When Oklahoma State opens against Murray State on Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN+, the Cowboys may line up with a tight end who wasn’t supposed to be the answer this soon.
Carson Kolb looks ready to keep that job.
Head coach Eric Morris said during fall camp that the Oregon State transfer would have been the starter at tight end if the season had started then. Now, that prediction has carried into the regular season, with Kolb on track to make his third straight start. If he gets the nod, it will also be his third career collegiate start.
That’s a striking turn for a player who, a short time ago, was not viewed as the clear front-runner in the room. Oklahoma State went into camp expecting the competition to center on Oscar Hammond and Donovan Green. Hammond had played for Morris at North Texas before missing last season with an injury, while Green brought four years of experience from Texas A&M and LSU but had only 22 career catches.
Kolb was the one who forced his way to the front.
Morris pointed to the versatility Kolb showed at Oregon State, where he handled linebacker, special teams, and tight end duties. That background has helped him settle into a role that now looks much bigger than anyone probably expected.
“He played linebacker, special teams, and tight end at Oregon State,” Morris said on Tuesday. “So, it was pretty cool to see that.”
The Scottsdale, Ariz., product entered Oklahoma State with a modest receiving résumé. At Horizon in Scottsdale, he played 29 games and caught eight passes for 85 yards as a senior. He redshirted at Oregon State in 2024 after appearing in four games, then played in all 12 games for the Beavers in 2025 and finished with six special teams tackles.
Even so, Morris said there were moments when the staff wasn’t sure how Kolb would fit.
“His ball skills weren't great when he got here,” Morris said. “That was a limiting factor, and he knew that going into the summer. [He knew] that might determine him not being able to play as much for us.”
That part of his game appears to have changed the most over the summer and into fall camp. Kolb’s first collegiate catch came against Oregon, and he turned it into a touchdown in the first quarter.
He leaked out to quarterback Drew Mestemaker’s right and into the flat, where the play finished as a relatively easy score. The misdirection on the other side helped, but it also showed how far Kolb has come as a receiver.
He’s still earning his keep in other ways, too. Kolb’s work as a blocker has made him useful in both the run game and pass protection, and that combination could keep him on the field even after Hammond returns from injury.
That’s a much different picture than the one Oklahoma State had in mind back in the summer. But Kolb has taken the opening and run with it, and Morris said he may have even more chances coming his way.
“We had him open a couple more times, [Drew] just didn't get to that read,” Morris said.
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