Oklahoma State’s offense already looks loaded on paper for the 2026 Big 12 season, but the preseason honors list still found a way to leave one of its biggest names out.
The Cowboys’ projected “triplets” - quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins and wide receiver Wyatt Young - all put up eye-catching numbers at North Texas last season under current OSU head coach Eric Morris. Mestemaker led FBS with 4,379 passing yards and finished second in the nation with 32 touchdown throws.
Young hauled in 70 catches for 1,264 yards and 10 scores, good for the second-most receiving yards in North Texas history. Hawkins, meanwhile, ran for 1,434 yards at 6.2 yards per carry and scored 25 touchdowns.
That production was enough to get Mestemaker and Young recognized when the All-Big 12 preseason team came out Monday. Mestemaker was named the league’s preseason newcomer of the year, and Young landed on the first team. Hawkins, though, was left off entirely.
The two running backs chosen were BYU’s L.J. Martin and West Virginia’s Cam Cook.
Martin, who was also voted the Big 12 preseason player of the year, was always going to be on the first team after rushing for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns while adding 36 catches for 255 yards. The real debate sits with Cook and Hawkins.
Cook is a strong player in his own right, and both he and Hawkins are transfers. With so little returning running back talent in the league from 2025, the Big 12 was going to lean on newcomers somewhere. Still, Hawkins has a legitimate argument.
Cook rushed for 1,659 yards last season at Jax State, topping Hawkins’ 1,434. But Hawkins was more efficient and more productive in the scoring column. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry to Cook’s 5.6, did it on 64 fewer carries, and scored 25 rushing touchdowns to Cook’s 16.
The gap didn’t disappear in the passing game, either. Cook caught 30 passes for 286 yards and no touchdowns, while Hawkins finished with 32 receptions for 370 yards and four touchdowns. Hawkins also averaged two more yards per catch.
This one wasn’t a runaway either way. But when you stack the numbers side by side, Hawkins has the stronger case on the margins: better efficiency, more total touchdowns and more rushing scores. Even so, Cook got the nod.
Hawkins will get a shot to answer that decision in the regular season. Oklahoma State and West Virginia meet in Morgantown on Sept. 26.
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