Oklahoma State is already building toward its Class of 2028, and one of the early names to watch is Carter Akin.
The in-state defensive prospect has lined up two official visits this fall, and both of them put the Cowboys in the middle of the conversation. Akin announced on his official X account that he’ll visit Tulsa on Sept. 5 and Oklahoma State on Nov. 14.
That second date stands out right away. Oklahoma State is set to host Texas Tech on Nov. 14, a home matchup that could end up being one of the biggest on the Cowboys’ schedule outside of the Sept. 12 game with Oregon. If Oklahoma State is still in the thick of the Big 12 Championship race, it could wind up carrying even more weight.
The Tulsa trip is no small thing either. That visit lines up with the Golden Hurricanes’ home opener, and the opponent is Oklahoma State.
So Akin has arranged two official visits, and the Cowboys are part of both game settings. That alone says plenty about where he may be leaning.
It also fits with how his recruitment has unfolded so far. Akin spent time at camps this summer at both Oklahoma State and Tulsa, so the official visit invitations weren’t a surprise. There’s also a clear family tie in Stillwater: his father, Zac, played at Oklahoma State and graduated in 2001.
Akin will get a close look at the start of the Eric Morris era at Tulsa and, on the Oklahoma State side, he’ll see what could be the Cowboys’ biggest regular-season game depending on how the first nine contests play out. That gives him a pretty strong snapshot of both programs as he weighs a possible commitment next summer.
As a junior at Bishop McGuinness in Oklahoma City, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Akin is coming off a 2025 season that included 166 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. He plays both linebacker and safety, though for now he likely projects as a safety as he continues to fill out over the next two seasons.
In Other News...
Oklahoma States New Game Week Routine Is Built For A Long Season
Oklahoma State has spent the start of the week settling into a different rhythm, one that Eric Morris believes can pay off once the season starts piling up. The head coach pointed to a 6 p.m. scrimmage as part of the effort to get players used to different kickoff times, while the teams practices have shifted to a more consistent morning window that fits around class schedules and gives the roster a better chance to recover properly.
Morris is also building in a tighter weekly structure designed to keep players fresher for Saturday games. The Cowboys will be in pads on Thursdays before getting Fridays off entirely, a routine that puts a premium on recovery while still giving the staff one last physical workday before game week turns into game day. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State's Air Raid Is Making A Big Philosophical Shift
Eric Morris spent years in the Mike Leach tree, so the expectation around Oklahoma States offense was always going to lean heavily toward tempo, spacing and a pass-first identity. But Morris has been open about how his thinking evolved, and the version of the Air Raid he is bringing to Stillwater now makes room for a much stronger run game without abandoning the volume passing attack that defined his background.
That shift did not happen by accident. Morris said he studied how balanced elite teams were built and then carried that lesson into previous stops at Incarnate Word and North Texas, where the offense kept piling up yards through the air while also becoming harder to defend on the ground. For Oklahoma State, the appeal is obvious: a more complete attack that can keep defenses guessing and, in Morris view, put a team in a better position to win consistently and chase bigger goals. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Got An AP Poll Nod That Will Get Fans Talking
Oklahoma State missed out on a spot in the Associated Press preseason Top 25, but the Cowboys still found a little recognition in the voting breakdown, landing eight votes from three panel members. It is the kind of small preseason nod that does not change the rankings board much, but it does say something about how this team is being viewed as the season approaches under Eric Morris.
Jon Wilner and Dylan Sinn were among those who put Oklahoma State on their ballots, pointing to the upside created by Drew Mestemaker, the additions from North Texas and the possibility that this rosters ceiling is higher than the AP poll captured. The Cowboys also have a schedule that will quickly test that optimism, with three Top 25 opponents coming up in Oregon, Houston and Texas Tech. [Read more 🡒]