Everything We Know About Oklahoma State Quarterback Competition So Far
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New Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris has a reputation for offense and it's hard won.
From his head coaching stops at Incarnate word and North Texas to his short stop as an offensive coordinator at Washington State, Morris has run his version of the air raid offense to great success.
Cowboys fans watched it from afar last season with the Mean Green where he and quarterback Drew Mestemaker turned North Texas into a 12-2 team that reached the American Conference championship game.
Now, coach and starting quarterback are set to lead the charge for Oklahoma State as they try to recover from a 1-11 season that led to the dismissal of Mike Gundy as head coach. But the starting quarterback position isn't the only position that fans should be paying attention to during fall camp.
Drew Mestemaker (Obviously) Is the Starter
There is no discussion about who is starting for the Cowboys. The former North Texas quarterback — who led FBS in passing yards last year and followed his head coach to Stillwater — is in complete command of the offense.
In fact, Morris talked about just how “in charge” Mestemaker is sometimes during his first post-practice interview with the media.
“When we did some player-run practices this summer, we allowed him to script the whole practice and put his spin on some stuff,” Morris said. “So then receivers are sending back a play designed by Drew that scored a touchdown saying, ‘Coach, we should probably put this in.’”
Morris also said it was the first time he had the same quarterback in back-to-back seasons since Cam Ward. Oddly enough, that was also at two different schools. Ward was Morris’ starter at Incarnate Word in 2021 during his final season as head coach. The next year, Ward transferred to Washington State where Morris had left to become the Cougars’ offensive coordinator.
The Backup Competition
The Cowboys have three other quarterbacks on the roster. Grant Jordan is a redshirt senior who played at both Yale and UMass. The other two quarterbacks are true freshmen — Broderick Vehrs is from Basha High School in Gilbert, Ariz., and Luke Tepas is from Barrington High School in Barrington, Ill.
Jordan threw for 1,938 passing yards and 22 passing touchdowns with Yale in 2024. But, there is a competition brewing between Jordan and Vehrs to be the primary backup.
“Grant is a seasoned veteran,” Morris said. “He's played football, he's been around it, he's installed, super smart, continues to get better. Then Brody's [Vehrs] a guy I think that's right on his tail right now. I mean, a young guy that got all those reps in the spring. So, yeah, I mean, I think we'll give them a ton of reps in scrimmage live situations to see who can put it all together for us.”
Eight different players threw at least one pass for the Cowboys last year, with Zane Flores leading the position with 1,490 yards. None of last year’s quarterbacks are with the team this season. Flores transferred to Iowa State, where he’s slated to be the backup to Arkansas State transfer Jaylen Raynor.
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Matthew Postins is the publisher of Oklahoma State on SI. He is an award-winning sports journalist who was formerly the editor of the College Football America Yearbook and covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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