Wes Lunt Is Transferring From Oklahoma State
By Kyle Kensing
Sept. 8, 2012; Tucson, AZ, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Wes Lunt is transferring. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Quarterback Wes Lunt is transferring from Oklahoma State, the university announced on its official athletic website Thursday.
Head coach Mike Gundy said via university release:
"“We appreciate Wes and we thank him for everything he has done. He’s leaving on good terms and is making this decision based on what he thinks is best for his future.”"
Last spring, Lunt won the starting quarterback job Brandon Weeden vacated after leading the Oklahoma State Cowboys to the 2011 Big 12 Conference championship and Fiesta Bowl. Lunt, a four-star recruiting prospect, was an early enrollee from Rochester, Ill. a year ago. The transition from 28-year-old Weeden to 18-year-old Lunt was as dramatic a shift as conceivable.
His early victory in the quarterback race and a perfect 11-for-11 collegiate debut — albeit against lowly Savannah State — might have set an unrealistically high bar for Lunt. Injuries hindered him early into his true freshman campaign, and he was benched after a three-interception performance against Kansas State, not long after his return to the lineup.
The Cowboys’ final starter of the 2012 season, Clint Chelf, seemed to pull ahead in the 2013 competition during spring practices. Lunt and Chelf were locked in a three-man race that also included J.W. Walsh. Oklahoma State also has former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Daxx Garman on its roster, though Garman does not factor into the starting competition.
Lunt finished 2012 with six touchdowns and seven interceptions. Six of his picks were thrown in two games: the aforementioned loss to Kansas State, and a Week 2 defeat against Arizona. Four of Lunt’s six scores came in that same trip to Arizona.
As he is only a true sophomore, Lunt will not be available for an FBS program in the 2013 season, barring an NCAA-approved hardship waiver. But he does take three years of remaining eligibility wherever he lands.