Oklahoma State’s rebuild under Eric Morris is set to move from theory to the practice field next week in Stillwater.
The Cowboys are coming off a 1-11 season, one that ended with Mike Gundy being fired and Morris arriving from North Texas to start the reset. Most of Morris’ former North Texas staff came with him, too, and now the real work begins on turning Oklahoma State back into a winner.
Players are scheduled to report Tuesday, Aug. 4, with the first practice coming Aug. 5.
That puts the Cowboys in line with plenty of Big 12 programs that are gearing up for Labor Day weekend openers. TCU, meanwhile, has already begun fall work because the Horned Frogs open in Ireland against North Carolina on Zero Week.
Morris said at media days that Oklahoma State expected to get only a handful of practices in before classes start later in August. With August heat always a factor, the Cowboys are likely to work in the mornings or spend time inside.
The roster shape is almost unrecognizable. Morris brought nearly 90 transfers into Stillwater, a massive overhaul that includes players from power conference programs, Group of 6 schools and even a few who moved up from Division II. It’s one of the most sweeping talent changes any program has seen.
Among the new faces are nearly 20 former North Texas players who followed Morris to Oklahoma State. Three of them should be central to what Cowboys fans are hoping becomes an offensive turnaround in 2026: quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who led FBS in passing yards last season; running back Caleb Hawkins, a freshman All-American who set an FBS record for touchdowns by a freshman; and wide receiver Wyatt Young, one of the most productive receivers in college football a year ago.
The defensive side also has familiar names from Morris’ old program, including linebacker Ethan Wesloski, defensive tackle Saadiq Clements and safeties Quinton Hammonds and Evan Jackson. They’ll all get a shot to prove they belong in what amounts to a promotion.
That’s only part of the evaluation, though. Fans already got a glimpse of the new-look roster in the spring game, but the real judgment starts now as coaches and outsiders begin sorting out how all these pieces actually fit together.
For Oklahoma State, the list of returners is short. There are just 13 players back from last season, and Morris has made clear he values the ones who stayed rather than transferring out. Now they’ll have to show they can hold their own against the flood of newcomers.
Some of the most important holdovers include offensive lineman Jakobe Sanders, defensive lineman Jaleel Johnson and defensive tackle Iman Oates, the most experienced returning player in terms of games played. Oates recently received a temporary restraining order so he can play in 2026, though his case is still not fully resolved. For now, he is eligible for the opener against Tulsa.
There are also several other returning Cowboys who didn’t play last season and now finally have a chance to show they’re ready.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Is Still Alive For An In-State Recruit Fans Need
Recruiting in-state always matters in Stillwater, and Oklahoma State is still in the mix for one of the biggest names in the next wave. Kamieon Compton-Nero, the top-ranked athlete in the Class of 2028 and a standout from Owasso, is among the programs top 15 targets, a sign the Cowboys remain firmly in the conversation for a player who has already drawn attention on both sides of the ball.
Compton-Nero has put up eye-catching numbers as both a quarterback and a defensive player, which only adds to the intrigue around how he might be used at the next level. For Oklahoma State, the appeal goes beyond talent alone: the staff is tracking a local prospect who could become a major piece in the future, even with a quarterback room that already includes one 2027 commit and two true freshmen on campus. [Read more 🡒]
NCAA Twist Could Reopen Several Oklahoma State Careers
A federal judge in Colorado has thrown a fresh wrinkle into the NCAAs eligibility rules, ordering the association to declare eligible all high school class of 2022 athletes who used up four seasons of eligibility this spring. The ruling comes amid legal challenges to the NCAAs newer age-based "five-for-five" standard, and it has immediate implications for several student-athletes who suddenly have another path to keep competing.
For Oklahoma State, the decision touches three players and could reopen careers that looked finished at the end of the spring. The bigger picture for the Cowboys is obvious: roster planning, scholarship management and even offseason expectations can all shift when athletes who seemed out of eligibility may be able to return for another college season. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State May Have Found A Breakout Answer In The Secondary
Eric Morris has spent his first months reshaping Oklahoma State with an avalanche of transfers, nearly 90 in all, as he builds a roster that looks very different from the one he inherited. The group includes quarterback Drew Mestemaker and former UCLA linebacker Isaiah Chisom, but one of the quieter additions could end up mattering just as much on the defensive side: Vincent Holmes, a safety who arrived from Washington looking for a reset.
Holmes was once a four-star recruit, but his time in Seattle never really took off, leaving him with little game action and a lot to prove. In Stillwater, he is trying to turn that pedigree into production in Skyler Cassitys 4-2-5 defense, where the structure gives him a real chance to push for a starting safety role and carve out the kind of breakout opportunity that never came before. [Read more 🡒]