Tre Lamb may have called himself a “JV” version of Eric Morris earlier this week, but Morris isn’t buying the self-downplay. The Oklahoma State coach sees Tulsa’s second-year man as something bigger: a rising head coach who’s on a fast track to the same kind of climb Morris has already made.
Morris, 40, is in his third head-coaching stop and his first at the power conference level. He built his résumé at Incarnate Word and North Texas, going 46-34 across those jobs with two playoff appearances at UIW and two bowl trips at UNT. He skipped the latter after taking the Oklahoma State job.
Lamb’s path looks awfully familiar. He’s 36 and already on his third head-coaching job after stops at Gardner-Webb and ETSU, both in the FCS.
At Gardner-Webb, he won a pair of conference titles and reached the playoffs twice. Before last year’s 4-8 debut at Tulsa, he had a winning record for his career.
Now Morris gets his first chance to coach against him on Saturday. The two talked last year during American Conference events after Lamb landed at Tulsa, but this will be the first time they’ve actually been on opposite sidelines.
And Morris likes what he sees.
“You can just tell when you listen to him talk that he always has a process, and he's trying to grow and learn, and he's figured out new ways [to succeed],” Morris said.
The connection runs deeper than the similar career arcs. Both men built their reputations on offense.
Morris coached at the FCS level before moving up, and Lamb’s route started as a quarterback at Tennessee Tech. He stayed there for a year as quarterbacks coach after graduating, then took the same role at Mercer.
Four years later, he was back at Tennessee Tech as offensive coordinator before getting his first head-coaching shot at Gardner-Webb in 2020.
That stop turned into four seasons at Gardner-Webb, then a 7-5 year at ETSU, and finally the Tulsa job. Like Morris, Lamb brought his quarterback with him - Baylor Hayes - though the situation wasn’t the same as Morris bringing Drew Mestemaker to North Texas after an ultra-successful season.
Morris also pointed to something beyond scheme and wins. Even though Lamb is four years younger, he’s entering his seventh year as a head coach while Morris is heading into his eighth. Morris said Lamb had a reputation around the American for being able to raise money and support for his program, and he praised Tulsa’s administration for giving him the resources to rebuild.
Tulsa has only one winning season since its 10-3 run in 2016 under Phillip Montgomery, and the Golden Hurricane has managed just 11 wins over the last three seasons. Morris thinks that’s about to change.
“I think their administration's done a good job of giving them more and more resources every single year,” Morris said. “So I think he's a superstar in the making.”
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Heads To Tulsa With Local Bragging Rights On The Line
Oklahoma States early-season trip to Tulsa brings more than just another nonconference matchup. The Cowboys and Golden Hurricane will meet Sept. 5 at 2:45 p.m. CT in the Gateway First Bank Turnpike Classic on ESPNU, adding another chapter to a series that stretches back to 1914 and has long carried local bragging rights for both programs.
The rivalry has leaned Oklahoma States way over the years, with the Cowboys holding a 45-28-5 edge all-time, but the setup has become more familiar lately thanks to the eight-year scheduling agreement that keeps the teams meeting annually through 2031. With the games alternating between home venues each year, this one gives Oklahoma State another chance to defend its standing in a series that still means plenty around the state. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Still Has One Crucial Battle To Settle In Week 1
Oklahoma State heads into Week 1 with one of the more interesting position battles on its hands, and it comes in the secondary. The cornerback spots on the depth chart are still marked by OR designations, a sign that nobody has fully separated from the pack after fall camp. Head coach Eric Morris said all five corners have put together strong work in camp, giving the staff multiple viable options as the Cowboys prepare for Tulsa.
Even with the competition still open, the first game should offer a clearer picture of how that group is going to shake out. Morris indicated the corners are expected to be used in rotation against Tulsa, with the final pecking order tied to what happens on the field rather than what was shown in practice. For a unit that has been evenly matched all month, Week 1 may end up being the real test that decides who keeps earning those snaps. [Read more 🡒]
Drew Mestemaker Faces The Oklahoma State Question That Will Define 2026
Drew Mestemaker arrives at Oklahoma State with a growing reputation and a much harder stage ahead. After a productive year at North Texas, the quarterback is now stepping into a season that will test him against a far more demanding schedule, the kind of jump that tells a program plenty about where it stands and what it can become. For the Cowboys, his transition matters because it is about more than simply carrying over past success. It is about whether a quarterback who has already shown he can handle volume and responsibility can do it when the speed, pressure and weekly stakes all rise.
Head coach Eric Morris, who has spent enough time around good quarterbacks to recognize what translates, sounds convinced Mestemaker has the traits to make it work. Morris has pointed to his decision-making and preparation as strengths, and he expects those habits to travel with him as Oklahoma State leans on him in 2026. The bigger question is how that growth plays against tougher competition, because the Cowboys are betting that Mestemaker's development will shape not only their season but also the path he eventually builds toward the NFL. [Read more 🡒]