It’s been all but a foregone conclusion throughout summer camp that J.W. Walsh would get the nod as Oklahoma State’s starting quarterback in the opener. After all, Walsh has the experience edge and took most of the reps with the first-team offense.
Still, Mike Gundy has been reticent to publicly tab his man under center -- until Wednesday.
During a radio interview, Gundy confirmed that, yes, Walsh will be the first quarterback to trot out onto the field when OSU opens the season against No. 1 Florida State Saturday night in Arlington, Tex. Said the head coach, “JW has taken the majority of the reps and will be the guy who goes out there and starts for us.”
Walsh had been involved in a nominal competition with Daxx Garman and Mason Rudolph throughout camp even as the latter two worked sparingly with the No. 1 offense. When it comes down to it, Walsh’s experience is the trump card.
In 2012, Walsh was named the Big 12’s Offensive Freshman of the Year. In 2013, he started five of the eight games in which he played. Neither Garman (a redshirt junior) nor Rudolph (a four-star true freshman) have thrown a pass at the collegiate level.