Oklahoma State Players Meet With The Media After 10th Practice Of Fall Camp

Fall practice continuing for the Cowboys on Saturday. The Pokes holding their 10th practice of fall camp. Following practice, Oklahoma State safeties Dylan Smith and Mordecai McDaniel, offensive lineman Nuku Mafi and tight end Quinton Stewart met with the media.

Dylan Smith

On the one thing he wants people know about the OSU defense:

“We are going to create a lot of havoc and chaos.”

 On the one thing he wants people know about the OSU football team as a whole:

“We’re going to play hard, be tough and be disciplined.”

 On last season:

“Coming in, you kind of want to use it as fuel. But also, with so many new faces and new staff, it’s a whole new slate. Most of the people that were here when that happened, aren’t here anymore. You’ve just got to move past.”

 On Boone Pickens Stadium recently being named the best stadium in America:

“I saw that and I agree. The energy of the stadium is like nothing I have ever been in. It’s a great feeling every week to run out into that stadium and see our fans packed in. All the noise, it’s great. We’ve got great fans.”

 On if he feels fan support on gameday:

“It depends on the game because sometimes you are so locked in that you’re not really paying attention to that. Other times, the fans are so loud that it’s impossible not to get good energy from it and feed off of it. Where it really stands out is in close games in the second half, third downs. You can definitely feel the energy. You can’t really explain what it feels like to be out there in that kind of environment. You have to live it.”

Mordecai McDaniel

On how Coach Ryan Osborn’s influence on his decision to come to Oklahoma State:

“He took me out of juco, kept faith in me at Charlotte and brought me here. (Being with him at Oklahoma State) made it more of a family feeling and made me get to know the guys more, to talk and get to know my coaches more, too.”

 On what he learned in junior college:

“In juco, there are no handouts. Parents are not there. It’s just taking care of business, taking care of schoolwork, performing on the field and keeping your body up.”

 On what it means to be at Oklahoma State:

“This is a great program and I feel like I chose right. I love it here.”

 On learning from Mike Gundy:

“He’s a great dude. He’s just as intense as Coach Grantham is and passionate about his players. He wants us to be the best this year.”

Nuku Mafi

On getting comfortable with the team and transitioning from high school to college:

“It’s a different level so I really had to grow up, especially not starting last year, redshirting. I’ve had to step it up this year and am really pushing myself forward.”

On why he came to Oklahoma State:

“Coach Gundy is definitely a big part of it, and it’s just the culture. I just felt the love and the family here. Coach Gundy has been doing a great job.”

On Boone Pickens Stadium recently being named the best stadium in America:

“I love the fans. Every game, they never disappoint. Even though we didn’t have the season we wanted last year, the fans never disappointed. I give the fans a lot of credit. I believe that we have one of the very best crowds in the nation and I don’t take that for granted.”

Quinton Stewart

On staying at OSU and the new coaches:

"It just feels like home, spending so much time here. I just love the program. I love Coach Glass. I love Coach Gundy. Coach DJ has come in and he's been great, it feels like I'm getting coached by my big brother. He's really one of the guys in the room, but he'll hold everyone accountable and push us to be the best we can."

 On the biggest challenges so far:

"The biggest challenge would be guys getting to know each other, there's so many new guys, we just have to learn how to play together and learn when you're working together, what everyone's strengths are, and some things you have to help each other out with."

On working with the offensive line:

"I'm the kind of guy who absolutely loves working with the O-line. Making those calls with the O-line, doubling with them, that stuff gets me fired up. I think that's where I like to sit and I think that I shine, and that's where I think it’s the most fun. I think we're clicking really well with everyone being new with the O-line and the tight ends. It's all new calls with the new coaches and stuff, so we're kind of working through that, but I really think we're coming a long way with getting that stuff down and clicking as a tackle/tight end unit and from tight end to center."

On staying at OSU through the good and bad times:

"I came here and I really just kind of fell in love with the place. Coach Glass has us working hard and Coach Gundy is developing us as not only athletes, but as men. That really hit home with me, and it's really made this place feel like home. I'm very glad I stayed. This is home for me."

On Boone Pickens Stadium being named the top stadium in the country:

"It's not surprising at all. Whenever I see that stuff, I think back to the Bedlam 2021 game, where we beat them right before the Big 12 Championship. I have never played in a stadium like that before. It's the most fun game I have ever played and the most fun atmosphere. That's one I'll remember for the rest of my life. Even when I was coming on visits, seeing the fans, and how much everyone cares, I knew there was something special going on."