Cowboy Recruiting: Interview with Patrick McKaufman

First off as always, I’d like to thank Patrick for taking time out of his summer to talk to me. Now let’s get to the questions:

Micah Allen: What made you go the JUCO route as opposed to going straight to a Division 1 or Division 2 program?

Patrick McKaufman: Freshmen and sophomore year everyone, all the quarterbacks in our class pretty much, received their offers... and sophomore year when I didn’t have any offers I told my dad I was either gonna go the junior college route or I was gonna walk on at either OU or OSU. And then luckily, going into the spring of my junior year NEO sent me a letter through the mail saying that I was a big recruit on their recruiting board and that they would extend a scholarship. I committed to NEO shortly after that. And then I wanna say September or early October Grambling [State] offered me. and I committed to Grambling but then coach [Mickey] Joseph left so I had to recommit to NEO and that’s all she wrote.

MA: How do you think your time at Northeastern Oklahoma will help you at Oklahoma State?

PM: It helped me a lot. Coming in I was a quaterback and I didn’t have to do as much in the weight room or as much as the other skill players. Coming in as quaterback and transfering to receiver Coach Ellis, he spent relentless hours with me before and after practice to get me where I need to be at the next level. And then Coach Patt, after Coach Ellis received another job somewhere else, Coach Patt stepped into play and pushed me in my heart to become an even better player. He too put in extra hours on the weekends, just dissecting my film and telling me what could do better. Taking the junior college route was best for me because it allowed me to mature both physically and mentally and I really feel like it has prepared way more than the high school level could prepare anyone.

MA: Describe your playing style

PM: I really don’t think about my style. I just go out and play. When I do play I play 100 percent, 110 percent, ya know I give it my all and I’m not only playing for myself when I’m out there I’m playing for my teammates, whatever school I’m playing for I’m playing for tradition. And last but not least I’m just playing for my grandmother. I really don’t have a style I just go out and do what I can to help the team win.

MA: The receiving core at OSU is pretty deep. How do you plan on setting yourself apart?

PM: I would have to say coming in, learning from people already there, learning things on top of what I already know. Just get to learn more stuff, trying to learn things other than my position...Everyone separates themselves on the physical side. It’s pretty much just mental with me I just wanna separate myself mentally.

MA: Who was most influential in your recruitment at OSU?

PM: Coach Casey Dunn, When I went up to the [JUCO] camp. I thought it was gonna be like any other camp ya know with a lot of players that the coaches have to coach. But ya know it was a very small amount of players and Coach Dunn, even though we weren’t his players, he coached us as if we were. If I dropped a ball he got on my butt and asked me how many more balls was I gonna drop and he really kept everything as honest as it could be and that’s mainly what I looked for in my recruitment. Honesty plays a big part and I wouldn’t be happy playing for someone that sugarcoats everything just to keep me happy. Coach Dunn, he coaches pretty hard and that’s what I feel like I need to get to the next level. And Coach Gundy he always, as a youngin’ I went to his camps, and he never preached about what you should do in the offseason to get better he always preached about what you should do character and how you display yourself in public. That played a big part because my parents are big on how you display yourself in public and how you carry yourself as a young man. Coach Gundy always preached attitude when you went to his camp and that played a big part in it.

To end the interview I decided to do something fun and ask Patrick what super power he would chose and why. He said invisibility because he could make himself and the ball invisible during games and just get to the endzone.