The program announced Wednesday that Nebraska transfer Callin Hake signed. Hake was part of a group of players who received a temporary court order to get a fifth year of eligibility.

“With the state of our roster being as solid as it was, it was important to make sure that if we were going to add anyone, they had elite character and a team-first mentality — Callin is all that and more,” Hoyt said via OSU’s release. “She’s a great fit for what we’re building within our program. She’s exactly the kind of player we’re looking for in our system because of her ability to make 3s and stretch the floor. We are most excited about her defensive presence and the energy she’ll bring to our team.”

Hake played in 131 games across four seasons with the Cornhuskers, starting 62 of the 65 games she has played in the past two seasons. Listed at 5-foot-8, she averaged 7.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals a game as a senior last season while shooting 35% from 3 on four attempts a game.

She hails from Victoria, Minnesota and averaged 22.2 points a game as a senior at Chanhassen High School. She was her high school’s first 2,000-point scorer and was named her team’s MVP four times.

Hake was also active off the court in Lincoln. She was the recipient Nebraska’s Heart & Soul Award for her contributions to the Lincoln community during her four years. She was the president of Nebraska’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was part of the Big Ten Student-Athlete Issues Commission.

She joins an absolutely loaded roster Hoyt has put together. Starting the offseason with only Stailee Heard, the Cowgirls have added the likes of Iowa State All-American Audi Crooks, All-SEC guard Liv McGill, Division-II National Player of the Year Talexa Weeter and more.

Odaefe Oruru announced his commitment to Oklahoma State on Wednesday. Listed at 6-foot-6, 310 pounds Oruru had been committed to Arkansas since April, but Morris and Co. were able to move in and get the Jenks product to stay in his home state.

“After thinking about what I really want out of my college experience, I realized I want to say home and play for my state,” Oruru wrote in his social media post. “Oklahoma is home. I’ve grown up here my whole life, and having the opportunity to represent my state and play at the next level means a lot to me and my family. I have a lot of respect for Arkansas and their staff, and I’m thankful for the belief they’ve had in me throughout this process.

“At the end of the day, I wanted to play for my state. I’m staying home and I’m ready to be a Cowboy.”

Go Pokes 🧡🖤 pic.twitter.com/woG6imjhKo

— Odaefe Oruru (@odaefeoruru2027) August 26, 2026

247Sports considers Oruru a four-star prospect and the No. 22 interior offensive lineman in the 2027 recruiting class. That makes him the state’s No. 8 prospect. He’s the No. 486 player in 247Sports’ Composite ranking, and along with offers to OSU and Arkansas, Oruru fielded offers from Texas Tech, TCU, Colorado, Maryland and others.

He primarily played at left tackle last season for the Trojans, blocking for OSU freshman running back KD Jones. Jenks went 10-2 in Oruru’s junior season in 2025, making it to the 6A-I state semifinals before losing a tight game to Owasso.

Opposing edge rushers didn’t stand much of a chance.

Oruru opens his senior season on Thursday night, as Jenks will head down to the Lone Star State for a game against Southlake Carroll.

Oruru makes it a dozen pledges in Oklahoma State’s 2027 recruiting class and bumps the Cowboys’ class up to No. 14 in the Big 12 after previously being last. A lot of that ranking has to do with quantity, though, as the Cowboys are still tied for the fewest number of pledges in the 2027 cycle.

He’s the third offensive lineman in the class, joining Jake Baker (Tennessee) and Sonny Mullen (Texas). Oruru also makes it a quartet of in-state pledges for Morris and Co., and he joins linebacker Israel Hammons (Choctaw), wide receiver Cooper Hooker (Pryor) and defensive back Bryson Brown (Broken Arrow).

Oklahoma State’s Class of 2027 Commits

​But the head coach didn’t run from that failure. He chose to learn from it.

“It was something we really studied two years ago because I think we went for it more than anybody in the nation,” Morris said on Tuesday. “Now, when you really go back and study it, we weren’t very good at it.”

Morris was right. In the 2024 season, North Texas went for it 44 times and converted 47.7% of the time, which ranked 91st in the nation. It makes some sense that the more you go for it on fourth down, the lower ranked you would end up.

However, only four teams with 30-plus attempts ranked worse than North Texas, so an aggressive approach wasn’t the reason UNT didn’t rank higher. As Morris said, the Mean Green just weren’t particularly effective on those opportunities.

The same thing can’t be said about Morris’ group last season when North Texas finished the season ranked seventh nationally on fourth down with a 72.2% success rate.

“Last year, we were really, really good on fourth down as far as conversion rate, but we didn’t go for near as many as what we did two years ago,” Morris said. “Now, partly that was because we were a lot better on third down and just a better football team holistically.

“And so when you’re relying on fourth downs and going that much, I think that’s something where I just learned through the fire like that that wasn’t a positive thing.”

Morris is a little too critical of himself here. UNT still went for it on fourth down 36 times, which tied for 12th most in the country. So Cowboy fans can expect to see their offense stay out there a bit more than usual this fall.

For context, Oklahoma State went for it 24 and 26 times in the last two seasons, so that’s nearly one additional attempt per game at a minimum based on UNT’s numbers in 2025.

The very nature of the down suggests teams usually only go for it during important sequences, but UNT was especially successful when the team needed it the most.

In the team’s only two losses last fall, North Texas converted 3-of-4 times against Tulane in the 13-point loss in the American Conference Championship and 3-of-4 times in the 27-point loss to South Florida.

In North Texas’ 12 wins last season, only five were decided by 14 or fewer points. In those games, UNT combined to convert 9-of-14 times (64%) on fourth down.

It’s hard to make concrete predictions in the age of the transfer portal, but all of this could foreshadow several celebratory moments to come for the Pokes, considering they face four opponents who finished 103rd or worse at defending fourth down.

OSU 2026 FBS opponents ranked by 4th down defense conversion rate in 2025:

5th Texas Tech: 33%

35th Iowa State: 46%

T49th Houston: 50%

T49th Kansas State: 50%

59th Arizona State: 51%

62nd Tulsa: 52%

94th UCF: 59%

103rd Colorado: 61%

113th Oregon: 64%

117th Kansas: 66%

122nd West Virginia: 68%

On Wednesday, ESPN released its annual Top 100 players going into the college football season, which included Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker at No. 32 and OSU running back Caleb Hawkins at No. 95. OSU joins Texas Tech as the only Big 12 teams with multiple players on this list, though Tech has six to OSU’s two.

Mestemaker climbed up from No. 67 on ESPN’s 2025 postseason list, while Hawkins fell back from No. 68.

Mestemaker ranked ninth among quarterbacks on the list, coming in as the best QB in the Big 12. He trailed Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), CJ Carr (Notre Dame), Julian Sayin (Ohio State), Jayden Maiava (USC), Dante Moore (Oregon), Arch Manning (Texas), Darian Mensah (Miami) and Gunner Stockton (Georgia).

ESPN considers Hawkins the 13th-best running back in the country, which put him third among Big 12 backs behind BYU’s LJ Martin (No. 58) and West Virginia’s Cam Cook (No. 84).

Another thing that stands out is that both are only sophomores, with Mestemaker being a redshirt sophomore and Hawkins entering only his second year of college football. There were only 11 underclassmen to make the list, with Mestemaker ranking fifth among those and Hawkins coming in 11th.

ESPN reporter Eli Lederman also made the case for Wyatt Young to make the Top 100 in the “Which unranked player should’ve made the list?” portion.

“Who finished last season with more receiving yards than Jeremiah Smith (1,264), more yards per catch than Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon (18.1) and as many receiving touchdowns as Malachi Toney (10)? Oklahoma State transfer Wyatt Young. The third-year pass catcher accounted for 21.5% of the 325 completions in the nation’s No. 2 passing offense at North Texas a year ago before following Morris and Mestemaker to the Cowboys. Operating in the same system and catching passes from the same quarterback in 2026, Young belongs in the top-100 conversation.” — Lederman

Here’s a look at OSU’s schedule broken down by players on ESPN’s Top 100:

Oregon (8) — No. 11 Dante Moore (QB), No. 16 A’Marui Washington (DL), No. 24 Brandon Finney Jr. (DB), No. 48 Iapani Laloulu (OL), No. 71 Jamari Johnson (TE), No. 76 Teitum Tuioti (LB), No. 78 Koi Perich (DB), No. 82 Dakorien Moore (WR)

West Virginia (1) — No. 84 Cam Cook (RB)

Houston (1) — No. 69 Shadre Hurst (OL)

Texas Tech (6) — No. 25 A.J. Holmes Jr. (DL), No. 27 Brice Pollock (CB), No. 66 Terrance Carter Jr. (TE), No. 83 Trey White (OLB/Edge), No. 94 Ben Roberts (LB), No. 98 Adam Trick (OLB/Edge).

STILLWATER — Eric Morris hasn’t pulled punches when discussing Evan Jackson this preseason.

Jackson is part of the contingent who followed Morris up from North Texas. A 5-foot-11, 188-pound safety, Jackson is one of the more experienced pieces of Skyler Cassity’s defense having played in 39 games across the past three seasons at UNT. But Morris is seeking more consistency from Jackson in the transition to Stillwater.

“Evan’s always, and Evan knows this, Evan’s high moments are super high,” Morris said Tuesday. “I’ve been with him for three years. He’s played a ton of football with us. Super athletic, rangy, can play some man coverage. He can do all the things we’re asking him to do.

“The consistency factor of it, I think, he’s a kid that his highs have been really high, and his lows have been really low. He’s someone I thought scrimmaged really good this past scrimmage, and for him, he knows the defense. He communicates at a high level. He’s able to get us in and out of things. Our safeties are big communicators for us. Like where he’s at right now. He’s gotta put it all together on a everyday basis.”

Some of the inconsistencies Morris alluded to can be seen through Jackson’s PFF grades.

Jackson graded out with a 74.7 in UNT’s win against Lamar to start last season, making three tackles and allowing a lone five-yard reception. Or in UNT’s lone regular season loss to USF, Jackson’s 69.3 ranked second-highest among UNT defensive backs, finishing with four tackles while USF didn’t bother targeting him in coverage at all.

He might’ve saved his best performance for last in 2025. In North Texas’ New Mexico Bowl win against San Diego State, Jackson graded out as a 72.8 while playing 59 defensive snaps (his second-most in a game last season). He had a bone-crunching sack on a nicely disguised blitz and also picked off a pass.

“I’d have to say the sack,” said Jackson when asked if the sack or the INT felt cooler. “Getting in that backfield and being able to celebrate, it feels great.”

But then there were outings like the Charlotte game, where Jackson graded out at a 48.1 after allowing a 64-yard touchdown reception. Or the Western Michigan game where he allowed two catches for 51 yards and a touchdown while grading out at a 52.9.

Although it might be a little unusual in the modern world for a coach to publicly say he’s seeking more consistency out of a player, it sounds as if Jackson appreciates that tough love from his head coach.

“Obviously, I’ve been with him for three years, and he’s always been the coach to get on me and help me strive for greatness and keep up the good work day in and day out,” Jackson said.

Although this consistency talk might seem like a knock, there’s little doubt that Jackson is a good player. He played in every game North Texas had during his three years in Denton.

Cassity said earlier this month that Jackson was one of five guys in the mix to start at safety for the Cowboys this season, and it seems likely that whether he starts or not, he’ll play a role on this defense.

“Coach Cassity is great,” Jackson said Tuesday. “I think he puts the best players in the best positions to succeed and make plays. Just being able to do that, I think he’ll have a lot of success.

“I’ve learned a lot, obviously since he’s the safeties coach, but being in the room with Coach Cassity and being able to break down the whole defense from front end to back end, that’s been really great.”

Jackson is an alum of Texas power North Shore High in Houston, committing to UNT as part of the 2023 recruiting class.

He made an immediate impact in Denton, playing in all dozen of UNT’s games as a true freshman while making a pair of starts.

Jackson begins his OSU tenure with 130 career tackles to go with 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, six interceptions, 101 INT return yards and seven pass breakups. Per PFF, he’s allowed 52 catches on 83 targets for his career.

He’s proven to be a more-than-capable defensive back, and now his coach just wants to see him jump from good to great.

“Evan Jackson’s a guy that’s been in our system for a long time, he’s played a lot of football, a guy that needs to take the next step this year,” Morris said earlier this month. “Evan’s kind of one of those guys we’ve had meetings about. There’s been times he’s flashed, he’s shown he’s got the ability to be great, but he hasn’t put it together consistently for a whole season. He needs to take that next step.”

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OSU Bullets

• Eric Morris’ story about his old Aussie punter is pretty good (PFB)

• USA Today ranked the top-100 college football players – two Cowboys in the top-50 with another in the top-100 (USA Today)

• Can Drew Mestemaker or Wyatt Young join Ollie Gordon as an Earl Campbell Tyler Rose winner? (X) 

• What former Cowboys OSU will play against this season – and where they are now (PFB)

• Nice, 20-minute interview with the legend, T. Boone Pickens:

T. Boone Pickens spent the eighties as the most feared corporate raider in America, with his face on the cover of Time. By 1998 he was seventy, clinically depressed, and down to $3.4 million. Two years later he was up $255 million. He had made other people’s shareholders $15… pic.twitter.com/DPvgjwWHWZ

— Jake (@0xjakke) August 23, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• These kids are learning without tech in Seattle • People deserve bad news while it can still help them

STILLWATER — Back in 2018, Eric Morris told his punter to do something someone should have told Bob Stoops four years earlier: punt the ball out of bounds.

That was Morris’ first season as a head coach, as his Incarnate Word Cardinals were in a Southland Conference road game against Abilene Christian.

Incarnate Word led 44-34 with less than two minutes to play when Morris called a timeout and went over to Australian punter David Balcomb.

“I told our punter on the sideline, ‘Hey, kick it out of bounds. Don’t kick it to this returner. The only thing that can kill us in this game right now is a return for a touchdown where we’re at.'”

Sounded simple enough, but what Morris wasn’t taking into account is that Balcomb didn’t grow up watching American football.

“He literally catches it, he walks straight sideways, minus-14 yard punt straight into the stands. I swear to anything.

“You can see me on tape, I fell to my knees, like holy smokes. So, I guess there’s a rule in rugby where if you punt it out of bounds, something happens. I’m not smart enough to know all that stuff.”

For what it’s worth, it was actually a punt of -18 yards. Couldn’t have been great for the ole average.

It ended up not mattering, as Incarnate Word still closed the game out and got a big win on the road en route to earning a share of the Southland Conference title in Morris’ first season.

Morris said when he got back up to his phone after the game, it wasn’t a pretty sight. But that was a lesson learned, as Morris now has another Australian punter in his first season at OSU in Stephen F. Austin transfer Lachie Pozzobon, who Morris said is doing great. But you can guarantee if Morris finds himself in a similar spot with Pozzobon, he’ll probably be a bit more specific.

“I had, like, some of the worst text messages I’ve ever had in my life of how dumb of a coach I was, especially from my family that were watching this game live on TV,” Morris said. “So, I’ve learned that you have to explain sometimes football rules.”

STILLWATER — Outside of the on-field play, there are still quite a few ducks the Cowboys have to get in a row in preparation for their season opener.

Eric Morris is using this week as a mock game week ahead of Oklahoma State’s Sept. 5 season-opener at Tulsa, with Morris going so far as to have the team in uniforms this upcoming Saturday and going through what their pregame warmup routine will be.

“Our kids don’t love it just because it seems so long, right?” Morris said. “And the anxiety starts to build up. But I think anxiety is good because there is going to be anxiety in that first game.

“It’s probably more of a question for a nutritionist or a scientist, but we’ve had cramps the first game every year I played, and sometimes it hasn’t even been that hot. And I think that’s due to the kids working themselves out, so we like to put them through the waiting period of what’s going on, to truly come out as a team, do all of our stretching, our pregame routine, and then we put everybody on the sideline, and then can actually practice the situational stuff that naturally comes up in games.”

What happens between the lines is obviously the most important, but it’s good for the Cowboys to get a run-through of what it will be like just outside of the lines.

With Morris calling plays, neither OSU play-caller will be in the press box, as he and defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity will be on the sideline. Offensive coordinator/QB coach Sean Brophy will also be on the sideline so he can be with Drew Mestemaker as he comes off the field between series.

Morris shouted out Kevin Kilmer, OSU’s assistant quarterbacks coach, as a guy who will be important in the box. Kilmer was a Co-OC at Bowling Green for three seasons and coordinated the Angelo State offense from 2019 through 2025, a stretch where Angelo State averaged more than 30 points a game in each year he called the offense.

“We’ll put our coaches in the box, being responsible for certain things coming in and out,” Morris said. “And then two, we haven’t been on the sideline. IPads are such a huge deal now. The technology and being able to relay information because you have instant access to that. We will have our coaches actually sit down and go over how they’re going to sit down, how they’re going to present the material to our players. So there’s just a lot of little things that I think that you know we need to be really detailed and address.”

That’s a lot of detail about things the average fan probably doesn’t think much about.

The iPad element is interesting. Back when Mike Gundy was a play-calling head coach, tablets weren’t things. Gundy’s famous moment drawing up plays on an equipment trunk in that game against Missouri probably wouldn’t happen in the modern day. He’d instead be looking at an iPad.

“I never go sit down with our players, and if I need a relay, I have a headset,” Morris said. “But I try to stay available to always be able to call important timeouts, make big decisions on third downs, fourth downs, on what’s happened with special teams-wise.

“But I think that’s what’s so important for me to trust our defensive coordinator and our special teams coordinator and give them the ability to really think on their own and call this game the way that they see it. We tell the ref before every game, Coach Cassity has the ability to call timeouts, and so that’s something that’s probably different than a lot of places where the head coach only calls them. There’s small adjustments that you have to make, but I try to never be sitting down and not available for Coach Cassity and (special teams coordinator Drew) Svoboda.”

It’s all interesting insight to the attention to detail that Morris has. Although this is his first Power Conference head job, you can tell it isn’t his first rodeo.

STILLWATER — The competition remains open, but it sounds FCS transfer Shaun Torgeson is the favorite to start at right tackle for the Cowboys when the season starts.

It’s a position even he wouldn’t have believed 2.5 years ago.

“In high school, I was pretty overlooked,” Torgeson said. “I only had three offers. One of them being Portland State, where I ended up at. And I mean, I always had this vision of playing at the highest level, Power Five football, but yeah, if you ask me my last year of high school, I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

Among tackles in the portal, he ranked 137th (247Sports) and 143rd (On3). The Cowboys brought in several offensive linemen ranked higher, including the one he is competing with at right tackle.

Torgeson played 185 snaps of offense during his freshman season at Portland State in 2024, before bumping into a huge role, playing 788 offensive snaps there last season. He finished with an overall grade of 58.6, though he did grade out higher than 80 as a pass-blocker on six separate occasions last season.

“Biggest adjustment, I would say, just the speed is, it’s a little bit faster at this level,” Torgeson said. “But I mean, other than that, it’s just how bad do I want it? How bad do I want to win this block every single play?”​

Even when Torgeson committed to the Cowboys out of the portal, he did so knowing that he lacked an easy path to playing time this fall.

“I mean, I’m the type of guy, I’m like nothing, nothing is impossible,” he said. “I mean, if I’m being completely honest, I knew that we had a lot of fifth-year guys that have a lot more experience than I do, but I’m never going to count myself out.”

On Tuesday, Eric Morris said Torgeson would “probably” start if the opener took place tomorrow, but the competition isn’t settled just yet.

“Just one of those cool stories that comes in here and didn’t expect much,” Morris said. “One of the last guys that we took out of the portal. He’s just a guy that we kinda noticed in the weight room, and his times in the GPS stuff over the course of the summer. Pound for pound, as strong as anybody on our team. Super athletic at 300 pounds, smart, processes information really fast. And so, I see him playing a big role for us for the next three years here.”

The 6-foot-4, 302-pounder said his strength is one of his biggest improvements since last season. He’s also faster and has grown a lot working under position coach Cody Crill.

“I mean, I’ve learned moves that I didn’t even know existed,” Torgeson said. “Ways, techniques to block, and then just putting it all together, it has just made me an overall better player.”

Torgeson said he chose to come to Stillwater because he loved what Morris and that staff did with the offense at North Texas. And yes, it helps to have a quarterback like Drew Mestemaker.

“I mean everyone knows Drew,” Torgeson said. “I want to protect him. I want to win with him.”

With the season less than two weeks away, the only thing Torgeson can do now is put his “head down” and “work.”

“I don’t want to say anything until it’s set in stone,” Torgeson said when asked about the ongoing position battle. “But I mean, it’s a great start to where I want to be in the future.”

STILLWATER — Billy Walton III still remembers the phone call he made to Greg Richmond to tell him he wasn’t going to Stillwater.

A defensive end from Dallas, Walton was a star commit in Oklahoma State’s 2023 recruiting class. He was committed to the Cowboys for about two months, but a visit to Texas led to him flipping that commitment to the Longhorns. Now Walton is finally a Cowboy after joining Richmond and OSU via the transfer portal this offseason.

“It was definitely a tough conversation,” said Walton, recalling his decommitment. “But Coach Rich, how y’all see him, that’s how he is all the time. … I called him, and he was like, ‘This one hurts.’

“I remember the conversation. I was like, dog, that’s tough. It was definitely a hard talk, but I feel like he respected me more because I actually called him and told him instead of texting him or things like that.”

Walton is entering his fourth year of college ball, playing in two games at Texas in 2023 before transferring to SMU, where he played in 22 games across the past two seasons.

Last season saw Walton get his most defensive work to date at SMU. In 74 defensive snaps, Walton made six tackles, two of which were sacks.

Now in Stillwater, Walton is expected to feature in the Cowboys’ defensive line rotation that OSU coach Eric Morris gave another shoutout to on Tuesday.

“Our defensive ends are really, really deep right now,” Morris said. “It doesn’t matter who goes out there first because we don’t think there’s a big drop off. Like, we’ll keep those guys fresh and keep them rolling.”

When mentioning Walton, specifically, Morris noted the 6-foot-3, 253-pound defensive end’s ability to be versatile — not just along the defensive line but also his ability to help on special teams.

Walton comes to OSU with 163 special teams snaps banked across his two years at SMU, primarily coming on kick coverage, which can be a rare spot for a defensive lineman to excel.

“Billy’s a guy I think can play both sides for us,” Morris said. “I think the versatility of Billy is huge. There’s some guys — Jaleel (Johnson) is mainly gonna be an end, Malik Charles mainly gonna be an end, and that’s kinda their skillset. Billy’s a guy that we can rotate and flip-flop from end and rush.

“And the one thing I’ve probably been the most surprised about Billy is his value on special teams right now. He’s a guy that you’ll see run out there and play a couple different positions in special teams as a starter for us right now. I think just anytime you get those big, long, athletic guys that process information fast, Billy fits in that category.”

There’s a familial tie with Walton to OSU, as well, as he is cousins with former OSU corners AJ Green and Jabbar Muhammad. Walton said he grew up coming up to Stillwater for their games. Although Walton took the scenic route after that initial high school commitment, he sounds ready to don the orange and black.

“I feel like it definitely is a full-circle moment,” Walton said. “My Top 3 coming out of high school was Texas, SMU and OSU, and I ended up going to literally every spot. Now I’m here, and I’m here to stay, but I feel like it’s definitely, definitely a full-circle moment. I always loved OSU. …

“I think me going through my college career from Texas to SMU to here, it helped me understand that you have to leave your ego where it is in high school. You can’t bring ego to college. That’s what I did. I’m not gonna lie. Definitely came to Texas thinking I was gonna be this, gonna be that. I figured out I wasn’t, so I ended up transferring. It was kinda the same thing there. I was still young, and then eventually I found my feet. That’s why my second year at SMU, I did better, I was getting in the rotation a little bit. Eventually, I was like, ‘OK, I think I’m ready to take that step to get back to where I was,’ so I decided to come here.”

STILLWATER — College football coaches have spent the past 24 hours commenting on whether players cut from NFL rosters should be allowed to return to college football.

​On Tuesday, Oklahoma State Eric Morris made his position clear.

​“It’s just one of those things, like, what are we doing right now?” Morris said. “It’s just one more thing we’re putting on the list that, quite frankly. We don’t have time to deal with and figure out what the rules are and what’s going on.

​“It’s just, I mean, at some point, you know, I think there’s got to be some integrity in this game. There has been forever that goes along with sports in general and playing these. And we taught this from the youth sports up. Like, I mean, if a guy’s competing for a professional job right now in the sport, he should have left college in the back mirror at that point.”

All of this took center stage following news that tight end Dae’Quan Wright had an agreement in place to play for LSU if the Cleveland Browns cut him before the start of the 2026 season. He has since been cut, so assuming no other NFL teams pick him up on waivers, he will be back in college football … maybe.

On Tuesday morning, Yahoo Sports Reporter Ross Dellenger reported that the Power Conferences, including the Big 12, are considering rules at the conference level that would effectively ban pro players from returning to college athletics at their schools.

SEC presidents are expected to direct ADs against accepting pro players – under threat of penalty. Per bylaws, Greg Sankey and/or presidents hold authority to deem a player ineligible, fine/suspend coaches, etc.

Will they?

“This is Sankey’s ‘Sorsby Moment,’” says one person.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 25, 2026

The ongoing mess is only possible because of yet another court order pending the NCAA decision to move to a five-for-five model.

“The judge found that these players should have been told and should have known that they were going to be eligible for a fifth year, which every player moving forward, every athlete in all sports has,” LSU coach Lane Kiffin said to NOLA.com and others on Monday. “They should’ve known that in December when they were making decisions. Had they known that, they would’ve stayed (in college).”

Although Kiffin is likely to remain the focal point of the debate given he was the first known coach to have a publicized deal in place, others are considering bringing in other NFL almosts as well.

“If there are teams that have some players out there who are cut from NFL rosters that are gonna be on other teams, we have to at least consider it and look at it,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said to On3 and others on Monday. “Do I like anything about it? Absolutely not, but we gotta do what’s right for Ohio State.”

Some teams begin playing games as early as Saturday, but most teams will kick off the season next week on Saturday, Sept. 5, which is when the Cowboys open at Tulsa at 2:45 p.m.

It’s hard to imagine this issue will be settled by then, considering players will likely take legal action against conferences the same way they did against the NCAA. It does sound like Oklahoma State won’t have to worry about Week 2 opponent Oregon participating in the trend.

“One, once you go to the NFL, I mean, you’re in the NFL,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said to the Oregonian on Saturday. “You don’t get the opportunity to come back. … Most of us have built our rosters, and you have a limited roster limit now. So, if you invited somebody back to your team, that means you’re kicking somebody else off your team, right?

“I don’t think that’s fair to the players that worked all summer, all spring, and put themselves in position to be ready to work for a team.”

Rudolph has garnered praise from new Pittsburgh head coach Mike McCarthy throughout training camp. The veteran head coach came in only knowing of Rudolph from afar but quickly commented how impressed he was with the veteran.

“I can’t tell you how pleased I am with Mason Rudolph…,” McCarthy said in early August. “He throws it better than I ever knew.”

Then Rudolph performed well in the Steelers’ preseason opener, splitting time with a pair of younger QBs competing to be Aaron Rodgers’ chief backup in Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar. All three showed promise in that first outing, but Rudolph’s efficient stat line of 10-for-11 for 93 yards, plus his command for the offense, led McCarthy to park him next to Rodgers for the second preseason game to give the others more burn. Things didn’t go so well for the young guys.

Allar completed just 48% of his passes (11-for-23) and was sacked three times. Howard went 10-for-15 but threw two interceptions. The Steelers score zero points.

With four quarterbacks likely competing for three spots, Rudolph has been not the sexy pick to those outside the team, especially fans. He’s the steady veteran and fans love to glob onto exciting upside. It’s human nature. But regardless of fan pressure, coaches want someone who they can trust with the offense, especially with an aging QB like Rodgers.

Rudolph is no stranger to preseason depth chart shuffling or outside noise. He was asked about the QB pecking order during practice this week and expressed confidence in his play and implied confidence from Pittsburgh’s franchise QB.

“I think I have done a good job,” Rudolph said. “I have had a good camp. I like the way the offense is evolving and trending. I think Aaron [Rodgers] has had a lot of input, tailoring things to the way he likes it.”

#Steelers QB Mason Rudolph said he doesn’t have any idea what’s going to happen with the four QBs on the roster, but he feels confident in what he’s shown. pic.twitter.com/Urn7giX5RI

— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) August 24, 2026

Rudolph is entering his sixth year in Pittsburgh, but he’s served behind two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks and under two head coaching regimes, with a one-year hiatus in Tennessee.

To this point, Rudolph is pleased with the changes in Pittsburgh, something he alluded to earlier in training camp, when he called McCarthy’s system “QB-grooming.” He expanded on that this week, adding praise to first-year OC Brian Angelichio.

“Coach McCarthy has got a ton of great concepts,” Rudolph said. “He’s worked hard with the installation process. Coach [Brian] Angelichio is great in front of the unit. He really is. He’s a great teacher. I am happy.”

Rudolph’s been here before. In five years in Pittsburgh, he’s 8-5-1 having to fill in for the likes of Ben Roethlisberger and Rodgers. For a team with a 42-year-old quarterback and postseason aspirations, the backup QB is one of the most important spots on the roster and it looks like Rudolph has done enough to lock down his spot.

The Steelers face the Buffalo Bills at 6 p.m. Thursday in their preseason finale.

OSU Bullets

• How will Drew Mestemaker adjust to Power Four football? Take a look at how a previous Eric Morris’ disciple did it in Cam Ward (PFB)

• Where media outlets are picking OSU to go bowling (PFB)

• GoPokes 247‘s Scott Wright weighed in on what he thinks the defense’s strength will be.

My gut says pass rush. I just see so much talent in that defensive end group. Variety in rush styles and body types. Obviously, the tackles need to hold their own to make the front as effective as possible, but I really like what those edges are capable of. I think the secondary will be solid in coverage, and I’m coming around on what the run defense can be — though not completely convinced. But the aspect of the defense I’m most excited to see in action is the pass rush. [GoPokes 247]

• The Oklahoman‘s Jenni Carlson has the Pokes finishing 7-5 (NewsOK)

• Doesn’t it feel super unlikely that OSU spent more than BYU – and that Houston spent more than both of them?

2026 Big 12 football roster NIL valuations. What stands out?💰👀 pic.twitter.com/W52rJ40Kh3

— Barstool Big 12 (@BarstoolBig12) August 24, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Fun 12-minute video on promotion/relegation in college football

• Healthy reflection here on our words vs our acts (faith-based)  

We found three preseason bowl projections that include Oklahoma State. Although it might seem silly to read too much into bowl projections in August, this provides a nice lens of how some of the national outlets view the Cowboys’ season going. So, let’s break it down.

ESPN: Texas Bowl vs. Tennessee

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura combined powers for bowl projections. Schlabach had the Cowboys’ back in Houston for the Texas Bowl, while Bonagura didn’t have the Cowboys listed in any bowl.

The Texas Bowl is designated to pin the Big 12 vs. the SEC. Oklahoma State has played in that game twice recently — in 2023 and 2019.

OSU finished the 2023 regular season at 9-3, putting the Pokes in the Big 12 title game against Texas. The Cowboys would go on to beat Texas A&M 31-23 in the Texas Bowl to cap off that season.

The Cowboys were 8-4 entering the Texas Bowl in 2019 — again against Texas A&M. The Aggies took that one 24-21.

Across the past 10 Texas Bowls, the Big 12 team entered that bowl with an average record of 7.5-4.5 (two 9-3s, three 8-4s, three 7-5s and two 6-6s).

As for the potential matchup, the Cowboys and Volunteers have met just once on the gridiron. Tennessee shut out the Pokes 31-0 in 1995 in Knoxville.

Under OU alum Josh Huepel, the Vols went 8-5 in 2025, finishing in the middle of the pack in the SEC.

Athlon Sports: Texas Bowl vs. Missouri

Another Texas Bowl prediction, so all of the stuff in the last section about what it would mean the Cowboys’ record would be also applies here.

The Cowboys and Tigers have met twice since the latter joined the SEC going into the 2012 season.

The first was at the Cotton Bowl following the 2013 season, when the Tigers beat OSU 41-31.

The Cowboys got that win back at the 2018 Liberty Bowl, with Taylor Cornelius leading OSU to a 38-33 win against Drew Lock’s Tigers.

The 2026 season will be Eli Drinkwitz’s seventh in Columbia. The Tigers went 8-5 last year after back-to-back double-digit win seasons.

CBS Sports: Liberty Bowl vs. Missouri

It’s all connected somehow.

CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford also has the Cowboys facing the Tigers but in the Liberty Bowl.

As noted, it would be a rematch of the 2018 Liberty Bowl that OSU won. OSU entered that game at 6-6.

A spot in the Liberty Bowl would likely mean the Cowboys season went a bit worse than the two Texas Bowl projections. In the past 10 Liberty Bowls (not including 2020), the Big 12 representative entered the game with an average record of 6.7-5.3 (two 8-4s, three 7-5s and five 6-6s).

Also of note: the Big 12 is on a four-game losing streak in the Liberty Bowl, with Cincinnati, Texas Tech, Iowa State and Kansas all falling in the game the past four seasons.

With Week 0 just days away, here’s a look at which former Cowboys OSU will run up against in 2026.

Tulsa (3)

Davis Dotson (OL) — Out of Berryhill, Dotson spent the past three seasons at Oklahoma State, playing in 19 games as a Cowboy. Most of his time was spent on special teams, with Dotson playing 33 offensive snaps, per PFF.

Ty Williams (STAR) — This marks Williams’ second season at Tulsa after he was in Stillwater from 2021-24. He played in 12 games for Tulsa last season, finishing the year with five tackles. Out of Muskogee, Williams was a four-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, initially picking OSU over offers from Arkansas, Colorado, Texas Tech, TCU and others.

Kyran Duhon (DL) — Duhon earned Second Team All-Conference USA honors in 2024 and was tabbed as a freshman All-American by The Athletic while at UTEP. He then transferred to Oklahoma State ahead of last season, where he played in 11 games and made 16 tackles and two tackles for loss.

West Virginia (1)

Jaden Bray (WR) — In what feels like a lifetime ago, Jaden Bray had a touchdown catch in Oklahoma State’s Fiesta Bowl win against Notre Dame back during the 2021 season. Injuries have been an issue for Bray since, as he played just three games for the Cowboys in 2022. Across his three seasons with the Cowboys, Bray caught 48 balls for 686 yards and four touchdowns.

This is his third year at West Virginia because injuries have again been an issue. He’s played in seven games with the Mountaineers in his first two seasons, catching nine passes for 183 yards. If Bray can stay healthy, expect him to be a big part of WVU’s offense in 2026.

UCF (1)

Grayson Brousseau (TE) — After redshirting at Utah State in 2024, Brousseau was in Stillwater last season, where he played in all 12 of the Cowboys games and started twice. He caught seven passes for 45 yards and made the move to Orlando alongside OSU alum Cooper Bassett, who coached OSU’s offensive line last season and now coaches the UCF tight ends.

Houston (1)

De’Marion Thomas (DL) — A Union High alum, Thomas spent part of last season at Oklahoma State after starting his college career at Vanderbilt. He played just four games for the Cowboys before the season went to crap, finishing with 13 tackles. Across 23 games in his two seasons at Vandy, Thomas had 41 tackles.

Colorado (1)

Yamil Talib (DE) — Talib was a walk-on at Oklahoma State back in 2024, where he played in OSU’s loss at TCU that year. He spent last season at Charlotte with former OSU defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo and has now re-emerged at Colorado. While at Charlotte last season, Talib made 28 tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and an INT. That INT came against none other than Drew Mestemaker. Mestemaker did, though, throw for 608 yards that day.

Iowa State (2)

Zane Flores (QB) — Flores played in nine games and made eight starts at quarterback for the Cowboys last season, his third year in Stillwater. He completed 60% of his 266 pass attempts for 1,490 yards, three touchdowns and seven interceptions. It doesn’t look as if Flores will be the Cyclones’ starter this year. That honor will go to Arkansas State transfer Jaylen Raynor, but like with his time in Stillwater, Flores could be just a play away.

Jordan Vyborny (TE) — Vyborny was a tight end prospect out of Corner Canyon (Utah) who was with the Cowboys last season, where he redshirted.

Kansas State (4)

Wendell Gregory (DE) — There probably isn’t a contingent of more impactful former Pokes than the group that made its way up to Manhattan.

Wendell Gregory was probably the Cowboys’ best player last season. The coaches named him Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, as Gregory finished with 27 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and four sacks. Gregory redshirted at South Carolina in 2024.

Rodney Fields Jr. (RB) — Likewise, Fields was probably the Cowboys’ best offensive player last season. As a redshirt freshman running back, Fields ran for 614 yards and a touchdown in nine games. He also had 276 receiving yards and other score. Fields is expected to contribute to K-State’s rushing attack alongside returner Joe Jackson, who ran for 911 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

Jacobi Oliphant Jr. (LB) — Once a jumbo defensive back, Oliphant started playing closer to the line of scrimmage last season and is a listed linebacker at K-State. Oliphant played in all dozen of OSU’s games last season, his second year with the program, where he made 26 tackles, two sacks and had a PBU.

Jaxson Duffield (LS) — A long snapper from Owasso, Duffield spent his freshman season at OSU in 2025 but didn’t see any in-game action.

Arizona State (1)

Lyrik Rawls (DB) — Rawls is at his third Big 12 school after spending four seasons at OSU (2021-24) and last season at Kansas. In his four years as a Cowboy, Rawls took part in 29 games and finished with 67 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and two interceptions. With the Jayhawks last season, he made 73 tackles and an interception in 12 games.

Kansas (1)

Kasen Carpenter (OL) — Carpenter played in seven games and made two starts at center as a true sophomore for the Cowboys last season. He spent his freshman season at Tulsa in 2024, where he played in all 12 of TU’s games and made 11 starts at center.

The better question might be: how long does it take for those guys to take over the Big 12?

Because Morris has already proven he can make an even bigger leap before, when he left Incarnate Word for an offensive coordinator position at Washington State in 2022.

As is the case this season, he didn’t make the journey alone. Quarterback Cam Ward and receiver Robert Ferrel also jumped with him from the FCS to the Power Five level.

During his final season at Incarnate Word, Ward completed 65% of his 590 pass attempts for 4,648 yards (roughly 12 per completion) and 47 touchdowns against only 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 65 yards on 74 attempts and finished with one touchdown on the ground.

In his first season with the Cougars, Ward completed 64% of his 497 pass attempts for 3,232 yards (roughly 10 per completion) and 23 touchdowns against only nine picks. He also rushed for 58 yards on 107 carries but finished with five rushing TDs.

His passing yards dropped by roughly 30%, though a lot was due to a huge reduction in workload, as Ward’s yards per completion dipped by only 16% while his accuracy and interception rate stayed roughly the same.

Ward’s total touchdowns dropped by 42%.

To put that in context with quarterback Drew Mestemaker’s numbers, assuming the Pokes make a bowl game, we would expect him to finish with somewhere between 3,044 and 3,678 yards, with the range accounting for uncertainty in his overall passing workload.

Ward’s numbers also put Mestemaker on pace for 23 total touchdowns.

Since the departure of Mason Rudolph, only Taylor Cornelius in 2018 (3,978 yards) and Alan Bowman in 2023 (3,460) topped 3,000 passing yards at Oklahoma State, and both of them had the benefit of attempting 485-plus passes, whereas Mestemaker threw only 463 last season at UNT.

Cornelius also happens to be the last Cowboys QB to exceed 26 total touchdowns, scoring 42 in 2017. So it wouldn’t take much for Mestemaker to be the most prolific OSU passer in almost a decade.

As for his partner in crime, Ferrel caught 74 passes for 815 yards and nine touchdowns at Incarnate Word in 2021. While playing two fewer games at Washington State, Ferrel hauled in 56 receptions for 582 yards and four touchdowns.

It looks like a huge drop-off, but really it’s roughly only half a reception and 10 yards less per game, though the dip in scoring was significant.

Applying the same decrease to former UNT receiver Wyatt Young would give him a rough estimate of 63 receptions for 1,061 yards and five touchdowns. That would still make him OSU’s top wideout in reception yards since Tylan Wallace finished with 1,491 yards in 2018.

​As for how long it took these guys to make the adjustment, Ward racked up pretty good numbers in games one and three in 2022, as he combined to complete 67% of his passes for 547 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception against Idaho and Colorado State.

In Week 2 at Wisconsin, Ward seemed to struggle against his first Power Conference foe, completing 61% of his passes for 200 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in a 17-14 win.

In Week 4, he held his own in a duel with Oregon, completing 77% of his attempts for 375 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also finished with his first rushing touchdown at the FBS level.

The rest of the season was a bit of a rollercoaster for Ward, whose completion percentage swung between 46-87% (both extremes against some of the best teams he faced all season) while his passing yardage numbers ranged from 138-345. So, though he didn’t have a clear adjustment period, the future first overall draft pick lacked consistent dominance.

Ferrel missed the first two games of the season due to injury, but he too seemed to literally hit the ground running, catching three passes for 64 yards in his debut against Colorado State.

The wide receiver followed that up with eight catches for 50 yards and a touchdown against Oregon the next week. He never had fewer than three receptions and managed to hit eight against Utah (around the midpoint) and 10 in the bowl game against Fresno State. His yardage totals remained low usually, though he did finish with a season-high 131 against an Oregon State team that finished ranked 14th in the final College Football Playoff poll.

For the most part, these numbers don’t paint a picture of dominance, but these two players skipped over the non-Power Conference level of FBS play when they left the FCS behind and started for a Pac-12 team in what was arguably the last season before that league started to slide downhill from a talent standpoint.

Morris, Mestemaker and Young have more familiarity surrounding them on the offensive side of the football from both a coaching and player standpoint, and the jump from North Texas to the Big 12 should be more manageable than the chasm Ward leapt over during 2022.

Here’s a look at how Washington State’s offense looked overall under Morris in the 2022 season:

OSU Bullets

• Cowboy wrestlers Dreshaun Ross and Landon Robideau medaled at the U20 World Championships (PFB)

Heading back to Stilly as a World Medalist.

Dreshaun takes silver at the U20 World Championships.#GoPokes | @TheDreshaunRoss pic.twitter.com/5cPShHdIwO — OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) August 23, 2026

• Update on Cowboys in the NFL after week two of the preseason (PFB)

• This quote from Drew Mestemaker on the appeal of coming to Oklahoma State will strike a chord with the fanbase.

“This logo holds a lot of weight and has had a lot of legends come through here. So, to step into this facility and to step into this campus, it really holds a lot of weight to, honestly, be a good football team because they haven’t had that the past few years.” [PFB]

• What it’s been like for teammates to meet Drew Mestemaker after his ascent to star-caliber quarterback (PFB)

• Let’s all find something to be as happy about this week as Nolan McLean is below:

Safe to say Nolan McLean enjoyed Bo Bichette’s home run 😂 pic.twitter.com/6DfePlSyxw

— Mets’d Up Podcast (@MetsdUp) August 22, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Building without predicting The most common last name in every country:

Most common last name in the world. pic.twitter.com/HNdFNhXQfL

— African Maps (@MapsAfrican) August 23, 2026

“Being annoyed is the price you pay for community. It means having guests when you’d rather be alone. It means letting someone live with you even when they get on your nerves. It means showing up for events that you’d rather not go to. It means turning the other cheek.” Divya Venn

Teams are working through their depth charts as they head into the final week of preseason games. Mason Rudolph showed Pittsburgh head coach Mike McCarthy all he needed to in the preseason opener, so he didn’t see the field this weekend. And some of the other established players like Rudolph’s backfield mate Jaylen Warren got a short burn as the coaching staff tried to get a better look at those fighting for reps or roster spots.

But a handful of former Pokes were active. Let’s take a look around the league starting with a record-holder at OSU fighting for a spot in his second year.

Presley Got the Rams Going

Brennan Presley followed up his team-leading 58 receiving yards in Week 1 of the preseason by getting involved early and often in the Rams’ Week 2 exhibition against the New Orleans Saints.

In fact, he got the ball on the Rams’ first three plays on offense. They were as follows: a five-yard run, a 14-yard reception and a seven-yard reception.

Presley ended the game with four catches for 35 receiving yards and that run. His six targets were second only to rookie receiver CJ Daniels. Presley also returned a punt 11 yards.

Speaking of his return duties, the former OSU special teams star has been effective there as well.

Through (mostly) two preseason games, your NFL leader in kick return yards is Lincoln Christian’s Kolbe Katsis with 139 yards.

If you look at qualified average, Katsis is 7th in the preseason (27.8 avg). Three spots ahead of him is Brennan Presley (29.5 avg). pic.twitter.com/gfqwtrahsb

— Dan Lindblad (@DanLindbladTV) August 23, 2026

The Rams never really looked back from after those three quick plays, blanking the Saints 34-0.

Ollie Gordon Takes a Tough Hit

After a mixed bag last week, the second-year tailback was limited to just four carries for eight yards after he took a tough hit in the second quarter.

Ollie Gordon injury –

Could see it being ribs involved after taking contact. Holding his abdomen/side while walking off too. pic.twitter.com/ctIf0idj80

— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) August 22, 2026

Gordon was reportedly cleared to return but Miami’s coaching staff elected to be cautious.

The Dolphins would fall to the Giants 26-3, but former Oklahoma State corner A.J. Green III did record three tackles (two solo).

E-Man Talks Return to KC

Emmanuel Ogbah didn’t see the field in Chiefs’ loss to Tampa Bay but practiced for the first time in the week preceding. He signed a one-year deal to return to Kansas City where he played for one season in 2019.

#Chiefs DE Emmanuel Ogbah talks about his return to KC and what he wants to prove. pic.twitter.com/A760fiNrDi

— Sports Radio 810 WHB (@SportsRadio810) August 17, 2026

Other Notes:

• Jaylen Warren got the start but is playing RB by committee with Rico Dowdle. Warren finished with five carries for 17 yards while Dowdle had five for 18.

• After leading the 49ers with eight total tackles in Week 1, Nick Martin came in second with four total tackles (three solo). He did miss practice on Sunday due to a hamstring issue.

• Tyler Lacy logged two tackles (one solo).

• Tay Martin caught one pass for 11 yards on four targets.

• Terrill Davis caught on pass for seven yards on three targets.

• Wes Pahl punted four times for an average of 48 yards including a 55-yarder. He landed one inside the 20-yard line.

• Korie Black had a solo tackle in the Giants’ 26-3 win over the Dolphins.

• Chuba Hubbard is still out with a hamstring issue but should be ready by Week 1.

“I always look at him, smile, or say ‘hey or something,’ just to joke around,” Rigsby said. “But Drew’s nice, man. I love Drew. He’s really good.”

The hype surrounding Mestemaker both for the season ahead and his eventual pro career seems to grow by the day. But if he and Oklahoma State are going to live up to their potential this fall, Mestemaker will likely need that same amount of respect inside the locker room.

Based on four different conversations with transfers like Rigsby, who didn’t know him before this offseason, it sounds like Mestemaker aced that portion of the transition.

“He’s just like (running back) Caleb (Hawkins),” running back Ayo Adeyi said. “I feel like just his success is really cool to see. But just seeing him outside of football, down-to-earth guy, very humble, fun to be around. Just, he’s a locker room guy, you know. Guys like that are the best people because you want to be around them all the time. So it’s great to group with people like him. So I’m excited.”

Adeyi just missed out on sharing a team with Mestemaker as he transferred away from North Texas the same offseason that the quarterback joined. His impression of the Cowboys’ quarterback wasn’t unique to the offense.

Rigsby, a Texas Tech transfer, identified Mestemaker’s character as the thing that impressed him the most.

“He’s humble, really humble,” Rigby said. “You won’t really hear much from him. He’ll just go out there and do his job.”

Michigan State transfer Ashton Lepo didn’t voice those things, but likely feels similarly, considering he said he hangs out with Mestemaker on the weekends cooking steaks and stuff like that.

When asked what stands out about the Cowboys QB, Lepo focused instead on how he leads the offense.

“I think he is just really detailed at his craft,” he said. “A lot of the plays and stuff, he is really detailed, detail-oriented, making sure everyone knows what we’re doing, where exactly he has to read and stuff like that. Kind of the little things, making sure that he knows what he is doing.”

That attention to detail has more than paid off this offseason, according to UCLA transfer Isaiah Chisom. Despite ranking second on the Bruins with 84 tackles last season, the linebacker said he struggles to anticipate his new quarterback, which is something he hopes proves true for his counterparts throughout the Big 12. It also echoes some of the praise OSU’s defensive coordinator offered recently when explaining how Mestemaker’s time as a high school defender helped him develop as a quarterback.

“He’s a great quarterback and a great guy,” Chisom said. “I think, you know, it’s hard to find people who are able to read stuff so well and look off. He’s really hard to read during practice and see what he’s about to do.”

Dreshaun Ross and Landon Robideau took silver and bronze, respectively, at the U20 World Championships in Slovakia, as the Americans medaled at all 10 weights and won the team race.

A freshman heavyweight at Oklahoma State, Ross dropped his world final to Abolfazl Mohammad Nezhad (Iran), 5-3. Ross was in on more of the offensive action, but Nezhad made a couple of heads-up plays on the edge of the mat and was able to defend from there on.

It’s still an excellent showing from Ross, who has yet to wrestle a college match and now has a U20 world silver medal.

Ross could very well be the Cowboys’ starter at heavyweight this season, even with returning fourth-place NCAA finisher Konner Doucet on the roster. Ross was the top-ranked heavyweight and No. 4 pound-for-pound prospect on MatScouts big board for the 2026 class. He was a four-time Iowa state champion, going 146-2 in high school. During his senior season, he won every match by either tech or fall. He won Fargo three times. A blue-chip recruit in every sense.

Reigning 157-pound NCAA champ Landon Robideau took bronze on Sunday morning at 70 kg by beating Zalkarbek Tabaldiev (Kyrgyzstan) 3-1.

Robideau was down 1-0 at intermission, giving up a passivity point, but he controlled the pace and the positioning in the second frame, scoring on two push-outs and a passivity point to win it.

It was a good weekend for Robideau, going 4-1 with his only loss coming to Iran’s Sina Khalili, who won the bracket and is also a U17 world champ and won the Zagreb Open earlier this year. Robideau gave Khalili his closest match.

Robideau went 21-2 as a true freshman last season, avenging both of his losses at the NCAA Championships on his way to winning his title.

Overall it was a dominant showing from the American contingent, as the U.S. took home a medal at all 10 weights — four gold, three silver and three bronze. The U.S. took first in the team race with 205 points, coming ahead of Russia (155), Japan (130) and Iran (103).

Here’s the American team and their college affiliations:

57 kg — Isaiah Cortez (Cornell), silver
61 kg — Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech), gold
65 kg — Bo Bassett (Virginia Tech), gold
70 kg — Landon Robideau (Oklahoma State), bronze
74 kg — Jayden James (Penn State), silver
79 kg — Ryan Burton (Virginia Tech), bronze
86 kg — Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri), gold
92 kg — Jimmy Mastny (Iowa State), bronze
97 kg — Michael Boyle (Ohio State), gold
125 kg — Dreshaun Ross (Oklahoma State), silver

OSU Bullets

• One ESPN analyst has tabbed Drew Mestemaker as a first-round talent.

Reid’s Mestemaker breakdown also came with this quote from an AFC scout:

“He’s the one that I can see being the one that goes before all of them.”

So, that obviously adds to the excitement that’s already overflowing in Stillwater. [PFB]

• With just two weeks to go before the season kicks off, I have Three Burning Questions for the new-look Cowboys. [PFB]

• OSU wrestling commit Dreshaun Ross advanced to the U20 World Championship Finals. Plenty to be excited about with this incoming freshman. 

It only took Oklahoma State freshman Dreshaun Ross 33 seconds to dismantle his first opponent at u20 Worlds! pic.twitter.com/Vwt97m6eIC

— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) August 22, 2026

• Donovan Walton went yard in Houston.

Donovan Walton gets the #Athletics on the board first with a solo HR in the third!

🎙️ @ChrisCaray #MLB #HomeRun #Baseball pic.twitter.com/uGh05NqqHc

— A’s Cast (@athleticscast24) August 23, 2026

• On the potential return of OSU’s return game.

“We’re going to try to make plays.” [The Oklahoman]

• Skyler Cassity is going to let us worry about the defensive stats. He just wants to win. [Tulsa World]

Non-OSU Bullets

• How to build trust by saying “I don’t know.” [Big Think]

• This is just nuts. 

NEW: Cleveland head coach Todd Monken on Browns TE Dae’Quan Wright entering the NCAA transfer portal:

“I mean, ain’t this shit crazy?”

“I wondered why Lane Kiffin reached out a week ago. Now, I know. I didn’t call him back. Now, I guess I should have.”😂

(h/t @ceasterlingABJ)… https://t.co/ZhRh204UF1 pic.twitter.com/IxGyN5dOpo

— On3 (@On3) August 22, 2026

A new coaching staff, an almost entirely rebuilt roster and what seems like an all-around culture shift might just pay off for the program. It couldn’t get much worse than the results of the last two seasons. But while the new-look Cowboys offer plenty to get excited about, this season also comes with about as many questions that need answered as ever.

Here are a few that have been banging around my brain with two weeks until the Cowboys kick off their year in Tulsa.

1. How Do These Cowboys Handle the Step Up in Competition?

The core of UNT players that followed Eric Morris from UNT have had inarguably more on-field success than anyone playing in Stillwater did last season, but there is still at least a question about the competition level.

If we look at strength of schedule last season, North Texas ranked 77th, according to TeamRankings.com, but OSU was 70th even with the Oregon slaughter. Obviously, the Mean Green were able to squeeze out 11 regular season wins to the Cowboys’ single (FCS) win. So, I’m feeling a little better about the gap based on that sample size.

Looking at 2026, OSU has the third-toughest schedule among Big 12 teams as predicted by one metric. The Pokes face Oregon again (at least this year in BPS), and they also host Texas Tech but only have two home games the first four weeks.

Of course, it comes down to more than strength of schedule. The level of the athlete is different. I think that gap is thinner than it used to be thanks to the transfer portal and rule changes, but blocking holding back the defensive fronts of K-State, Texas Tech and Arizona State three weeks in a row in November takes more strength up front than doing the same against UAB, Rice and then Temple.

2. How Quickly Does this O-Line Gel

Since I used that example, let’s start there.

I’m pretty confident that Eric Morris has the playmakers to score enough points on offense, but how well will his big guys up front be able to facilitate those big plays?

The offensive line rotation will be made almost entirely of players who were not at OSU last season. In fact, when Eric Morris talked about his potential starting five, he threw out seven potential names and only three of them played on the same team last year.

It’s hard not to imagine a worst-case scenario similar to ones we’ve seen in Stillwater before. Having all the preseason watchlist QBs, receivers and running backs without the depth, experience or strength to allow them to move the ball consistently.

Sometimes that was due to recruiting (a lot of the time) and others it was just really bad luck when it comes to injuries. But no coaching staff or team is immune to O-line issues.

If they come out and dominate the line of scrimmage against Tulsa, it will be encouraging. If they hold their own against Oregon, it will be hard to not get excited about this team’s chances. Either way, we’ll have to wait and see.

3. Can They Take It Back?

Skyler Cassity’s defense in 2025 was adept at turning teams over and giving those offensive superstars extra possessions. If that skill translates to the Big 12, it can go a long way in easing the above transition up in competition.

North Texas ranked fifth in the FBS creating 28 turnovers last year, up from 16 the year before Cassity arrived. As the DC at Sam Houston in 2024, his team dispossessed their opponent 27 times (T7th nationally) which was up from 20 (T40th) the year before he arrived there.

There is some discussion among football’s talking heads as to how much you can even coach takeaways. Although there is a certain amount of luck involved in creating turnovers, anecdotally it seems to be a skill. At the very least, Cassity seems to be able to get his team prepared to take advantage of those opportunities.

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid on Friday tiered 31 college quarterbacks by what round of the draft he expects them to go in, while noting that not all 31 of those guys will enter the draft next season.

Reid had four first-round caliber selections: CJ Carr (Notre Dame), Arch Manning (Texas), Dante Moore (Oregon) and Mestemaker.

“Many evaluators are intrigued by Mestemaker’s raw tools. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder has a strong arm that’s coupled with daring confidence. He has never played a Power 4 opponent, but Mestemaker will have a chance to showcase his skills in the Big 12. And there are scouts who believe he could make a meteoric rise.” — ESPN

Reid’s Mestemaker breakdown also came with this quote from an AFC scout:

“He’s the one that I can see being the one that goes before all of them.”

So, that obviously adds to the excitement that’s already overflowing in Stillwater.

Mestemaker led the country with 4,379 yards last season as a redshirt freshman at North Texas, as he also threw 34 touchdowns to just nine interceptions.

Last month, NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay said he expects Mestemaker to be at OSU for two seasons, meaning he would be back in Stillwater in 2027. That seems to be the popular sentiment among draft experts in the preseason, but obviously that can change should Mestemaker and the Cowboys come out and light the world on fire.

Along with all the draft buzz, Mestemaker is on just about every preseason watchlist he’s eligible for. Just this week, Mestemaker popped up on the lists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm (given to the top upper-classman QB) and the Davey O’Brien (given to the best QB in college football). He was also on the watchlist for the Maxwell Award (given to the best player in college football) earlier this month.

This preseason hype has to be nearing its boiling point, but thankfully, we’re now just two weeks from OSU kicking off its season in Tulsa.

Ross advanced to the U20 World Championships finals at 125 kg on Saturday, storming through his four matches to get there by a combined score of 36-1 in Slovakia.

Ross is an incoming freshman at Oklahoma State, who will compete at heavyweight.

Ross’ first two opponents didn’t make it out of the opening minute, as he got up 10-0 on South Korea’s Baejoon Jang in just 33 seconds. Then he bested Kazakhstan’s Riza Izakhar in just 54 seconds, again winning 10-0.

It only took Oklahoma State freshman Dreshaun Ross 33 seconds to dismantle his first opponent at u20 Worlds! pic.twitter.com/Vwt97m6eIC

— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) August 22, 2026

His third foe was able to make it out of the first minute, but not by much. Ross beat Georgia’s Aleksandre Abramishvili 12-0 in 2:10.

Ross was finally in a match of substance in the semis, but he still got the better of Azerbaijan’s Yusif Dursunov 4-1. The match was tied at 1 in the second period with both guys scoring via activity points before Ross got in on a leg and forced a step-out, and then got in on a leg again and scored a takedown.

Dursunov took bronze at the U20 World Championships last year and won the U20 European Championships this year. He is also a former U17 world champ (2023).

Ross will get Iran’s Abolfazl Mohammad Nezhad in Sunday’s final. Nezhad won U23 world gold last year and took second at last year’s U20 World Championships.

Landon Robideau also started his U20 Worlds journey Sunday morning, winning his first three bouts before dropping a tight one in the semis. He’s still alive for third.

Robideau opened against Georgia’s Zurab Abalaki, with the reigning 157-pound NCAA champ winning 12-1.

He was then in a tight one against Mongolia’s Ankh Altangerel, who took third at the U23 Asian Championships earlier this year. Robideau was able to open the bout up late, pinning Altangerel as time expired when Robideau was already up 13-5.

Up next came Russia’s Mairbek Merov in the quarters. Robideau was down 2-0 to the Russian at intermission before back-to-back Robideau takedowns seemingly left Merov gassed. Robideau would get another takedown in the second frame and take the bout 7-4.

After giving up two stepouts in the first period, Landon Robideau poured on the offense in his U20 World quarterfinal against Russia! Watch him in the semis LIVE on FloWrestling! pic.twitter.com/zRCUfnIhRW

— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) August 22, 2026

Robideau matched up with Iran’s Sina Khalili in the semis. Khalili is a former U17 world champ, a 2025 U23 world silver medalist and won the Zagreb Open earlier this year. So, a tough competitor.

Robideau held a 2-1 lead in the final minute, but Khalili was able to get a match-winning takedown with about 40 seconds to go. Robideau was giving up some length to Khalili and had a hard time breaking down his defense getting to his legs.

OSU’s 157-pounder will wrestler the winner of Zalkarbek Tabaldiev (Kyrgyzstan) and Remzi Temur (Turkey) for third on Sunday.

Three Thoughts

• CBS Sports is picking the Pokes for the Liberty Bowl against Missouri – love the underlying assumption that we’ll win six or seven games (CBS Sports)

• Great interview with Drew Mestemaker, 28-minutes with QB1 (YouTube)

• It’ll be wild to experience this with Eric Morris – he went for it on fourth down more than 2.5 times each game last season (36 times in 14 games).

Quite a change from Mike Gundy, who it felt like had “punt” as one of his three favorite offensive play calls – to go with a wide receiver screen and draw play on third and long .

North Texas went for it on fourth down 36 times last season, which is tied with Alabama and Arizona State for the sixth-most fourth-down attempts in FBS.

The Mean Green converted on 26 of those attempts, the fourth-most fourth-down conversions of any team in the country. [PFB]

Two Quotes

• Gosh it would have been brutal if Mestemaker went to Texas Tech:

Drew Mestemaker on what’s other schools showed interest while in the portal, per @Blutman27

– Oregon – LSU – Michigan – Texas Tech 👀 pic.twitter.com/P9hBlp7IjO — SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) August 21, 2026

• Hate to be the junior college coach that made this call – it could have been a pitch to get him onto your squad though:

Mestemaker said when he told a Juco coach he wasn’t going to his school because he was planning to walk on to Sam Houston State (before later changing to UNT), the coach told him “Not everyone can be Baker Mayfield” and scolded him for his decision not to go Juco. Seems like… https://t.co/9D5stIzLxm

— Jake (@JakeWayneSports) August 21, 2026

One Question

• I like this call out that the defense will define OSU’s season (point number three) – do you think the defense or the offensive line is a bigger wildcard?

Non-OSU Bullets

• Russell Westbrook never chilled • After my first Europe trip, I’m soccer-curious. This ranking of the 20 Premier League teams (here’s another one) is helping me orient – AI says Sunderland is the most like Oklahoma State, while Brighton is most like the OKC Thunder and Aston Villa is the best blend. Being an OU fan is polyester. Have a great weekend folks!

According to a report from USA Today, a group of doctors and scientists have petitioned the Big 12 and the NCAA to pause the sponsorship, saying its a health risk to children.

Here’s a quote from John Higgins, a member of the group who is a sports cardiologist with the Houston Rockets and Rice Athletics:

“The reason for focusing on the Big 12 is primarily the scale and demographics of its audience,” Higgins said. “Big 12 games can reach roughly 10–18 million viewers per weekend, with particularly strong exposure among younger fans. That makes the conference an especially important environment to examine when considering the marketing and consumption of energy drinks among young people.”

If a backhanded compliment is something like looks like praise but contains hidden criticism, would the Big 12 having too wide a reach for such a deal, according to this group, be considered a fronthanded compliment?

The Big 12’s deal with Monster is reportedly worth $20 million annually for naming Monster the “Entitlement Partner of Big 12 Football and Big 12 Basketball regular seasons.” The Monster logo is set to be on football and basketball jerseys, as well as fields and courts … no matter how sacred.

While I like the partnership between the Big 12 and Monster, this is just an awful look. pic.twitter.com/RKAOq8ECDE

— Zachary Lancaster (@zlancaster91) August 18, 2026

My guess is this petition is going to change nothing. For starters, everyone in the college athletics space is trying to find as many streams of income as possible in the modern landscape. Secondly, the Big 12 is far from the only organization that promotes energy drinks, so why would it fall on this particular sword when it’s being done elsewhere?

But this adds to what’s been a complicated rollout for the partnership. Most public sentiment I’ve seen (or heard from Justin Southwell) have been negative about slapping a corporate logo on uniforms and playing surfaces, and that’s after the fact that some aren’t thrilled with the reported $20 million.

But winning cures all. I can see a world where if the Big 12 has strong football and basketball seasons, the sponsorship turns into something of a meme that fans will rally to make jokes behind. Could you imagine the amount of Monster jokes if OSU finds a way to upset Oregon?

Drew Mestemaker and Caleb Hawkins both appear to be quite good at football, but I already knew that going into my 2025 North Texas rewatch.

So, instead of stating the obvious across my next 700 words or so, here are three slightly more minuscule things that I picked up on from watching all 14 of North Texas’ games across the past three weeks.

1. Hawkins Is a Menace in the Dump Off Game

I was already high on Caleb Hawkins’ ability, but this preseason exercise got me even more excited to watch Hawkins this fall.

He runs with no regard for himself or others. Tackling him (or attempting to tackle him) doesn’t look fun at all.

Although he’s more than capable of toting the rock between the tackles, what stuck out to me most was how much of a threat he is in the passing game.

There were plenty of times last season where nothing would be open down field, so after staying in to pass protect, Hawkins would swing out wide and catch a dump-off pass. That’s the most terrifying position for him to be in as a defense.

I say that because on those types of plays, he’ll get the ball with no one within five feet of him. The defensive linemen often aren’t quick enough to go laterally to catch him, leaving nothing by defensive backs and linebackers having to track Hawkins down in space. And when he gets that steam engine rolling, it felt rare that just one of those guys could bring him down.

No stopping @CalebHawk2025

📺 @ESPNCFB #GMG🦅 pic.twitter.com/iZlGKhbJzR

— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) December 27, 2025

Hawkins had 370 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns last season on 32 catches. For reference, the last OSU running back to have at least 370 receiving yards in a season was Joseph Randle way back in 2010 (427 receiving yards). So, it’s not every day a running back is putting up those types of numbers in the passing game.

2. Skyler Cassity’s Defense Excelled in Creating Turnovers

Part of North Texas blowing teams out all 2025 was the high-powered offense, but the defense’s ability to get the ball back to that offense also played a large role.

UNT created 28 turnovers in 2025 (13 fumble recoveries and 15 INTs), which tied SMU for the fifth-most in the country — trailing only Texas Tech (32), Arizona (31), Indiana (29) and Southern Miss (29).

The Mean Green finished the year with a turnover margin of +9, which ranked 16th nationally.

Having seen his defense’s ability to create turnovers, I asked Cassity last week what about a defense makes it good at creating turnovers.

“Getting to the football,” he said. “It all starts there. The more hats you can get around the football, the more turnovers you’ll always force. It’s not something that you just emphasize in a five-minute period in practice. It’s something that you emphasize all the time. It’s getting around the football, getting multiple hats on the football, being violent at the point of attack and swarming ball carriers.

“The more time that you can get multiple people around the ball, even if the first guy misses, when there’s two and three guys that show up immediately following, you got chances to make big-time explosive plays.”

3. Morris Isn’t Afraid to Go For It

This is perhaps where Morris’ offensive roots show through the most.

North Texas went for it on fourth down 36 times last season, which is tied with Alabama and Arizona State for the sixth-most fourth-down attempts in FBS.

The Mean Green converted on 26 of those attempts, the fourth-most fourth-down conversions of any team in the country.

UNT’s fourth-down conversion percentage of .722 ranked seventh nationally.

So, not only was North Texas going for it a lot, they were converting on fourth down a lot. Only Duke had a higher fourth-down conversion percentage on more attempts than UNT.

The offensive weapons certainly help. Hawkins rarely loses ground. He gained 1,457 yards on the ground last season while losing only 23. So, if UNT needed a yard or two, he was almost certainly a lock. But the Mean Green also had some big chunk plays on fourth down, like in their bowl game when Mestemaker hit Cameron Dorner on a 4th-and-4 for a 31-yard touchdown.

Easy pitch and catch from @DrewMestemaker to @cameron_dorner

📺 @ESPNCFB #GMG🦅 https://t.co/MyR389rQPP pic.twitter.com/51vWYPwtWQ

— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) December 28, 2025

Oklahoma State’s quarterback was on Barstool’s Blut Talks Ball on Thursday evening with Liam Blutman, where he was asked a variety of questions, the most simple of which might’ve been if he was going to score a lot of points this season.

“We’re gonna score a lot,” Mestemaker said. “Bullet’s gonna be tired for sure.”

It was about a 30-minute interview that spanned everything from Mestemaker’s journey from high school safety to college quarterback to his favorite Oklahoma State uniform combination (it’s black (brand)-white-black, by the way).

Mestemaker was asked about athletes he looks up to at one point, and he mentioned those who are the psychopaths of their sport — Tom Brady, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

Speaking of MJ, back when ‘The Last Dance’ documentary was new, there wasn’t a more popular meme from it than Jordan saying he took certain slights personally. Well, Mestemaker shared his own I took that personally moment with Blutman.

When Mestemaker, a high school safety, was looking at colleges to play quarterback at, one of the first opportunities he had was a junior college in California. But before that could become realized, Mestemaker got a walk-on opportunity at Sam Houston before Eric Morris and North Texas also offered a walk-on spot. That led to a tough conversation with the JUCO coach that he was no longer interested in that opportunity.

“I feel like every ‘no’ kind of adds that chip on your shoulder, but the junior college that I told I was coming to play quarterback for them out in California, I called them when I got the Sam Houston offer and told them that I was going to Sam Houston,” Mestemaker said. “He was kinda upset, and he was like, ‘Alright, just think about it for like an hour and then call me back.’ So, I was like, ‘Alright.’ I thought about it and didn’t change my mind and called him back and was like, ‘Hey, I’m still going to Sam Houston.’ And he was kinda saying, like, I wasn’t gonna be very good, and I was like, alright, what’s going on here? He was like, ‘Not everyone can be Baker Mayfield,’ is what he said.

“I don’t have any ill will towards him, but I was like, alright, dude, what’s up with you kind of crap talking me now that I don’t want to come to junior college? It was just a little weird, and that’s definitely something I remember and kind of carry with me to train that much harder.”

It’s sort of awesome that a quarterback who led the FBS in passing last season is still using the words of a junior college coach to motivate him. It’s a window into Mestemaker’s competitive nature that Morris often brings up saying the quarterback is a different animal inside the lines of a football field.

But the most glaring sign of that is probably the fact that Mestemaker believed he could play quarterback in college after not playing it in high school in the first place.

“I think I always felt that I was a good enough quarterback that as long as I got an opportunity, I could make the most of it,” Mestemaker said. “I had a D-III in San Antonio offer for me to be an athlete. I was like, I’m not a safety at the end of the day. I was solid. I was a solid punter, but I knew I was a good quarterback deep down, and I just needed an opportunity to show it and someone to take a chance on me.

“I was really just bought in on going anywhere as a quarterback because I believed I could make some noise and be a better quarterback than I would be a safety.”

After having to juggle junior college offers and walk-on spots coming out of high school, the portal process looked a little bit different for Mestemaker.

He ended up sticking with Morris and transferring to Oklahoma State, but he shared a few of the other schools who were eyeing him out of the transfer portal.

“I didn’t really talk to a whole bunch of schools in the portal,” Mestemaker said. “But my agent, we kinda came down to a pretty tight little grouping there at the end. Really, the schools that were interested were like Oregon, LSU was on there, Michigan was in our kind of radar. So, kinda like those three, I guess, maybe (Texas) Tech a little bit, but at the end of the day, I kinda chose my decision pretty quickly, honestly.”

Mestemaker also spent some time highlighting his teammates. When asked about his receivers, Mestemaker shouted out Wyatt Young, Miles Coleman, Justin Bowick, Chris Barnes and Terrence Lewis (who keeps getting name dropped this fall). He also talked up running backs Caleb Hawkins and Tre Page.

Now in his third year in Morris’ system, Mestemaker talked about stepping up in the leadership department. It didn’t sound like that was just for the team, but for the university he now represents.

“Outside of football, I feel like I’ve grown into a leader, for sure,” Mestemaker said. “I definitely had to take that step this year, honestly, transferring to Oklahoma State.

“This logo holds a lot of weight and has had a lot of legends come through here. So, to step into this facility and to step into this campus, it really holds a lot of weight to, honestly, be a good football team because they haven’t had that the past few years.”

OSU Bullets

• Cowgirl FC hosted OU last night – the Sooners got their first win in Stillwater since 2016, winning 2-0

• Cowboy Wrestling has a few (four) weights that appear to be up for grabs (PFB)

• See what Brandon Weeden had to say about Drew Mestemaker here:

“Drew looked great, throws with some anticipation, you can tell he’s extremely accurate. Plenty of arm strength, moves around well. I was super-impressed. I watched him play a couple games last year and I’m a fan of the way he plays the game. He’s a very fundamentally sound quarterback. You can tell he’s very cerebral, gets the ball out on time…” [GoPokes 247]

• Mason Rudolph locked up QB2 in Pittsburgh – will he be this generation’s Chase Daniel or Jason Garrett? (PFB) • Eric Morris highlighted a couple of freshman – a defensive tackle (!) and a receiver – that could play early (PFB)

•  It’s fun for the Cowboys to have a horse in this race.

“We’re entering into what should be the greatest four to five months of Quarterback play in College Football in a single season”, per @McShay13 on the @BFWshow pic.twitter.com/Q4ieJRd9Fu

— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) August 20, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Ranking the most fun states in the US – OK checks in at 31, Texas in the top-ten • Learning how to talk with God (faith-based)

“The measure of a life is not what you consume, but what you contribute. Spend less time owning, consuming, taking. Spend more time giving, creating, making.” James Clear

The Oklahoma State soccer team fell to its in-state rival 2-0 on Thursday night at Neal Patterson Stadium, marking the first time the Cowgirls have lost to the Sooners at home since 2016.

OU just about controlled the game from start to finish, as the Sooners had a 13-5 advantage in shots, a 5-0 advantage in shots on goal and an 8-4 advantage in corner kicks.

“We had some moments,” OSU coach Colin Carmichael said. “We hoped if we could get one we could climb back into it, but we didn’t create enough chances. Obviously we didn’t have a shot on goal. Had a few chances in scrambles but nothing clean. That’s something we need to work on.”

The Sooners got the scoring started in the 30th minute.

After a foul near midfield, OU sent the ball into the box. Elle Canty beat the defense to it to the right of the goal and sent the ball back across. Kate McCallister got her head to it, sending it goal bound. OSU goalkeeper Logan Marks got a glove to it, but it crossed the line on the bounce. It was reviewed and confirmed. The Cowgirls were down 1-0.

Kate introducing herself to Bedlam ❕@ElleCanty → @KateMcCalliste4 pic.twitter.com/NoeJlcU1PP

— Oklahoma Soccer (@OU_WSoccer) August 21, 2026

That goal seemed to spark the Cowgirls for a bit, as they started getting more possession of the ball, but OU had the next big chance when Kayle Keefer took a shot from the top of the box that Marks was able to push wide of the post.

With about 27 minutes to play, the OU keeper got some action, blocking a cross that was waiting to be followed up on, but the Sooners were the first to the ball and were able to clear it.

OU doubled its lead in the 70th. Keefer whizzed a low cross in from the right side that found it’s way to Kennedy Kasier, who coolly tapped it into the net from right outside the 6-yard box.

textbook 😮‍💨@Kaylakeefer13 → @kaiserkennedy07 pic.twitter.com/leYdXhGv7P

— Oklahoma Soccer (@OU_WSoccer) August 21, 2026

As noted, this marks OU’s first win in Stillwater since 2016. With OU beating the Cowgirls last season, it’s also the first time OSU has lost back-to-back against their in-state rivals since 2016. The all-time series sits at 32-12-5 in the Cowgirls’ favor.

“We want to win Bedlam,” Carmichael said. “We always want to win Bedlam. We have a great record against those guys, and the games are always intense, just like that, but after this game, there’s still, what, 16 to go. So, you can’t put all your eggs in one basket. It’d be the same for them, though. They won the game, but they’ve gotta kinda put that behind them and move on to the next one, as well. I guess it’s that old cliche — next-game mentality.”

Through their opening three games, the Cowgirls are 1-1-1. They’ll get another shot an at SEC foe next Thursday when they head to Starkville for a game against Mississippi State.

PFB photographer Devin Wilber was also roaming the sidelines at Neal Patterson Stadium on Thursday. Here are some of his best shots.

Now with the New England Patriots, Harris ranked 15th among rookies in PFF grades for the NFL’s first round of preseason games.

He was graded out at an 86.1 in the Pats 13-13 tie with the Indianapolis Colts. Harris had a pair of tackles and a pass breakup. According to PFF, he was targeted three times in 16 coverage snaps, where he allowed a lone six-yard reception.

Harris spent three seasons in Stillwater after beginning his career at Arkansas State.

Harris played 1,504 defensive snaps across his three seasons at Arkansas State. But the playing time dried up when he got to Stillwater, taking part in just 96 defensive snaps across his first two seasons as a Cowboy. In the modern world, it would’ve been easy for Harris to hop back in to portal in search of playing time, but that wasn’t the way he saw it.

“I love Oklahoma State, and I believed in me,” Harris said going into last season. “It’s simple. I love Oklahoma State. I love being here. And I just believed in me. I could’ve transferred, took the easy way out, went somewhere I could’ve played instantly, but it wasn’t about instant gratification. I wanted to prove myself. I wanted to prove that I can play here, so I stuck it out and I grinded hard. It paid off.”

Harris played 669 defensive snaps for the Cowboys last season — the most among OSU defenders. He made 33 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack while breaking up six passes, which led the team.

Then Harris was the star of OSU’s Pro Day. He ran a 4.48 40-yard dash while turning in a 10-foot, 9-inch broad jump, a 39.5-inch vertical and 22 reps on the bench press. He signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in May.

“It shows my resilience,” Harris said at Pro Day. “I didn’t transfer, I stayed, I proved I can play at this level. And I stuck it out, and I finally got my opportunity. And it showed here today, and I’m proud of myself coming this far.”

GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 | GAME 4 | GAME 5 | GAME 6 | GAME 7 | GAME 8 | GAME 9 | GAME 10 | GAME 11 | GAME 12 | GAME 13

And now, my (re)watch has ended.

North Texas won an instant classic New Mexico Bowl against San Diego State. The 49-47 UNT win closed out what was almost certainly the best season in the Mean Green’s football history.

In preparation for Oklahoma State’s 2026 season, we’re going back and watching North Texas’ 2025 season. Here are some takeaways from this game against San Diego State.

Caleb Hawkins Dominated

After getting injured early in the conference championship game, Caleb Hawkins was back with a vengeance in this one.

He finished with 198 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries (6.4 yards per attempt), but his most eye-popping play came as a receiver.

Hawkins slipped out of the backfield late in the first quarter. Drew Mestemaker dumped the ball off to Hawkins, who proceeded to make four guys miss in a 23-yard trot to the end zone.

No stopping @CalebHawk2025

📺 @ESPNCFB #GMG🦅 pic.twitter.com/iZlGKhbJzR

— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) December 27, 2025

It was a pitiful tackling display, but Hawkins does that to people. According to PFF, Hawkins forced nine missed tackles as a rusher in this game and four missed tackles as a receiver. Whether it be on a rush or a reception, Hawkins forced double-digit misses in four of UNT’s games last season and he finished the year making 103 total would-be tacklers miss.

Hawkins also recovered an onside kick attempt late in this game. He was doing it all.

Big Play Evan Jackson

Safety Evan Jackson made a few highlight-worthy plays in this one.

The first came on a bone-crunching sack. Evans hid his blitz well. Here’s where he was at the snap of the ball:

And here he was shortly after the snap:

Then Jackson had a crucial interception late, with UNT up 49-40 with about three minutes to play.

Other Notes

• These teams brought 20 combined wins into this bowl game, which was tied for the most of any non-CFP bowl last season.

• New OSU defensive end Keviyan Huddleston scooped a fumble deep within UNT territory in the first half and hiked it back 46 yards the other direction. Nice high and tight ball security.

• It’s awesome that Drew Mestemaker played in this game despite it perhaps making more financial sense for him to skip it.

He was so into the game that after a late hit on one of his receivers, Mestemaker got up in the face of 6-foot-1, 295-pound defensive tackle Malachi Finau.

Mestemaker threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns in his final game with the Mean Green. He had two INTs. One came off a big tip off a receiver and the other was a bad RPO read.

• Eric Morris wasn’t with UNT for this game, as he was instead prepping for the portal in Stillwater, but interim coach Drew Svoboda, who is also at OSU now, kept the same energy as it pertains to being aggressive on fourth down.

Up 49-34 in the fourth, UNT went for it on 4th-and-2 from its own 46-yard line. Hawkins got the three yards required.

Then five plays later, it was 4th-and-4 on the San Diego State 31, and Mestemaker hit Cameron Dorner on a slant route that Dorner ran all the way to the end zone on.

• It was a classic bowl game with teams breaking out trick plays and fakes. The teams combined to go for it on fourth down 12 times, with UNT going 5-for-7 and SDSU going 3-for-5 on fourth down.

• By just about all metrics, this closed out the most successful football season in UNT’s history.

UNT finished the year 12-2, three more wins than the Mean Green ever had in a season before.

The Pokes open conference play against a Kansas State team which earned the 11th seed last season before upsetting two teams to finish as a quarterfinalist. The Cowboys will get a shot at reigning Big 12 champion Kansas on the road on May 7-9. The Jayhawks won their regional, but were unable to get out of Supers despite playing at home.

The very next week, OSU heads to West Virginia for the final road series of conference play to battle against a Mountaineer team which not only advanced to the College World Series but survived the first two rounds of cuts to finish third nationally.

Here is the complete Big 12 schedule for OSU:

The back half of Oklahoma State’s Big 12 schedule includes a road trip to Arizona and a regular-season home series against Houston. Those two teams finished at the bottom of the Big 12 standings combining to nearly evenly split a combined 16-44 record in Big 12 play.

Oklahoma State dodges Arizona State and Cincinnati after those teams finished third and sixth in the regular-season Big 12 standings last season.

The Big 12 Tournament will take place from May 25-29 in Surprise, Arizona, which is the home of spring training for the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals.

It’s been a full watchlist season for Mestemaker, as he’s been included on watchlists for the Maxwell and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, but on Thursday he was one of 30 named to the watchlist for the Davey O’Brien, which is given to the best quarterback in college football.

Mestemaker is one of six Big 12 passers on the list, joining Bear Bachmeier (BYU), Alonza Barnett III (UCF), Devon Dampier (Utah), Noah Fifita (Arizona) and Conner Weigman (Houston).

Of the 30 total names, only six are designated as sophomores, with Mestemaker joining Micah Alejado (Hawaii), Bachmeier (BYU), Brad Jackson (Texas State), Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (Cal) and Julian Sayin (Ohio State).

No OSU quarterback has ever won the Davey O’Brien. Some of the recent winners include Fernando Mendoza (2025), former Eric Morris quarterback Cam Ward (2024) and Jayden Daniels (2023).

In his first season as a college (or even high school) starter, Mestemaker led the country in passing yards last season with 4,379. He also had the nation’s lead in passing yards per game (312.8), completions of at least 10 yards (168), 20 yards (67), 50 yards (11), 60 yards (8) and 70 yards (5).

Mestemaker threw for at least 200 yards in all 14 of UNT’s games, eclipsing 300 yards five times and throwing for a season-high 608 yards in the Mean Green’s win against Charlotte.

He earned the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the nation’s best walk-on, the American Offensive Player of the Year and was a freshman All-American.

Mestemaker transferred to Oklahoma State this offseason, following coach Eric Morris to Stillwater from UNT, and the QB has already been named the Big 12’s Preseason Newcomer of the Year.

The winner of the Davey O’Brien will be announced on ESPN on Dec. 11. The Davey O’Brien Class of 2026 will come on Nov. 10, semifinalists on Nov. 17 and three finalists on Nov. 24.

Full Davey O’Brien Preseason Watchlist

Micah Alejado, Hawaii
Bear Bachmeier, BYU
CJ Bailey, NC State
Alonza Barnett III, UCF
Rocco Becht, Penn State
Byrum Brown, Auburn
CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Devon Dampier, Utah
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, Marshall
Noah Fifita, Arizona
Josh Hoover, Indiana
Brad Jackson, Texas State
Kevin Jennings, SMU
Sam Leavitt, LSU
Broc Lowry, Western Michigan
Jayden Maiava, USC
Arch Manning, Texas
John Mateer, Oklahoma
Owen McCown, UTSA
Darian Mensah, Miami
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
Nick Minicucci, Delaware
Dante Moore, Oregon
Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Cal
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Conner Weigman, Houston
Demond Williams Jr., Washington

Oklahoma State is set to host four Big 12 series at Cowgirl Stadium this season, including a visit from reigning national finalists Texas Tech. Here’s the Cowgirls’ Big 12 schedule in full:

OSU finished second in the league last season behind Texas Tech. Kansas and Tech are the only teams the Cowgirls will face who finished in the Top 5 of the league last season, but you probably can’t draw too much from that in the portal-movement era.

The Cowgirls made it to the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament last season before dropping back-to-back games against Nebraska. OSU finished Kenny Gajewki’s 11th year at 41-17.

OSU lost ace pitcher Ruby Meylan from last season’s squad, but Gajewksi did another terrific job in the transfer portal, putting together a Top 10 portal class, according to D1Softball.

The Cowgirls added five transfers this offseason in left-handed pitcher Delainey Everett (Mississippi State), catcher Kennedy Proctor (Utah), and utility players Maddie Hartley (Houston), Payton Kennedy (Ole Miss) and Kendra Lewis (Wisconsin).

That group joins returners like Rosie Davis, Karli Godwin, Tia Warsop and others, as the Cowgirls look to return to the WCWS for the first time since 2024.

“I was like, ‘Ehh, that’s a little bit too far out of my range,'” Huddleston said Tuesday. “But when I came down here, I like it. I love it.”

Both guys went on different journeys after that high school recruitment. Richmond’s first stint as Oklahoma State’s defensive line coach ended after the 2022 season. He re-emerged at Sam Houston in 2024 under Skyler Cassity and followed Cassity to North Texas, where they’d land Huddleston out of the portal going into last season.

Coming out of Chapel Hill High School in Tyler, Huddleston signed with TCU over offers to Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Texas Tech, SMU, Kansas State, Arizona and others.

He played in three games in two years in Fort Worth, but upon getting with Richmond and Cassity at North Texas, stuff started to click. After playing just six defensive snaps in two seasons at TCU, he played 409 at North Texas last season.

In his first year with the program, Huddleston led the Mean Green with five sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss.

“It’s simple, just do your simple keys,” Huddleston said of Cassity’s defense. “When I was first down there, he was telling me all this stuff, it’s a simple defense. All you gotta do is learn your keys, know when you hold, know when you chase. Once you get that done, then everything’s right.”

Huddleston also got to stretch his legs a bit in the Mean Green’s bowl game against San Diego State when he recovered a fumble and ran it back 46 yards the other way.

“He’s not real flashy in the way he does things, that’s kind of how he was last year, and then all of a sudden he shows up in the stat line every single week,” OSU coach Eric Morris said. “Ends up having a sack here and two or three tackles for loss. Kevi is someone that’s gonna be in the rotation and play a ton of football for us.”

Listed at 6-foot-4, 269 pounds, Huddleston joins a room of defensive ends that has been praised for its depth throughout the offseason.

Last week, Cassity said the Cowboys could rotate 15 deep up front. Huddleston is expected to be one of those ends getting in on the action alongside guys like Jaleel Johnson, James Williams, Malik Charles and others.

“It’s an honor having that competition like that, having those group of guys like that with so much depth,” Huddleston said. “It gets you better mentally and physically.”

As backup QB consists, you’re simultaneously one the most important players on the roster and someone your fanbase and coaching staff hope never takes any meaningful snaps, all while being one of the most polarizing players when it comes to the court of fan opinion. A fill-in, a replacement, a bad sign.

Rudolph knows that all too well, entering his seventh NFL season and Year 2 of his second stint in Pittsburgh. He served as the main backup for one future Hall of Famer in Ben Roethlisberger and now sits behind another in Aaron Rodgers. He’s dealt with competition elsewhere in the QB room each year, and that was ramped up even more with a regime change that saw Mike McCarthy take the helm this offseason.

Coming into this offseason, Rudolph must have had questions. Will the new staff view him unfavorably as a holdover? Will there be any residual loyalty or would he have to start from scratch in their eyes? But where he had questions, he made answers.

Rudolph has done nothing but impress the new staff, specifically McCarthy during training camp, and he apparently put a bow on his roster spot last weekend.

Earlier in training camp, McCarthy commented on just how impressive the veteran looked having only previously been aware of him from afar. “I can’t tell you how pleased I am with Mason Rudolph…,” McCarthy said. “He throws it better than I ever knew.”

Then Rudolph sealed the deal as part of a trio of strong QB performances in Week 1 of the preseason to go along with rookie Drew Allar and second-year QB Will Howard. Rudolph went 10-for-11 for 93 yards and that one incompletion was an extra foot from being a TD. That was enough for McCarthy.

Mike McCarthy says Mason Rudolph has done such a good job he doesn’t need to play vs the Jets. He won’t play vs the Bills either. He’s gonna be QB2. pic.twitter.com/zmVKVn2XfX

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) August 19, 2026

In five seasons, Rudolph is 8-5-1 in a Steelers jersey. With him once again backing up an aging franchise QB, he knows he’s only one play away from handing that clipboard to one of those young guys.

Aside from the 2024 season in Tennessee, an overtly dysfunctional situation from top to bottom, he’s spent his career under former Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin and he was in and out of the doghouse at least when it came to public opinion among Steeler fans.

It’s the type of friction that Rudolph addressed this week. He praised the new coaching situation under McCarthy while also dealing a slight back-handed jab to the former regime.

“I’m very aware that the fanbase is starved for a franchise QB,” Rudolph said, via Tim Benz. “People want to have hope for the future beyond this year. We’ve got two great QBs who are young and progressing. I really am jealous of the structure they have had and this program and this QB-grooming system the way that Coach McCarthy has done it because I feel that they have made a lot of strides. I’ll be rooting them on Friday.”

At least for now, Rudolph has earned the trust of his new head coach and the week off to let the rest of the QB pecking order play out on the field.

247Sports released its annual 30 Under 30 list which recognizes some of the staff members in college football yet to complete their third decades. Representing OSU on the list was offensive coordinator Sean Brophy and general manager Raj Murti.

Brophy, coming just under the age limit at 29, coordinated the No. 2 passing offense in the country last season at North Texas and helped coach and recruit the FBS’s leading passer Drew Mestemaker to Stillwater this offseason.

Murti, at 25, is the youngest general manager in the Power Four and he’s risen quickly. Six years ago he was a student intern and then five years later, Eric Morris hired him to be the GM at North Texas. When it was announced that Morris was taking the reins at OSU, Murti was one of the first people on the job to start recruiting.

That seems to be his specialty with a source in the article saying, “Raj is a people person. He makes you feel comfortable. That’s his superpower.”

Also recognized in the section “highly recommended young personnel staffers,” was director of scouting Wes Drake. He also followed Morris from UNT where he was the Director of Player Personnel last year and oversaw both high school and portal recruiting when it comes to player evaluation.

There was another familiar name on the list. Fans may remember Darrion Daniels for his four years playing defensive tackle for the Pokes from 2015-18. Now at 28 years old, Daniels is the defensive line coach/pass rush specialist at Cal.

OSU Bullets

• Parsa Fallah got a temporary restraining order to play at Oklahoma State – we’ll see how it plays out (PFB)

Lutz was leaving #okstate‘s final roster spot open for Fallah. The full roster: Kanye Clary Anthony Felesi Kashie Natt Parker Robinson Jalen Montonati Latrell Allmond Mekhi Ragland Andrija Grbovic Parsa Fallah Benjamin Ahmed Ryan Crotty Julius Halaifonua Luka Bogavac Jacob… https://t.co/KTB5CLRg2M

— Marshall Scott (@MarshallScottOK) August 19, 2026

• Drew Mestemaker is on the quarterback of the year watchlist, joining his running backs and receivers on their respective lists (PFB)

• Deep in an article talking about Art Briles’ return to coaching was this nugget from Mike Holder raving about the hire.  Also, it’s an old OSU compliance person who’s the athletic director at the school who hired Briles.

Immediately after the hire, (athletic director Kevin) Fite received a text from his old boss, former Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder: “Congratulations. Finally, an AD with the cojones to hire Art. Great coach and your team will win!” [On3]

• National writers keep talking about what Eric Morris and his team did to build a roster- and how wild it was (247 Sports)

• Loved seeing what The Athletic‘s Stewart Mandel had to say about the Pokes here – after projecting them to go 7-5:

(Eric Morris will) get the Cowboys back to a bowl. [The Athletic]

Non-OSU Bullets

• America’s best small towns by category

• Needing to rest after vacation (faith-based)

After news was announced that Oklahoma State running back Caleb Hawkins made the watchlist for Doak Walker and Wyatt Young made the watchlist for the Biletnikoff, quarterback Drew Mestemaker was one of 27 named to the watchlist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the nation’s top upper classman quarterback.

As a redshirt sophomore, Mestemaker only barely qualifies, but his three years of college participation overrule his sophomore designation.

OSU was one of only 14 schools to have players on the watchlists for the Doak Walker and Biletnikoff. As far as programs on those two watchlists and the Golden Arm watchlist, only Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Houston have guys on all three.

If you’re on this website, you’ve probably read Mestemaker’s numbers so many times you have them memorized, but just in case, he led the country in passing yards last season with 4,379 yards to go with 34 passing touchdowns. That came in what was Mestemaker’s first full season as a starting quarterback at basically any level of competitive football after he played safety and punted in high school.

This watchlist shows how sneaky good the Big 12 is at the quarterback position this season, as six of the 27 guys on the list are at Big 12 schools, with Mestemaker joining Devon Dampier (Utah), Noah Fifita (Arizona), Avery Johnson (Kansas State), DJ Lagway (Baylor) and Conner Weigman (Houston).

Oregon’s Dante Moore, who will travel to Stillwater in Week 2, was also included on the list.

This is an award a Cowboy has won before, with Mason Rudolph taking home the hardware in 2017. More recent winners include Joe Burrow (2019), Jayden Daniels (2023), Shedeur Sanders (2024) and Diego Pavia (2025).

Here’s the full Johnny Unitas Golden Arm watchlist:

Micah Alejado, Hawaii
CJ Bailey, NC State
Rocco Becht, Penn State
Byrum Brown, Auburn
CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Devon Dampier, Utah
Bishop Davenport, South Alabama
Noah Fifita, Arizona
Kevin Jennings, SMU
Avery Johnson, Kansas State
Sam Leavitt, LSU
DJ Lagway, Baylor
Broc Lowry, Western Michigan
Maddux Madsen, Boise State
Jayden Maiava, USC
Arch Manning, Texas
John Mateer, Oklahoma
Owen McCown, UTSA
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
Nick Minicucci, Delaware
Dante Moore, Oregon
Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Conner Weigman, Houston
Demond Williams Jr., Washington

This probably marks Taylor’s deepest roster to date, and he noted in a media availability last week that there are a few ways the lineup could shake out. Whomever starts the season might not necessarily end it. The five-for-five eligibility rule means Taylor can mix and match throughout the year to get ready for March.

“We obviously have a lot of different lineup combinations that potentially could happen,” Taylor said. “Ultimately, it’s in the kids’ hands in how those will get ironed out, who will wrestle, but everyone will just stay ready to go.”

With school getting going and the wrestling season slowly approaching, here are some spots that seem to be up for grabs this year.

The Lower Weight Opening

It looks as if the 141-pound spot in OSU’s lineup is up for grabs, though there is a world in which Jax Forrest bumps up in weight and it’s actually 133 that needs filling.

This hasn’t been officially confirmed, but the scuttlebutt is that reigning 141-pound national champion Sergio Vega will jump up to 149 for his sophomore year. Vega was listed at 141/149 on OSU’s updated roster.

The main contenders for this open spot appear to be freshmen twins Jordyn and Jayden Raney and the returning Tagen Jamison. Jayden was listed at 133/141 on the updated roster, while Jordyn and Jamison were each listed at 141/149.

Jordyn was the No. 5 pound-for-pound wrestler on Willie Saylor’s final big board for the 2026 class, while his brother was just one spot behind at No. 6.

The twins were decorated high school wrestlers whether that be in folk style, free style or Greco Roman. They left Union County High (Kentucky) with 11 state titles between them, with Jordyn winning six state titles and Jayden winning five.

After starting at 141 pounds for the Cowboys for two seasons, Jamison missed just about all of last season with injury.

He has a career record of 41-17, last wrestling at the Cyclone Open last season up at 149 pounds, where he went 4-1 with the only loss being to Missouri’s Seth Mendoza.

How Interesting Does Swiderski Make 165?

Vega wasn’t the only Cowboy cutting a lot of weight last season, so was 149-pound starter Casey Swiderski.

With Vega’s ascent, Swiderski has bumped up two weight classes up to 165 pounds. He tested that weight out at U23 Nationals this summer, where he took fifth with a tight loss to reigning 165-pound Big 12 champ Nicco Ruiz (Arizona State).

Dee Lockett manned the 165-pound spot for the Cowboys as a true freshman this past season. Considering he was a true freshman, his 18-4 record was rather impressive. He didn’t get on the podium after going 2-2 at NCAAs, but he climbed as high as No. 2 in the rankings as a true freshman.

“He hit a little bit of a difficulty towards the end,” Taylor said. “I wish maybe he would’ve hit it in the beginning of the year and then could’ve made some adjustments. Just kind of credit to him being really good. But I think he’s had a great rebound. It’s hard when you’ve been really good your whole life, and it’s really kind of the first time he’s really failed at something in his mind.

“It’s hard. It’s hard to not get what you want, but then you gotta kinda figure out a way to get what you want. Super, super talented guy. He’s had a good summer. Just really getting him ready for this next year.”

Most would pencil Lockett in as the favorite to emerge from this battle, but Swiderski is the type of guy that is going to at the very least make Lockett earn it. Just go back to NCAAs and watch Swiderski’s bout with top seed Shayne Van Ness that looked more like an MMA fight to see that he’s not just going to roll over for a guy.

These guys went ALL OUT!

Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness and Oklahoma State’s Casey Swiderski were determined to end their match in sudden victory 🔥#NCAAs pic.twitter.com/ssV0zB2vjy

— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) March 25, 2026

174/184

It feels like there’s a chunk of guys who could be battling for the Cowboys’ spots at 174 and 184.

Alex Facundo started at 174 for the Cowboys last season, going 18-8 and 2-2 at NCAAs.

Zack Ryder started at 184, gutting out and eighth-place finish with a bum shoulder while finishing his redshirt freshman season at 15-11.

Those two are both back. Whether Ryder is ready to roll coming off that shoulder injury is its own question. There’s also a wonder if at some point Ryder could drop down to 174 (he was listed only at 184 on OSU’s roster).

Then Taylor brought in a transfer at each of those weights.

Lorenzo Norman joins from Stanford after going 31-14 with the Cardinal across the past three seasons. He only wrestled two matches last year before an injury kept him out.

Bennett Berge joins after wrestling at 197 pounds last season at South Dakota State. Berge is expected to bump back down to 184, where he was listed on OSU’s roster. He was a fourth-place finisher at 184 back in 2024.

Freshman Michael White is another guy who could potentially throw into that mix at 184. He was the No. 9 pound-for-pound wrestler on Saylor’s big board for the 2026 class after finishing his senior year of high school at 47-0.

Experience vs. Youth at Heavyweight

Perhaps the biggest surprise of that roster reveal was the fact that Konner Doucet was listed.

This will mark Doucet’s seventh year in Stillwater. Last season was his best yet, as he finished fourth at NCAAs and went 22-5.

But enter Dreshaun Ross, the No. 4 wrestler on Saylor’s big board for the 2026 class, making him the top heavyweight prospect in the country. Ross will wrestle this weekend at the U20 World Championships.

The weight class lost some of its bigger names from last season, meaning whichever wrestler emerges from this battle ought to compete for a spot high up on the podium come March.

GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 | GAME 4 | GAME 5 | GAME 6 | GAME 7 | GAME 8 | GAME 9 | GAME 10 | GAME 11 | GAME 12

The American Championship game was a College Football Playoff play-in game, but just about nothing went North Texas’ way in Louisiana.

UNT lost to Tulane 34-21 in what would be the last game Eric Morris coached at North Texas.

In preparation for Oklahoma State’s 2026 season, we’re going back and watching North Texas’ 2025 season. Here are some takeaways from this game against Tulane.

I Don’t Put that on Mestemaker

One of the few knocks people have had on Drew Mestemaker this offseason was his play in “big games.” Well, though he wasn’t excellent in this one, I have a hard time putting this result on him.

Caleb Hawkins was shaken up after his first handoff. Flashforward to modern day, and Morris pointed to this game as reason they need to lighten Hawkins’ load this season.

UNT would finish that opening drive with a touchdown to go up 7-0 before Tulane responded with a long touchdown drive of its own to tie it at 7.

Then on UNT’s second drive, Hawkins got hit after a catch and fumbled, ending his day right there. Tulane would score two plays later, and then it started raining.

So, Mestemaker was already without a ground game on the road in the rain, but the bad luck didn’t stop there.

Tulane punted up 17-7, but the punt hit a UNT player (and the officials missed a fairly obvious kick-catch interference). So, Tulane got the ball right back and scored as time expired in the half to take a 24-7 lead into the locker room.

Then Tulane got the ball out of the half and were able to drain some more clock. So, Mestemaker last had the ball with 2:09 to play in the first half. He didn’t get the ball back until there was 8:47 to play in the third quarter. That’s a lot of game time not to mention the fact that a whole halftime took place.

When the Mean Green finally did get the all back, Mestemaker scrambled down the sideline. He was shoved out of bounds by a Tulane defender. It was a clean shove, but it was close enough to make offensive lineman Johnny Dickson feel the need to stand up for his QB. Dickson was flagged for a 15-yard penalty, giving UNT a 2nd-and-24.

UNT got that down to a 4th-and-9 and went for it when a Mestemaker pass went through Wyatt Young’s hands and into the waiting arms of a defender, who housed it for a pick-six. Mestemaker probably forced a fumble as the defender crossed the goal line, but there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the call.

Then UNT got the ball back and drove the length of the field just for Mestemaker to be picked off in the end zone. This one also hit Young’s hands, but in fairness, it was quite a ways behind him.

With no run game to protect him, Mestemaker was also sacked five times in this game.

All that is to say, that’s a lot that went wrong that wasn’t necessarily in Mestemaker’s control, and I leave this rewatch feeling like the “he didn’t play well in big games” argument to have a rather large caveat.

He finished with 294 passing yards, two touchdowns and three picks. The final pick came with a minute to play when he was just forcing a ball into the end zone.

Other Notes

• Former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff led Tulane last season. If you want to know how not great the conditions were, he went 13-for-22 with 145 yards and no touchdowns.

• It felt like Mestemaker was pressured more in this game than any previous game, and the PFF numbers back that up. He was pressured 17 times — three more than any other game in 2025. The five sacks were also a season-high.

• Tulane was pumping the Mean Green on the ground. Tulane rushed 52 times to North Texas’ 34 times. The Green wave finished with 199 rushing yards and three rushing scores.

• Up next: UNT’s New Mexico Bowl appearance against San Diego State.

It was a bit of a here-I-go-again moment considering she also missed out on what would have been her entire sophomore season in 2023 due to injury. That was a significant setback for her and the Cowgirls considering she was an All-Big 12 Freshman who started 17 games in 2022.

“It’s inspirational for not just her teammates, just for all of our staff and everybody around the program,” OSU coach Colin Carmichael said of how she handled the return from injury this time. “She’s just such a positive influence in the group. You know, beyond being a very, very good soccer player, she just brightens your day. She comes in and she’ll smile a lot, she laughs a lot, she kind of brings the place up, livens the place up.”

With most things in life experience seems to help, but Bindbeutel said suffering her second season-ending injury in three years was tougher than the first one.

“It happens again, and it’s kind of a double-edged sword because you know what to expect, but then you also know what to expect, and you know it’s a long recovery and a long journey,” she said. “And then there’s even more doubt of, oh, will I still be the same person, same player that I was before this? So I think it was a little bit harder this time.”

Carmichael and the OSU coaches have slow-played her return a bit, limiting her to 92 total minutes in the first two matches of the season. For context, seven of the other nine two-game starters on the Cowgirls (1-0-1) have played somewhere between 120-180 minutes already.

The goal is to work her up to no restrictions by the Big 12 opener at home against TCU on Sept. 17. However her coaches expect her to take the next step in her comeback season and play increased minutes on Thursday, at 7 p.m. when the Sooners visit for the annual Bedlam showdown.

The timing couldn’t be better for the Cowgirl senior.

“It’s gotten more important to me every single year,” Bindbeutel said of Bedlam. “The coaches tell you how important it is, but I don’t think it’s (realized) until you step out on the field and you are surrounded by a full crowd. … You’re playing for people that went to OSU 20 years ago, people that will go to OSU in 20 years. So it’s a really big deal.”

Oklahoma State dropped the match down in Norman last season 4-1, but that’s somewhat unusual in the series as the Cowgirls are 12-3-2 dating back to 2017. That’s also the year Oklahoma State kicked off its current home-winning streak which stands at seven heading into Thursday night’s match.

Although it doesn’t sound like Carmichael plans on sharing the home winning streak numbers with his team, the head coach emphasized that this is an unusually important game of the season given what Bedlam means to both fanbases and the players such as Bindbeutel who have experience with it.

“I’m very proud of our record in this rivalry,” he said. “I know it’s important to our fans and our university. So I’m very proud of that. I know it’s been pretty lopsided in Stillwater.”

Carmichael also stressed that the Sooners (2-0) have a dangerous team this season. Oklahoma beat Northwestern State 9-0 in its opener before handling East Texas A&M 2-0 on Sunday.

“I mean it’s so early on,” Carmichael said. “I think everybody’s trying to figure out who they are, and so for OU to get nine in that first game, regardless of opposition, was pretty impressive. … It’s hard to prepare for that until you see it.”

Bindbeutel, who has one of the team’s four goals this season, said she’s excited to see what should be a good test of OSU’s defense. The Cowgirls have only given up one goal this season after two matches.

The Sooners were one of the only opponents the senior forward faced last season prior to her injury.

“It feels awesome (being back), and I’ll tell everybody until I am blue in the face that I’m so glad I chose this school,” Bindbeutel said. “Because I don’t think, had I gone through these two injuries somewhere else, I don’t think I would be receiving the same support and encouragement from my teammates and my coaches as I do here. So the fact that they still believe in me enough to start me and play me, however many minutes I can play, is, it means a lot, and it’s just really exciting to be back out there, and I missed it a lot.”

There was never a question that Bindbeutel would suit up again for the Cowgirls. She made sure of that herself in a moment that became very memorable for her head coach.

“At one point during the year, after you know Gracie had been injured and the season started kind of sliding, I’m having a conversation with Gracie and she goes, ‘You know what? I’m definitely coming back,’” Carmichael said. “And I was like, gave her a big hug. I’m like, ‘So happy you’re one of my girls, you’re awesome.’

“And she goes, ‘Coach, we ain’t going out like that,’ you know the way the season went, I was like, I just really respected that, you know, not just her going out like that. It was very much we, the program, you and me. This isn’t how the story ends. So that was a really cool moment.”

That conversation took place in the middle of what became a nine-game losing streak which resulted in the program’s first losing season since 2001.

Although her teammates and coaches still had plenty of battles left, Bindbeutel said that decision and that conversation with her head coach gave her a “light at the end of the tunnel.”

“I owe this program and this university everything,” she said. “I absolutely love it here. So I just wanted him to know that regardless of how we did last year and our record, that wasn’t going to change how I felt about the program and how I wanted us to succeed. … I just wanted to clear up any confusion if there was any, and just let him know that, like I said, we couldn’t go out like that.”

The Oklahoman‘s Joe Mussatto on Wednesday reported that Fallah was granted a temporary restraining order to return to the Oklahoma State basketball program, with OSU football player Iman Oates and soccer player Ellie Geoffroy also being mentioned in the court document.

OSU basketball also made the announcement:

 

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A post shared by Parsa Fallah (@parsa.fallah11)

Fallah averaged 14.7 points and 6.0 rebounds a game for the Cowboys last season, both career-highs.

He redshirted at Southern Utah during the 2021-22 season following complications with getting to the United States from his home country of Iran. With no U.S. embassy in Iran to get a visa, Fallah had to go through Africa and was there for six months before he was allowed to travel to the states.

At the end of last season, Fallah tore his ACL late in a game where the Cowboys pulled off a big win against West Virginia. After the shocking injury, Fallah made his way to the media room after the game to express to fans how much his year in Stillwater meant to him.

“First of all, I’m really, really grateful for this year that I had here,” Fallah said. “Oklahoma State was the best year I had in my college career. And the fans, sorry … I just hope they know how I really care about them and it was a great experience, so I wanted to say thank you to everyone of y’all, all the fans out there.

“Also I wanted to talk about coach Lutz here. He, I’m sorry, I’m getting emotional. But this man here, I believe that he’s one of the best coaches in the country. I’ve never seen a man work as hard as him. And I think this is your guy, and he will take you as far. And I really mean every word I’m saying. He changed, he changed my life, and I’m really grateful for him. He made me a better man, a better person and a better player, and those two things was mainly stuff I wanted to come here and talk about.”

OSU basketball coach Steve Lutz made it known in June that he was saving a roster spot for Fallah should he be able to return.

This doesn’t mean that all systems are go for Fallah and the Cowboys. The order is in effect until the next hearing is set, meaning the NCAA will have an opportunity to file a response. Fallah also has to get healthy after the ACL tear, so it’s unlikely he’d be ready by the start of the season regardless.

“Also, just the tradition here,” said Phillips after talking up his new coaching staff. “I done played at a couple different spots, and this is the spot I feel like has tremendous football culture, and behind these coaches, it’s gonna get back where it needs to be. And I just wanted to be a part of that. …

“I don’t gotta put on a uniform to feel the atmosphere here. You just walk around, you see Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas — that should get you ready to go.”

Listed at 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, Phillips spent two seasons at Virginia Tech and last season at Missouri before his arrival in Stillwater, where he is expected to compete for a starting role and at the very least be a heavy part of the Cowboys’ defensive rotation.

He played in 25 games and made 13 starts as a Hokie. His sophomore year in Blacksburg was his best college season to date, as he started 11 times and made 65 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and an interception.

Phillips played 149 defensive snaps at Missouri last season, according to PFF. Although his playing time dropped with the Tigers, Phillips recorded his best season-long PFF grade at 77.3 — also turning in his best grades in run defense (71.9) and coverage (78.0). He totaled five tackles and had a PBU and a forced fumble.

When Phillips hit the portal this past offseason, he said he didn’t have any ties to the new Oklahoma State staff, but he knew some people who knew some people.

Phillips was teammates with Stephen Hall at Missouri last season. Hall had previously played under new OSU safeties coach Jordan Malone at Washington State. Then safety Isaiah Cash played under new OSU defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity at Sam Houston before Cash transferred to Virginia Tech as Phillips was on his way out.

So, after comparing notes and meeting the staff for himself, Phillips knew OSU was where he wanted to be.

“The coaches are great guys,” Phillips said. “They’re honest, up front. Me being a fourth-year guy, that’s all I look for in the portal, for real, was just coaches that was gonna straightforward with me, transparent, talk ball. I didn’t need to do no photoshoot, nothing like that. I just wanted to come here and talk ball.

“I gelled with Cassity and Coach Malone really quick. Coach Morris was a guy that looked me in my eyes when I talked to him. I looked him in his eyes. He’s a guy I respect a lot. I respect what he’s done in the past. I mean, his rap sheet speaks for itself.”

Last week, Cassity included Phillips in a list of five guys competing to start at safety along with Markeith Williams (Miami), Quinton Hammonds (North Texas), Evan Jackson (North Texas) and Vincent Holmes (Washington) — all guys who bring various levels of experience to the Cowboys’ safety room.

“One of the cool things about our defensive secondary is we’ve got a lot of experienced football players,” Cassity said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who have played a lot of football. Guys that aren’t making freshman mistakes, they understand what it takes to be successful back there, and we’re trying to find that right group. We have a lot of confidence in a lot of guys. It’s who’s gonna be that starting five that are gonna give us the most confidence to go out there and make plays and understand what it takes to be successful in this defense.

“Right now, they’re competing it out, which is exactly how you want it.”

​The Cowboys started this week as one of 14 schools in the nation with players on the watchlist for both the Doak Walker Award (best running back) and the Biletnikoff Award (best receiver).

The other schools include seven playoff participants from last year and, perhaps more relevant, seven teams ranked in the preseason top 25 AP Poll.

Here’s the list:

No. 1 Ohio State
No. 2 Oregon
No. 5 Texas
No. 6 Indiana
No. 7 Miami
No. 12 Texas Tech
No. 23 Houston
California
Kansas
Florida State
Illinois
Oklahoma State
Virginia Tech
Florida Atlantic

​At first glance, there are some teams that surprise more than others, but generally Oklahoma State’s spot on both of these lists is yet another sign that the Cowboys could field one of the best offenses in the country this fall.

Oklahoma State running back Caleb Hawkins was one of 10 semifinalists last season for the Doak Walker Award, so his spot on the list shouldn’t be a surprise.

Reigning winner Jeremiyah Love is off to the NFL, but fellow finalists Kewan Lacy (Ole Miss) and Ahmad Hardy (Missouri) are back.

Here is how those two returners compared to Hawkins at the end of the regular season.

Hawkins: 1,216 rushing yards, 23 rushing TDs, averaging 6.3 yards per carry; 334 receiving yards and three additional touchdowns

Hardy: 1,560 rushing yards, 16 rushing TDs, averaging 6.5 yards per carry; 22 receiving yards

Lacy: 1,279 rushing yards, 20 rushing TDs, averaging 5 yards per carry; 154 receiving yards

When factoring in his receiving stats, Hawkins has an argument. If he can produce similar results against power conference opponents, then perhaps he will find himself among the top three this fall.

Receiver Wyatt Young represented the Cowboys on the Biletnikoff list. Only one finalist is back: Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Here is how he compared to Young at the end of the regular season.

Young: 63 receptions for 1,203 yards and 10 TDs; three rushes for 16 yards and 1 TD

Smith: 72 receptions for 942 yards and 11 TDs; two carries for 20 yards and 1 TD

So this too feels like another spot where Young, or whichever Cowboys receiver emerges as the No. 1 option, could shine and potentially finish as a finalist.

Finally, here is Oklahoma State’s schedule this fall broken down by Doak Walker, Biletnikoff Award contenders.

Sept. 5 at Tulsa
Sept. 12 vs Oregon: RB Jordon Davison, WR Iverson Hooks, TE Jamari Johnson (also up for Biletnikoff)
Sept. 19 vs Murray State
Sept. 26 at West Virginia: RB Cam Cook
BYE
Oct. 10 vs UCF: RB Duke Watson
Oct. 17 at Houston: RB Makhi Hughes, WR Amare Thomas, WR Trent Walker
Oct. 24 vs Colorado: WR Kam Perry, WR Danny Scudero
Oct. 31 at Iowa State
Nov. 7 at Kansas State
Nov. 14 vs Texas Tech: RB Cameron Dickey, TE Terrance Carter Jr. (Biletnikoff)
Nov. 21 at Arizona State: WR Omarion Miller
Nov. 28 vs Kansas: RB Dylan Edwards, RB Yasin Willis, WR Nik McMillan

When asked about his willingness to play true freshman in the past and whether there were any on his first Oklahoma State roster who could contribute this year, Morris mentioned a pair of names that he has brought up before.

“Savion Barthelemy’s done a good job, and I think that’s one of the hardest positions to play early is the defensive line,” Morris said. “We have Standard. Dayvon has done a phenomenal job at receiver. He’s kind of worked his way up the depth chart and is getting some good looks right now. I think those will be the two that really pop in my head right now that have a chance.

“We’re just such an older roster right now. Luckily we’re able to keep some of those guys in the weight room, put them down with scout team. That’s where so many guys get better. Every time these young offensive linemen have to go against this one D-Line every single day, they’re gonna get so much better with all those reps. But those are the two that I could see right now getting some playing time.”

Interestingly, Barthelemy and Standard arrived in the summer and didn’t go through spring ball.

Barthelemy was committed to Jimmy Rogers and Washington State and Iowa State before signing with the Pokes in February, so this could be an early recruiting win of consequence for Morris.

He hails from New Orleans by way of Belle Chasse High School, where he also played some tight end and basketball. Barthelemy is listed at 6-foot-3, 286 pounds, but when Morris mentioned Barthelemy after the first practice of fall camp, Morris referred to the freshman as “315 pounds and super athletic.”

A 6-foot-4, 185-pound receiver, Standard was also a February signee, coming to the Cowboys by way of Desert Edge High School in Arizona. He played in just six games during his high school senior season, catching 23 passes for 463 yards and 10 touchdowns in that time.

Morris loves a track athlete, and Standard was a state champion triple-jumper and set his high school’s record at 47-feet, 11-inches in the event. He was also a high school basketball player, averaging 8.9 points and 4.1 rebounds as a junior.

Standard also earned a shoutout after the Cowboys’ first practice of the fall.

“I’ll tell you the guy that’s surprised me the most of our freshman class that came late is Standard,” Morris said,  “that came in from Arizona — 6-3 wide receiver that wouldn’t surprise me if he pushes himself into the rotation.”

Morris worked his way back around to talking about freshman later in Tuesday’s availability and gave another shoutout to quarterback Broderick Vehrs. Morris spoke well of Vehrs after the spring game, as well, and it sounds like he’s in contention to be Drew Mestemaker’s backup.

“Brody’s  got quite a bit of arm talent,” said OSU quarterback coach and offensive coordinator Sean Brophy last week. “He’s got a really smooth stroke, and he can dish it around the field and is doing a good job operating.”

Morris hasn’t been shy about using freshmen previously. Caleb Hawkins is the most recent example as he went from a little-talked-about recruit to the nation’s leader in touchdowns as a freshman.

“This is my livelihood and how I earn a paycheck, and all these coaches here,” Morris said. “I think in this era of college football, especially with no redshirts, you’re gonna put your best foot out there. Whoever gives you the best chance to win on Saturdays, doesn’t matter how old they are, obviously they’re gonna have to prove it over the course of the whole entire camp. The scrimmages have been great to see those guys actually be out there live without a coach, without a controlled environment around them. We’re gonna play whoever gives us the best chance to win.”

Keilan Neal, a 6-foot-2, 280-pound prospect out of Tennessee, announced an Oklahoma State offer via his X account on Tuesday.

Neal hails from Franklin Road Academy in Nashville where he racked up 65 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and eight sacks last season as a junior. He’s a ball stop on defense but Neal is also versatile.

He played along the offensive line and even scored a 29-yard touchdown on the one time he got the ball in his hands. He’s also a Tennessee Division-II Class A state champion in shot put.

That size, versatility and playmaking ability mean he’s already got a slew of collegiate suitors. The Cowboys are just the latest in a line of 19 offers including the likes of Kansas State, Iowa State, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and others. He’s taken official visits associated with offers from K-State, Tulane and South Florida.

Neal is a three-star prospect, according to 247Sports and Rivals, and the No. 78 DT in the class and the No. 25 overall prospect out of the Volunteer State, according to 247.

But set the playmaking, the measurables and versatility aside for a moment. Neal has been through more than most of us. He’s a bonafide survivor. In sixth grade, Neal was dealt a life-changing diagnosis, a tumor the size of a softball in the frontal lobe of his brain.

Take a peek at his highlights.

You can also find this podcast on Spotify and Apple.

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OSU Bullets

• 247 Sports researched spending on football rosters – the Pokes are in the third (bottom) tier of the Big 12 at less than $20M, albeit, noting that the Pokes are with Kansas at the top of that tier, spending nearly $20M (GoPokes 247 $$$)

• A surprising candidate is rising to start at tight end for the Cowboys (PFB)

• Welcome to Oklahoma, Coach Eric Morris.

“This was my first experience with an armadillo. He was crushing my yard, my flower beds, was digging everything up. But I got him about 2:30. Had to send a text message to my neighbors. I apologized for the gun shot. I am in the country, so it was legal. But I did get rid of him.” [PFB]

You’d think this was a Mike Gundy quote.

Eric Morris is a perfect fit at Oklahoma State. pic.twitter.com/YLHsMwzQOS

— Cody Nagel (@CodyNagel247) August 18, 2026

• OSU’s offensive line is starting to take shape – is there a bigger wildcard on the team than the o-line? (PFB)

•  Without being a subscriber to The Athletic and hearing the logic, we’re just left to wonder how someone would put OSU and OU in the fourth tier of coaching jobs in college football: 

Coaching tiers, per @TheAthletic https://t.co/QjfYYop78T pic.twitter.com/3gaq0AGdmS

— parker fleming (@statsowar) August 18, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• The perfect amount of time to spend with your friends

•  Reading the news without being alarmed (faith-based) 

James Clear: The ability to bounce back quickly is a key skill in life. pic.twitter.com/2XG69tISW7

— Reads with Ravi (@readswithravi) August 18, 2026

GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 | GAME 4 | GAME 5 | GAME 6 | GAME 7 | GAME 8 | GAME 9 | GAME 10 | GAME 11

There was a lot of reason for the Mean Green to be distracted going into this game against Temple, but if North Texas was distracted, it sure didn’t look like it.

UNT clobbered Temple 52-25 in a game that the Mean Green had to win to make the American Championship. It was also the first game North Texas played after it was announced that Eric Morris would be heading to Stillwater.

In preparation for Oklahoma State’s 2026 season, we’re going back and watching North Texas’ 2025 season. Here are some takeaways from this game against Temple.

Maximum Efficiency

Through 18 offensive plays, North Texas scored 28 points.

Those first four drives from the Mean Green offense featured two 99-yard drives, as the Temple punter was having an all-time day. But North Texas could’ve started a drive on the stretch of I-35 that runs by DATCU Stadium and the Mean Green would’ve still found a way to the end zone.

North Texas’ first drive started at its 1-yard line. After finding some breathing room during the first four plays, Drew Mestemaker connected with Cameron Dorner for a 77-yard catch and run for a touchdown. He wasn’t the only guy running either. Morris followed the play the whole way down the UNT sideline.

He just kept running!

📺: ESPN#GMG🦅 | @cameron_dorner pic.twitter.com/uBIUWFyi7O

— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) November 28, 2025

After Temple scored to tie it, UNT return man Simeon Evans ran the ensuing kick back 61 yards into Temple territory, setting up a four-play, 34-yard touchdown drive that ended with Caleb Hawkins’ first of four rushing touchdowns of the day.

Then another stellar punt pinned the Mean Green on the 1-yard line again, but Hawkins was a hot knife through butter, ripping off a 26-yard run to start the drive. He had a 31-yard touchdown run a few plays later, averaging 28.5 yards a carry on the drive.

The Mean Green’s first five drives ended in touchdown before the stingy halftime whistle called a stop to their sixth drive, as UNT went into the locker room with a 35-7 lead.

Mestemaker was as efficient as his offense. His first incompletion came after North Texas had already tallied 28 points. He finished 20-for-24 with 366 yards, three touchdowns and no picks.

Enter: Terrence Lewis

This is somewhat timely considering the Oklahoma State media got to talk with Terrence Lewis on Tuesday with him coming off a big play in OSU’s first fall scrimmage.

But Lewis had two touchdown receptions in this one.

The first came off an absolute laser beam from Mestemaker when the two weren’t all that far from each other. The ball initially bounced off Lewis’ hands, as it almost looked like fastball knocked him over. But then as he was laying down, he secured the catch.

1️⃣7️⃣ ➡️ 1️⃣8️⃣#GMG🦅 | @DrewMestemaker | @terrencethee1 https://t.co/MQ0FdXEVBg pic.twitter.com/HOT1dTf3by

— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) November 28, 2025

Lewis’ second TD came on a little bubble screen in which Wyatt Young blocked two guys to clear the path for him. The first block wasn’t great (but got the job done), but block No. 2 made up for it.

.@terrencethee1 turning on the jets 🚀

📺 @ESPNCFB #GMG🦅 https://t.co/50p435RBAx pic.twitter.com/DEKweMUUTD

— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) November 28, 2025

Those were the final touchdowns of Lewis’ true freshman season, as he finished the year with 11 catches for 184 yards and three scores.

Other Notes

• The broadcast opened with the TV guys calling this the most important game in UNT’s history, as if the Mean Green won, they’d secure a spot in the American Championship and would still be alive for the College Football Playoff.

• This also marked the first game UNT had played since news broke that Eric Morris would be Oklahoma State’s next head coach.

• This was a fun formation, featuring Mestemaker, Hawkins and Young all in the backfield:

• Caleb Hawkins is so good and this has gotten so common that I’m putting his 186-yard, four-touchdown performance in the “Other Notes” section. Just another day at the office, to be honest.

• The same could be said for Wyatt Young, who caught six passes for 127 yards. In his past three games, Young has caught 22 balls for 565 yards and three touchdowns.

• Kollin Lewis, now a corner at OSU, had an outstanding pass breakup in this game.

• Up next: postseason football.

Although a few significant battles in the two-deep remain up for grabs, it sounds like receiver Terrence Lewis might have locked himself into a valuable receiving role on Saturday.

“Had a phenomenal touchdown in the scrimmage on a, I think it was a two-minute drive,” Morris said. “Caught a post and made three or four guys miss and scored a 60-yard touchdown, which was just really good to see him put it all together.”

Among North Texas players, Lewis finished last season seventh overall and fifth among receivers with 184 receiving yards on 11 receptions. He made the most of it, finding the end zone three times, which put him third on the team.

On Tuesday, Lewis worked with the first-string offense when Mestemaker ran a hurry-up drive against the Cowboys defense. He appeared to be taking receiver Chris Barnes’ spot in this particular series while fellow receiver Miles Coleman played what would have likely been Wyatt Young’s.

“I think Terrence Lewis has had probably his best little stretch of eight or nine practices together that he’s had since I’ve known him,” Morris said. “He’s always shown flashes, it’s been the consistency factor of it.”

The 5-11, 170-pound sophomore ranked 132nd and 189th at his position in the portal according to 247Sports and On3, respectively. That’s a bit of a jump up considering both sites had him in the 230s coming out of high school.

“I never expected to play,” Lewis said, referring to last season. “You know, coming in in the summer, not in the spring, a late guy, I never expected to jump out there and play. But you know, if you showed up, if you showed that you work your butt off and show the skills you can showcase, he will play you.”

According to Pro Football Focus data, Lewis only saw 15 targets last season, eighth-most at UNT. More than 94% of his snaps came out of the slot, and he finished third on the team with an average depth of target of 12.5.

Lewis said his top three priorities this offseason were improving at run after the catch, his hands and his route running.

“Came into this camp, came into this year with a big school and knew that it was a new opportunity,” Lewis said. “I knew I had to showcase my skills and work hard. So over this time, I’ve just been trying to get better at my craft.”

Run after the catch, also known as YAC (yards after the catch), dominated Lewis’ thoughts when he spoke to reporters on Tuesday, including his breakdown of his touchdown during the scrimmage.

“If y’all go back and watch the play, I just really had to read the defense,” Lewis said. “You know, the leverage was low-key onto my side, so I really just couldn’t lose leverage. I just had to basically run the route to get open. It was basically kind of easy. After that, catching and the RAC.

“That’s what we work on with (receivers) coach Nick Edwards. He teaches that every single day, so that’s just what we do and what we train for. That’s just, I guess it would say it’s like a second nature to me. So it’s really easy.”

Lewis finished last season with 83 yards after the catch, averaging roughly 8.3 per reception, according to PFF. Ignoring running backs, that was enough to finish second behind only Young’s average of 11.4.

Thanks to safety Mose Phillips, it’s now public that Saturday’s touchdown by Lewis came with first-string receiver Justin Bowick on the field, which suggests the sophomore was playing alongside guys expected to make a real impact this fall and not when OSU went to the bench.

Phillips’ description of the play also focused on some of the same things Lewis highlighted in his own breakdown.

“It was a phenomenal play,” Phillips said. “He did a great job after the catch, making people miss, keep running his feet, keep running his feet, playing for it. Bowick did a great job blocking ahead for him as well, playing forward, but I think that is a testament to the offense and the culture here.

“Like the receivers don’t watch other receivers catch the ball and do their thing. They come get DBs. They trying to collect you, so it forces us to play to the whistle as well.”

Well, that scrimmage was Saturday. Although Morris wasn’t ready to proclaim a starting five, at least not publicly, he said he’s getting close to knowing who will protect Drew Mestemaker come Sept. 5 in Tulsa.

“We’re getting close right now,” Morris said. “We’re getting close. Still working with Braydon (Nelson), not 100% healthy right now. He’s a guy that’s played a ton of football, so he’s one that we’ll have to throw into the equation. Now, whether that’s guard or tackle, he’s played both.

“But yeah, I think (Jacob) Sexton has done a phenomenal job at left tackle. (Tyler) Mercer’s for sure the guy at center. Joseph Hanson has moved around a little bit, is playing really good. I’ll tell you, the surprise of camp so far is Shaun Torgeson. Somebody that’s really played phenomenal for us. He can play multiple positions. We’ve had him at right tackle right now, him and (Ashton) Lepo battling that out. And then Johnny Dickson has done a good job at guard for us.”

That’s a lot of names and none of them were at Oklahoma State last season, so let’s slow it down a bit.

Nelson: Listed at 6-foot-4, 327 pounds, Braydon Nelson started all 14 of North Texas’ games last season as a true sophomore, starting 11 at left tackle and three at right tackle. He also played a heavy dose of right guard as a freshman in Denton. Nelson hasn’t been a full participant in the Cowboys’ fall camp because of injury.

Sexton: Jacob Sexton comes to Stillwater having spent the past four seasons at Oklahoma. Getting on the field wasn’t a problem for Sexton at OU. It was staying on the field while trying to fend off the injury bug. He’s played 997 offensive snaps — 404 at left tackle, 281 at left guard and 312 at right tackle. Based on the way Morris talked about him there, it seems like a lock that he’ll start at left tackle for the Cowboys.

Mercer: Tyler Mercer played at North Texas under Morris in 2024, where he was a Freshman All-American. He then transferred to Kansas ahead of last season and played in three games. Morris noted he is “for sure” the guy for the Cowboys at center.

Hanson: Jacob Hanson was All-Sun Belt second team selection at Coastal Carolina last season, playing all of his snaps at right tackle. He’s primarily been used inside of late and appears to be in contention for one of the starting guard spots.

Torgeson: Morris’ “surprise of camp,” Shaun Torgeson is a 6-foot-4, 302-pound redshirt sophomore who started at left tackle at Portland State last season. I wrote last week about Torgeson’s name starting to pop up a bit more as fall camp rolled on, and Morris kept that hype going Tuesday. He’s been used both inside and outside thus far in camp. Morris noted him in competition at right tackle, and during the live period the media were able to see Tuesday morning, Torgeson was in at right guard.

Lepo: Ashton Lepo was Michigan State’s starting right tackle in 2024 but made just two starts in 2025. At 6-foot-7, 320 pounds, he certainly checks the size box and is in contention at right tackle.

Dickson: Johnny Dickson was North Texas’ starting right guard in 2025 and started six games for the Mean Green in 2024 after spending the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Virginia Tech. He’s in the mix at guard for the Cowboys.

So, it’s shaping up to be something like this:

LT — Sexton
LG — Dickson/Hanson
C — Mercer
RG — Hanson/Torgeson
RT — Lepo/Torgeson

And Nelson could throw another wrench in that upon his looming return to action.

The Cowboys have another scrimmage this weekend, but for now, it might not be a bad thing to have more bodies than spots.

“Yeah, we’re getting really close,” Morris said. “And hopefully throughout this week we’re gonna work who we think are those guys together and let them gel, get on the same page and see them compete one last time on Saturday.”

​“If we played a game tomorrow, I mean, there’s a good chance he’s our starting tight end right now too, and so someone that’s improved so much,” Morris said.

​To say this was a shocking development would be an understatement considering the 6-4, 235-pound redshirt sophomore wasn’t put on scholarship until June 19th.

“I mean, I came in here as a walk-on, so I really wasn’t expecting to play much this year, except on special teams,” Kolb said. “And I mean, that’s kind of just what I’ve been doing is special teams so far. But I mean, a few unfortunate minor injuries and stuff like that, and now I’m playing. So it’s just kind of a dream come true to start literally from the bottom, work my way up.”

​Those unnamed injuries would include expected starting tight end Donovan Green, who has worked on the side without pads twice during media viewing sessions in the last week, and Oscar Hammond, who was also seen without pads on Tuesday morning.

The way Morris and Kolb spoke on Tuesday, it sounds like there’s a possibility that one or both of those guys could return to the lineup before the trip to Tulsa on Sept. 5, but for now Kolb appears to be competing for starting duties, which isn’t what he or Morris expected.

“Has to continue to work on ball skills and just catching it with people around him,” Morris said of Kolb. “But you know, it’s someone that thinks fast. He’s able to do multiple things out there. He’s been really good blocking in the core with some toughness for us, and so he just continues to be a guy that gets noticed around here in every camp. And that’s a, even though he’s not a freshman, but somebody that we brought in that we didn’t foresee this kid possibly being a starting tight end when we started this thing, but he’s earned it and continues to move his way up and get more and more reps.”

Before anyone hits the panic button too quickly, Morris isn’t just hyping up Kolb now that he might have to use him. It sounds like he was very much in the mix for some time at tight end back on Aug. 8.

“Kolb is a guy that walked on that we ended up putting on scholarship because he’s provided such experience, especially on special teams,” Morris said on Aug. 8. “A guy that’s going to start on all four special teams, and then do some spot stuff for us at tight end.”

According to Pro Football Focus records, Kolb played nine snaps of offense last season, all as a run-blocker. He played 98 snaps on special teams across all four return and coverage units and seven snaps on defense, mostly at Tulsa.

“I mean special memories, I got to play linebacker again, that is the biggest thing,” Kolb said of his last trip to TU. “I got to make two tackles at linebacker, so that was sweet. Brought me back to my high school days, got to be amped one more time on the defensive side.”

The football team shared a video back in June that shows Morris announcing three scholarships, including Kolb’s. In the video, there’s a great moment where Kolb’s jaw drops as he looks left, then right, then leaps into the air before his teammates completely swarm him.

Scholarship. Earned. 🤩@CooperLai4 @HarrisonD2003 @CarsonKolb3 #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/V4FlVdlPyf

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) June 19, 2026

“Honestly, it felt just surreal,” Kolb said when asked to relive that moment on Tuesday. “Like I couldn’t even believe it. It was such a dream come true, knowing that I had started as a walk-on at Oregon State and at Oklahoma State, and I knew I was good enough to be a scholarship player.

“And it was just getting that scholarship moment. It was the dream come true. It felt like a movie.”

Of course, we now know that wasn’t the last time OSU coaches would stun Kolb. Recently, tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Drew Svoboda let Kolb know about his promotion.

“We’re getting out of our position meetings, and he goes, ‘Hey, you’re now running with the ones today,’” Kolb said. “And I was like, ‘All right, sweet.’ I mean, I’ve been kind of rotating with everyone as spring goes on, so I mean, it’s not a huge pressure on my back right now, but I mean, just kind of staying healthy is my main priority.”

Oh, and that video OSU posted on X back in June, the very first reply posted just two minutes after the video went live came from Kolb’s account. It was a simple “Thank you God!” and echoed the mentality he showed throughout his interview session on Tuesday.

“Just keeping a positive attitude helps,” Kolb said when asked about the grind of fall camp. “You know, I thank God every day for waking me up and keeping me healthy this whole time. So, I mean, yeah, I give all grace to Him.”

Although Morris didn’t spend his weekend rattlesnake hunting, Oklahoma State’s new coach did have a run in with wildlife.

“I’ve had a couple of armadillos problems tearing up my lawn,” Morris said Tuesday. “Finally a couple days ago, I just popped up at 2:30 (a.m.) because I couldn’t sleep and was thinking about something, and I thought it was a great opportunity to go outside. Luckily I found him.

“This was my first experience with an armadillo. He was crushing my yard, my flower beds, was digging everything up. But I got him about 2:30. Had to send a text message to my neighbors. I apologized for the gun shot. I am in the country, so it was legal. But I did get rid of him.”

That’s about as smalltown as it gets.

Could you imagine waking up to a text from your Division-I head football coach neighbor apologizing for a gun shot because he was taking care of a armadillo problem?

It’s a strong start to wildlife stories, but Morris still has a ways to go to catch up to the two-decade tenure of Gundy. Going on 10 years ago (time is flying), Gundy went rattlesnake hunting with Wild Bill in Okeene. Gundy’s also shared a story or two a year of the ongoings of his various ranch animals.

Funnily enough, Oklahoma State University has some reading materials as to how to deal with armadillos.

“Armadillos may be active year around, but they are most active during the warmer months of the year. During the heat of the summer, homeowners begin irrigating their lawns. This makes lawns especially attractive to the armadillo. The lawns are usually mowed and thus there is little vegetation to impede foraging. Additionally, the irrigation results in the soil being loose and easy to dig. Finally, the irrigation often keeps larval insects close to the soil surface.

“Once armadillos find a suitable foraging spot, they normally will return repeatedly. Many times the damage is only superficial as the holes are seldom more than a few inches in depth. In the case of sod forming turf such as Bermuda, the damage is typically repaired by the turf rather quickly. In the case of cool season grasses such as fescue, the damage is more long-term.” — okstate.edu

That article goes on to say that there are no known repellants effective against armadillos and that they can be controlled yearound without a special permit.

OSU Bullets

• The preseason AP poll indicates a belief that OSU is in the top half of the Big 12 – is OSU the first 1-11 team to get votes the next season? (PFB + X)

• Ten Cowboy Football players PFB’s head man is excited to watch this fall (PFB)

• Berry Tramel pointed out a big question that will determine OSU’s success this season:

There’s always a risk element in the transfer portal, but all these transfers from North Texas, whether directly from (Eric) Morris’ 2025 Mean Green or the few who played for him in 2024, are not mysteries. Morris knows what he’s getting.

 

The question is, does he know what he needs? Are these transfers Big 12 caliber? They hold the key to OSU’s season. [TulsaWorld]

• Taking a closer look at the Cowboy defensive line (PFB)

• What a seed from the former Cowboy:

BENGE AGAIN! 💪🤯 pic.twitter.com/vO3wvZ9ppP

— New York Mets (@Mets) August 17, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• 8 best national parks to visit during fall 2026

• Blessed are the risk takers (faith-based)

Tommy Callicut, a 2027 interior defensive lineman prospect, announced an OSU offer via his X account.

After a great conversation with Coach @coach_ikeDL and Coach @CoachMikeOG I’m blessed to receive a offer from Oklahoma State University #AGTG pic.twitter.com/KQvTJz8ZlH

— Tommy Callicut (@tommy_callicut) August 17, 2026

Callicut is a 6-foot-4, 275-pound hailing from Olive Branch, Mississippi who is yet unranked according to most major recruiting services, but he’s not without suitors.

He recently made a trip to Western Kentucky on an official visit which resulted in his pledging to the Hilltoppers in late June. The Cowboys, though, represent his first Power Conference offer, joining a list of 19 schools that also includes the likes of Memphis, South Florida, Southern Miss, UNLV and others.

OSU has 11 commitments for its 2027 class as of writing, but only one along its defensive line in edge rusher Jayden Vessell. The Pokes have yet to land an interior D-lineman.

This offer comes just a couple weeks after the Cowboys offered another DT pledged elsewhere. Boston College commit MJ Woods announced an OSU offer July 31. The Pokes are ranked No. 82 overall in recruiting and 16th in the Big 12, according to 247Sports. OSU currently has 29 offers extended for DTs.

Take a look at his junior season highlights.

GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 | GAME 4 | GAME 5 | GAME 6 | GAME 7 | GAME 8 | GAME 9 | GAME 10

Now in late November of our North Texas 2025 rewatch, the American Championship game and the College Football Playoff are hot on the minds of those watching the Mean Green.

UNT rolled through Rice 56-24 in Houston to pick up win No. 10 on the season — the first time North Texas has ever hit double-digit wins.

In preparation for Oklahoma State’s 2026 season, we’re going back and watching North Texas’ 2025 season. Here are some takeaways from this game against Rice.

The Wyatt Young Legacy Game

Wyatt Young did his best Adarius Bowman impersonation in this game.

The sophomore wideout (who will be a junior at Oklahoma State this year) caught eight balls for 295 yards (!!!) and two touchdowns.

He had touchdowns of 74 and 84 yards.

The first of those resembled a classic Rudolph-to-Washington connection on a deep post route that was dropped right in a bucket before Young shrugged off a would-be tackle and strolled into the end zone.

You could argue whether Mestemaker or Young did more of the heavy lifting on that play, but you can’t argue that for the 84-yard TD.

Young caught a 5-yard out route before making, by my count, six Rice defenders miss during his sprint to the goal line.

In total, Young had five catches of at least 20 yards in this game, adding receptions of 46 yards, 41 yards and 24 yards to his two big touchdowns.

The numbers could’ve gotten more absurd for Young, but he wrapped his day up early in the fourth quarter.

Wyatt Young set a new American Conference single game receiving yards record tonight at 295🤯🏈#BuiltToRise x @MeanGreenFB pic.twitter.com/GzIG8Ch0Eq

— The American (@American_Conf) November 23, 2025

Mestemaker’s Ball of the Season?

It would make sense that since Young had a big day, the guy throwing him the ball also put up numbers.

On only 23 attempts, Mestemaker threw for 469 yards and three touchdowns, meaning he averaged 20.4 yards every time he threw it. This will mark the second-most yards he’s thrown for in a game during the 2025 season.

As good as some of the balls to Young were, Mestemaker’s 56-yard touchdown pass to Tre Williams was perhaps the most absurd ball I’ve seen him throw in this rewatch.

With what looked like a flick of the wrist, Mestemaker hit Williams on a ball that, by my count, went 53 yards in the air on a frozen rope (Mestemaker threw it from well behind the line of scrimmage). Adding to the absurdity, Williams is a tight end. Who hits a tight end on a ball that travels 50+ yards?

BLUURRRR!

📺 ESPNU#GMG🦅 | @trewilliams3157 | @DrewMestemaker https://t.co/B3irbVAF3h pic.twitter.com/HSOlsvlImT

— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) November 23, 2025

Other Notes

• To get people in the stands, Rice offered free ice cream and beer at this game. Doesn’t get much more American than that.

• For the most part in 2025, North Texas would jump its opponent right off the opening whistle and said opponent wouldn’t recover.

This game actually played out a bit differently, as Rice scored on its opening drive, forced UNT into a three-and-out and then scored again to make it 14-0.

Unfortunately for the Owls, they wouldn’t score again until UNT led 42-14.  So, it was good to see the Mean Green overcome a little early rough patch and still cruise.

• The broadcast noted that linebacker Ethan Wesloski moved from SAM to WILL for this game with injuries piling up around him in the linebacking room.

It seemed to work for him, as he had a season-high 17 tackles in this game. He got banged up a little early but came back and continued to play well.

• Mestemaker had a 1-yard touchdown run off a read option in the third quarter. Morris was juiced for it with a big fist pump and a point:

• All I can say is ouch.

Hawkins, somewhat under the radar, ran for three touchdowns and 97 yards in this game.

With Eric Morris’ first OSU roster being made up of almost entirely new faces, I made a list of the Top 10 Cowboys I’m most excited to watch this fall.

10. TE Donovan Green (#81)

There hasn’t been a position at Oklahoma State where usage has been questioned more than tight end.

Was it a Gundy thing? Was it just the circumstance of each particular OSU team? Those are offseason questions, but once the season starts, I’m ready to get my eyes on what Donovan Green can do in orange and black.

Green was a super recruit as far as tight ends are concerned, with the 247Sports Composite ranking listing the Dickinson, a Texas standout, as the No. 105 player in all of the 2022 recruiting class. His offer list included Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and others. Basically, Green could’ve gone wherever he wanted.

Injuries have slowed his ascent, as after a strong true freshman campaign at Texas A&M (22 catches for 233 yards and two touchdowns), Green has caught two passes in the past three seasons.

Last year, UNT starting tight end Tre Williams caught 30 passes for 375 yards and five touchdowns. The last 30-catch tight end the Cowboys had was Blake Jackson back in 2012.

So, I’m excited to watch Green, yes, but I’m also excited to see how Morris uses the position group as a whole in Stillwater.

9. DE Jaleel Johnson (#95)

If you’ve stood next to Jaleel Johnson over the past three years or so, you’ve probably thought to yourself, “Holy crap, this guy is a freak.”

With the way Morris called Johnson the most disruptive defender of spring at Big 12 Media Days, this feels like Johnson’s breakout year. Heck, it felt like that at the last Big 12 Media Days when Iman Oates said Johnson would “be a real problem” last season before Johnson went down with injury.

Johnson is listed at 6-foot-4, 270 pounds, which makes him the third-heaviest defensive end on the roster behind Malik Charles (6-3, 284) and Rashod Bradley (6-3, 279). (Charles almost made this list, by the way). Johnson enters the season with three career sacks, bringing a quarterback down as a redshirt freshman in 2023 and two down as a redshirt sophomore in 2024.

His story also rocks. A Putnam City-North grad, Johnson picked up his OSU offer after attending a camp. He’s gained 30 pounds since getting to campus in 2022. And he has the chance to be the latest in a line of in-state edge rushers to make their names as Cowboys (see Collin Oliver, Trace Ford, Brock Martin, etc.).

8. WR Miles Coleman (#1)

In a lot of ways, Miles Coleman feels like the forgotten man of OSU’s receiving corps in the preseason because hype is being pulled in all sorts of different directions.

But in rewatching North Texas’ 2025 season, I’m being reminded of just how electric the 5-foot-6, 158-pound (shortest and lightest guy on the team) can be.

Coleman caught 83 balls for 928 yards and four touchdowns the past two seasons at North Texas. According to PFF, 530 of those yards have come after the catch, as Coleman’s speed means he’s just a crease away from taking a simple wide receiver screen the distance, like this play against USF last season where none of the guys in white were able to catch up to him:

If everyone stays healthy, Coleman probably finishes 2026 as OSU’s No. 4 receiver, but the No. 4 receiver in Morris’ offense the past three seasons has still averaged 33.3 catches, 396.7 yards and 2.3 touchdowns a season, which is nothing to sneeze at. OSU’s leading receiver (Gavin Freeman) last season had 53 catches for 481 yards and four touchdowns, for instance.

7. LB Ethan Wesloski (#32)

The run of Malcolm Rodriguez, Devin Harper and Nick Martin perhaps spoiled the OSU fanbase in terms of elite linebacking. With Martin getting hurt in the 2024 season, OSU hasn’t had a 100-tackle player the past two years.

After solid seasons at UNT in 2023 and 2024, Wesloski took a big step forward last season, finishing with 113 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

It’s hard to get a good feel for what OSU’s defense can be in the preseason because it feels more like the sum of its parts rather than one being controlled by star power. But if Wesloski can follow up his strong 2025 season with something similar in 2026, it feels like it’d go a long way in getting the Cowboys defense heading in the right direction.

6. WR Wyatt Young (#10)

This is probably lower than most would have North Texas transfer receiver Wyatt Young, but the unknowns of two other receivers ahead of him on the list has me a little more excited to see them this season in part because my confidence is high Young can continue what he started at UNT.

Young was a high school quarterback, so he hasn’t played a ton of receiver to this point. But in two seasons at the position, Young has 88 catches, 1,559 yards and 12 touchdowns — all in the same scheme that he’ll be in during the 2026 season.

Young always seems to be open, but his real strength, to me, is when the ball is in his hands. He isn’t the finesse ball carrier that some receivers are. Instead, he sometimes looks more like a running back with the ball in his hands, flying through arm tackles and looking to get more yards.

I’m not sure Young has the athletic upside of a Justin Bowick or a Chris Barnes (who does?), but I could still see Young finishing the year as this team’s leading receiver because, one, he’s done it before, and two I think in games where he doesn’t go off in terms of yardage, he’ll still steadily rack up receptions.

5. RB Caleb Hawkins (#24)

Again, lower than most would have him solely because I think I know what OSU is getting here, and it’s really good.

Hawkins runs like a madman, with no regard for himself or others. Not only did Hawkins finish fifth nationally in rushing yards last season (1,434), but he finished third nationally among running backs in yards after contact (1,056), per PFF.

Hawkins led the nation in touchdowns (29) as a true freshman despite not getting a lot of run early in the year. From Sept. 20 on, Hawkins had at least four touchdowns in four of North Texas’ 11 games.

As good as he is running between the tackles, he’s just as deadly in the passing game, as well. He finished with 370 receiving yards, which ranked 11th among running backs in the country.

And apparently, he’s bigger, stronger and faster entering his sophomore season.

4. DB Christian Bodnar (#6)

There might not be a position that has grown more in importance over the past decade than the nickel. It’s a position that asks guys to cover speedy slot receivers while helping in run support.

Upon scouring some of Christian Bodnar’s highlights when he committed to OSU this winter, I liked what I saw. But then at OSU’s in-house Media Day earlier this month, Morris noted that he thinks Bodnar will be “a household name by the end of this thing,” and I got even more excited.

Listed at 6-foot, 188 pounds, Bodnar has spent the past three seasons at Liberty, spending time at safety and corner (important for a nickel). He took a big step forward last season, finishing with 44 tackles, two sacks and two pass breakups.

There probably isn’t a better story in college football this year than Bodnar’s, as well. He missed most of the 2024 season with post-infectious encephalitis, an inflammation in the brain that saw Bodnar spend a week in the hospital where he had to relearn how to walk.

So, for reasons on the field and off, I’m excited to watch Bodnar’s first year with the Cowboys.

3. WR Justin Bowick (#0)

OSU’s fall camp has just about turned into the Justin Bowick hype machine.

With each passing quote, the Illinois transfer receiver seems to add an inch to his height and a tenth off his 40 time.

Listed at 6-foot-5, 209 pounds, Bowick is the tallest non-lineman on the team while simultaneously somehow also being one of the faster guys on the team, with Morris projecting Bowick to run in the 4.4s or 4.3s based off his timed 10-yard sprints this summer.

Even with all that athleticism, there’s still a bit of mystery to Bowick, as the most receiving yards he’s had in an FBS season to this point was 383 in 2024 at Ball State. That Ball State season, though, comes with the caveat that he played in just four games, and really all of that damage came in two games. In his last two contests in the MAC, Bowick caught 15 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns.

He had a solid season at Illinois last year, catching 22 passes for 265 yards while tying a team lead with five TD receptions. But early on this past winter, Morris made it known that Bowick’s usage would look different in his offense compared to a more stereotypical Big Ten style.

2. WR Chris Barnes (#2)

All the preseason hype surrounding Bowick was almost enough to move me off Chris Barnes as the receiver I’m most excited about … almost.

Barnes is also one of the faster (if not the fastest) guys on the team, but unlike Bowick, Barnes checks in at 5-foot-7. That tandem is expected to play on the outside for the Cowboys this season, with Young and Coleman manning the slot.

As a redshirt freshman at Wake Forest  in 2025, Barnes caught 39 passes for 547 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 143 rushing yards and 263 kick return yards, housing one of the seven kicks he caught last season.

Highlights like this from fall camp are certainly guiding my excitement:

Separation 🏃‍♂️💨@TheChrisBarnes1 | @OkFordDealers pic.twitter.com/UDcspp10x9

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) August 14, 2026

1. QB Drew Mestemaker (#17)

How could it be anyone else?

I’m not sure there’s ever been this much preseason talk about an Oklahoma State quarterback, and given the quarterback carousel the Cowboys have been on since Spencer Sanders got hurt midway through the 2022 season, I don’t think Mestemaker’s entrance could’ve come at a better time.

Some of this feels unfair to pin on a guy who hasn’t taken a Power Five snap yet and has only been playing the position for a few years, but in terms of arm talent, is he the best guy the Cowboys have ever had? That’s a question I’ve asked myself almost weekly since he committed.

And as good as Mestemaker appears to be, this is the third year he’s been in the same system — a system that saw him lead the country in passing as a redshirt freshman. And adding to that, Mestemaker has Bowick and Barnes joining Young, Coleman and Hawkins, and man, it seems like he could have a special year.

Added together, that might leave receiver Miles Coleman somewhat overlooked headed into fall camp. Which would be a mistake since his relationship with quarterback Drew Mestemaker goes all the way back to when the two were 5 years old.

“I can just give him a look, and we’ll be on the same page,” Coleman said. “We’ll ride it out from there. I think just that connection we have, always being on the same page. It’s a blessing to have with him.”

That connection made an impact last season as Coleman finished third in total targets, but second in targets per game. Coleman averaged 5.7, which put him just over a target behind Young’s team-leading pace of 6.9.

Those numbers were good enough to put him third in receptions (56) and receiving yards (550) at North Texas last season.

“We had the most explosive offense last year,” Coleman said. “And then Coach (Eric) Morris, he’s a small guy like me. You know, he likes to get small guys involved. That was a big reason (I came to OSU).”

Coleman said keeping the band together was important because of the team chemistry UNT had last season. The 5-foot-6, 158-pound receiver doesn’t view this as a continuation of North Texas, but he does think the current Cowboys can build something similar “to change the narrative on this team.”

“I think we can build here, I already see it, like the team chemistry here with like 90 new players,” Coleman said. “I already feel like we’ve been together for like three years already.”

Of course one of the strongest connections will undoubtedly be between Coleman and Mestemaker.

“I dreamed about playing with one of my boys, like from literally elementary school,” Coleman said. “So it’s really been a blessing to go out there and play with Drew each and every, like every single college snap to go out there with him and you know just to see his success, see my success, and just having a guy out there, like one of my boys out there. It’s just having fun. We’re playing football. It’s just, it’s awesome.”

Coleman racked up 3,000-plus receiving yards and 40 total touchdowns in high school while Mestemaker found himself starting at safety and punter since he was repeatedly unable to win the starting quarterback job for the same Vandegrift team.

“That just kind of shows Drew’s attitude and how he works,” Coleman said. “Like a bunch of coaches told him, like he couldn’t play, and then you know he tried to prove himself right, prove other people wrong, like he can do this. The talent was always there. He just needed a chance to go out there and show people what he could do.”

Although the two have been teammates throughout their high school and collegiate seasons, last year was the first time Mestemaker was the main attraction between the two of them. It’s safe to say Coleman has enjoyed watching his longtime friend finally get some well-deserved time in the spotlight this offseason.

“I mean, it’s been amazing,” Coleman said. “Obviously, freshman year, that bowl game, just to see him ball out, it was awesome. And then to see his progress over that, it’s just been on another level, and the sky’s the limit for him. We’ve been playing together since Pop Warner, and just to see his growth over the years has just been, it’s been amazing.”

You know what helps the show and helps us make more shows? When you rate us on Apple Podcasts or subscribe to our pod: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | SoundCloud.

As always, we appreciate our sponsor Chris’ University Spirit, Echo Contracting. and Farm Service Company.

The running back who set an NCAA record for most touchdowns ever scored by a freshman last season (29) is one of 50 total players. The entire list includes only 11 running backs, putting him among the sport’s elite.

Ten semifinalists for the 2026 Walter Camp Award will be released in early November, with the final three announcements expected to follow in early December.

It’s been a busy offseason for Hawkins, who was previously named to the official watch list for the Maxwell Award, also given to the nation’s best player, alongside quarterback Drew Mestemaker. Despite high expectations, or perhaps to protect those, coach Eric Morris hopes to lighten the sophomore’s workload this fall compared to last year’s rate at North Texas.

In his first season of college football in 2025, Hawkins finished with 1,434 rushing yards and 370 receiving yards to go with those 29 touchdowns. After carrying the ball only 13 times in North Texas’ first three games, Hawkins finished the year with six games of at least 100 rushing yards, including a season-high 198 in the Mean Green’s Bowl win against San Diego State.

​On Monday, the Associated Press revealed its first poll of the season, and as things stand currently, the Pokes should have several shots at some of the sport’s best this fall, highlighted by a Week 2 showdown with No. 2 Oregon.

​The Cowboys also face No. 12 Texas Tech at home on Nov. 14, which could serve as a measuring stick on Eric Morris’ first season. In between those headliners, the Cowboys hit the road to face No. 23 Houston on Oct. 17.

​Oklahoma State last ranked in the AP Poll on Sept. 28, 2024, when they lost at Kansas State, which effectively poured dirt on what started as a season with College Football Playoff hopes.

​Despite the last two years in the Big 12 basement, the Cowboys still received votes in the poll, landing them an unofficial ranking of 34th, with eight total points in the poll. Fellow conference members BYU and Utah ranked 14th and 21st in the initial poll, while Arizona and TCU received enough votes to rank as the unofficial 29th and 30th best teams.

2025 Preseason Polls

Brennan Presley Making Plays

The second-year receiver started his preseason with a bang. He led the Rams by grabbing all four of his targets for 58 yards in LA’s 20-12 win over Kansas City.

That included a 23-yard play and 40 total yards after contact. Presley appeared in one game as a rookie last season with all four of his snaps on special teams. But if he can continue to show out, he might earn a spot on the active roster.

Good day at Arrowhead for former Bixby Spartan/Cowboy Brennan Presley.

He led the Rams with 4 catches for 58 yards.

Jaydn Ott led the chiefs with 2 catches for 40 yards (27 on one play was biggest play for KC on the day) pic.twitter.com/2lepRLw4bA

— Dan Lindblad (@DanLindbladTV) August 15, 2026

Mixed Bag for Ollie

In his first action of the preseason, Ollie Gordon rushed for 39 yards on seven attempts. But he was briefly benched by first-year Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley after getting flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty.

It sounds like it was more of a teaching moment between the two.

Jeff Hafley on benching RB Ollie Gordon after he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct:

“Those are not acceptable to me. It’s disrespectful to the team, selfish, and how you lose games. I’m not going to play players that can’t control themselves.

It was a chance for me to… pic.twitter.com/wUAl96iXkN

— The List – Dolphins Podcast (@TheListFinsPod) August 16, 2026

Rudy Efficient in Opener

Mason Rudolph appears to be in strong contention for the QB2 spot behind Aaron Rodgers, but the Steelers still spread the snaps around in their preseason opener.

The veteran QB went 10-for-11 for 93 yards with the one incompletion being a pass into the end zone that should have been a touchdown.

Rudolph starts 8-for-8 near TD here, went for it on 4th, TE was short, Mason played well. pic.twitter.com/6bdTzJeJ6g

— Robert Allen (@RAllenGoPokes) August 13, 2026

Rudolph had to share the reins with rookie Drew Allar and Will Howard, who also played well, but expect Mike McCarthy and Co. to adjust the snaps closer to their desired pecking order as the preseason progresses.

Ogbah Returns to KC

Not on the field for the Chiefs was their newest defender.

Emmanuel Ogbah signed a one-year deal to return to Kansas City last week. He spent the 2019 season in with the Chiefs, winning a Super Bowl, though he missed the playoff run due to a season-ending injury.

Free-agent defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah is signing a one-year deal with the Chiefs; per source. It’s a reunion. Ogbah won a Super Bowl with them in 2020. pic.twitter.com/hZp0zQePeh

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 11, 2026

Ogbah played five seasons with the Miami Dolphins before landing in Jacksonville for the 2025 season.

Tay Martin Earns First-Team Reps

The former Cowboy wideout is doing his best to find a landing spot in Detroit. He caught one pass for 14 yards in the Lions’ preseason loss to the Bengals.

On Sunday, @Lions Wide Receiver Tay Martin got some reps with the first-team offense. Head Coach Dan Campbell also complimented his play during their first preseason game last week.

Martin says he’s doing his best to stay focused as he looks to make the final 53-man roster pic.twitter.com/9AJtjU09AH

— Alex Crescenti (@alex_crescenti) August 16, 2026

Martin has been a bit of journeyman with stops in San Francisco, Tennessee and Washington before signing with the Lions this offeseason.

Other Notes:

• Nick Martin led the 49ers with eight total tackles (three solo).

• Chuba Hubbard is listed as week-to-week with a hamstring injury.

• Tanner Brown went 2-for-2 including a made 49-yard field goal in the Saints’ loss to the Jaguars.

OSU Bullets

• Check out the findings from OKC Dave’s annual OSU fan survey (PFB)

•  Cowgirl Soccer got their first win of the season last night, shutting out SFA 3-0 (OKState.com)

• GoPokes 247 pulled some intel from Saturday’s football scrimmage and gave insight on the offense/defense breakdown:

As has been written before, the defense is in nearly full rebuild mode, as opposed to the offense, which had so many key pieces in place in the transition from North Texas. So the defense has its hands full against this offense in a scrimmage setting currently. Still, the defense had its bright spots, and reason for hope going forward. [GoPokes 247]

• Some college football execs/coaches have Drew Mestemaker as one of the most overrated players in the country – namely because he’s not proven (CBS Sports0

• This is kind of funny – seeing the strangest teams Big 12 teams have ever played. OSU’s loss came in the days before pro sports were fully evolved, like when Bob Kurland played for the Phillips Petroleum team.

pic.twitter.com/iwNvfzwSq1

— Michael Murray (@MikeMurrayKS) August 15, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• How all dogs are related (video)

• Saw a couple of movies this weekend (Odyssey and Brink of War) – not a movie critic, Odyssey was super engaging, thought provoking, Brink of War was great Cold War intel for someone who didn’t live through it. It was super interesting to see how the two leaders engaged.

“Who is initiating the items on your to-do list? When I’m most productive, I decide what I want to create and work on the task that will help build my vision. When I am less productive, I spend my day responding to what someone else sends to me — emails, texts, etc. — and often that means I end up building someone else’s vision.”

James Clear

This is the 19th time Dave has conducted this survey but the first with a new football coach. You can find the full survey results here, but here are five takeaways I had.

1. Football Expectations Rebound

Based on Dave’s survey, OSU fans expect this team to win 6.9 games in the regular season, up from last year’s survey-low of 6.4 (man, six wins would’ve been a lot more fun that what we all witnessed).

That’s a nice bounce back, but it’s still the second-fewest amount of wins predicted in the survey’s history (excluding the 10-game 2020 season).

OSU fans have generally been fairly spot on when it comes to these types of predictions. Check out this observation from Dave:

“Over the last 18 seasons, fans participating in the survey have predicted a total of 149.5 regular season wins. The team has actually won 142; a net shortfall of 7.5 games, almost entirely explained by the last two seasons’ historic misses (-5.5 in 2024, -5.4 in 2025: by far the two largest misses in survey history, and the reason we’re doing this whole exercise with a new coach this year). Take out Gundy’s tailspin over the last two years, and the fan base’s 16-year track record is remarkably accurate: predicted 134.6, actual 138; if anything, a little too cautious.”

It should come as no surprise, the game the fans are most confident in is the Cowboys’ contest against FCS Murray State, and the game fans are least confident in is the Week 2 title against Oregon. But some of the in between is of note.

After last year’s embarrassing home loss to the Golden Hurricane, fans give the Cowboys an 83.6% chance of going to Tulsa and winning to start the season.

Aside from Tech, the Big 12 seems like its usual mosh-pit self this season.

OSU fans give the Cowboys above a 50% chance of beating:

Colorado (67.85)
Kansas (66.4%)
UCF (64.6%)
Iowa State (63.9%)
West Virginia (59.1%)

Meaning fans gave the Pokes below a 50% chance of beating:

Arizona State (47.4%)
Kansas State (46.7%)
Houston (45.7%)
Texas Tech (33.7%)

It could come down to home vs. road. Of the four Big 12 games fans give OSU below a 50% chance in, all but that Tech game are played on the road, while the three Big 12 games fans are most confident in are played in Boone Pickens Stadium.

2. Fantasy World NIL Shows Importance of Football

A harsh reality OSU fans felt last season: football makes the world that is an athletic department go around.

Starting last year, Dave gave fans a hypothetical $1 million to be spent funding OSU sports. Last year, an average of $233,066 went to the football program. That was still the most of any sport, but after watching their team go 1-11 last season, that number has jumped nearly $100,000 to $333,046.

That meant the rest of OSU’s sports were down a little from the previous year.

As far as the actual NIL outlook at OSU, it appears as if fans are feeling better about where the athletic department is at.

For the prompt “I feel OSU is well-positioned to compete in the NIL era,” 30.1% of pollsters either disagreed or strongly disagreed, which is down 12.8% from last year. It hasn’t gone full-blown Texas Tech or anything, as 20.1% voted either agree or strongly agree, but a lot more people are at least in the “neutral” camp than last year.

3. Picking a Favorite in a Haystack

This football roster is unlike anything Oklahoma State has ever seen before given all the turnover in Stillwater, which made the favorite players portion of the survey rather intriguing.

It makes sense that quarterback Drew Mestemaker is the favorite offensive player, garnering 42% of the vote, but Caleb Hawkins’ 37% is tied with James Washington (2016) for the highest of any second placer. Wake Forest transfer receiver Chris Barnes came third at 6%, which is among the lowest for third placers. Basically: I know who Mestemaker and Hawkins are, but I’ll need a roster for most everyone else — which is fair!

No one knows how to pick a favorite defender anymore. Jaleel Johnson took first with 19%. That’s the second-lowest percentage a favorite has gotten trailing only last year (Cam Epps at 15%). The average percentage of the vote a first-place selection would get from 2009 to 2024 was 37.8%.

4. OSU Basketball Fans Ready to Be Hurt Again

The Cowboys have made the NCAA Tournament two times in the past 10 years — a brutal reality to be a part of.

But, OSU fans give the Cowboys an 88% chance of making the Big Dance in 2027 — the highest that percentage has been since the Cade Cunningham year (the last time OSU actually made the tournament).

It’s been a steady climb up on that prompt. It was at a survey-low 36% just two years ago before climbing up to 72% last year and now up to 88% in Lutz’s third season.

5. Wrestling School?

There is a lot of Cowboy Wrestling propaganda in these survey results, and given what David Taylor has been doing in Gallagher-Iba Arena, it’s easy to see why.

Starting with the prompt “I would rather OSU win a national championship in ___,” wrestling tied men’s basketball for 9% of the vote. Football has always led this vote, but basketball had always been a solo No. 2.

Meanwhile, for the second straight year, Taylor claimed the top spot of the coaches and administrators ranking with a 4.8 average rating (of five). That 4.8 rating ties Josh Holliday 2016 and Mike Gundy’s 2017 rating for the best anyone has posted.

Then in the “Which OSU program will win the school’s next national championship?” prompt, wrestling took first with 43% ahead of golf (33%) and cross country (22%) — two programs that have recently won national championships.

McAlester’s Rodney Washington on Saturday announced that he has been offered by Oklahoma State, with Washington joining Parker McDaniel (South Central Prep) and Keaton Murry (Putnam City-North) as in-state Class of 2028 prospects to recently announces offers to OSU.

After a great conversation with Head Coach @LutzSteve I am blessed to receive an offer from Oklahoma State University! Thank you for believing in me. @OSUMBB#GOPOKES#AGTG pic.twitter.com/bMiOKwneDE

— Rodney Washington (@rodneywash33) August 15, 2026

Washington is a four-star prospect who also excels on the football field at McAlester. Listed at 6-foot-2, Washington is the No. 63 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking for the 2028 class, which makes him the state’s top prospect in that particular ranking. Along with his OSU offer, Washington’s offer list features Kansas, Missouri, OU, Alabama and others.

Despite being 6-2, Washington is known for his rim-rattling dunks via his ridiculous athleticism.

📍 Live from EYBL Session 4 first 2 plays of the game top 40 national recruit Rodney Washington of AB Elite with 2 monster alley oops. @rodneywash33 pic.twitter.com/uW95ahzzNe

— OkieBall-Chris Logan (@OkieBall_1) July 8, 2026

Washington played on the North Texas-based AB (Anthony Black) Elite on Nike’s EYBL circuit this summer. Across 20 games, he averaged 17.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists a game at the 16u level.

He scored 40 points in a game on May 23, going 2-for-5 from 3 while bringing down seven rebounds. About a week earlier, he scored 33 points in a game, going 2-for-3 from 3 to go with nine rebounds and six assists.

On the football field, Washington caught 25 passes for 388 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore receiver at McAlester in 2025. He also made eight tackles and had an interception on defense.

Lutz and staff got a good look at Washington this summer, as the Buffaloes attended Oklahoma State’s team camp.

2026 OSU Team Camp
Rodney Washington (@rodneywash33)@MACboysBB pic.twitter.com/9ANwWs0PLS

— J Dash Media (@JohnnyDashMedia) June 13, 2026

Washington, McDaniel and Murry are just going into their junior years of high school, so there could still be some time before they’re ready to pick a college program. But it appears as if basketball in this state is in good hands for the next few years.

Back in April, new Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris shouted out his defensive line, particularly his edge rushers, as a group that was a pleasant surprise toward the end of spring ball. And now a few weeks into fall camp, the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator gave an unprompted shoutout to his front line.

“The group of the camp that’s done really, really well is our defensive front,” Skyler Cassity said. “I think those guys did a really, really good job early on. They’ve been physical at the point of attack. We’ve got obviously a heavy rotation of guys, which is a good problem to have.”

The group is deep, though, perhaps mostly unproven at the Power Conference level.

Jaleel Johnson earned a shoutout from Morris as the Cowboys’ most disruptive defender of spring at Big 12 Media Days. Listed at 6-foot-4, 270 pounds, Johnson has played in 26 games for the Cowboys the past three seasons. He drew his first three starts last season, but an injury four games into the year ended his campaign.

Another returner, Malik Charles drew some admiration from Morris because of his versatility as a 6-3, 284-pound defensive end who could also play inside. Last season was Charles’ first at the FBS level after previously playing at West Georgia, Northern Arizona and Western New Mexico.

Keviyan Huddleston was North Texas’ sack leader last season, finishing a 14-game season with give sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss and 31 total tackles. He spent the prior two seasons at TCU, playing in one game.

A Troy transfer, DJ Jackson Jr. has garnered shoutouts from teammates as a guy to look out for this season. Listed at 6-4, 243 pounds, Jackson had 22 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks last season at Troy, his first year at the Division-I level after spending a year playing D-II ball and another season at the junior college level.

Billy Walton III was a highly touted prospect coming out of Dallas who started his career at Texas before spending the past two seasons at SMU.

Morris and Co. moved Carl’veon Young from linebacker to defensive end after the spring to allow the former four-star prospect from Carl Albert to “read and react and play fast.”

James Williams is probably the most proven edge rusher the Cowboys have in terms of the Power Conference level. Across three seasons (two at Nebraska and one at Florida State), Williams has made 8.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss.

All of that is to say, the Cowboys aren’t short on edge rushing potential (which doesn’t even mention the guys the Cowboys have inside), but there isn’t that high-end guarantee of success someone like a Collin Oliver or Emmanuel Ogbah might’ve provided the Cowboys in the past. But if it comes together, you could see the upside.

That depth is important, too, because unlike their offensive counterparts, defensive linemen are often coming in and out of a game to stay fresh.

“We’ll always rotate up front,” Cassity said. “I think that’s the best situation. When you can play defense and you rotate, at this point we’re probably almost 15 guys deep up front, which is a great problem to have. Keeping those guys fresh and letting them play no more than 30 plays a game and really rotate them and let them go out there and understanding there’s one wave, two wave, three wave of those guys that can go in there and execute at a high level.”

On average, North Texas played 74 defensive snaps a game last season (PFF). The Mean Green’s top two edge rushers (Ethan Day and Briceon Hayes) in terms of snap count, played on average 44 snaps a game, which meant there were still 30 snaps out there to be picked up. Given the Cowboys’ perceived depth, that pie could get cut in more ways in 2026 at OSU.

“That’s the biggest thing for us is just having discipline and confidence and toughness being able to play at a high level up front,” Cassity said. “And whoever we feel confident to go do that, that’s who we’re gonna let go out there and cut it loose.”

OSU Bullets

• OSU coordinators Sean Brophy and Skyler Cassity focus on the boring over the buzzworthy, and why fans should like that. [PFB]

• Brophy also talked about how important (and difficult) it can be to keep a quality back QB. 

 “…if those guys can’t handle it mentally, they’re not going to stick around here that long.” [Tulsa World]

• Cowboy defensive tackle Fatafehi Vailea II is bouncing back from a major injury, but he’s found a smooth transition from Denton to Stillwater. [PFB]

• Following his national title as a freshman, Landon Robideau is set to make a splash at the U20 World Championships.

“I think he’s definitely making jumps,” said OSU coach David Taylor of Robideau’s offseason. “He’s done a good job. Like, he was very driven this year when the season was over. Like, he was ready for what was coming next. That’s a great sign. Not a surprise. Landon’s a pretty unique kid.” [PFB]

• Steve Lutz sends out a third in-state offer in the last two days.

Oklahoma State has now offered three of the Oklahoma’s top 2028 basketball recruits in Keaton Murry, Parker McDaniel and Rodney Washington this past week.

Cowboys freshman Jalen Montonati and Southmoore senior Tyson Pogi are among the state’s best to recently pledge to OSU. https://t.co/FPQOiGrdki

— Jordan Davis (@thejordancdavis) August 15, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Jenni Carlson’s look back on Russ vs. Kobe brought back all the nostalgic feels. [The Oklahoman]

• Who’s pointing out your blind spots? [Fast Company]

Summer is just more fun when you’re football team is buzzworthy, but OSU’s coaches know it’s the boring stuff that counts.

There is a lot for Cowboy fans to be excited about coming up this fall. Following the seismic dismissal of a Mike Gundy after two decades, they get about the best rebuild scenario you could ask for (on paper). Instead of a complete reset from scratch, OSU nabbed a rising head coach in Eric Morris who’s brought along his exciting brand of offense with most of his North Texas playmakers on both sides of the ball.

You’ve got the nation’s returning leader in passing in Drew Mestemaker, its leading touchdown scorer in Caleb Hawkins and the No. 3 receiver last year in Wyatt Young, among many other #freaks. Illinois transfer Justin Bowick might be the second coming of Marcell Ateman if you listen to what’s coming out of fall camp.

That’s all good and well, but bingeable North Texas highlights and training camp buzz don’t guarantee on-field success. That comes down to the more boring stuff.

This week, offensive coordinator Sean Brophy was asked about the plethora of speed and playmakers he has at his disposal, but he deflected a bit. Instead of feeding the hype machine with a grabby comment about Hawkins’ turbo button abilities, he pointed to the more mundane.

“It’s great, obviously [to have that speed],” said Brophy. “I think the skillset’s there. I think at this point now it comes down to execution, right? I think that going out there and doing our job, with everybody doing one of 11 and executing these plays.”

Defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity had a similar exchange after mentioning some of the defensive playmakers he’s excited about.

“Don’t get things twisted,” said Cassity. “It all goes back to the fundamentals of football, right? They got to communicate, they got to get in a good stance, they got to get aligned correctly. When they play as one is when we really start to show that we can fly around and make a lot plays.”

And don’t get me twisted. There’s plenty of reason for the buzz. Morris is a venerable offensive wunderkind and proven QB whisperer. What he did at North Texas, and in short order, is impressive and there’s no reason to think it can’t be scalable at a place like Oklahoma State.

But the leaders of his staff are emitting a more cool, confident vibe that’s indicative of a program-wide view culture and attitude. There’s a lot to be excited about, but with that comes a lot of expectations, especially in a place and with a fanbase that’s eager to get back to having fun with football again. To meet those expectations is going to take consistency and attention to detail.

“At the end of the day, like we talk about upstairs all the time, we talk about it in unit meetings, there’s a lot of guys that run similar plays in college football, right?” said Brophy. “It comes down to execution and your how and your why, and those guys buying in. We’ve got great skillset, we’ve got great speed, you know, obviously a quarterback that can sling it around the yard, but at the end of the day it’s going to come down to us executing these plays.”

STILLWATER — After winning a national championship in a tough bracket as a true freshman, Landon Robideau hasn’t necessarily slowed down.

Robideau is set to compete at the U20 World Championships next week in Slovakia, with his 70 kg weight class wrestling next Saturday (Aug. 22) and Sunday (Aug. 23).

To get there, Robideau won the U20 U.S. Open bracket in April, the month after getting his hand raised at the NCAA Championships. He then beat top Class of 2027 prospect Melvin Miller two matches to none in May at the U20 World Team Trials.

“I think he’s definitely making jumps,” said OSU coach David Taylor of Robideau’s offseason. “He’s done a good job. Like, he was very driven this year when the season was over. Like, he was ready for what was coming next. That’s a great sign. Not a surprise. Landon’s a pretty unique kid.”

Robideau was dominant in his U20 worlds qualification. At the U.S. Open, he outscored his opponents a combined 70-8. Then at the trials, Robideau’s two matches against Miller ended a combined 17-0.

For good measure, Robideau also entered the Senior World Team earlier in May. There, Robideau beat former Cowboy and U23 World Team Trials champ Jordan Williams twice (combined score of 14-0) and four-time NCAA qualifier Ian Parker.

Robideau’s lone loss at that event came to 2023 World Champion, three-time NCAA champion and 2024 Olympian Zain Retherford by a score of 3-2. Retherford would go on to win at Final X and will again represent the United States at the Senior World Championships.

“He wrestled really well at the senior level,” Taylor said. “I mean, I think Zain’s a really tough opponent, and I think Landon was right there. It’s one of those situations I think it was just an experience deal, where Zain got put on the clock and scored or scored right before he got put on the clock — right around that time that kind of made that match, it went from it being tied on criteria to being down 3-0.

“Good experience for him. Obviously this 20-and-under World Championship for him here in two weeks will be another great experience for him. He’s expecting to go there and kick some butt.”

Taylor and Co. will be smart in terms of managing all of Robideau’s mat time, but with someone as driven as Robideau seems to be, he’ll likely be on to the next thing — which is chasing a second NCAA championship — after his trip to Slovakia.

“That’s the name of the game,” Taylor said. “I think one of the things with our program we talk about is like, man, winning one time is not a goal for anybody here. Like, we want to continue to set ourselves up for continued success. I think as soon as these guys, the mentality is as soon as that tournament was over, you’re instantly getting ready for the next thing.

“We don’t really have the luxury of sitting around and waiting and thinking about how cool last year was. We’re on to the next year and how we can keep getting better and onto the next tournament. So, he definitely has that philosophy, and he’s definitely improved this summer.”

Vailea had 10 tackles in North Texas’ overtime win against Army. The last of those was perhaps the most important, but also the most costly.

On a 3rd-and-15 in overtime, Army quarterback Cale Hellums seemingly got to the edge of the Mean Green’s defense, but the 307-pound Vailea ran Helms down and shoved him out of bounds 5 yards short of the line to gain. As Vailea spilled out of the field of play, he went down grabbing his knee. It’d be the final play of his season. An incomplete pass on the next play meant the Mean Green beat Army to start the season 5-0.

“It’s tough,” Vailea said at OSU’s Media Day last week. “It’s something I’ve had to wrap my head around, but I feel like I did all the right things coming into last season, and I played really hard that game. To go out like that was just a setback. Like I said, it was a humbling experience. I’m grateful for it, and I’m just ready for what’s to come this year.”

Vailea, who also goes by June, is part of the group that transferred to Oklahoma State from North Texas with new coach Eric Morris this offseason.

Before arriving in Stillwater, Vailea has almost always been in big cities. He’s from Oakland, California (population of about 440,000) but went to high school at Desert Pines in Las Vegas (about 640,000). Then he spent five years in Denton (about 140,000).

So, Stillwater (about 50,000), is new.

“It’s different,” Vailea said. “Real slow, but it’s a change of pace for me. I love it.”

He was at North Texas before the Morris regime even got to town. After not paying in 2021, Vailea would start 30 games over the next four seasons, playing in 42 total. He has 118 career tackles, which again, is a sizeable number for a defensive tackle. He’s also made six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

“He’s been good,” said defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity of Vailea’s progress this offseason. “Obviously we’re trying to slowly integrate him, understand that it’s gonna be tender for him. It’s first live looks and things like that. So, just making sure and being smart with him and being healthy, trying to make sure he’s healthy as much as possible and giving him racks here and there in live settings and letting him build the confidence really in that knee more than anything. That’s the biggest dynamic.”

Although he’s having to bounce back from an injury while jumping up a level in new surroundings, Vailea said the transition hasn’t been all that coarse.

“It’s been a smooth transition, especially coming with Coach Morris,” Vailea said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity him and his staff have given me to give me one more shot at playing at a high level.”

Three Thoughts

• College football analyst Andy Staples thinks “it’s going to work immediately” at OSU with Eric Morris (PFB) 

• Cowboy Basketball released their nonconference schedule – going to Wisconsin and hosting New Mexico is unique, a home-and-home with each would be awesome (PFB)

• Is playing safety then playing quarterback the new quarterback-turned-wide receiver? OSU’s defensive coordinator thinks it’s super helpful – Drew Mestemaker played safety in high school: 

“With (Mestemaker) playing defense in high school, one of the things that he does such a good job of is processing defensive looks extremely fast,” (Skylar) Cassity said. “He sees tendencies, he sees tips, things like that. He does a really, really good job of that.” [PFB]

Top Quotes

• Hang it in the Louvre. 

Soon. #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/eOGwsElizo

— Wilson F. Ball (@WillyFoosball) August 15, 2026

• Fun to take a peek at what a Bedlam hockey game in Stillwater could (will?) look like:

First look: What Boone Pickens Stadium will look like January 30th, 2027 for the now confirmed Oklahoma State Hockey game against the the sooners for Bedlam.

This will be the first time the sooners return to Boone Pickens Stadium following their football team losing to Oklahoma… pic.twitter.com/ukAq5pm84P

— OKSTProbs (@OKSTProbs) August 14, 2026

One Question

• If you could schedule a series with a basketball opponent, rotating home-and-home each year, who would it be? And why is OSU not playing Arkansas and Wichita State every year?

Non-OSU Bullets

• Silver Dollar City announced their new roller coaster yesterday

Reminder – make sure to get your significant other out of the house for some rest time over the next couple of weeks, this is on the horizon:

Me explaining to my girl why I can’t go to her sisters wedding in October pic.twitter.com/SH5nlRYder

— College Football Zone (@CollegeFBonX) August 13, 2026

GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 | GAME 4 | GAME 5 | GAME 6 | GAME 7 | GAME 8 | GAME 9

Game 10 of North Texas’ 2025 season was ugly … for UAB, at least.

North Texas beat the Blazers 53-24 in Birmingham, as the Mean Green moved to 9-1 on the season.

In preparation for Oklahoma State’s 2026 season, we’re going back and watching North Texas’ 2025 season. Here are some takeaways from this game against UAB.

It Was Over Instantly

Here’s how this game started:

Caleb Hawkins touchdown
UAB turnover
Caleb Hawkins touchdown
UAB turnover
Caleb Hawkins touchdown

It was 21-0 with 3:11 to play in the first quarter. UAB wasn’t ever actually in this game.

That start meant the Blazers were already in go-for-it mode, and on their third series, they kept the offense on the field on fourth down deep in UNT territory. But Saadiq Clements (now a Cowboy defensive lineman) got a tackle for loss to end that drive.

Then on North Texas’ first play of its fourth drive, Mestemaker hit Wyatt Young with a beautiful pass for a gain of 61 yards before Hawkins scored his fourth TD of the game on the next play. It was 28-0 with 11:07 left in the first half.

Friday Night Lights reference: Eric Taylor would’ve forfeit at half time.

Good Day for the Trio

Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins and Wyatt Young all shined in this one.

Hawkins earns Player of the Game honors considering he scored five touchdowns and ran for 189 yards. For the most part, he wasn’t having long gashing runs but rather putting drives away inside the 10-yard line. But he ripped off a 51-yard run in the fourth quarter to get that yardage total to look as good as his TD total. He also had a 21-yard catch and run.

Young caught eight passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. The score came on a well-designed play in the third quarter from 7 yards out.

His biggest play was that aforementioned fourth drive. It was officially a 61-yard gain, but I broke down the math on where Mestemaker threw it to where Young caught it, and that ball was in the air for 57 yards and landed right in Young’s breadbasket.

Young has had at least 100 receiving yards in three of UNT’s past four games. And (spoiler alert) he is about to have his best game of the season.

Mestemaker was 18-for-25 for 298 yards and two scores. After throwing for 608 yards two games ago, Mestemaker has almost seemed like he’s in cruise control (not in a bad way) these past two games with other guys making plays around him.

No Mercy

There were a few borderline running up the score moments in this one.

The first came when UNT scored to go up 44-18 with 3:26 left in the third when Morris and Co. elected to go for 2. Not only did they go for 2, but a false start moved the ball back and they still went for it — and got it to make it 46-18.

My best guess here is you go for 2 to go back up four touchdowns, but with about a quarter to play and the fact that UAB hadn’t scored four touchdowns all day to that point, I think the lead was probably safe.

Then with three minutes left in the game, Mestemaker hit Cameron Dorner for a 30-yard TD pass to make it 53-24, capping off a 99-yard touchdown drive. Ouch. Sweep the leg.

Other Notes

• North Texas wore all whites in this game. All of their unis are honestly pretty slick, but these were even moreso.

• Morris isn’t new to massive roster overhauls. According to the broadcast, UNT had 68 newcomers last season.

• It was another solid day for UNT-turned-OSU defenders:

Evan Jackson (S) — 9 tackles
Quinton Hammonds (S) — 7 tackles, 1 TFL
Ethan Wesloski (LB) — 6 tackles, 1 forced fumble
Keviyan Huddleston (DE) — 5 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack
Kollin Lewis (CB) — 4 tackles
Saadiq Clements — 4 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 0.5 sacks

• Brandon Hawkins Jr. scored UAB’s first touchdown. That means someone with the last name Hawkins scored this game’s first five touchdowns. Gotta be a record.

• Mestemaker took a big hit on a scramble. He got up. The defender did not. I’m glad the guy was alright, but it was sort of funny as he tried celebrating from a knee while Mestemaker walked away.

• It was another big turnover day for the Mean Green. UNT picked off three passes, forced a fumble and got two stops on fourth down.

STILLWATER — One of the bigger surprises of my rewatch of North Texas’ 2025 season was that All-American receiver Wyatt Young blocked a punt in the first game of the season.

It’s not every day you see a guy who finished in the Top 3 nationally in receiving yards chasing after a punter, but according to Oklahoma State special teams coordinator Drew Svoboda (who had the same role at UNT last season), everyone can help on special teams.

“Oh yeah, if you’ve got a knack to go block punts, we’re gonna get you in there,” Svoboda said. “We’ve blocked a ton of punts in the last few years and gotten our hands on them and really exploded some games wide open because of it. And there’s a knack for that. It’s not just being a fast guy. There’s a knack for being able to block punts, understanding the timing and the body position and where to put your hands, recognizing what kind of punt we’re talking about.

“Yeah, we’ll put whoever we gotta put out there to get the job done.”

Young played 45 total special teams snaps last season, according to PFF — 23 on kick return, 23 on punt return and 15 on punt coverage. Along with his block, he finished with a special teams tackle.

And it wasn’t just Young being a star playing special teams. Linebacker Ethan Wesloski played 169 special teams snaps last season, which ranked third among North Texas Players.

But just because a guy is a good player at his position, doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the best guy for a special teams job.

“We’re gonna put the best guys that are the best at we need them to do,” Svoboda said. “Sometimes it’s a starter on offense, sometimes it’s a starter on defense, sometimes it’s the backup. Sometimes it might be a third-string guy, he’s just really good at this job.

“Just because you’re a starter on offense or defense doesn’t mean you’re actually better than this other guy on this special teams. So, ideally is it great to have a whole second platoon that can focus on special teams kind of like they do in the NFL? That’s ideal, but there’s still a mix and a match here.”

Svoboda used the word “aggressive” quite a bit when explaining how new OSU coach Eric Morris views special teams.

North Texas blocked two punts last season, which tied for ninth in the country. The Mean Green also blocked a pair of kicks, which tied for 25th nationally.

That aggression extends to the return game, as well, where Svoboda dropped this quote that might hit the average OSU fan straight in the heart.

“We’re not a just a ‘just get us the ball back’ mentality team,” Svoboda said. “If that’s the case, don’t even practice punt return. Just let the ball hit the ground, and where it stops rolling, offense takes over. We’ve had some good returners in the past. If you can gain a first down every single time, you don’t wanna give that punt team 40, 45-yard net every time they go back to punt the football.”

It certainly seems as if the Cowboys have the ponies to be players in the return game. The two instant standouts in that aspect are Wake Forest transfer receiver Chris Barnes and North Texas transfer receiver Miles Coleman.

Barnes housed a kick return at Wake Forrest last season and finished the year with seven returns for 263 yards. Among players with at least five returns, Barnes’ 37.7-yard averaged ranked fourth nationally.

CHRIS BARNES TAKES THE OPENING KICKOFF 98 YARDS TO THE HOUSE!!! WHAT A START FOR WAKE FOREST! pic.twitter.com/7RmzK8FS56

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) September 11, 2025

Coleman returned 10 punts in 2025, gaining 42 yards on those efforts.

Svoboda also noted that running back Caleb Hawkins could get some work in the return game. Hawkins, based on my UNT rewatch, is a menace in the checkdown passing game because it gives him the ball in space with usually a bunch of defensive backs around him — a similar position he would find himself in while returning.

As for the Cowboy kicking game, last week Morris noted that SMU transfer Sam Keltner is in the catbird seat to be OSU’s kicker, while Stephen F. Austin transfer Lachie Pozzobon is in the lead to do the punting.

Standing at 6-foot-4, Pozzobon is an Australian, joining Tom Hutton and Hudson Kaak as Aussie punters in Stillwater. Pozzobon was an FCS Football Central Freshman All-American last season as a Lumberjack after punting 53 times for 2,217 yards and an average of 41.8 yards per punt.

“He’s got a lot of different ability,” Svoboda said. “He can spiral, he can end over end it, banana ball, roll right kick left, roll right kick right. He’s got a lot of skillset, lot of tools in his toolbelt. He’s trying to flip that field every time we get an opportunity. We’re not scared to fake the ball. We did that in our last football game. We’re going to be aggressive as a punt unit, as well.”

Keltner was the Mustangs’ primary kicker last season, going 14-for-20 on field goals, including six makes from 40+ yards.

He has ties to Stillwater. His dad and sister both attended OSU, and he said at OSU’s Media Day last weekend that he’s grown up an OSU fan because of that.

“I was in the portal for maybe an hour,” Keltner said. “I jumped in, I got that offer, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll take it.’

“This was the offer I wanted, and it was the offer I got. It’s just surreal. It’s an awesome experience, and it’s sometimes hard to believe that I get this opportunity and I’m really grateful for it.”

On3’s Andy Staples went on the Brandon Walker College Football Show this week, where Staples was asked to breakdown his personal preseason Top 25, where he included Oklahoma State at No. 23.

“I’ve been an Eric Morris guy since he was at Incarnate Word,” Staples told Walker. “I just think he’s really good at finding talent. He’s really good at running an offense. He knows what he’s doing. The fact that these guys were really good at North Texas and then you port them and add pieces out of the transfer portal that are capable of playing in the Big 12, I think it’s going to work, and I think it’s going to work immediately.

“Because what I think what was going on last year is Mike Gundy said it himself. Like, he came on our show at Big 12 Media Days, and Ari and I’s jaws just dropped when he’s like, ‘Yeah, I didn’t believe in it. I thought NIL was a flash in the pan and was gonna go away.’ And I’m like, ‘Excuse me?’ So, Oklahoma State’s donors obviously knew that long ago, and they were basically starving him out. They didn’t give him any resources. There’s a reason they were the worst team in school history last year despite having the best coach in school history. They turned the faucet back on when Eric Morris got there and made sure that he had what he needed. … There’s an opportunity to be one of the best three or four teams in the conference.”

If Staples’ reference to Gundy went over your head there, the Cowboys’ former coach went on Staples’ podcast — Andy & Ari On3 — at Big 12 Media Days before the 2025 season, where Gundy was rather forthcoming about OSU’s slow entrance into the NIL world.

“Three years ago when this started, I almost refused to believe it was ever gonna happen, and I just thought it would go away,” Gundy told them. “It was almost like getting in an argument with your wife, and then you just hope it goes away. …

“The truth be known, this portal class from January (last year) is the first class that we ever bought. We had not bought portal kids. That hurt us. It hurt us the last year or so from a depth standpoint. That was nobody’s fault. That’s not the administration’s fault, not the donors, that was really kind of my fault because what I had done was taken money that had been raised through donations and spread it amongst the troops, somewhat evenly to the current players. We didn’t go out and solicit for players and pay them to come to our team.”

So, that’s the context.

As far as this current team, Staples went on to point out that there’s some turnover in the Big 12 this year — whether that be at Utah or Kansas State — before he noted that it’s possible this OSU squad is fighting at the top of the Big 12.

OSU was fifth among Big 12 teams in Staples’ poll, coming in behind Texas Tech (No. 8), BYU (No. 12), Utah (No. 19) and Houston (No. 21).

Considering the Cowboys were 1-11 last season, there has been a lot of talk about OSU from a national perspective given the excitement Morris’ hiring has injected into Stillwater. The Cowboys received votes in the preseason Coaches Poll, and it seems like twice a week, the major college football podcasts are picking the Pokes to be one of the better teams in the Big 12.

With all the newness in Stillwater (plus how the past two seasons have gone), it’s hard to be certain about anything, but it does make for some exciting times in August.

Parker McDaniel (South Central Prep) and Keaton Murry (Putnam City-North), both members of the 2028 class, announced that they had received offers from Oklahoma State. Here’s a little bit about each guy.

Parker McDaniel

Blessed to receive an offer from Oklahoma State University!! Thank you Coach Lutz and Coach Page for believing in me!! #gopokes🤠@OSUMBB @LutzSteve @KeitonPage pic.twitter.com/MkEzzSvr3h

— Parker_McDaniel (@ParkerMcDaniel0) August 14, 2026

McDaniel is a sharpshooter.

Across 17 games with Southern Assault on Adidas’ 3SSB circuit, McDaniel averaged 19.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists a contest.

He did that while shooting a ridiculous 49% from 3-point range on 114 attempts, according to the 3SSB website. There was a game in May in which McDaniel dropped 38 points in just 24 minutes on the floor, going 8-for-8 from 3-point range.

Out of South Central Prep in Tulsa, McDaniel is a 6-foot-3 guard. He formerly played at Lincoln Christian.

McDaniel, the No. 79 overall player in the 2028 class, per the Rivals Industry ranking, making him a four-star prospect.

Along with his OSU offer, McDaniel has announced offers to Oklahoma, Kansas, Utah, West Virginia, Nebraska, Iowa, LSU and others.

McDaniel took on unofficial visit to Stillwater in February. He was in Gallagher-Iba Arena as the Pokes knocked off No. 16 BYU and the students rushed the floor.

@OSUMBB @KeitonPage @LutzSteve Thanks for having me and my family in Stillwater for the game. Congrats on the win!#UnofficialVisit@OkieBall_1 @CAA_Bball_Ok @SCP_Hoops @AssaultSouthern pic.twitter.com/S62GftSnmm

— Parker_McDaniel (@ParkerMcDaniel0) February 5, 2026

Keaton Murry

Thankful to receive an offer from Oklahoma State University. Appreciate Coach Page & Coach Lutz for the opportunity. @osumbb @KeitonPage pic.twitter.com/btQ4E4teiy

— Keaton Murry (@KeatonMurry) August 14, 2026

Out of Putnam City-North, Murry is the No. 63 player in the Rivals Industry ranking for the 2028 class.

Listed at 6-foot-4, Murry plays his AAU ball with MoKan, the same program that produced Jalen Montonati and Class of 2027 OSU commit Tyson Pogi.

Playing in the 16u division of the EYBL circuit, Murry averaged 13.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals a game this summer. In one game in June, Murry scored 19 points, going 8-for-10 from the field and 2-for-4 from 3-point range while also bringing down eight boards.

According to MaxPreps, Murry averaged 10.8 points a game as a sophomore at PC-North last season to go with 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals a game while shooting 33% from 3 and 80% from the foul line.

Along with his OSU offer, Murry has offers to OU, Indiana, TCU, Missouri and others.

PC-North competed at OSU’s team camp this summer. Here are a highlight reel from Murry’s time on the White Maple.

Oklahoma State released the noncon schedule on Friday via a video that showed off some campus beauty.

A brand new season 🌟#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/Ybh3LHe6VG

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) August 14, 2026

Oklahoma State’s 2026-27 Nonconference Schedule

Oct. 11 (Sunday) — vs. New Mexico (exhibition)
Oct. 23 (Friday) — vs. Tulsa (exhibition)
Oct. 27 (Tuesday) — at Wisconsin (exhibition)
Nov. 2 (Monday) — vs. Incarnate Word
Nov. 6 (Friday) — vs. Queens
Nov. 12 (Thursday) — at Texas A&M
Nov. 16 (Monday) — vs. Central Arkansas
Nov. 20 & 22 (Friday & Sunday) — Charleston Classic
Nov. 25 (Wednesday) — vs. Jackson State
Nov. 29 (Sunday) — vs. Tennessee State
Dec. 2 (Wednesday) — vs. Grand Canyon
Dec. 5 (Saturday) — vs. Saint Mary’s
Dec. 12 (Saturday) — vs. Oklahoma (OKC)
Dec. 16 (Wednesday) — vs. Oral Roberts
Dec. 20 (Sunday) — vs. Northwestern (Tulsa)
Dec. 29 (Tuesday) — vs. Houston Christian

That’s a lot of games in the confines of Oklahoma’s borders, with OSU set to leave the state for just four of those games (and one is an exhibition).

OSU’s 2026-27 season officially starts Nov. 2 when welcoming Incarnate Word to town. This will be the program’s first meeting, but there are some links between the schools. Steve Lutz began his coaching career as an assistant at UIW, while new OSU football coach Eric Morris had his first head coaching job there.

The Charleston Classic will see the Cowboys play two of Dayton, Minnesota, Northwestern, Utah and Virginia Tech.

The Bedlam doubleheader in Paycom Center marks the 252nd all-time meeting between OU and OSU on the hardwood, while OSU’s trip to Tulsa just over a week later to play Northwestern will be the Cowboys’ third game in BOK Center and first since 2019.

Lutz and Co. have rebuilt the Cowboys’ roster this offseason, and the Cowboys’ preseason trip to Puerto Rico provided some offseason excitement for what looks to be Lutz’s best OSU roster to date.

In 2023, Adeyi was the Mean Green’s top back, rushing for 1,017 yards and averaging 7.1 yards per carry, which ranked eighth in the nation among backs with at least 50 attempts that season, according to Pro Football Focus.

All of that success ran out when Adeyi suffered a turf toe injury in the second quarter of the second game of 2024. It required surgery, and that was the end of Adeyi’s first season at JMU.

“Missing the whole season is like, you kind of go your whole life (with your) identity being an athlete, and then throughout college being a football player,” Adeyi said. “So having that stripped from me was really tough.”

The back estimates he missed maybe two games ever leading up to that injury across his first three seasons of college and his entire high school career. Facing life on the sidelines was difficult.

“My mom (Taiwo Adeyi) came out actually and stayed with me for like that week,” he said. “I’m a man of faith, and so having her there really kind of grounded me, you know, doing Bible study every night kind of helped me just see life. It’s a lot bigger than football, but yeah, it was really tough.”

During the last two years, Adeyi rebuilt his foundation to include not just football but family, friends and even hobbies like going to the movies to watch superhero films.

This was helpful considering he had yet another setback on the football field last season. According to Pro Football Focus, Adeyi played 35 snaps spread out over weeks 1, 2 and 4 of last season. He then played three in week six and didn’t take the field as an offensive player again until the College Football Playoff game against Oregon.

“We play running back, and so going through a whole year taking no hits coming back the next year, and you’re just playing a lot,” Adeyi said. “Like I think this past year, I think it was like Week 4. My body just wasn’t really used to that big game I had in Week 3, and so at practice, the last play is just my hamstring snapped.”

It’s safe to say Adeyi placed a huge emphasis on rehab during the offseason.

It also sounds like the decision to become a Cowboy was relatively easy for him.

“To be honest with you, just the success I had with this staff at UNT,” Adeyi said when asked what brought him to Stillwater. “It was just for me, a no-brainer to get back with this staff. I know how explosive the offense can be, so I was excited to come back.”

That familiarity could help him earn significant snaps this fall.

Morris made it clear on Saturday that he would like to reduce the workload on starting running back Caleb Hawkins. Assuming he can stay healthy, something Morris hinted at almost challenge-like, Adeyi would be a favorite on paper to emerge as the No. 2 back.

“Obviously, Ayo Adeyi, who’s been in our program at North Texas a couple years ago and is familiar with this offense,” offensive coordinator Sean Brophy said while addressing the team’s depth at the position. “He’s a guy that’s gonna be able to come in and be really productive for us, and you can count on.”

Adeyi was asked on Saturday about what he needs to do to prove he can be the complementary back behind Hawkins.

“I think it just starts with consistency in practice,” he said. “You know, just showing up every single day. So that’s what I’m trying to do every single day. Starting from spring ball to fall camp. Now, just I want to be that relief in any way I can to ultimately help us to win the game.”

Morris has had a lot of success both with and without Adeyi in recent years. The reunited running back made it clear that both he and the team have high hopes for the start of this new era in Stillwater.

“Seeing what they did last year was like really impressive, really cool,” Adeyi said. “So I think we’re not looking at it as like a starting from the ground zero (this year). I feel like everyone’s here to get to work starting from game one, and so the expectation is simple, just win. However that looks, just win.”

OSU Bullets

• A couple of players OSU came across were highlighted through fall camp – an offensive lineman from the Pacific Northwest and a Miami defensive back transfer (PFB)  

• Drew Mestemaker listed as a player who can really bump his draft stock after transferring (CBS Sports)

• This was insightful – ESPN’s SP+ analytics system has the Pokes rising more than anybody else between 2025 and 2026, rising from what would be 119th place to 39th place: 

…(A)fter stellar 20-year SP+ averages, OSU suddenly collapsed at the end of the Mike Gundy era and fielded its worst team in more than 60 years last season.

A coaching change (to North Texas’ Eric Morris) and a major production boost on both sides of the ball have the Cowboys likely to rebound pretty significantly.

[ESPN $$$]

• Check out ESPN’s win-loss projections for every Big 12 team (HCS)

•  It’s really nice to see Cowboys listed as All-America candidates again: 

A few more preseason All-America honors 👀 pic.twitter.com/8D1s1S66QV

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) August 10, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Ask for what you want.

Being curious and excited can take you far, especially over the long arc of a life. The person who is a voracious lifelong learner will figure it out eventually. A strong reader with a healthy dose of curiosity and a willingness to try things is hard to stop.

James Clear

GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 | GAME 4 | GAME 5 | GAME 6 | GAME 7 | GAME 8

This game was billed as the Air Raid vs. the always-potent Navy ground game, but it was a Mean Green rusher who stole the headlines.

North Texas beat Navy 31-17 to move to 8-1 on the 2025 season.

In preparation for Oklahoma State’s 2026 season, we’re going back and watching North Texas’ 2025 season. Here are some takeaways from this game against Navy.

Hawkins Was Near Unstoppable

Through two drives, Caleb Hawkins had 80 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The pace slowed a bit from then on, but not by much.

Hawkins finished this game having carried 33 times for 197 yards and four touchdowns. He caught another three passes for nine yards.

Just about all of Hawkins’ runs left a trail of humanity behind him. Per PFF, he forced 10 missed tackles in this game. If that number had been 25, I would’ve believed it.

His most bruising run of the day was probably touchdown No. 3, where four different Midshipmen got hands on him, but none were able to bring him down. In fact, the last guy was straight up trucked.

He finished with 119 yards after contact.

Two New Cowboy Defenders Have Big Days

This also marked a big game for a pair of Mean Green-turned-Cowboy defenders.

Ethan Wesloski had 14 tackles, the most he had in a game in his career to that point. One of those tackles was for a loss, as Wesloski came screaming downhill to blow up an option play.

The safety Quinton Hammonds iced the game on two occasions with a pair of picks.

The first looked like the Jordan logo, as Hammonds went up one handed and plucked the ball out of the sky. It was a sick interception, but it was also important, as North Texas’ lead was 24-17 at the time and it set up North Texas’ final TD of the game.

Then with Navy down 31-17 late, the Midshipmen were driving again, but Hammonds grabbed another INT, this one coming in his own end zone to end Navy’s unbeaten run. He also had four tackles.

Other Notes

• As I just mentioned, Navy was 7-0 coming into this game, which included a 5-0 mark in the American.

This Navy squad finished the year 11-2 with its only loses being this game to North Texas and a 49-10 loss to Notre Dame the next week. The Midshipmen’s wins included USF, Memphis and Cincinnati.

• Skyler Cassity’s defense has a knack for getting the football back. Along with Hammonds’ interceptions, the Mean Green also recovered another fumble, winning the turnover battle 3-0.

• Navy tried a surprise onside kick at one point in this game, but Baron Tipton called a fair catch to nullify it. It was a heads up play that Cowboy Demarco Jones pulled off against Texas Tech back in 2022. Good coaching.

Maybe the play of the day for #okstate. Demarco Jones you can see gives a brief “fair catch” wave as Tech attempts an onside. Tech recovers, but called for catch interference. So OSU gets the ball in great position, scores two plays later. pic.twitter.com/qPGgIONan8

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) October 8, 2022

• Again, there were signs that this show was moving to Stillwater, as one small group of tarpless fans turned into an army.

• Although Drew Mestemaker didn’t have the gaudy 608 yards he had in the previous game, he was uber-efficient. He finished with 234 yards while going 19-for-24 (79%).

His best ball, in my eyes, was a 39-yard pass to Cameron Dorner on a double move that Mestemaker dropped from the heavens into a bucket.

• The 31 points UNT scored in this one were the second-fewest they scored in a game this season. The most points OSU scored in a game last year was 27.

Ethan Wesloski was one of 51 linebackers named to the watchlist for the Butkus Award on Thursday. The award is given to the best linebacker in college football.

 

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A transfer from North Texas, Wesloski led the Mean Green with 113 tackles in 2025, also finishing with nine tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, an INT, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery that he made in the end zone.

Wesloski had spent his entire college career to this point in Denton. He played two games while redshirting in 2022 before jumping into a regular starting role as a redshirt freshman in 2023.

In total, the 6-foot-1, 234-pound redshirt senior has made 233 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in his career.

Wesloski is a native of McKinney, Texas, where he attended Boyd High School. He was considered a three-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class.

Semifinalists for the Butkus Award will be announced on Oct. 28 and finalists on Nov. 20. The winner will be announced the week of Dec. 7.

STILLWATER — If you listened to Eric Morris at all this offseason, you’d know a big thing he was looking for when basically building the roster from scratch was experience — at any level.

And it seems like experience has been a valuable asset for Morris for some time. Going back to his last two North Texas teams, Morris’ premier tight ends were both transfers from from the Division-II ranks in Tre Williams (Limestone University) and Oscar Hammond (UCO).

Well, early returns might suggest that seeking experience worked out again for Morris with the addition of Shaun Torgeson this offseason.

Torgeson brings both youth and experience to the Cowboys’ offensive line room. Only a redshirt sophomore, he started 14 games at Portland State (FCS) across the past two seasons, including all dozen of the Vikings’ games last season at left tackle.

He also got a mention on The Athletic’s “Freaks” list in the section breaking down OSU receiver Justin Bowick.

“Shaun Torgeson, a 6-4, 302-pound O-line transfer from Portland State who bench-pressed over 500 pounds and broad-jumped more than 9 feet, also merited strong consideration.” — The Athletic

Just for reference, 9 feet is the length of a standard pool table, and 500 pounds is about the weight of an adult male tiger. And Torgeson weighs 302 pounds. That’s not normal.

For his first year at the FBS level, it sounds as if Torgeson is on the outside looking in of OSU’s opening day starting lineup, but not by a ton.

OSU offensive coordinator Sean Brophy discussed Torgeson’s elevation from FCS to FBS this offseason.

“He’s been great,” Brophy said. “He’s been great. Physically, he dominated this summer in our offseason workout program with Coach (Bryan) Kegans (OSU’s strength coach) and has done a phenomenal job and has done a really nice job through camp so far.

“Been a really pleasant surprise, not that we didn’t have high expectations, but I think the consistency from him, obviously I think he’s getting more and more comfortable with where we’ve got him but is somebody that’s really come on and is pushing those guys, too. He’s a great, great option for us in there.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Torgeson played 788 offensive snaps at Portland State last season (all at left tackle). In 412 Allowed Pressure Opportunities (non-spike, non-penalty snaps when participating as a pass blocker), Torgeson allowed two sacks, four QB hits and 15 hurries while his pass blocking graded out above 80 in six of his dozen games. Torgeson finished with a 97.2 in pass-blocking efficiency, which measures pressures allowed on a per-snap basis with weight toward sacks allowed.

At this point in fall camp, it seems as if the Cowboys’ opening day offensive line will include some combination of Jacob Sexton (Oklahoma transfer), Ashton Lepo (Michigan State), Johnny Dickson III (North Texas), Joseph Hanson (Coastal Carolina), Desmond Magiya (North Texas) and Tyler Mercer (Kansas).

But three of those guys are redshirt seniors, Hanson is a true senior and Magiya is a redshirt junior. So, having an experienced young guy who’s a bit of a physical freak in the position room sounds only like a good thing for the Cowboys.

STILLWATER — There’s a name that keeps popping up who wasn’t in Stillwater this spring.

Markeith Williams transferred to Oklahoma State shortly before fall camp. Listed as a 6-foot-2, 175-pound safety, Williams spent the past four seasons at Miami, playing in 28 games in that time before leaving the team early last season.

OSU coach Eric Morris noted Williams at OSU’s Media Day last weekend, and after the Cowboys’ Thursday practice, defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity listed Williams as one of five guys competing for snaps at safety alongside Quinton Hammonds (North Texas), Mose Phillips III (Missouri), Evan Jackson (North Texas) and Vincent Holmes (Washington). Cassity also noted that Christian Bodnar (Liberty) and the returning Cameron Epps are getting work at nickel.

“He’s done a great job,” Cassity said of Williams. “He’s trying to pick up the playbook, obviously. The other guys have probably taken hundreds of reps more than he has (since he wasn’t at OSU in the spring), but he has a skillset. He’s played a lot of football. He’s an older guy. He understands what it takes to be successful at this level. Has a lot of confidence in playing man-to-man coverage on slot receivers, which is something you have to do to be successful and live in this league. I think he’s doing a good job of that.

“He’s just continuing to pick it up and get mental reps and make mistakes and learn from them and get better every day. Think he’s doing a good job right now.”

Reacts 99 overall @MarkeithWilli10 #GoPokes | @OkFordDealers pic.twitter.com/Df519MhegN

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) August 6, 2026

Out of Evans High School in Orlando, Williams was a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. 247Sports tabbed him as the No. 246 player in his class, making him a Top 20 safety. He committed to Miami over offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, OU and others.

He took part in four games as a true freshman in 2022 while redshirting, making three tackles.

Williams played 11 games as a redshirt freshman in 2023, finishing the year with 15 tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. He made eight of those tackles in the Hurricanes’ bowl game against Rutgers.

He then played in all 13 of Miami’s games in 2024, makings his first career start. He finished the year with 13 tackles and a PBU.

“So Markeith is probably getting the most playing time right now (among guys who arrived before fall camp),” Morris said at Media Day. “And a guy that’s kind of shown he can make some plays for us. Played quite a bit at Miami. When he got here, a little bit undersized. Didn’t know if he was gonna play, so he needed to put on some weight. He was a little skinny. He’s done a nice job, I think he’s gained 12 or 13 pounds right now. He’s gotta gain five or six more pounds just so his body can hold up.”

Here’s a quick look at the other four guys Cassity noted competing for reps at safety:

Hammonds (Jr., 6-1, 206): Made 105 combined tackles the past two seasons at North Texas, including 6.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Also intercepted three passes and was credited with four pass breakups. Played in 25 total games, making 15 starts.

Phillips (Sr., 6-2, 196): Spent the 2025 season at Mizzou after playing two years at Virginia Tech. He has 36 games of experience under his belt, including 13 starts. Has 97 career tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and four pass breakups.

Jackson (Sr., 5-11, 188): A product of the heralded North Shore High School, Jackson played in all 39 games of North Texas’ past three seasons, making 13 total starts. Has 130 career tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, six interceptions and seven pass breakups.

Holmes (R-Jr., 6-0, 192): Holmes spent the past three seasons at Washington, playing in 29 games. He played in all of Washington’s games last season as a redshirt sophomore, making one start. Has 11 career tackles.

STILLWATER — Someone can spend a lot of time lauding Drew Mestemaker’s stats and breaking down advanced metrics that explain what makes him such a good thrower of the football.

​Last month, Todd McShay, who is literally paid to evaluate these guys not as elite college football players but as NFL hopefuls, praised the one thing almost impossible to see from Mestemaker in practice — his brain.

On Thursday, Oklahoma State’s coordinators chose to single out the same stuff when asked about QB1.

“Our offense is huge, right, and you think about the success that Drew had early on,” offensive coordinator Sean Brophy said. “So much of it’s because of his mental capability and capacity, and his ability to process information and recall, which allowed us to have a lot of volume in our offense but also a tremendous variety and variance week to week.”

When asked to name specific improvements, Brophy praises Mestemaker’s progress across the board before complimenting his ability to show up every day weighing 219 pounds.

According to the official UNT roster, Mestemaker weighed 211 pounds last season, and it’s common for football players to lose weight once the season begins. So it sounds like the coaches wanted their quarterback to put on a little weight this summer.

Brophy then circled around to the mental component second.

“We’re spending so much time with him in the film room, and we’ve reached a point now where he knows our offense extremely well,” Brophy said. “We’re able to challenge him in different ways and put more on his plate and show him different looks.

“And it’s talking about inches where ball placement is, right, as opposed to just completions. And so he takes all that stuff in stride so well. He’s a football junkie. He’s always sending me stuff and talking through coaching points.”

Again, just eerily similar stuff to what seemed to excite McShay and his podcast cohost Steve Muench.

“I really thought this kid showed a great grasp of the offense and was more developed as a quarterback and understanding concepts and how to attack coverage than I expected,” Muench said.

On Thursday, Brophy described Mestemaker as a coach on the field and added that he can line guys up correctly and get in and out of run checks at the line. Although not uncommon, these aren’t things you always put on young quarterbacks.

Speaking of which, both Morris and Brophy sound excited to have a guy back for a third season, even though this will only be Mestemaker’s second as a starter. During their three years together at UNT, they coached three different starting quarterbacks, including Mestemaker last season.

“It’s great because we were rolling through them there for a while,” Brophy said. “And so to have the consistency, I think it’s been great for us. But I think it’s been great for him as well.”

Although Mestemaker’s decision to follow his coaches to Stillwater was an incredible boost for Oklahoma State’s offense, those guys aren’t the only ones who benefit. Not every defense in the country has a quarterback with what seems like legitimate NFL talent on the roster they can practice against.

“It is great to go against a quarterback, obviously of that caliber, consistently every day in day out,” defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity said. “… It being competitive and continuing to sharpen each other’s blade essentially on both sides of the ball. And so Drew obviously does a good job. If you give tells away and things like that, he’s going to expose you for it. When he’s got good matchups that he likes to take advantage of, he’s going to challenge you. And our guys welcome the challenge.”

It’s so well documented that Mestemaker had zero starting experience at the high school level before walking on at UNT that some college football fans around the country probably already refer to him as that “guy that couldn’t even start at high school.”

On Thursday, Cassity made a great argument for why that path might have served Mestemaker well.

“With him playing defense in high school, one of the things that he does such a good job of is processing defensive looks extremely fast,” Cassity said. “He sees tendencies, he sees tips, things like that. He does a really, really good job of that.”

This is what Oklahoma State’s defensive coordinator wanted to discuss when asked to name the one thing Mestemaker does so well that gives his guys the best possible look to get ready for the season. And Cassity wasn’t done.

“And he knows where the ball is supposed to go really, really early on in the process,” he said. “So showing him post-snap movements and things like that obviously is something that he’s really, really good at evaluating. So he does a great job of that, and I think he does a good job of that and exposing us. So when we give tips away and things like that, he’ll expose you in practice if it happens.”

Shortly after taking the helm at OSU, head coach Eric Morris said he wanted to “dominate the state of Oklahoma” when it comes to high school recruiting. But with a huge amount of turnover and the need to completely rebuild, Morris leaned on the portal to start. Of the 87 new players, a huge chunk of them are transfers, chiefly a bunch of his former players from North Texas.

But that doesn’t mean this year’s Cowboys squad is short on in-state talent, or that there isn’t a strong contingent of native Okies in the locker room.

In fact, 22 players on the fall roster played their high school ball in Oklahoma (same as on Oklahoma’s roster), and those aren’t just holdovers from the Mike Gundy era. Eleven of those 22 in-state players are entering their first season at OSU, with only Caleb Hawkins following Morris from North Texas.

This past weekend, Oklahoma State held its annual media day which means we are now weeks (not months) from the season opener in Tulsa. During the festivities, several of those in-state Cowboys were asked about what it was like to play for their home state school.

First-year offensive tackle Jacob Sexton has spent all of this college career within these borders — even if it was across enemy lines. He saw the field as a true freshman for the Sooners in 2022 and ended up starting 14 games for OU before a couple of injuries hampered him, including a season-ending injury in Week 1 last year.

He was asked what it was like to make the move north on I-35.

“It’s been really easy,” said Sexton. “Short transition, about an hour away. So, the move was really easy. People here are great. It’s been a really good.”

Sexton played his high school ball even closer at Deer Creek where he met one of the Cowboys’ longest tenured defenders, veteran defensive end Jaleel Johnson. He and Johnson battled across the line when the latter played at Putnam City-North.

“He’s been a lot of fun to play against in the offseason and our spring ball,” said Sexton of Johnson. “Great competition. I played against him in high school and that was a fun game. I remember that being a great time. He’s also a great person.”

Redshirt senior cornerback Mo Horn spent the last four years at Texas Tech before transferring to OSU.

“It’s been great, man,” Horn said on returning to his home state. “It’s nice coming back here just being able to go see my family whenever I need to.”

Second-year OSU tight end Oscar Hammond checks all three boxes: an Oklahoma prep and North Texas transfer who first played at UCO. He spent a year with Morris in Denton before transferring back across the Red River. Unfortunately, his first season at OSU was derailed due to injury, but he’s finally ready to get on the field at BPS.

“I always knew I wanted to play at this level, no matter what,” said Hammond who won a state title at Collinsville. “I grew up being an OSU fan, so I’m very excited to be here. I’m very excited for this season. I’ve always wanted to play here.”

Among that group of in-state Cowboys, there’s still some leftover high school rivalry.

“It’s really cool. It’s fun too. Just knowing everybody,” said Sexton. “Knowing guys I played against in high school and now here, everybody pulls up their old high school highlights tape and everyone’s like comparing plays and just to talk about that. So, it’s been a lot of fun kind of comparing all that.”

Horn said he hasn’t quite pulled up HUDL highlights just yet, but the in-state competition is still there.

“Most definitely,” Horn said about the fun of playing with other Oklahomans. “We haven’t got to do ours yet. I’m sure we’ll do it at some point. But yeah, it’s definitely been great, you know, being around guys that come from the state that you’re from as well. That’s what made it much easier for me to transition here.”

Here’s the full list of in-state Cowboys.

Non-OSU Bullets

• What your preferred airplane seat says about you • In defense of emotionally-stunted friendships  

Thanks for stopping by – here’s your daily dose of Oklahoma State sports news. 

OSU Bullets

• Cowgirl Soccer kicked off their season last night – with Ted Lasso night, free hot dogs and 1-1 tie against Sam Houston State (X)

• Oregon’s top running back is expected to miss time, including what’s likely to include the OSU game (CBS Sports)

• Draft analyst Todd McShay dove into Drew Mestemaker’s game – focusing on his processing and underrated athleticism: 

“This guy’s brain is pretty developed, I think, for a first-year starter. If I wanted to be obvious, I could talk about the arm strength. I think he’s got a live arm, but I think to me what stood out that I wasn’t really expecting was how smart he is.”

They both also noted that Mestemaker was more athletic than they initially anticipated. McShay said he had to go back and keep updating his notes the more he watched of him. [PFB]

• Catching up on a brief rewatch of the UNT football season – a win over UTSA, a loss to USF, a win over South Alabama, before housing Charlotte and setting records (PFB)

• Predicting the best Big 12 football game of each week this season (PFB)

• Taking a peek at the Cowboys running back room (PFB)

Non-OSU Bullets

• What your preferred airplane seat says about you • In defense of emotionally-stunted friendships  

GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 | GAME 4 | GAME 5 | GAME 6 | GAME 7

After a Friday night in Charlotte, Drew Mestemaker had to be a shoo-in to finish with the national lead in passing yards.

North Texas traveled to North Carolina for a Friday night game against Charlotte. It wasn’t always the cleanest, but the Mean Green went back home with a 54-20 win while advancing to 7-1 on the season.

In preparation for Oklahoma State’s 2026 season, we’re going back and watching North Texas’ 2025 season. Here are some takeaways from this game against Charlotte.

Drew Mestemaker Sets American Conference Record for Passing Yards in a Game

With the Mean Green already up 47-20 late in the fourth quarter, Eric Morris sent Drew Mestemaker back on the field, but after after a completion that got UNT to Charlotte’s 32-yard line, Mestemaker was jogging off the field with his arms in the air.

That 12-yard completion to Simeon Evans gave Mestemaker 608 passing yards for the game, which is an American Conference record.

Mestemaker finished 37-for-49 for the 608 yards and four touchdowns. The numbers could’ve been more gaudy. In the first half, Terrence Lewis dropped a pass that hit him in the chest behind the Charlotte defense, one of three drops UNT had on the game.

Mestemaker was also pressured 14 times in this game and was sacked on three occasions. Some of that probably has to do with the 49 pass attempts.

To put an OSU spin on this, the Cowboys didn’t throw for half Mestemaker’s total in a game all last season, with the most being the 291 yards the Cowboys threw for against Baylor.

Had Mestemaker had that game as a Cowboy, it would have been an OSU record. OSU’s current record belongs to Mason Rudolph when he threw for 540 yards against Pitt in 2016.

North Texas Responds to Being in a Scrap

The things I knew about this game going into it were that UNT won by 34 and Drew Mestemaker threw for 608 yards.

But this wasn’t as simple as it sounded.

I would consider this the first outright bad team the Mean Green played this season (Charlotte finished 1-11), but things started a little weird on a Friday night in the road.

Charlotte was 1-6 entering this game and hadn’t held a lead in three weeks going into this. But with all that, Charlotte was up 20-17 in the third quarter before the Mean Green woke up and started dominating.

UNT did have two turnovers in the red zone, which certainly didn’t help matters, and then Charlotte just couldn’t keep the pace. UNT outscored Charlotte 27-0 in the fourth quarter to make the score line look how many thought it would.

Other Notes

• A few fun facts about Charlotte: former OSU defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo coaches Charlotte’s safeties last season. Nardo is now a senior defensive assistant at Minnesota.

• Former Cowboy Yamil Talib intercepted Mestemaker in this game, just Mestemaker’s fourth pick of the season. Talib is the nephew of former NFL corner Aqib Talib and walked on to OSU in 2024.

• UNT’s first drive ended in a 42-yard back-shoulder fade to Cameron Dorner for a touchdown. Mestemaker was 42 yards away from this guy, and put the ball right here:

• Today in fun fourth down moments: Eric Morris elected to go for it on 4th-and-9 from the Charlotte 36-yard line. Did not work in this instance, but it’s another example that Morris is not afraid to keep his offense on the field.

• Charlotte also went for it on fourth down, attempting a fake punt deep in its own territory that got sniffed out instantly. In some ways, it was the start of the route.

• Wyatt Young had another huge day (which makes sense considering his QB had 608 yards).

Young finished with nine catches for 190 yards and a touchdown. A good chunk of that came on a little tunnel screen where Young caught the ball just in front of the line of scrimmage and ran 70 yards to the house. I continue to be impressed with how good Young is with the ball in his hands, as he weaved in and out of traffic all the way to the house.

• After Mestemaker got to the sideline following his record, the TV camera showed this shot, which I found funny because it’s made up mostly of people at OSU now:

We are exactly one month out from the Oregon Ducks playing in Boone Pickens Stadium — what a world.

That got me thinking about big games in 2026, so I decided to predict what I think will be the Big 12’s Game of the Week during each week of the 2026 college football season.

Week 0

We start with a mulligan, as the only Week 0 game featuring a Big 12 team is TCU’s game against North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland.

Could you imagine telling yourself 10 years ago that Bill Belichick would be coaching against TCU in Ireland?

It’s a matchup that won’t be short on eyeballs, as it officially kicks off the college football season and is the only game in the 11 a.m. time slot that day. Given the media circus that has surrounded Belichick in Chapel Hill, this game also won’t be short on storylines.

UNC went 4-8 in Belichick’s first season, the program’s worst record since 2018. The Tar Heels have a quarterback battle going into camp.

TCU, meanwhile, is coming off a relatively quiet 9-4 season, Sonny Dykes’ fourth in charge. Dykes has 36-17 record at TCU.

The Horned Frogs will be breaking in a new QB in Ireland. Jaden Craig, listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, transferred in from Harvard after throwing for 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns in 11 games last season. Both of those stats were program records.

Week 1

Contenders:
Colorado at Georgia Tech
Baylor vs. Auburn (in Atlanta)
Boston College at Cincinnati

Although all of those games could be good when it comes to conference bragging rights, I think the clear standout here is Baylor going to Atlanta to take on an SEC foe.

Since winning the Big 12 in 2021 (the less said, the better), it hasn’t necessarily been all ups for Baylor and coach Dave Aranda. Since 2021, Baylor has gone a combined 22-28, finishing 5-7 last season. It feels like Aranda’s seat is at least a little toasty entering 2026.

But there’s also some buzz about the Bears with the addition of Florida transfer quarterback DJ Lagway. Lagway was the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, per 247Sports, but things didn’t exactly go to plan in his two seasons as Florida’s starter, though he still left Gainesville having thrown for 4,179 yards and 28 touchdowns. If Baylor can help him realize his potential, the Bears could be a player in the Big 12, or at least a team that could ruin a couple seasons.

As for Auburn, the Tigers are under new management in Alex Golesh, who was also thought to be a candidate for the OSU job this offseason. Golesh brought quarterback Byrum Brown with him from USF after Brown threw for 3,158 yards, ran for 1,008 yards and was responsible for 42 total touchdowns last season.

Week 2

Contenders:
Missouri at Kansas
Arizona State at Texas A&M
Oregon at Oklahoma State
Arizona at BYU
Iowa State at Iowa

Honestly, what a slate.

I think I’m going to have to go with the lone true Big 12 game in Arizona at BYU because come December, this game could mean a ton.

BYU is second in Big 12 titles odds, while the Wildcats are down in eighth, but the Wildcats are returning Noah Fifita, the Preseason All-Big 12 quarterback. Fifita has thrown for 9,183 yards in his time as a Wildcat with last season being his best statistical season to date (3,228 yards and 29 touchdowns).

After going 12-2 last season, BYU returners quarterback Bear Bachmeier for his sophomore year after he threw for 3,033 yards and ran for 527 yards as a freshman. There also seems to be a tinge of drama surrounding the program this offseason after the Cougars were able to retain coach Kalani Sitake despite a big push from Penn State.

“We’ve been given the challenge of doing the most with the least.”

– BYU Football HC Kalani Sitake pic.twitter.com/5DO99a9X2v

— Cougar Sports Media (@CougSportsMedia) August 10, 2026

Week 3

Houston at Texas Tech
Tulane at Kansas State
Colorado at Northwestern
West Virginia at Virginia

To me, this one is clearly Houston’s Friday night trip to Lubbock.

The Cougars are a popular dark horse candidate in the league after going 10-3 last season — Houston’s second under Willie Fritz. Houston returns quarterback Conner Weigman, a former blue-chip recruit who threw for 2,705 yards and 25 touchdowns last season.

Texas Tech is viewed as the final boss of the Big 12 this year. The Red Raiders lost a lot to the NFL Draft and lost transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby to a gambling investigation this offseason, but in the modern world, there might not be a program more ready to reload than the Red Raiders.

Week 4

Contenders:
TCU at UCF
Oklahoma State at West Virginia

As much as I want to talk about the Cowboys, I think I’m going with TCU at UCF on this one (because through the orange-tinted glasses the preseason provides, I think OSU is a marginal favorite right now).

But with TCU and UCF, I think this game could be a decider in who is going to finish in the middle of the pack and who could potentially make a push for something bigger.

I’ve already broken down the Horned Frogs a little bit, but UCF brings in Alonza Barnett III from James Madison. Barnett threw for 2,806 yards, ran for 589 yards and was responsible for 38 total TDs last season.

This marks Scott Frost’s second year back in Orlando after going 5-7 last season.

Week 5

Contenders:
Baylor at Arizona State
BYU at TCU
UCF at Houston

Should TCU win both of its games I’ve highlighted to this point, it would make for a big game against BYU, but I’m going to lean Baylor-Arizona State for now.

Both of these teams will be tested by SEC foes in the noncon, and we’ll get to see what adjustments each made from that point.

Arizona State has been the better program in recent years, but the Sun Devils still have an ongoing quarterback battle, while Lagway is already known to be the guy in Waco.

I think I’d still give Arizona State the nod in an early prediction, but there’s a world where the Lagway experiment goes right for Baylor and this ends up being a fun game.

Week 6

Contenders:
UCF at Oklahoma State
Houston at Kansas State

Again, I want to pick OSU’s game because it’s an OSU game, but I think I’m going to have to go with Houston’s trip to Manhattan.

I’m not sure I’m fully bought into the Wildcats competing for a spot in Arlington in Collin Klein’s first season, but I do think K-State will be much improved from its 6-6 finish in 2025. And a trip to Manhattan isn’t easy on anyone, just ask the Cowboys who have been outscored a combined 90-20 in their past two trips to The Little Apple.

I expect K-State quarterback Avery Johnson to have his best year yet with Klein back in the fold. We’ll see if that’s enough to pull an upset off against an Arlington-minded Houston squad.

Week 7

Contenders:
Notre Dame at BYU
Arizona State at Texas Tech
Kansas at Kansas State
Oklahoma State at Houston
TCU at Baylor

This in contention for the best Big 12 weekend of the season, but I think I’m finally willing to give the Pokes a nod on Game of the Week.

Houston for all the reasons previously mentioned.

Should things go how I expect, OSU would travel to Houston at 4-1. A win here, and the Cowboys’ race to Arlington is on. They’d be 3-0 in the league at that point with more-than-winnable games against Colorado at Iowa State on the horizon before a tough stint to close the year. But I think OSU’s would-be path to Arlington needs a win in H-Town.

Week 8

Contenders: 
Houston at Utah
Kansas State at Arizona State

This exercise has shown me that Houston has a tough schedule, but I’m again going with another Cougar game.

I feel like Utah is going relatively under the radar entering this season despite the fact that the Utes bring back Devon Dampier, who threw for 2,490 yards and ran for 835 yards last season while going 11-2 as a team.

Sure, Utah has a new guy in charge for the first time since 2005, but new head coach Morgan Scalley has been with the program since he was a graduate assistant in 2007. So, things should be relatively business as usual.

Week 9

Contenders: 
Baylor at UCF
Arizona at Texas Tech
Arizona State at BYU

Another tough call, but I lean the Wildcats’ trip to Lubbock.

Tech will likely be a big favorite, but Arizona will likely have the game’s better quarterback. This could be a spot for some Fifita magic on Halloween. Or it’ll be a big blowout.

Week 10

Contenders: 
TCU at Arizona
BYU at Utah
Oklahoma State at Kansas State

The Cowboys’ trip to Manhattan will be a fun matchup of two young offensive minds, but give me The Holy War.

Any game that has previously featured an athletic director taking to the podium and running down the officials after the game is must-see.

This, to me, is the league’s premier rivalry since Bedlam croaked, and with both teams expected to be good again this season, I’ll stay up however late to watch this one.

Week 11

Contenders:
Arizona State at UCF
Baylor at BYU
Kansas State at TCU
Texas Tech at Oklahoma State
Utah at Arizona

My head is saying Utah-Arizona, but I’m going to go with my heart on this one and pick the Red Raiders’ trip to Stillwater.

In order to get to this game undefeated in Big 12 play, OSU would have to beat: West Virginia, UCF, Houston, Colorado, Iowa State and Kansas State. That would be tough, obviously, but it isn’t necessarily the league’s murders’ row.

If this game has any sort of stakes behind it, Boone Pickens Stadium will be as electric as its been in some time. An absolute hornet’s nest.

And that’s not even to mention the Morris storyline of him playing his alma mater.

Week 12

Contenders: 
Arizona at Kansas State
Oklahoma State at Arizona State
Texas Tech at Baylor
Utah at TCU

I’m taking the battle of the Wildcats here mainly because I think this game has the potential to look like a Big 12 game circa 2012.

One team has the Preseason All-Big 12 quarterback and the other has an eclectic, dual-threat guy who has a smart young offensive mind calling plays for him. I hope it ends 49-45.

Week 13

Contenders: 
Arizona State at Arizona
Baylor at Houston

Not the greatest of slates to close the year on (watch all of these games have supreme meaning come late November), but I’ll take the Arizona schools going at it.

Although Arizona State has had the more top-ended success in recent seasons, the Wildcats have won three of four against their in-state rival. Although I’m not necessarily predicting either of these teams to make it to Arlington, this could see two solid teams playing for something that used to be a lot more meaningful in this sport: bragging rights.

Oklahoma State on Wednesday released its exhibition schedule that features a game against Tulsa at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23. That’s the day before the OSU football team hosts Colorado for America’s Greatest Homecoming. That means fans should have the opportunity to walk the Cowboys and then go to walkaround and view the Greek houses.

OSU will also host  New Mexico (Oct. 11) and travel to Wisconsin (Oct. 27) for exhibition games.

Tulsa went 30-8 last season in the program’s fourth year under Eric Konkol. After losing in the second round of the American Conference Championship, the Golden Hurricane accepted a bid into the NIT and made it all the way to the final before losing to Auburn in overtime.

Have to imagine OSU associate head coach James Miller had something to do with New Mexico getting on the exhibition schedule, as Miller had previously coached at New Mexico State and New Mexico Junior College. The Lobos went 26-11 last season after making the NCAA Tournament in 2025 and 2024.

The Wisconsin exhibition was announced earlier this month. The Badgers have made the NCAA Tournament the past three seasons and have taken part in 25 NCAA Tournaments since 1999.

Here’s the reported full nonconference schedule for the Pokes:

Oct. 11 vs New Mexico (exhibition)
Oct. 23 vs Tulsa (exhibition)
Oct. 27 at Wisconsin (exhibition)
Nov. 2 vs Incarnate Word
Nov. 6 vs Queens
Nov. 12 at Texas A&M
Nov. 16 vs Central Arkansas
Nov. 20 in Charleston, South Carolina vs Virginia Tech OR Minnesota
Nov. 22 in Charleston, South Carolina vs Virginia Tech OR Minnesota
Nov. 25 vs Jackson State
Nov. 29 vs Tennessee State
Dec. 2 vs Grand Canyon
Dec. 5 vs Saint Mary’s
Dec. 12 in OKC vs Oklahoma
Dec. 16 vs Oral Roberts
Dec. 20 in OKC vs Northwestern
Dec. 29 vs Houston Christian

From Dykes to Rashaun Woods to Adarius Bowman to Dez Bryant to Justin Blackmon to James Washington to Tylan Wallace — the list goes on and on. But there’s a guy raising a lot of eyebrows in an NFL training camp right now who spent two seasons at OSU before closing his career out in the SEC.

De’Zhaun Stribling was taken in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers after spending last season catching 55 passes for 811 yards and six touchdowns at Ole Miss.

This week, a 49ers beat writer said Stribling is “already the best wide receiver on the team. Full stop.”

And here is what ESPN’s Nick Wagoner wrote about the former Cowboy:

“Stribling continues to produce at a high level regardless of who he is on the field with and against. The size and speed are obvious but there’s a maturity and understanding of the game that his teammates and coaches continue to notice that are helping him adapt quickly.”

But don’t just take reporters’ words for it. Here’s what San Fran coach Kyle Shanahan said on Tuesday of Stribling’s growing confidence:

“The more he’s out there, the more he’ll get confident,” Shanahan said. “We truly believe he’s made of the right stuff. We know his ability and now it’s about him going through a lot of situations that he hasn’t been through, that I expect him to fail a number of times in practice, but he’s good enough and made of the right stuff, that he’ll eventually get through it. You seen a lot of those today and hopefully we can keep doing that more and more so he’s ready in Week 1.”

A new connection 😏 pic.twitter.com/uA9KxXbroJ

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 11, 2026

Stribling spent two seasons in Stillwater, transferring over from Washington State ahead of the 2023 campaign. It was evident early that Stribling was good, but his season in the spotlight in Stillwater came as the quarterback position started to sputter.

He played in just four games during the 2023 season before suffering a thumb injury. When he returned in 2024, Stribling had a team-high 882 receiving yards on 52 catches in a season where Alan Bowman, Garret Rangel and Maealiuaki Smith all played some significant snaps at quarterback and the Cowboys finished 3-9.

My most prominent Stribling memory was him catching a touchdown from Smith against Texas Tech and punting the ball into the stands, seemingly out of frustration with how the year went. It was Smith’s first career touchdown pass, and Stribling had to get on social media to try to track down the ball to give to him.

Given how that season went (and the hindsight of 2025 season), it’s hard to blame Stribling for making the move to play under Lane Kiffin in Oxford, but in this world where you’re not exactly sure who claims players who transferred, it could sting a touch watching Stribling excel as an NFL player wondering what could have been.

So once he knew he was leaving Los Angeles behind for Oklahoma, Chisom decided he’d make fishing one of his primary hobbies.

“Just the scenery,” Chisom said, explaining his new passion for fishing. “Sometimes you know you can go to a really good lake, and just sit out there, and even if you don’t catch a fish, it’s just nice to decompress and get your mind out of everything.”

The linebacker is definitely coming off a chaotic year after his former team, UCLA, fired its head coach on Sept. 14 following an 0-3 start. The Bruins finished the season 3-9 and named a new head coach on Dec. 6.

Chisom didn’t let that stop him from making an impact, as he finished second on the team with 84 total tackles, including 2.5 for loss. Twenty-five of those resulted in stops, which Pro Football Focus defines as a “tackle that constitutes a ‘failure’ for the offense.” Only one UCLA player had more stops last season.

“I think it was okay,” Chisom said, reflecting on his individual performance in 2025. “You know, I feel like personal success is always great, but you know, we were missing that team part, and that’s what I’m looking forward to about being at Oklahoma State.”

Chisom said he went in the portal to escape the uncertainty surrounding UCLA at the time. There was one clear reason he chose the Cowboys over other options.

“Coach (Eric) Morris and all the other coaching staff,” Chisom said. “I think that they had a great, I had a great talk with coach Morris in his office, and just speaking to (linebackers) coach (Reggie) Johnson and coach (Skyler) Cassity, like it just made sense for me.”

Chisom, now a redshirt junior after two years at Oregon State and one at UCLA, ranked 52nd among linebackers coming out of high school according to 247Sports. He has more or less remained in place from a rankings standpoint, as 247Sports and On3 ranked him 54th and 55th, respectively, in their transfer portal rankings.

He was one of four guys Morris mentioned competing for a starting spot at linebacker last week and would appear to be Arizona State transfer Tate Romney’s top competition for second at the position behind UNT star Ethan Wesloski.

“Competition everywhere is always good, and it’s going to make you better as a player,” Chisom said. “I think in the room, you know, we’re always still trying to make sure that we’re helping out each other. It’s not like we’re in a competition, I’m not going to help you out. We want the best people to be out there, you know, no matter who’s out there.”

Although not a direct commentary on Chisom, Morris highlighted some of the unique dynamics in the linebacker room on Saturday when discussing Romney, who is 25 years old.

“It’s fun for me to watch Tate sitting next to a really young linebacker that just got to college,” Morris said. “Their social lives are, like, completely opposite. One of them is thinking about what his 1-year-old is doing, and finally walking, and what they’re eating, do I need to send flowers to my wife right now. … And then the other guy sitting right next to him, going through the same thing on a day-to-day basis, is trying to figure out who the pretty girls at the sorority house are that just got on campus and all the different things. It’s cool for me to see them to start having connections.”

It definitely sounds like Chisom has benefitted from watching Romney balance everything this offseason.

“I definitely think it makes you remember what’s important in life,” Chisom said. “Obviously, you know, you want to have fun and have a social life, but also at the end of the day, people want to have a family and be able to have that type of stability. So it’s definitely been cool to see somebody who’s focused on both.”

The former UCLA linebacker doesn’t have that one truly incredible fish story yet, but he’s expecting to get a fair share of stories worth telling in the months to come on the football field, and maybe one on the lake will soon follow.

“I think it’s super high,” Chisom said of Oklahoma State’s expectations. “I think all eyes are on us, and that’s something that we’re embracing. We’re not going to shy away from that. We know what everybody’s looking from out of us, and we know what we’re expecting from each other.”

Here were some of the other talking points.

Doucet Is Back?

Media members were handed rosters before walking into the interview room, and the most surprising part of that roster was the fact that Konner Doucet was on it.

Doucet’s first season as a Cowboy was in 2020-21, which means the 2026-27 season would be his seventh year in Stillwater. The first of those years was COVID, and then Doucet redshirted in 2021-22. It sounds as if the year he is getting back was the 2024-25 season, when Wyatt Hendrickson won a national title and Doucet was hurt.

“There’s that window of guys getting an extra year before that five-for-five started,” Taylor said. “When Wyatt came him, (Doucet) was hurt for most of the season and was able to get that last year.

“It’s good to have him around. Konner is just a great leader, really awesome person to have in room to have wrestling every single day and to have on our team. So, we’re excited to have him for another year.”

Last season was Doucet’s best, as he finished fourth and earned his first All-America honor.

Taylor and Co. are bringing in a blue-chip heavyweight prospect this year in Dreshaun Ross. Ross finished as the No. 4 overall wrestler on MatScouts’ big board rankings for the 2026 class. Ross won at the U20 World Team Trials this summer and will represent to United States at the U20 World Championships this month in Slovakia at 125 kg.

“Those guys (Hendrickson included) are scrapping,” Taylor said. “They’re so good for each other. They are so good for each other. They’re great for Dreshaun. They’re giving him a lot of experience and a lot of really valuable information.

“Typically when you have a good heavyweight, you can’t find a person for them to wrestle, and it’s so nice that they have each other. I mean, you’re talking about really high level training, and it’s what it takes to be great.”

Swiderski Up in Weight

If you followed the summer wrestling circuit, this won’t be too big a surprise, but Casey Swiderski was listed at 165 pounds on OSU’s updated roster.

Swiderski was OSU’s 149-pounder last season, taking eighth at nationals while becoming a two-time All-American.

At U23 Nationals this summer, Swiderski competed up at 74 kg (about 163 pounds). He took fifth in one of the more loaded brackets of the event, going 6-2. One of those losses was to Nicco Ruiz, the reigning Big 12 champ at 165 pounds, where Swiderski kept it tight but lost 5-4. He also had a nice win against Ohio State’s e’Than Birden, who went 18-8 last season at 165.

In some ways, Swiderski moving up two weight classes was surprising, given he started his college career at 141 pounds, but if you think back to about this time last year, the Cowboy RTC put on a semi-secret dual in Texas against the Chinese National Team, where Swiderski wrestled up at 74 kg and didn’t look small.

Swiderski’s move coincides with the belief that Sergio Vega will make the move up from 141 to 149 for his sophomore season after Vega won a national title as a true freshman without getting taken down.

“Casey and Sergio last year, spent a lot of time with them helping them with their weights,” Taylor said. “Casey’s kind of, definitely a little bit bigger now, but he was cutting a lot of weight. So, honestly he doesn’t look really all that much different to me than what he did. He’s a high-energy guy, but it’s hard for him to wrestle with a lot of energy last year (when he was cutting weight). So, I think now he just has a lot more — yeah, I would say energy.

“I thought he wrestled pretty good this summer. Made a little mental mistake at U23s, but that’s also kind of Casey sometimes. Gotta keep working on getting better, but I would say his adjustment to getting a little bigger has gone well.”

Transfers Integrating Well

There was a wonder going into the offseason as to whether Taylor would use the portal given he already had a young team that finished comfortably in second at the NCAA Championships.

Taylor didn’t go crazy portal shopping, but he did add Bennett Berge from South Dakota State and Lorenzo Norman from Stanford.

Berge finished fourth at the 2024 NCAA Championships at 184 pounds. He bumped up to 197 pounds last season, going 17-7.

It’s believed Berge will be back down at 184 in Stillwater. That’s a spot Zack Ryder manned last season, but late last year, Ryder suffered a shoulder injury that he toughed out to finish eighth at NCAAs. Taylor wasn’t asked about Ryder’s status Tuesday, but there’s a chance he isn’t ready to go by the start of the season.

After qualifying for nationals as a redshirt freshman in 2025, Norman wrestled just two matches last season and missed the rest of the year with injury. He’s a 174-pounder, a spot Alex Facundo held down for the Cowboys last season. Facundo went 18-8 in his first year with the program, going 2-2 at NCAAs.

“I think the portal is definitely an extension of your recruiting,” Taylor said. “When we first got here, we were obviously in a big recruiting phase in all aspects. Now with having two really good recruiting classes that have come in, great kids, you’re just kind of thinking about where do you need. Maybe if it’s depth or maybe it’s injuries. There’s just different factors that go into it, but ultimately it’s really no different. The people that do the best here are really the guys that really wanna be here. I think when guys really wanna be here, they’re here for the right reasons.

“I would say that definitely with Bennett and Lorenzo. I think they’re both great kids that love wrestling and really felt like, ‘Hey, for me to make the best jump in my career, this is where I need to be.’ Those are the kind of guys that make a great culture and make a great team. They’ve done a great job, and every year is a year-to-year basis. There’s no this is the formula, this is what we’re gonna do-type deal, but just continue to try to find the right people to fit what we’re trying to do. That makes your best team.”

It was part of The McShay Show’s “Building the Board” exercise where McShay and cohost Steve Muench breakdown a pair of NFL Draft quarterback prospects. You can, and should, listen to the full episode here (Spotify), as it’s incredibly insightful stuff to get to know Oklahoma State’s quarterback entering the 2026 season, but I wanted to hit a few of the highlights.

What stood out about Mestemaker to both analysts is something that’s hard to notice to the untrained eye: a firm grasp of Eric Morris’ offense. McShay lauded Mestemaker’s ability to breakdown a defense pre-snap, seeing the whole field, making the right decision and being accurate with his passes.

Both noted this was extra impressive given the 2025 season was Mestemaker’s first as a full-time starter even going back through high school.

“I really thought this kid showed a great grasp of the offense and was more developed as a quarterback and understanding concepts and how to attack coverage than I expected,” Muench said. “Now look, the inexperience still shows at times. There’s certain rotations he didn’t read well. He threw into coverage a couple times. I’m not saying it was perfect, but he could get to his backside read. He knew where he wanted to go with the ball. There were times it certainly looked like to me he was setting protections and making changes at the line.

“This guy’s brain is pretty developed, I think, for a first-year starter. If I wanted to be obvious, I could talk about the arm strength. I think he’s got a live arm, but I think to me what stood out that I wasn’t really expecting was how smart he is.”

They both also noted that Mestemaker was more athletic than they initially anticipated. McShay said he had to go back and keep updating his notes the more he watched of him.

Mestemaker technically had 89 rushing yards last season to go with five rushing touchdowns, but college quarterback rushing numbers can be a little misleading because of sacks. He actually gained 233 yards on the ground but lost 144 thanks to sacks.

PFF tabbed Mestemaker with nine rushes of 10-plus yards and 13 runs for first downs in 2025.

If you listen to The Reload podcasts, we’ve often compared Mestemaker’s running ability to that of Taylor Cornelius. Cornelius didn’t scream dual-threat, but when he needed to run, he was capable. He finished that 2018 season at OSU with 406 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. McShay compared Mestemaker to another Drew.

“Taller, pocket passer — not a statue,” McShay said of Mestemaker. “Not a statue. Competitive mobility. Think about all the things we said about Drew Allar and his mobility. Not the fastest, not the twitchiest, all those things, but there were times where you need a first down, and he kind of felt it and he’s got good coordination and balance. I think (Mestemaker) has a little bit more juice than Allar. I mean, I know it.”

With Mestemaker’s ability to move, though, came one of the weaknesses McShay and Muench discussed about his game, saying his accuracy starts to drop as he has to move his feet. Muench also compared Mestemaker to a power pitcher who needs to develop a little more finesse on certain throws.

It’s important to remember that this podcast is more tailored to what type of NFL prospect Mestemaker is rather than what kind of year he’ll have at OSU. I say that that to preface this quote:

“He doesn’t have an elite arm,” McShay said. “It’s a two. One is exceptional on our grading scale. Five is marginal. Three is right in the middle. It’s a two. It’s good. And I like it, and I like the way he can kind of sometimes a defender is hanging on him or he doesn’t have his feet properly, he can kind of just flick it and get the ball there.

“So, those things are all good. I’m really excited to see him in a similar system, new weapons, but also new level of competition. We’re not saying Big Ten or SEC, but definitely a step up.”

Based on watching his games at North Texas last season, I can somewhat confidently say that Mestemaker has the best arm of any OSU quarterback in some time. Saying he “doesn’t have an elite arm” sounds like an insult, but again, this is in comparison to the best ball throwers walking the planet based off film where Mestemaker was a redshirt freshman.

Lastly, the guys talked about what kind of steps can be made this season. There’s been a good amount of discourse in Stillwater as to just how long the Cowboys will have Mestemaker. These two draft analyst (in the summer before the season, at least) think OSU fans will get to see No. 17 slinging the pill again in 2027.

“If he’s gonna be this guy, I gotta see a big step,” McShay said. “I wanna remind people, he’s just a redshirt (sophomore). My guess is he’s got two years at Oklahoma State, and I think that that will be best for him. …

“I say all that because if he’s gonna be this guy, which he is, I want to see the advancement. Because now he’s going into his second year as a starter, didn’t play a lot of ball in the past but now is time for the ole rinse, refine, repeat. He’s so good at making reads and so good at controlling the offense and doing those things. Now he’s gotta take it to a graduate level.”

OSU Bullets

• David Taylor called out his wrestling superpower, alma mater Penn State yesterday – could you imagine a home-and-home dual with them? (PFB)

My Top 25 Teams heading into the 2026-2027 Season! pic.twitter.com/SpGR2tI0eQ

— The Cradle Zone (@TheCradleZone) August 9, 2026

• Texas Tech-transfer Braylon Rigsby could be an X-factor at defensive tackle this fall (PFB)

•  Eric Morris raved about receiver Wyatt Young recently – pointing out a key element of why he’s got room to develop after a 1,261-yard season in 2025: 

“I think Wyatt is continuing to elevate his game at this level,” Morris replied. “He’s so new (at) the receiver position. So was Michael Crabtree. Michael Crabtree played quarterback in high school. So did Wyatt Young. He’s gotten so much more comfortable at the position and being able to manipulate defenders versus man coverage. Once we get him in space, he’s really hard to tackle. [TulsaWorld]

• Heartland College Sports has the Cowboys upsetting Texas Tech this fall – or noting the game as the most likely upset for the Red Raiders (HCS)

• Wow – Bill is buying stock in the Pokes.

ESPN’s Projected Playoff Field by Bill Connelly: Hawaii Oregon USC Indiana Georgia Texas Tech Notre Dame Texas AM Ohio State Miami Texas Oklahoma State

— WestCoastCFB (@WestCoastCFB) August 9, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• The rise of the $100 hot dog • Love this model of family prayer (faith-based)

GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 | GAME 4 | GAME 5 | GAME 6

Coming off its first loss of the season, North Texas bounced back in a big way against an in-state rival.

UNT routed UTSA 55-17 to move to 6-1 on the 2025 season in a game where the Mean Green imposed their will on the Road Runners.

In preparation for Oklahoma State’s 2026 season, we’re going back and watching North Texas’ 2025 season. Here are some takeaways from this game against UTSA.

Wyatt Young Doesn’t Run Like a Receiver (in a Good Way)

Wyatt Young played quarterback in high school, so he’s relatively new to the wide receiver position. And in the best way possible, you can tell.

Young  is unlike many receivers I’ve seen with the ball in his hands, looking more like a running back with how physical he can be. The biggest example I can provide from this game came in the third quarter, as Young fought to the goal line after a catch, breaking one tackle and carrying another inside the 5-yard line.

Young had his best game of the season in this one, catching six passes for 102 yards and three touchdowns in just three quarters of action. The numbers could’ve been even more gaudy, but Drew Mestemaker missed him on two post route where Young got behind the defense.

They finally connected on one of those for Young’s final reception of the game: a 42-yard touchdown that pushed UNT’s lead to 45-17.

His other TDs came on a slant route that Mestemaker ripped to the middle of the field for a 20-yard TD. Then Young caught a ball in the flats for an 11-yard score.

Speaking of Tough Runners

This is not a sentence I ever thought I would type, but: Caleb Hawkins sort of has Chuba Hubbard’s hips.

What I mean by that is Hubbard always seemed to have his hips pointed toward the end zone he was running to. Hawkins is that same way. They obviously have different running styles (Hawkins seeks people to truck while Hubbard jetted away from people), but both were always looking to go north and south (or east and west in Boone Pickens Stadium).

Hawkins brings the boom to would be tacklers. According to PFF, he had 105 yards after contact in this one. One of the most brutal examples for the UTSA defense came on this play. Hawkins gained 11 yards from this moment, somehow:

He finished with 133 rushing yards on 18 carries.

Hawkins is also a demon in the check-down game. Often times when Mestemaker doesn’t have anyone downfield, he’ll dump it off to Hawkins. That puts Hawkins in space usually with just defensive backs in front of him, and there aren’t a ton of single defensive backs who are able to bring him down. He caught eight balls in this game and had 90 receiving yards.

Other Notes

• I learned that this in-state rivalry is called the “Battle of the Birds,” and it was North Texas’ homecoming.

• UTSA had a 72-yard rush on its first play from scrimmage, but after that, the yards were tough to come by. Taking that 72-yard run out, UTSA averaged 4.6 yards per play to UNT’s 7.2 yards per play.

• With a man coming free on his blindside, Drew Mestemaker spun out of this would-be sack, another example of his underappreciated athleticism:

• Eric Morris is a bit of a river-boat gambler. He went for it on fourth down in the first half from inside his 35-yard line. Hawkins put his head down and got the yard required.

• Some borderline psycho stuff late in the first half. With no timeouts and 21 seconds left in the half, Morris called a run play. It worked. Kiefer Sibley ran in from 18 yards out to give UNT a 24-14 lead at the half. It was awesome because it worked but would’ve been significantly less awesome had it not.

• Mestemaker threw a 15-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter in which he was rolling to his left. He was able to flip his hips and deliver a perfect pass to Cameron Dorner.

• Now an OSU receiver, Terrence Lewis got behind the defense late and caught a touchdown on a 37-yard go-ball from the UNT backup QB.

• This marked North Texas’ third time over 50 points this season.

STILLWATER — David Taylor is not ducking his alma mater, in fact he’s far from it.

Taylor held a rare August media availability on Tuesday, where he was asked about scheduling and particularly what it would take to get Penn State — a program that has won the past five NCAA titles — on the schedule.

“Hey, I’ll tell you what, when it comes to Penn State, I’m saving one date on my schedule every single year for when they wanna wrestle,” Taylor said. “So, as soon as they say they want to wrestle, we’ll do it. We’ll go there. If they ever wanna come back here, we don’t really care. We just wanna wrestle the best teams, and we want to challenge ourselves.

“I think the sport would really benefit from those two programs wrestling with the history and excitement of it. And if it doesn’t happen, well then the national tournament will be really exciting. But, yeah we’ll save one date every year. So, whenever they want to do it, we’ll do it.”

David Taylor dropped a bomb at his summer media availability.

He’s saving a date for Penn State.

“When it comes to Penn State, I’m saving one date on my schedule every single year for whenever they wanna wrestle. So, as soon as they say they want to wrestle, we’ll do it.” pic.twitter.com/VymGXzj8nj

— Marshall Scott (@MarshallScottOK) August 11, 2026

It’s hard to make much of an argument against Penn State and Oklahoma State being the top two programs in the sport right now.

Penn State’s recent dominance at the NCAA Championships speaks for itself, and since Taylor’s arrival in Stillwater, the already historic Cowboys have been going nowhere but up. OSU took second at NCAAs this past season, doing so while crowning three true freshmen national champs.

OSU and Penn State last shared a dual in 2017 in front of 14,059 fans inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. Penn State won that dual 27-13. It was part of a four-year stretch where the two programs wrestled each other with Penn State winning three of those duals.

That stretch started during Taylor’s senior year at PSU in 2014, a dual Penn State won 23-12 in Rec Hall in State College. Funnily enough, Taylor earned a 5-2 decision win against Tyler Caldwell that day. Caldwell is now on OSU’s staff in Stillwater.

Taylor, in a lot of ways, helped lay the building blocks for the Penn State program alongside coach Cael Sanderson. Taylor went 134-3 in college, winning two NCAA titles and finishing his career with an 88.3% bonus rate. Penn State won NCAA team titles in each of Taylor’s years competing.

OSU is Taylor’s first head coaching gig, as he left Pennsylvania to take it. Since taking over, Taylor has produced five individual national champs in two seasons.

OSU’s nonconference schedule is set to be released on Wednesday, and by the way Taylor answered that question, it doesn’t look as if the Nittany Lions are on it. But the gauntlet has been put down. The Cowboys are willing to wrestle the top dogs.

“The schedule, that’s been one of those things where there’s so much more to scheduling that what you would think,” Taylor said. “It’s a lot of back and forth and — I don’t know — politics, probably, into it, which I don’t like that much about it.”

We had learned some of Brophy’s backstory this spring, when Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris told the story about how one of his first major interactions with Brophy was to bench him as Incarnate Word’s starting quarterback.

Well, it turns out that before that, Brophy was playing for Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham in high school. Sports360AZ released an excellent piece this week detailing how Brophy, now OSU’s offensive coordinator, played under Dillingham at Chaparral High School in Arizona.

“He was my first quarterback that I ever coached when I was the freshman offensive coordinator at Chaparral High School,” Dillingham told Sports360AZ. “Sean Paul Brophy was the quarterback for the team. And then my first job as the varsity OC, he was my quarterback.”

After that stint at Chaparral, Dillingham began his college coaching career as an offensive assistant at Arizona State in 2014 before climbing the ladder with stints at Memphis, Auburn, Florida State and Oregon before getting the head job at his alma mater.

Following his time at Chaparral, Brophy went to Glendale Community College for a year before transferring to Incarnate Word ahead of the 2017 season. Brophy threw for 1,277 yards and 11 touchdowns in 11 games in that first season at UIW, but then Morris got to town. Morris turned to freshman Jon Copeland to be the Cardinals’ starter in 2018.

“Our relationship started off not very good,” Morris said in the spring. “Not for anything he did or anything in particular, but one of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had as a coach was when Sean was the starting quarterback at Incarnate Word before I got there. He was the starting quarterback all through spring ball. We had a true freshman come in and gave us a chance to be a little more mobile.

“The first time I had a sit-down with Sean was to tell him he wasn’t the starting quarterback a couple weeks before his senior season. I think there are a lot of tears shed in that.”

In some ways, that tough conversation started Brophy’s coaching career, as a few days later, Brophy was back in Morris’ office talking about how he’s going to be the best teammate possible and find ways to help the team.

Morris said he tried to talk Brophy out of coaching, saying he could make a lot of money in the business world, but Brophy wasn’t having it. Morris brought Brophy on as a quality control coach in 2021 at Incarnate Word and then took Brophy with him to Washington State as a graduate assistant in 2022.

Brophy earned his first full-time role as North Texas’ quarterback coach in 2023 and has steadily climbed up to UNT’s passing game coordinator in 2025 and is now OSU’s offensive coordinator just a few short years later.

As far as offensive minds go, Morris and Dillingham are two good names to have learned under.

As either a head coach or offensive coordinator, Morris’ and Dillinghams’ offenses have been in the top 10 in the country in yards per game a combined nine times since 2013.

Morris’ offenses have spiked at No. 1 twice, at Texas Tech in 2016 and at North Texas last season. Dillingham’s peak in the stat came when he was the OC at Memphis in 2018, leading the Tigers to the fifth-most productive offense in the nation.

Coaching under one of his former coaches, Brophy will coach against another of his former coaches when Oklahoma State travels to Arizona State on Nov. 21.

“It’s been so fun to watch his career,” Dillingham told Sports360AZ. “He’s a stud, and to see him just flourish like he’s done, I was just at his wedding, it’s super, super cool.”

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