Oklahoma State’s 2026 roster is almost unrecognizable, and Eric Morris built it that way.
The Cowboys brought in 92 new players this offseason between transfers and freshmen, according to ESPN, as Morris remade the program in his first year in Stillwater. A huge chunk of that overhaul came straight from North Texas, where Morris had just guided the Mean Green to a 12-2 season and a New Mexico Bowl win over San Diego State.
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker is the face of it all. He’s the biggest name in the former North Texas wave that followed Morris to Oklahoma State, and he’s not alone.
In total, Morris convinced 65 players to enter the transfer portal for the Cowboys this offseason, including 20 directly from his old team, per ESPN. Sixteen of his former North Texas players ended up in Stillwater.
That group gives Oklahoma State a very familiar core on both sides of the ball.
On offense, the former Mean Green names include Mestemaker, receivers Miles Coleman, Terrence Lewis and Wyatt Young, backs Caleb Hawkins and Dennis Moody, and linemen Braydon Nelson, Desmond Magiya and Johnny Dickson III. On defense and special teams, the Cowboys added Fatafehi Vailea II, Evan Jackson, Kollin Lewis, Keviyan Huddleston, Quinton Hammonds, Ethan Wesloski, Caden Yates and Saddiq Clements.
The production came with them, too. Hawkins was North Texas’ leading rusher in 2025 with 1,434 yards.
Young finished with 1,264 receiving yards, while Coleman added 550. Wesloski led the team with 113 tackles, and Huddleston paced the squad with five sacks.
Young made clear how tightly tied some of these decisions were to Mestemaker. "We're trying to write the same script as Indiana," Young told ESPN this offseason of his Oklahoma State recruitment.
"They're telling me I can come in and be the guy. 'You're my guy, you're gonna be a 1,000-yard receiver here, we're feeding you the ball.'
Is that really what's going to happen? They have a week to get to know me.
How do you make relationships with that time?
"Wherever Drew was going, that's where I wanted to go. Why would I want to play with any other quarterback? I feel like he's the best in the country."
The move hit North Texas hard. According to Underdog Dynasty, the Mean Green lost 98.4% of their 2025 passing yardage, 57.3% of their rushing yardage, 53.2% of their receiving yardage, 29.9% of their tackles total and 41.7% of their sacks total to Oklahoma State in players.
Morris didn’t stop with the North Texas pipeline, either. Oklahoma State also landed wide receiver Justin Bowick from Illinois, who has more than 1,000 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in his college career.
Chris Barnes arrived from Wake Forest after posting 547 receiving yards in 2025. Former Florida State pass rusher James Williams, former Louisville defensive lineman Jerry Lawson and former Texas Tech defensive lineman Braylon Rigsby also joined the mix.
That influx gave Oklahoma State one of the more notable transfer hauls in the country. Per 247Sports, the Cowboys were one of just five programs to land at least one five-star transfer this offseason, with Mestemaker earning that distinction. Oklahoma State finished 15th in the outlet’s transfer-acquisition scoring.
The depth chart reflects just how much changed. Per OurLads, the Cowboys’ projected starters include Mestemaker at quarterback, Hawkins at running back and a long list of former North Texas players in key spots, including Bowick, Barnes, Young, Magiya, Dickson III, James Williams, Saadiq Clements, Isaiah Chisom, Wesloski, Evan Jackson and Quinton Hammonds.
It’s a massive reset for a program that went 1-11 in 2025 and moved on from Mike Gundy after roughly two decades. Morris has brought more than a new voice to Stillwater. He’s brought a whole new team.
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Oklahoma State Made The Oregon Weekend About More Than One Game
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