A distinct smile crept over Brandon Weeden’s face as he walked into the packed press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
There was something he wanted to let everyone know – something that was clearly weighing on his mind during the previous weeks.
“Justin Blackmon is coming back to Oklahoma State,” Weeden said, “And so am I.”
With one simple statement, Cowboys fans were able to exhale after one of the most anticipated decisions in OSU athletics history was made.
Bypassing the NFL draft and a potential payday was especially tough for Blackmon, but in the end he said a return to Stillwater was too hard to pass up.
“It’s a tough decision,” Blackmon said. “I talked to my family and the people close to me to try and get the most information I could. I think staying here one more year I can get a lot better and work on some things.”
For Weeden, the complicating factor was his age. At 27, he said it is a concern, but one that will put off for one more year.
“I’m in a difficult situation,” Weeden said. “You guys all know my age. What is one extra year on the field? What’s the difference between 27 and 28?”
Weeden, an Edmond native, will enter his senior year coming off a season in which he broke school records with 4,277 passing yards and 34 touchdown passes.
Blackmon, who celebrated his 21st birthday on Sunday, will enter his redshirt junior season with some accolades of his own. His 1,782 receiving yards as a sophomore is an NCAA record, and his 111 catches and 20 receiving touchdowns were the most in program history.
Coach Mike Gundy said this kind of production has him looking forward to the possibilities heading into the upcoming season.
“We are very excited, and I am looking forward to winter workouts and spring ball,” Gundy said. “The maturity we now have, we didn’t have last year.”
Although Gundy made it clear that he thought they should come back, he made sure he gave them room to make a decision.
“We were there to give them advice and not recruit them,” Gundy said. “I think it worked out for the best, and I know that it’s a big day for Oklahoma State.”
Both players emphasized that their decisions were independent of each other, but Weeden said having Blackmon back was a huge bonus.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime to play at Oklahoma State, and to play with a guy like Blackmon,” Weeden said. “You don’t get a chance like that all the time. But it’s a tough decision, and I felt like I made the right one.”