With Oklahoma State two scrimmages into camp and less than two weeks from the Sept. 5 opener against Tulsa, the picture is starting to sharpen. The Cowboys are still waiting on Eric Morris to address reporters Tuesday, but the outlines of the depth chart are becoming easier to read as practice work and Saturday’s second scrimmage begin to sort things out.
At quarterback, the biggest unresolved question is the backup spot behind Mestemaker. Morris hasn’t spoken since Saturday, and a formal depth chart likely won’t arrive until the week of the Tulsa game.
Mestemaker himself spent part of last week talking about why he believes Oklahoma State can be successful this season and about the road not taken, including four teams that stood out to him during the transfer portal process. Still, none of them pushed him away from OSU.
The backfield looks much clearer. Hawkins appears locked in as the starter, and Morris has gone so far as to suggest he might be the best running back he’s ever coached.
That says plenty. Hawkins brings the kind of speed-size combination that makes a coach lean in, and he’ll be supported by a deep group of backs that should keep him fresh through the season.
Receiver is less about who starts and more about who fills out the rotation. Young, Barnes and Bowick look like the names Morris will trust early, even if they won’t be on the field for every snap.
The heat will make sure of that, and Morris seems more concerned with the rest of the group than with the top of the chart. He also stirred the pot last week when he said that if the season had started then, the Oregon State transfer - who has not caught a college pass yet - would probably have been the starter.
Oscar Hammond and Donovan Green remain in the mix, so that competition will be worth watching once Morris meets with the media.
Up front, Morris has already started shaping the offensive line rotation. Sexton looks like the best option if Braydon Nelson isn’t fully game-ready by the opener, even if Nelson is medically cleared.
Hanson and Dixon are set at guard, though Morris has left open the possibility that they could swap sides. Mercer has been named the starter at center.
The last real battle is at right tackle, where Shaun Toregson and Ashton Lepo are fighting for the job. Lepo brings the bigger-program background from Michigan State, but Toregson logged more than 700 snaps last season at Portland State, and Morris seemed to be leaning his way last week.
On defense, Williams drew positive notes from Morris after the first scrimmage, and the staff will be watching to see whether he carried that forward on Saturday. The defensive front remains fluid because Morris has been less inclined to publicly name starters there, likely leaving that to Skyler Cassity, who has also declined to do so. For now, the four most likely starters appear to be in place, though Cassity has said he plans to rotate heavily up front.
At linebacker, the picture is pretty straightforward. Wesloski and Chisom combined for more than 200 tackles last season, and that kind of production makes it hard to imagine Oklahoma State going in another direction unless injury forces the issue. Tate Romney and Dallas Winner-Johnson are competing for backup roles, and they’ll also be in the mix when the Cowboys shift to a three-man defensive line, something Cassity says will happen at times to change up the front.
The secondary has its own set of familiar names. Safety figures to feature Quinton Hammonds, Evan Jackson and Christian Bodnar, while other defensive backs have also made impressions in camp.
Fields has the kind of talent that could make him an all-Big 12 player, and Horn brings a level of experience that stands out on this roster. Hammonds and Jackson already worked under Cassity last season at North Texas, and Bodnar’s corner-safety background from Liberty makes him a natural fit at nickel.
Special teams appears settled as well. There’s been no question about Pozzobon, Keltner or Ost, and Barnes and Coleman should be part of the return game without being the only options.
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Oklahoma State Still Faces One Big NIL Problem In The Big 12
Oklahoma State enters 2026 with a football NIL picture that looks solid enough inside the Big 12, but still short of the leagues biggest spender. According to data from NIL-NCAA.com, the Cowboys are projected at $22.1 million, a figure that places them among the conferences top six and keeps them in a competitive range with most of their peers.
The challenge, of course, is the team sitting at the top of that financial ladder. Texas Tech is estimated at $33.3 million, creating a sizable gap that still matters in a conference where roster building is increasingly tied to resources. Oklahoma State has room to make up ground if on-field success and NIL support continue to grow, but for now the conferences spending race still has one clear front-runner. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Camp Could Create A Roster Problem Eric Morris Must Manage
Fall camp in Stillwater has already taken on the feel of a roster reset under new coach Eric Morris, with Oklahoma State trying to move on from a rough stretch and a wave of nearly 90 transfers. Morris is sorting through a bigger-than-usual group without the cushion of redshirting, which changes the math for a lot of players who might otherwise have been able to sit, develop and wait their turn.
For a few of those Cowboys, the early weeks of camp are about more than depth-chart status. When reps get scarce and patience gets tested, the transfer portal becomes the obvious escape hatch, and how Morris handles that pressure could matter long after camp ends. The Cowboys need this season to do more than just start the rebuilding process - they also need it to show potential additions that Oklahoma State can still be a place worth choosing. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Freshmen Suddenly Have A Real Shot To Matter Fast
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Among that group, Jones, Thornton and Standard look like the freshmen most likely to factor in fast, each for different reasons. Jones and Thornton are being viewed as possible rotation pieces, while Standard has already turned heads since arriving in the summer with the kind of size that stands out quickly in fall workouts. The open question now is how much of that early promise translates once the depth chart gets real, but the Cowboys appear ready to let the newcomers compete for meaningful roles instead of waiting around for a future that may not come. [Read more 🡒]