Spring Football Preview: Quarterbacks

For the first time since Brandon Weeden left Oklahoma State in 2011, the Cowboys seem to have a solidified starter in Mason Rudolph. Not only does the team know who will be under center, it seems to know what it wants to do with him and also the back ups. This may be the most interesting position on the field for the Cowboys in 2015 not because of a battle for the starting job, but because the amount of talent is as deep as it's been in a while.

Departing Players

Daxx Garman

There's a lot to say about Garman on his stay in Stillwater. Not a lot of people knew Garman even existed going into the 2014 season other than he supposedly had a cannon and some thought him to be a unicorn. But somehow, Garman had found his way to be J.W. Walsh's primary back up. After Walsh went down Garman finally had his turn to shine. Cowboy fans got to see the rocket arm and it was nice at times, but the niceness ran out after a while. Garman played at a decent level for what he was given and with the bad offensive line play in 2014, that wasn't much. In the end he decided to transfer, probably taking his talents to a small Division I school or maybe even a Division II. His big arm will be missed, but maybe not that much.

Newcomers

John Kolar

Freshman | 6-4 | 190 lbs

John Kolar is supposed to be another star recruit the Cowboys have brought in, the fact he's from Norman should make it even sweeter should he pan out and be as good as his four-star rating says he is. Standing at 6-foot-4-inches, Kolar is a tall and skinny kid, weighing about the same as Ramon Richards. Richards is about four inches shorter. But Kolar should grow more once on campus and going through the college weight training. It shouldn't come to a surprise if Kolar redshirts this year with Walsh and Rudolph on the roster, but that's been said before. Barring injury, Kolar will be a project that should be worth it.

Returners

Mason Rudolph

Sophomore | 6-4 | 220 lbs

Let this sink in. This is the first time since Weeden was in Stillwater that Cowboy fans know for sure who will be taking the first snap of the year come August for the team. Although his stats don't look all to thrilling at first sight (we did some weird math to make them look better), he led the team to a 2-1 record in three starts and outplayed Bryce Petty in his first game. This guy will be good. Want even better news? He bulked up over the winter, to about 220, or 240, depending on who you ask. Rudolph is thought to be the face of the Cowboys for hopefully the next three years. To do so, he'll have to avoid the sophomore slump, which starts now.

J.W. Walsh

Senior | 6-2 | 215 lbs

You have to feel bad for this guy. He's a great person and is pretty good at football as well. With Walsh last season the Cowboys nearly beat Jameis Winston and the Seminoles to open the year. Although J.W. Walsh is a lot, he's probably not the guy who is going to lead the Cowboys to a Big 12 championship. He is, however, a pretty good backup to Mason Rudolph. Gundy said there would be special packages for Walsh this year, which could mean some wildcat kind of things.

Taylor Cornelius

RS Freshman | 6-6 | 190 lbs

Cornelius, unfortunately for the fans, didn't get to see the field in 2014, earning himself the redshirt everyone thought would go to Mason Rudolph. He did get to take some second team snaps late in the season due to the injuries, but that shouldn't happen again this season. Cornelius is expected to be down the depth chart at or around the fourth quarterback the team would use if needed.