The preseason praise keeps rolling in for Oklahoma State, and this time the spotlight lands on four Cowboys who aren’t Drew Mestemaker.
That’s a useful twist for a program that has spent much of its preseason buzz attached to the former North Texas quarterback and the idea of Eric Morris trying to flip things around in Stillwater. The Pro Football News preseason all-America team shifted attention elsewhere, and it found plenty to like.
The four Cowboys recognized were wide receiver Wyatt Young, wide receiver Chris Barnes, cornerback LaDainian Fields and running back Caleb Hawkins. Three are new to the program, while Hawkins is back after a 1-11 2025 season.
The bigger takeaway for Oklahoma State is what the honors suggest about the roster as a whole. They give Morris credit for bringing in more than just a quarterback, and they also reinforce the idea that the Cowboys had enough talent to make real progress in year one.
Pro Football News built its team using player impact rating scores, not just a traditional eye test. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava headlined the first team at 93.1, while Ohio State’s Julian Sayin landed on the second team at 90.8. In other words, the Cowboys weren’t just getting style points here - the numbers put them among the nation’s best at their spots.
Young was the headline name. He made the first team with an impact rating of 87.5, paired with Miami’s Malachi Toney at 86.0.
Young’s production explains the placement: 70 catches, 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was also named all-American Conference first-team and first-team all-America by PFSN.
Barnes showed up twice on the list. As a return man, he made the second team, and PFN did not list a rating for him.
Still, his resume makes the case. He was third-team all-ACC at Wake Forest last season after returning seven kicks for 263 yards and a touchdown, and he posted the highest kick return average of any qualified returner.
He’s also expected to matter in the passing game after catching 39 passes for 547 yards and three touchdowns.
Fields earned a second-team spot at cornerback with an 88.6 rating, placing him alongside Miami’s Bryce Fitzgerald and Mississippi State’s Kelley Jones, both at 87.2. That’s a notable jump for the third-year cornerback, and his numbers from last season support the optimism: 16 tackles, two interceptions and one pick-six.
Barnes also appeared on the third team as a running back, where his 88.8 rating edged West Virginia’s Cam Cook at 87.6. Only BYU’s LJ Martin, Florida’s Jadan Baugh, Rutgers’ Antwan Raymond and Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy were ranked ahead of Hawkins.
Hawkins already has a big freshman season on his ledger. He rushed for 1,434 yards, piled up 1,804 all-purpose yards and scored 29 touchdowns, setting an FBS freshman record that lasted 13 years.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Is Sending A Clear Big 12 Message With NIL Spending
Oklahoma States latest roster move says plenty about where the program sees itself in the Big 12 race. An ESPN report on estimated NIL payments put a spotlight on the Cowboys push to stay aggressive in the transfer market, with quarterback Drew Mestemaker landing a significant deal after coming over from North Texas. It also pointed to added investment in players such as Wyatt Young and Caleb Hawkins, a sign that the staff is not treating roster building like a wait-and-see exercise.
For a program trying to keep pace in a conference that keeps getting deeper, the message is clear: spending is part of the plan now. Under new head coach Eric Morris, Oklahoma State appears intent on using NIL to supplement the kind of talent upgrades that can matter in a hurry, especially at quarterback, where the position often defines whether a team can hang around in the Big 12. The real question is how far that willingness to pay can carry the Cowboys once the games start and the rest of the league responds in kind. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Is Leaning On Program Legends To Spark This New Team
Eric Morris has been looking for ways to connect this new Oklahoma State group with the standard that came before it, and inviting program figures Brandon Weeden and Terry Brown to a recent practice fit that approach. Both former Cowboys came away impressed by what they saw, pointing to the energy in the building and the way the current roster carried itself through the workout.
For a team trying to establish its identity before the games count, those kinds of outside checks can matter as much as any schematic tweak. Oklahoma State opens against Tulsa on Sept. 5, then gets Oregon at home a week later, and the early part of the schedule will quickly show whether that practice-field buzz translates once the lights come on. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Freshmen Are Suddenly Pushing For Real Fall Camp Roles
As Oklahoma State rebuilds after a 1-11 season, Eric Morris has already had one of the more encouraging early camp developments a coaching staff can ask for: true freshmen showing they belong before the calendar has even turned to fall. With roster turnover and the new eligibility rules opening the door for immediate competition, the Cowboys are taking a long look at newcomers who would normally need more time to develop, and that has made the opening workouts feel more like an audition than a standard first step of camp.
Morris has pointed to a handful of first-year players who are making noise at the right time, including running back KD Jones and wide receivers Jaxon Standard and Thornton. For a team trying to build back from the bottom, those kinds of early impressions matter because they can speed up the path to real playing time and help fill out a depth chart that needs fresh answers. The challenge now is turning those promising reps into something more lasting once the pace and competition of camp intensify. [Read more 🡒]