Will Oklahoma State Continue to Ride With Sam Jackson V at Quarterback?

The Cowboys have been using their wide receiver at quarterback with injuries piling up.

Oct 18, 2025; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Sam Jackson V (18) looks to pass during the first half against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State has been using Sam Jackson V at quarterback, but it’s a mystery how long that will continue.

Over the past couple of weeks, OSU has had to rely on its veteran wide receiver to take over under center. Jackson, who began his college career as a quarterback, has stepped back into that role for the Cowboys against Houston and Cincinnati.

While he has been a nice change of pace, given his mobility and experience, Jackson’s time at quarterback hasn’t changed much for the Cowboys. With back-to-back blowout losses at home while Jackson has taken over, there isn’t much hope that will change next weekend against Texas Tech.

With the statuses of Zane Flores and Hauss Hejny still in question, the Cowboys might be facing a third straight week without one of their starting quarterbacks. Jackson has been well below average in his time at quarterback but had his best performance against the Bearcats, tallying 149 yards while completing 11 of his 19 attempts.

It would make sense if OSU opted to start him at quarterback again next week when it heads to Lubbock to face a ranked Texas Tech team. However, Jackson made the switch from quarterback to receiver for a reason and wants to make it to the next level at wide receiver.

While OSU has still given him an opportunity to show off his elusiveness while playing quarterback, it might be time for the Cowboys to cave to his wishes, especially given that he hasn’t done anything at quarterback that has made him the clear-cut choice. Assuming Jackson goes back to playing receiver and Hejny and Flores are still sidelined, OSU would have two choices.

True freshman Banks Bowen has had limited playing time and throwing him into the fire against Texas Tech wouldn’t make much sense. That leaves Noah Walters, who has been a starting quarterback at the FCS level.

Walters is at least a listed quarterback who could still give the Cowboys some experience at the position. The game in Lubbock could easily be reminiscent of OSU’s trip to Eugene earlier this season, so throwing Bowen into a spot similar to Flores’ at Oregon would simply be unwise.

It’s not like any quarterback would magically fix the Cowboys’ problems, but having the wrong guy in that spot won’t help anything either. While Jackson should be celebrated for stepping into a role like this, it’s likely time for the Cowboys to try something different.

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