Oklahoma State’s offseason overhaul left plenty of questions, but one returning piece looks ready to answer them in a big way.
New head coach Eric Morris had 13 returning letterwinners to work with from the last team built under Mike Gundy, and the roster churn around them was real. Morris didn’t force everyone out, but a lot of players still found new homes through the transfer portal. Among the holdovers, though, he made a point of keeping some key names in Stillwater, including Jaleel Johnson, the fifth-year Cowboy who represented the returning players at Big 12 media days.
Johnson is trying to lock down a full-time starting role after an injury cut short what was shaping up to be a bigger season in 2025. He played in only three games, but he could still end up being part of Oklahoma State’s push to rebound from a 1-11 finish.
The bigger breakout candidate, though, is cornerback LaDainian Fields.
Fields already flashed last season as a redshirt freshman, starting six games and appearing in all 12. On a defense that struggled, he was one of the few players who consistently popped.
He posted 16 tackles, with 14 of them solo, added two tackles for loss, and tied for the team lead with two interceptions. He also delivered Oklahoma State’s only non-offensive touchdown of the season, taking a pick-six 55 yards to the house against Arizona.
At 6-1 and 176 pounds, Fields has the look of a corner who can grow into one of the Big 12’s best by 2026. The pieces around him should help. Texas Tech transfer Mo Horn brings conference experience after starting full time for the Red Raiders in 2024, and the safety group arrives with experience of its own, mostly from North Texas, with Quinton Hammonds and Evan Jackson leading the way.
There’s also a new voice coaching the position. Julian Wilson and Mason Moss will handle the corners, and Wilson, an Oklahoma City native, has spent six years coaching the position and worked with Morris at UNT.
For Fields, the setup is about as favorable as it gets. The Del City, Okla., native stayed put for a reason, and it’s clear he believes the opportunity is there to turn last season’s flashes into something much bigger in 2026.
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 🡒]