Eric Morris didn’t sound interested in wading into another college football headache.
With more than 100 players in camp at Oklahoma State, the coach said he has enough on his plate already. The latest issue stirring across the sport - pro players trying to work their way back into college through the transfer portal and the courts - is not something he wants added to the mix.
The flashpoint is LSU tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who cleared waivers with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday and is reportedly set to join LSU for a fifth season of college football. His path back has been complicated by lawsuits tied to the Class of 2022 players challenging the NCAA’s new eligibility-based model, according to the Associated Press.
Wright’s route has been unusual. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after going undrafted in April, was released on Aug. 11, then signed with Cleveland before being waived this week. Now he has signed two NFL contracts and is trying to return to college football to play for LSU coach Lane Kiffin, who coached him at Ole Miss over the past two seasons.
Conference officials are already reacting. The Big Ten passed a rule Tuesday that bars pro players from returning, and the SEC could follow. It’s not yet clear whether that would stop Wright from going back to LSU.
Morris made his position plain when he addressed reporters Tuesday.
“Like, what are we doing right now?” he said.
“It's just one more thing we're putting on the list, and quite frankly, we don't have time to deal with and figure out what the rules are and what's going on. I think there's got to be some integrity in this game.
It has been forever, in sports in general, and we’ve taught this from youth sports up. If a guy's competing for a professional job right now in his sport, he should have left college in in the back mirror at that point.”
There are three Oklahoma State student-athletes currently eligible because of county court injunctions, including defensive lineman Iman Oates. But Morris drew a line between those situations and players who actually turned pro. Oates never did after last season ended.
Other players are also eligible through injunctions or temporary restraining orders while their cases work through court. Wright, though, is part of a smaller group that signed pro training camp deals and is now attempting to return because members of the Class of 2022 were not granted a fifth year under the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility standard.
If Morris had the final say, Wright would not be coming back. That decision now sits with the SEC - and possibly a judge if the league decides to step in. The Big 12 has no rule blocking the move at the moment, though the conference is considering one.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Is Pushing For A Crucial In-State Recruiting Flip
Eric Morris and his staff have kept Oklahoma State's recruiting class moving, landing 11 commitments while also absorbing a setback when offensive lineman Chase Clark flipped to Purdue. The Cowboys still have work to do across the board, but the class already includes a mix of offensive and defensive pieces and has one clear headliner in linebacker Israel Hammonds, the lone four-star pledge so far.
Now the focus has turned toward shoring up the line and potentially making a key in-state addition. Oklahoma State is still chasing more help to address positional needs, and the push for another offensive lineman has become especially important with the class taking shape. For a program trying to steady its future in a crowded recruiting fight, the next move could say plenty about how the Cowboys finish this cycle. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma States Rebuild Already Faces A Real Bowl Pressure Test
Oklahoma States rebuild under new coach Eric Morris is already being measured by a familiar postseason benchmark, even though the program has been stuck in a tough stretch since the 2023 season. The Cowboys have managed only four wins in that span, so the conversation around year one of the Morris era is less about long-term patience and more about whether this group can show immediate progress back toward bowl eligibility.
The national read on that question is all over the map, which tells you how much uncertainty still hangs over Stillwater. Some analysts see a path to a bowl if Oklahoma State can settle in and make a jump in conference play, with projected league records in the 5-4 or 6-3 range floating around the conversation, while others are more cautious and leave the Cowboys off the postseason board entirely. One way or another, the rebuild looks like it will be judged against a simple standard right away: can Morris get Oklahoma State back into December football fast enough to make the pressure feel manageable again? [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Fall Camp Battles Could Push Key Players Toward Tough Decisions
Oklahoma States offseason makeover has created a camp with far more urgency than usual, and Eric Morris has spent the summer trying to sort through nearly 90 newcomers brought in through the transfer portal. For a handful of returning players and transfers alike, that churn has turned fall practice into a real job interview, with starting roles suddenly far less settled than they might have seemed when the roster was first being rebuilt.
Three names to watch are Sanders, Chisom and Foreman, all of whom are battling for starting spots while also facing the reality that a crowded depth chart can reshape decisions after the season. If those opportunities do not break their way, the transfer portal could again become part of the conversation, which is the kind of uncertainty that comes with a roster overhaul this large and makes camp battles carry more weight than usual. [Read more 🡒]