Braylin Presley is back on Oklahoma State’s electronic roster, and that alone makes him one of the most interesting names in Stillwater heading into this week.
The former Bixby standout, who first signed with Oklahoma State and played for the Cowboys in 2022, rejoined the program after a court ruling in Cleveland County gave him and seven other athletes a temporary restraining order allowing them to play a fifth season of college sports. Oklahoma State has not officially announced his addition, but head coach Eric Morris is set to address the media on Tuesday and should have plenty to say about where Presley fits with eight games left in the season.
The short version: Presley brings options.
He began his college career at wide receiver, the same spot his older brother, Braeden Presley, played before finishing No. 5 on Oklahoma State’s all-time receiving yards list and landing on the Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad. Presley later transferred to Tulsa after the 2022 season, where he opened as a receiver before moving to running back during his senior year. That kind of flexibility could matter depending on how Morris wants to deploy him, assuming he’s ready to go.
At Tulsa, Presley piled up 261 career rushing yards, with 215 of those coming in 2025. He also caught 38 passes for 310 receiving yards and handled 11 kickoff returns. It’s the same sort of all-purpose profile he showed at Bixby, even if the production never quite matched the talent.
Oklahoma State can use help in different places, but the running back room looks like the more obvious path. Morris has a set five-man rotation at wide receiver, and the only receiver who has missed meaningful time because of injury is Chris Barnes, who sat out the Murray State game with a shoulder issue. Beyond that group, the Cowboys have enough depth to feel comfortable.
At 5-6 and 170 pounds, Presley seems more likely to factor in as a change-of-pace option out of the backfield. Morris wasn’t thrilled with his running back depth after the season-opening loss to Tulsa, and since then Ayo Adeyi has settled into the No. 2 role behind Caleb Hawkins. Against West Virginia, those two were the only backs to carry the ball.
Tre Page III has also filled a change-of-pace role. He began the season as the backup, but a fumble against Tulsa cut into his workload.
That said, he hasn’t been pushed completely aside. Oklahoma State used only two backs against West Virginia, and the staff may decide to stay with that setup for now.
William Mason drew praise from Morris after the Murray State game, but he did not get a touch against the Mountaineers. Highly touted freshman KD Jones also stayed off the stat sheet.
Still, nobody should be shocked if Presley is not on Tuesday’s depth chart. That would be a stretch at this point.
He has to show he’s in football shape, prove he can handle a complicated playbook, and give Morris and his staff a clear read on where he fits. The Cowboys can simplify things for him and build a package around what he does best, but he still has to be ready to execute it.
That’s the balancing act here. Presley has real athletic ability, but the Cowboys have to fold him into an offense that already has a rhythm after four games.
Morris almost certainly has a plan, and it probably does not involve Presley getting on the field this week against UCF unless an unexpected need pops up. Morris should be able to shed light on that Tuesday.
For now, the likeliest path is a week of adjustment before Presley potentially steps into some kind of “joker” role in the Houston game on Oct. 17.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Just Added A Familiar Name With Something To Prove
Braylin Presley is back in the picture for Oklahoma State after a winding college path that took him from Stillwater to Tulsa and now back to the Cowboys. The former OSU player and Tulsa standout has been granted a fifth year of eligibility, giving him a chance to return to the program that first brought him into the Big 12 spotlight.
The move comes as Presley and several other athletes continue to challenge the NCAAs new age-based eligibility rule in court, and that legal fight has kept his status in motion. For now, though, his return still appears to be in limbo on the school side, since he has not yet been formally announced by Oklahoma State and was not on the teams electronic roster Sunday evening. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Gets A Real Week 6 Test Coming Out Of Bye
Coming out of its bye week, Oklahoma State heads into Week 6 with a conference game that has a little more intrigue than a standard early-October matchup. The Cowboys are set to host UCF in Big 12 play, and the timing gives them a chance to build on the momentum they carried into the break after putting together a strong start to the month.
UCF arrives with some uncertainty under center and a road profile that has not been encouraging so far this season, which only adds to the sense that this is a real test for both sides. For Oklahoma State, the game offers a chance to measure whether its recent turnaround has some staying power as the Big 12 schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Heads To Oklahoma State With One Huge Availability Question
UCFs trip to Stillwater comes with more uncertainty than usual, and Scott Frost spent part of the week sorting through the injury ripple effects before the Knights face Oklahoma State. The list already includes several key players, and Frost has tried to stress the next-man-up approach as UCF leans on its depth and waits to see who can make it back in the near future.
One of the bigger questions hanging over the matchup is the offensive line, where center Jacob Maiava is dealing with a lower-body injury and remains questionable. The Knights also appear set to be short on offense and in the middle of the defense, with the availability of quarterback Alonza Barnett III and linebacker Lewis Carter shaping up as a major storyline as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]