Oklahoma State Football: Latest News, Injuries and Updates on the Cowboys

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are currently preparing for the 2012 college football campaign with vigor and excitement, just like every other program in the country.

Spring football is an exciting time for fans because each team is at 0-0 and has the (theoretical) potential to win a national championship. The Cowboys and their fans are no different, and some interesting developments have already presented themselves this spring.

Here's the latest on what's up in the orange and black camp so far this spring.

Cornerback Andrae May Tears ACL

According the The Oklahoman, Oklahoma State senior cornerback Andrae May has torn his ACL and will probably miss the entire 2012 season.

This injury is regrettable since May was one of the up-and-coming players that had been contributing to a stellar, turnover-producing Cowboy defense. Although May was slated to be a backup next season, the loss does hurt the depth of the secondary, especially since the Cowboys have already lost cornerback Devin Hedgepeth and safety Deion Imade to injury.

Cowboy Linebackers Ready to Lead and Shine

After losing stars in the secondary and at the defensive ends, the Cowboys will have to depend on an experienced and talented linebacker core to continue to improve and play well on defense. It appears that the Cowboy coaching staff has no problem with that, according to The Oklahoman.

It makes sense that Mike Gundy and defensive coordinator Bill Young would feel such a way. The Cowboys return six of their seven linebackers from last season. Shaun Lewis, Alex Elkins and Caleb Lavey lead the pack, and together the trio accounted for 225 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and four interceptions last season.

That's something that this Oklahoma State program can build on for sure.

The Quarterbacks Are in a Dead Heat

Now that Brandon Weeden is gone to the NFL, the Cowboys must find a new quarterback. According to The Oklahoman, all three of the quarterbacks competing to become Weeden's successor are nearly equal right now in their pursuit of that goal.

The article also states that, while that is good news for true freshman Wes Lunt, an early enrollee out of Illinois, it is bad news for junior Clint Chelf, who should have a leg up as the guy who has been there for a few years.

If I had to guess, I'd say that J.W. Walsh, the dual-threat guy out of Denton Guyer will be the quarterback, because Chelf isn't as far along as he should be and Lunt probably will benefit from a red-shirt year to learn the offense.

But anything could happen, especially when you consider that Mike Gundy started as a true freshman for the Cowboys in the 1980s.

Barry Sanders Will Join Robert Griffin III on NCAA Football Cover

This piece of news may not have much to do with this year's Cowboy squad, but it is a satisfying bit for the Orange Nation.

Oklahoma State's lone Heisman winner, Barry Sanders, will don the cover of the new EA Sports NCAA College Football '13 game along with reigning Heisman winner Robert Griffin III of the Baylor Bears.

It is a nice remembrance for Cowboy fans that one of their most respected players is still remembered universally as great. It will apparently also be possible to utilize the skills of Sanders and other former Heisman winners in your own gameplay.

Sanders defeated seven other former Heisman winners in fan voting for the honor, including trumping Georgia's Herschel Walker in the final round.

Gruden Believes Weeden and Blackmon Are Both the Real Deal

Brandon Weeden recently appeared with Jon Gruden on ESPN to discuss his game and let Gruden evaluate his skills. A recent Oklahoman article discussed how Gruden feels about Weeden and Justin Blackmon.

According to that article, Gruden stated, "If you don't like Justin Blackmon, you don't like football." Those are strong words from a guy who has coached in the NFL as long and as successfully as Gruden has.

Gruden also discussed how he felt that Weeden was the third-best quarterback in the draft and the guy who had made "the most difficult throws in college football." That's ridiculously high praise.

Cowboy fans should feel good about the NFL futures of Blackmon and Weeden and look forward to watching them for years to come.