Could a Fresh Hauss Hejny Save the Cowboys' Season?
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The Oklahoma State Cowboys may be grasping at straws this season as they search for their first Big 12 win in close to two years. They have been operating on a skeleton crew in 2025 and will likely operate on a quarterback by committee when they hit the road this week to take on the high-powered Texas Tech Red Raider offense.
A week ago against Cincinnati, the Oklahoma State offense looked solid considering the Pokes were utilizing a lineup full of backups. What changed from games past? Oklahoma State utilized coach Kevin Johns in the play calling, and for at least a half of football action, the Pokes were competing. Fans of Cowboy football began to rave over Johns' ability to make offense happen.
What if Hauss Hejny is the guy pic.twitter.com/AELc9JIzp1
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) August 28, 2025
Then the rumors began to float about...
We started to get reports that Hauss Hejny was starting to show signs of coming back. The Hejny experiment appeared to be looking like something special in Week 1 before he went down with an injury, and fans were left scratching their heads and wondering what could have been.
The first insider information started to drop early this week that Hejny was not only getting better, but that he was wanting to play. The information seemed extremely puzzling, considering Hauss is in a prime position to seek a medical redshirt this season.
Zane Flores is sorta participating in warmups.
— Tyler Waldrep (@tylerwaldrep) October 18, 2025
Every other QB is catching snaps while someone just tosses him the ball.
Hauss Hejny is in the orange cap and is sporting a boot, but otherwise getting around fine. pic.twitter.com/aHGqjlSzvZ
Why would Hejny burn an extra year of eligibility to return to a football team on the verge of a one-win season? The answer is simple... Kevin Johns.
Hauss Hejny and Kevin Johns are connected through the college football recruiting process. Johns recruited Hejny out of high school when he was the offensive coordinator at Duke. Hejny originally committed to Duke before later flipping his commitment. Johns once again recruited Hejny when he got to Oklahoma State, and the two have formed a bond.
HAUSS HEJNY RETURNING?
— Bryan Keating (@KOCOKeating) October 14, 2025
Is there optimism at Oklahoma State their starting QB could play again this season? pic.twitter.com/DUbSGGC9jl
If Hejny has any plans of returning to the Cowboys next season, having his quarterback coach and current offensive coordinator on staff would surely be a top priority for the hotshot QB. The biggest question remaining would be if Hejny would be willing to burn a redshirt just to help out a guy who has recruited him twice.
Another probable reason to burn a redshirt would be to gain some film heading into next season with the transfer portal proving to be a crucial part of the modern game. Don't be surprised if No. 8 strolls onto the field as early as Kansas State. If Hejny does come back to help his offensive coordinator and burn a redshirt, the fans of Oklahoma State football may be ready to build a statue of the quarterback at the entrance of Boone Pickens Stadium.
Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.