Oklahoma State football: Evan Epstein will be a big help for quarterback Wes Lunt

“Coach Wickline is one of those old-school, gritty offensive line coaches. For the group of guys that we have we wouldn't want any other O-line coach. He gets us going. We absolutely love him.”

His reputation is he can crack a joke or two.

“He has his jokes every now and then. We absolutely hate him sometimes, but we love him at the end of the day because he gets us right.”

What did it mean to you and your family to be given a scholarship?

“It means a lot for me and my family, obviously with the financial assistance. I never wanted them to help me pay for school. It hasn't been easy to come up with the money to pay for school, but I love Oklahoma State and I love playing football here. It was never going to be a problem, but it's nice to be able to help my parents. And it's nice to know all my hard work is being rewarded. I feel I've been doing the right things.”

When you left Air Force, what were your options?

“It was Oklahoma State, possibly go to a junior college. Since I'm from Dallas, coming to Oklahoma State was one of the first times I had ever been to Oklahoma.”

Why did you choose Oklahoma State?

“Coach Wickline recruited me coming out of high school. I knew what kind of guy he was. I knew he was a great guy, the kind of coach I wanted to play for. He told me: ‘We can't offer you a scholarship, but if you want to walk on we'd love to have you here.' I said, ‘Let's go.'”