STILLWATER — During his Enid High School football career, Clint Chelf set 13 school records to become one of the most prolific players in Plainsmen history.

Next year, Chelf could vault himself onto the national stage at Oklahoma State.

“I wouldn’t be completely shocked to see him as the starter next year,’’ said EHS coach Tommy Parker. “(The OSU coaching staff) would be hard-pressed to find another quarterback that fits what they like to do on offense.’’

What they do, and what Chelf did at EHS, was effectively engineer a spread offense. Chelf, who is taking his redshirt season this year, was on the sideline Thursday night as one backup quarterback struggled to get the Cowboys’ offense in gear before another backup found his stride in the home finale against Colorado.

With the imminent graduation of senior standout Zac Robinson, the door appears to be wide open for Chelf to make a bid for the starting role next season.

“That would be amazing,’’ said Chelf.

Chelf would have to outlast several contenders for the position, including Alex Cate, who will be a senior, and Brandon Weeden, who will be a junior.

With Robinson sidelined with a concussion and a shoulder problem, Cate started against the Buffaloes on Thursday and was not effective. In the first half, the Cowboys’ offense was able to muster just three points against a Colorado defense that is allowing 28 points a game in a three-win season. Cate tried nine passes, missed all of them and joined Chelf on the sideline in the second half.

Head coach Mike Gundy turned to Weeden in the second half in an attempt to kick-start the offense. The former Edmond Santa Fe standout heated up in the fourth period, tossing two touchdown passes and twice leading the Cowboys from behind in a 31-28 victory at T. Boone Pickens Stadium.

Weeden finished 14-for-22 for 209 yards and clearly out-pointed Cate on Thursday. How many credit points that performance wins him in the offseason remains to be seen. But it certainly gave him the upper hand for playing time should Robinson be a no-go next week at Oklahoma.

“All I can ask for is a chance,’’ said Chelf. “But it’s all going to come down to the spring and who works the hardest and wins the job.’’

For now, Chelf is relegated to running the plays of upcoming opponents during practice sessions. He said studying OSU’s vast offensive playbook, watching loads of film and learning to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage will be his primary focus in the offseason.

Whoever takes over the position next year will have big shoes to fill. Robinson has set OSU records for passing, total offense and touchdown passes, and ranks as the most accurate quarterback in school history.

Could it be the former EHS standout is next in line?

“Clint has the ability to make plays and not get rattled,’’ said Parker. “He’s a pretty cool customer, and as a college quarterback, that’s a great attribute to have.’’

Chelf showcased those cool customer skills during an EHS career that was one for the record books. In two seasons as a starter, he threw for more yards (4,124), completed more passes (298) and connected for more TD tosses (34) than any quarterback in Plainsmen history.

“As a junior he had a solid year,’’ said Parker. “As a senior he really took off in all those offensive categories. It was really an amazing feat.’’

Chelf has gained an appreciation not only for the speed and size of the college game at the Division I level but also for how newsworthy the college game is.

During Thursday night’s warmup session, as he was stretching on the field, Chelf chatted briefly with ESPN’s Erin Andrews, who was surrounded by security personnel.

“That was pretty cool,’’ he said. “She was talking about the music they were playing, how it reminded her of when she was in school.’’

The Cowboys could feature an interesting combination in the passing game — younger brother to older brother.

Colton Chelf is a junior reserve with the Cowboys this season and is fighting for playing time as a pass catcher and return man. Colton played two seasons at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M; before joining the Cowboys this season as a recruited walkon.

“Colton had an outstanding career here at Enid,’’ said Parker. “He started out at quarterback and then ended up at wide receiver. As a senior, we got a lot out of him as a defensive back. He turned into one of the most prolific receivers we had.

“I think he’ll end up playing for (OSU). He’s gotten into a few games as a punt returner this year. He’s just a heck of a football player.’’



Rountree is the sports editor of the News & Eagle.