Oklahoma State has gone all-in on the transfer portal, and the 2026 roster reflects it. New head coach Eric Morris and his staff brought in nearly 90 transfer additions, a massive turnover that should make fall camp feel brand new when the Cowboys report next week.
Among that wave, a handful of newcomers stand out as the most likely to hit the field and matter right away. The headliner is quarterback Drew Mestemaker, the former North Texas starter who led FBS in passing yards last season and ranked in the top 10 in a host of other categories.
He followed Morris and the offensive staff to Stillwater, and Morris made his pitch with a simple line when Mestemaker was exploring other FBS options: “don’t break my heart.” Mestemaker didn’t, and the size of Oklahoma State’s turnaround this season will be tied closely to what he does at quarterback.
The Cowboys also added a back who looks tailor-made for this offense in Caleb Hawkins. As a true freshman at North Texas, he set an NCAA record for most combined touchdowns by a true freshman and ran for nearly 1,500 yards.
He can also work as a receiver out of the backfield, which gives Oklahoma State a versatile piece in an Air Raid system that is usually built around the passing game. With Hawkins in the backfield, the Cowboys have a real chance to keep the run game under control and in rhythm.
Mestemaker is not arriving without familiar help. His top target from a year ago, Wyatt Young, also came to Stillwater from North Texas.
Young caught 70 passes for 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, and his receiving yardage ranked second in UNT history. He was named all-American Conference and a freshman all-American as a redshirt, and the built-in chemistry with Mestemaker should make him one of the quickest-impact receivers on the roster.
On defense, Oklahoma State is leaning heavily on transfers with production and experience. One of the biggest names is Kellen Wesloski, another North Texas import who piled up 113 tackles, including 59 solo stops, in 14 games.
That came after he spent three years waiting his turn with the Mean Green. Now he arrives in Stillwater as a second-team all-American Conference selection and is expected to be one of the top defenders on the team.
Wesloski could be part of a much-needed defensive reset. The Cowboys struggled badly on that side of the ball last year, and Chisom adds another proven piece.
While some outlets have Tate Romney starting next to Wesloski, Chisom’s production at UCLA last season makes him hard to ignore. He finished with 84 total tackles, 40 solo stops, 2.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one pass breakup.
Before that, he played at Oregon State and was named a freshman all-American.
Another veteran defensive addition is Jayden Horn, who gives Oklahoma State the experience it wanted alongside returning starter LaDainian Fields. Horn spent four seasons at Texas Tech and was a regular starter in 2024 before transfer additions cut into his role. That season, he posted 56 total tackles, 31 solo stops, three tackles for loss and five pass breakups.
The Cowboys also added help in the secondary with Jordan Hammonds, one of two North Texas transfers to follow the staff to Stillwater along with Evan Jackson. Hammonds looks like the one most likely to make the bigger immediate splash. He had 53 tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack and two interceptions last season, and his two-pick game against Navy brought him national recognition.
Up front, Oklahoma State pulled in another versatile veteran in Jake Sexton from Oklahoma. Injuries made his Sooners career stop-and-start over four seasons, but he logged starts at left tackle, right tackle and left guard. That kind of flexibility should help the Cowboys right away, especially since he missed most of last season because of injury.
The final name on the list is D’Andre Lawson, a power-conference addition who should help the Cowboys do a better job against the run. He played last season at Louisville after his first two years at Abilene Christian, and his size makes him a natural fit to clog interior lanes. That should also create cleaner chances for Wesloski and Chisom to finish plays on clear running downs.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Is Still Alive For An In-State Recruit Fans Need
Recruiting in-state always matters in Stillwater, and Oklahoma State is still in the mix for one of the biggest names in the next wave. Kamieon Compton-Nero, the top-ranked athlete in the Class of 2028 and a standout from Owasso, is among the programs top 15 targets, a sign the Cowboys remain firmly in the conversation for a player who has already drawn attention on both sides of the ball.
Compton-Nero has put up eye-catching numbers as both a quarterback and a defensive player, which only adds to the intrigue around how he might be used at the next level. For Oklahoma State, the appeal goes beyond talent alone: the staff is tracking a local prospect who could become a major piece in the future, even with a quarterback room that already includes one 2027 commit and two true freshmen on campus. [Read more 🡒]
NCAA Twist Could Reopen Several Oklahoma State Careers
A federal judge in Colorado has thrown a fresh wrinkle into the NCAAs eligibility rules, ordering the association to declare eligible all high school class of 2022 athletes who used up four seasons of eligibility this spring. The ruling comes amid legal challenges to the NCAAs newer age-based "five-for-five" standard, and it has immediate implications for several student-athletes who suddenly have another path to keep competing.
For Oklahoma State, the decision touches three players and could reopen careers that looked finished at the end of the spring. The bigger picture for the Cowboys is obvious: roster planning, scholarship management and even offseason expectations can all shift when athletes who seemed out of eligibility may be able to return for another college season. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State May Have Found A Breakout Answer In The Secondary
Eric Morris has spent his first months reshaping Oklahoma State with an avalanche of transfers, nearly 90 in all, as he builds a roster that looks very different from the one he inherited. The group includes quarterback Drew Mestemaker and former UCLA linebacker Isaiah Chisom, but one of the quieter additions could end up mattering just as much on the defensive side: Vincent Holmes, a safety who arrived from Washington looking for a reset.
Holmes was once a four-star recruit, but his time in Seattle never really took off, leaving him with little game action and a lot to prove. In Stillwater, he is trying to turn that pedigree into production in Skyler Cassitys 4-2-5 defense, where the structure gives him a real chance to push for a starting safety role and carve out the kind of breakout opportunity that never came before. [Read more 🡒]