doctor field and has contacts throughout the nation with a lot in the SEC, where he was the team doctor for many years at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Iven has briefed the conference before as well.

“We’re going to have to be patient and continue to read the tea leaves and see what the next two or three or four weeks bring us," Bowlsby added. "If things get worse, that will inform one set of decisions. If things get better, that will inform another set of decisions.”

There is no doubt that the spikes in the COVID-19 in the southeast and the southwest are problematic right now. Even the Governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, now has tested positive for the coronavirus. States like Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California are getting more of the attention for increased cases of COVID-19, but Oklahoma set a single 24-hour record with over 900 new cases on Tuesday. Oklahoma State athletics (primarily football) had their highest number of positive tests during Monday's testing, but it is still single digit and was the first positive tests in several weeks.  

The other good news is that the Food and Drug Administration is fast tracking a coronavirus vaccine being tested by Pfizer and the company is stepping up production because they are so confident in the testing thus far. October could be a possibility for that vaccine. 

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State and other schools are getting close to being able to ramp up football preparation with even more activities. Workouts went from voluntary to mandatory this past Monday. The Oklahoma State coaching staff has been cycling through vacations, but all coaches will be on hand after this week. 

Something we were able to get a window into thanks to our connections with some of the parents of the newest Cowboys is how the incoming class is connecting and really embracing and being embraced by the Cowboy culture. 

The picture above shows some happy guys. On the end (left) are two pretty good size offensive linemen in Cade Bennett, the freshman out of Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Eli Russ out of Ardmore Plainview. Both are doing good and reportedly both are really strong. Next to them are linebacker Jeff Roberson out of Choctaw and tight end Quinton Stewart. Outside on the right side is former Stillwater receiver Anthony Bland, who is heading to Princeton but knows most of the guys at Oklahoma State. 

The other significant word on newcomers is freshman quarterback Shane Illingworth, who was there in the spring and is developing as best as you can during a pandemic.