Bedlam namesakes battle on prep level
Bedlam will hit Norman High School’s Harve Collins Field on Thursday in a quarterback battle.
Stillwater junior Gunnar Gundy and Norman North junior Jacob Switzer are the starting quarterbacks. Do those last names sound familiar? They should, even to a casual observer.
Gundy is the son of Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. Switzer is the grandson of legendary Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer.
They’ve played against each other only once, so there is no rivalry just yet. But OU and OSU fans aren’t looking past this one.
That’s why The Oklahoman visited both this week to talk about being a family member of football royalty and more ahead of Thursday’s game.
Q: You are both part of a huge football family in Oklahoma. How do you handle the extra attention?
Gundy: “It comes with a lot of stuff. Around town, everybody knows your name, your family, your background and who you are. I think at times it can be a little nerve-wracking because you want your parents to do good in their job and their profession, but at the same time it’s also fun to have that special ability to go things other kids can’t like with the football and bowl games. I think it’s very, very fun but it comes with a lot of criticism if your dad isn’t doing good. At the same time, you learn to ignore that and trust in your family.”
Switzer: “So far, I haven’t really thought a lot about it. I’d say it’s definitely adding pressure, but it’s not something I pay attention to. I think in sixth or seventh grade, I’d say it’s less than what it is now, but I haven’t really thought about it much. It’s what I expected to hear.”
Q: Obviously, opponents know who you are on the field. There is trash talk. What’s the best you’ve heard that made you laugh and realize it’s pretty good?
Gundy: “Freshman year I was playing Enid here and it was right after we lost to Central Michigan on the Hail Mary. And he kept saying ‘Central Michigan.’ I was like, ‘Dude, that really has nothing to do with what I’m doing now.’ He kept saying, ‘Central Michigan. Central Michigan.’ I was like, ‘All right. I don’t know what to say to that.’ That was pretty funny because that just had nothing to do with the game or what we were doing in that situation. He thought he got to me, which he really didn’t.
“I had a few kids ask me why I don’t have a mullet during the game. I can’t grow one. My hair is way too straight. They also say my dad’s hair is sick. I’ll say thank you. There are some kids that are actually nice about it.”
Switzer: “I’d probably say people saying I’m only starting because I have Switzer as my last name. That’s been a common theme. I’d hear it once or twice every football season, but not too often. I usually don’t respond. I usually giggle. It usually goes in one ear and out the other.”
Q: Have you two met each other before?
Gundy: “We actually went to a camp this summer in Arizona, so I talked to him for a while. Very nice kid, very respectful, very good at the game. He has a great arm and stuff. So, that was fun to get out there and play with him and know him from a friend standpoint.
“I played him back in seventh grade. The whole thing came up as Barry Switzer’s grandkid and Mike Gundy’s kid. But I was too young. I didn’t really know the whole situation.”
Switzer: “I saw him at two camps before. I saw him in Scottsdale. There were a bunch of quarterbacks and we were both going off. It was a good time. He’s a nice dude.”
Q: Gunnar, you’re known for studying film with your dad. How much are you watching film? And Jacob, what about with your grandfather?
Gundy: “I watch a lot of film with my dad, especially on my own now because I’ve learned how to watch film. In the past, he’s taught me so much about what to watch for on defense, how to react, so now it’s more of my own. But he’s definitely taught me a lot.
Switzer: “He only talks to me about football during football season or after games. He’s usually talking to my dad or talking to me about other stuff. He comes to most of the games.
“I’d say he’s had definitely a big influence. His criticisms, I probably take those to my heart more than probably any other criticisms. Seventh grade, eighth grade, middle school, he’d always have something to say.”