Oklahoma State’s first availability report of the week offered a pretty clean look ahead to Saturday’s game against UCF, with the Cowboys coming out of the bye week healthier than most teams usually are at this point in the season.
The only Oklahoma State player listed as out was defensive tackle Landon Dean, who played against West Virginia and finished with three tackles. Head coach Eric Morris didn’t mention Dean during his Tuesday press conference.
UCF’s report, by contrast, came with a much longer list of unavailable players, including quarterback Alonza Barnett III, who went down with a hamstring injury in Week 2.
For Oklahoma State, the biggest name on the report was offensive lineman Braydon Nelson, who showed up as probable. That matched what Morris said Tuesday, when he said he expected Nelson to be available for Saturday. The Cowboys also listed Nelson on the depth chart at both left tackle and right tackle alongside Ashton Lepo and Shaun Torgeson, though Morris said he expects Lepo and Torgeson to start.
Nelson being tagged probable on the first report of the week is a strong sign he should be good to go. He has not played this season while recovering from offseason knee surgery.
The more surprising addition was wide receiver Wyatt Young. He was not on the availability report for the West Virginia game, and then he turned in a huge performance, catching eight passes for 192 yards and a touchdown. Morris didn’t bring up Young on Tuesday, and he wasn’t asked about him either, since there was no sign of an injury during the West Virginia game or the bye week.
Morris is likely to address Young’s status during his radio show Thursday.
For now, the Cowboys will be watching that situation closely the rest of the week. If Young is bumped up to probable by Friday, that would be a good indication he’ll be ready for UCF. And if he’s limited, Oklahoma State does have options, with Miles Coleman and Terrence Lewis both able to handle that spot.
In Other News...
Oklahoma States Red Zone Problem Is Forcing Eric Morris To Adjust
Oklahoma States offense has been doing enough to move the ball, but the finish has been a different story. Eric Morris has already had to tweak his approach near the goal line after the Cowboys came away empty too often in recent games, and that has pushed the staff into a round of self-scouting as it looks for better ways to turn promising drives into touchdowns.
Drew Mestemakers passing has been cleaner in the red area, though it still has not become the reliable answer the Cowboys need. So Morris is weighing a more measured approach, with the kind of playcalling and personnel usage that can help Oklahoma State protect possessions and avoid settling for too many uneasy decisions once the field shrinks. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Gundys First Post Oklahoma State Move Will Surprise Cowboys Fans
Mike Gundys first move after Oklahoma State is heading to the broadcast booth, but only briefly. The former Cowboys head coach is set to make his television debut as a guest analyst on TNTs college football coverage this weekend, a notable turn for a coach who spent years as one of the most visible figures in the sport.
For Oklahoma State fans, the surprise is less that Gundy is showing up on TV than how selective hes been about it. He has limited his media schedule to spend more time with his family, and he already turned down other opportunities from ESPN and FOX Sports this season, making this TNT stint his only scheduled analyst appearance for now. [Read more 🡒]
Memphis Already Has A New Offensive Standard Under Kevin Decker
One of the more notable early-season coordinator turnarounds has come from Kevin Decker at Memphis, where the offense already looks different enough to qualify as a new standard. Through Week 5 of the 2026 season, the Tigers have been part of a broader national conversation about assistants who are reshaping their teams in a hurry, with the rankings weighing results, opponent quality and how much each coach has changed an inherited unit. Deckers work has stood out in that group, and Memphis has given him a platform to show it.
For Oklahoma State fans, the name in that same conversation is Skyler Cassity, whose defense has also been part of the Week 5 coordinator stock report. The Cowboys have seen enough to believe the unit is moving in the right direction, but the bigger picture still leaves some room for proof, especially with efficiency and schedule context still part of the evaluation. In other words, there is real progress here, but the full resume is still being written. [Read more 🡒]