Oklahoma State’s final Big 12 player availability report on Friday clarified the picture for Saturday’s trip to Morgantown, where the Cowboys open their first conference showdown of the 2026 season against West Virginia.
The biggest takeaway was that Nelson was listed as out, making him the only Oklahoma State player ruled out. Eric Morris said during his radio show on Thursday that Nelson would test his surgically repaired knee on Friday before the team left for Morgantown, but the final report showed he still isn’t ready to return. That lines up with the timeline Morris laid out last week, when he said the Cowboys were aiming for an Oct. 10 return against UCF.
With Nelson unavailable, Shaun Torgeson is expected to start at left tackle again, with Desmond Magiya backing him up.
There was better news on the interior of the offensive line. Hanson was listed as questionable, but Morris said Thursday that Hanson was “back,” signaling a return to the starting lineup.
If he gets through pregame without any issues, Hanson should reclaim the right guard job he won in fall camp and held for the first two games before getting hurt against Oregon. That would slide Johnny Dickson III back to left guard, where he started the first two games of the season.
Dickson, who had also appeared on the availability report all week, was upgraded to probable on Friday, which makes it look even more likely that Oklahoma State will have both starting guards back against the Mountaineers.
On the defensive side, Oates remained questionable on the final report, the same status he carried all week. After the Murray State game, Morris said he hoped to have Oates back for this matchup, and he added that Oates practiced Tuesday and was trending up. If Oates is cleared to go, the only real question is whether he starts or Enai White does after White handled the role against Murray State and played well.
Because Oklahoma State rotates so many defensive tackles, the exact starter-backup order may not matter much. Still, the indication is that Oates is moving in the right direction for Saturday.
Wide receiver Chris Barnes and defensive tackle Bradyon Rigsby were both listed as probable and are expected to play. Tight end Oscar Hammond, who missed the first three games and was not listed on the availability report all week, is also expected to play.
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