Oklahoma State’s safety picture is getting thinner at the wrong time, and the Cowboys are waiting to see whether Quinton Hammonds can make it back in time for Saturday’s trip to Iowa State.
Hammonds exited Saturday’s game against Colorado after getting hurt while recovering a critical fumble, and he was on the sideline in a sling. That came after starting safety Mose Phillips suffered a shoulder injury against UCF that is expected to end his season. The result is a back end that suddenly looks a lot less settled than it did earlier in the year.
“Q, hoping to get him, I mean, hopefully, he can work back into it this week,” Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris said. “I mean, we’ll see kind of how the week goes right now as that stuff all comes out, but hopeful that we can get Q back.”
If Hammonds can’t go in Ames, the Cowboys will have to piece together the safety rotation again. Evan Jackson stepped into the starting lineup when Phillips went down, and he’s had his moments since taking on more responsibility.
His scoop-and-score touchdown swung the UCF game, but there’s been some turbulence, too. He allowed a touchdown against Houston and, according to PFF, missed three tackles against Colorado.
On the first snap of the second half against Colorado, the play where Hammonds got hurt, Cameron Epps was lined up at safety next to him. Epps is one of the more unusual veterans on the roster: he’s been at Oklahoma State for five seasons, a rarity in itself, and he’s seen his role shift more than once along the way.
He was an honorable mention for Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2023 after starting 10 games during the Cowboys’ push toward the Big 12 title game. Injuries, though, have limited him since then. Over the last two seasons, he’s played in just nine games.
Epps came to Stillwater as a jumbo cornerback from Chaminade High School in St. Louis, and that background still shows up in his playmaking.
At 6-foot-2, 207 pounds, he has grabbed four interceptions in his career - three as a redshirt freshman and one this season late against UCF. His best-known takeaway came in 2023, when he picked off Will Howard and turned it into a pick-six.
The program has also asked plenty of him behind the scenes. Epps is in his fifth season at Oklahoma State and has already played for five defensive coordinators: Derek Mason, Bryan Nardo, Todd Grantham, Clint Bowen and now Skyler Cassity.
“He’s got a ton of length, which I do love that,” Morris said. “He’s played a lot of football, multiple positions.
Even with this defense, we kind of flirted back and forth with him at nickel or at safety. Any time we’ve been in live situations, think back, I think maybe first play of the spring game has the interception on the deep pass across the middle.
A guy that definitely there’s video evidence of him out there making a lot of good plays for us.”
The depth chart tells the story clearly. Hammonds has logged 440 defensive snaps this season, even after missing nearly half of the Colorado game.
That’s still 28 more than anyone else on the team. Jackson has become the next most-used OSU safety with 268 snaps, not counting nickelback Christian Bodnar.
Phillips, who is out for the year, sits next on the list at 80 snaps. Washington transfer Vincent Holmes has 80 as well, while Epps has played 52 defensive snaps.
For now, Oklahoma State is still waiting to find out who will be available. And if Hammonds can’t make it back, the message from Morris is simple.
“It’ll be next man up,” Morris said. “Listen, this is all over the country right now.
It’s gonna be a thing in college football going forward. Building depth is super important.
Injuries are a part of this thing, always will be.”
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