Oklahoma State still has a few jobs up for grabs, but the picture is getting clearer as fall camp winds down and the Cowboys move toward their Sept. 5 opener against Tulsa.
Head coach Eric Morris said Tuesday he’s ready to stop practicing against his own team and finally line up against somebody else. That wait is still a little longer, though, with more than 10 days left before the season starts.
Saturday’s scrimmage, the second of fall camp, gave Morris a look at where things stand, and he said he liked what he saw. The Cowboys are done with scrimmages now and will go through a mock game day walkthrough on Saturday.
Among the remaining battles, the defensive line still looks the most unsettled. Morris said Oklahoma State plans to use multiple players there and doesn’t see a major drop from the starters to the backups.
He said the first unit was basically set, though he didn’t name anyone. He did say Jaleel Johnson and Malik Charles will work exclusively at one end, as expected, while Billy Walton is a player they’ll use “end to end.”
Walton is listed at 253 pounds, and Morris left open the possibility of moving him inside in certain packages, without spelling out exactly how he’ll be deployed.
The backup quarterback job is also still very much alive. Morris didn’t address it on Tuesday, but offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Sean Brophy said last week the competition would play out behind starter Drew Mestemaker.
That leaves Grant Jordan, who has been in college football since 2020, battling true freshman Broderick Vehrs. Jordan brings the experience; Vehrs brings the arm strength and youthful exuberance.
Right now, it feels like the Cowboys have narrowed it to those two, but they may still leave the depth chart open with an “OR” when it’s released next week.
Tight end is a step closer to being decided. Last week, Morris made clear that Carson Kolb, the Oregon State transfer who has yet to catch a pass in college football, had taken the lead.
He even said that if the season had started last Tuesday, Kolb would have been the likely starter. On Tuesday, Morris said most of the starting jobs were already settled, which only strengthens the idea that Kolb has a firm grip on the spot over Donovan Green.
It’s not officially done, but it’s close.
Right tackle appears to be the tightest of the offensive line decisions, though it may be moving toward a conclusion. Morris said last week that it was the one line job still carrying real competition entering the scrimmage, with only two players in the mix.
On Tuesday, he spoke about Shaun Torgeson as the starter if the season opened that day, using the same kind of language he used for Kolb. Morris praised Torgeson’s strength and how quickly he has picked up the offense.
He’s giving up about two inches and around 20 pounds to Ashton Lepo, but Morris has said enough about Torgeson over the past week to suggest he has the inside track. Still, Morris said he’s “rolling with them,” so Lepo remains in the hunt.
Of the four battles, Torgeson seems to have the strongest hold on a starting job.
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