STILLWATER, Okla. — With players set to report for fall camp on Thursday, the start of the football season officially begins Friday for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Oklahoma State will begin fall practice Friday morning, with many of their planned practices scheduled early in the day to avoid the record-breaking heat hitting Stillwater.

“It’s been really hot, so we’ll take ultimate precautions and cut things back,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said Wednesday following his media golf tournament at karsten Creek. “For these next few days, with the temperature the way it is, we’ll probably cut it back even more. We’re going to take every precaution possible to keep people healthy.”

The Cowboys will be short one man when camp opens, however. Gundy announced Wednesday that senior offensive lineman Michael Bowie has decided to transfer from the program.

“It’s not the first time this has ever happened. We’ve had unfortunate situations where we've lost players for whatever reason — Dez Bryant, Orie Lemon, Kendall Hunter,” Gundy said. “Mike was a good player for us and it didn’t work out.”

Bowie, a senior from Tulsa who was a potential starter at left tackle, will transfer from Oklahoma State but Gundy wasn’t sure where Bowie intends to play.

Gundy said Wednesday that the lineman had violated team rules and elected to leave the program. Bowie started in five games for the Cowboys last season.

“Any time you lose a good football player that’s got experience, that affects your team,” Gundy said. “... There’s a certain standard and requirements that you have to meet in order to be a part of our football team — and that’s coaches and players. And we don’t really bend for anybody.”

Offensive coordinator Todd Monken said he expected Bowie to play a key role on the offensive line this year.

“Here’s a guy that I think had developed — that had taken a lot of reps. Obviously we were counting on him, but one player doesn’t determine how successful we’ll be,” Monken said. “... (Daniel) Koeing going to get a chance to slide into right tackle and Parker (Graham) will go to left, and that’s the way it is.”

Gundy added that redshirt freshman Devin Davis, from Nacogdoches, Texas, may now be the top candidate to start at left tackle, but believes Oklahoma State has enough depth to handle Bowie’s departure.

The Tahlequah Daily Press reported that Bowie was on campus at Northeastern State University Wednesday but had not committed to the Division II school.

“He has expressed interest, and he has sent his release to NSU and UCO (Central Oklahoma),” said Cedrique Flemming, NSU’s sports information director, told the Tahlequah paper. “But the school has no comment beyond that.”