Oklahoma State doesn’t need a reminder that 2025 went sideways. The 1-11 record said plenty, and so did the coaching search that followed after the Cowboys moved on from Mike Gundy.
Now Eric Morris is in charge, and the rebuild in Stillwater is going to be measured by more than new faces and fresh energy. It’s going to show up in the numbers.
Three of those numbers stand out as the clearest markers for what 2026 could become.
Start with the defense, because last season’s scoring defense was a mess. Oklahoma State gave up 33.3 points per game, worst in the Big 12.
In conference play, that number climbed to 33.9 points per game, and in the full FBS picture the Cowboys ranked No. 124.
That’s the kind of production that leaves no room to breathe.
Morris brought nearly his entire North Texas staff with him, including defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity, and that hire matters because of what Cassity just did with the Mean Green. Before he took over, North Texas was allowing 34.15 points per game and sat No. 118 in FBS.
Under Cassity, the unit improved to 26.5 points per game and climbed to No. 78, helping North Texas finish 12-2. If Oklahoma State gets anything close to that kind of jump, a bowl game stops being a dream and starts looking like the baseline.
The run game is the other obvious place where the Cowboys have to find answers. Last season, Oklahoma State finished last in the Big 12 with 1,420 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. The offense averaged just 118.3 rushing yards per game, and that kind of output makes everything harder.
Help is here in the form of former North Texas standout Caleb Hawkins, who Morris and running backs coach Patrick Cobbs are counting on to carry the load for a second straight year. Hawkins rushed for 1,434 yards for the Mean Green last season and was one of the best true freshmen in the country.
He changed that offense, too. The year before, North Texas’ top two rushers - Shane Porter and Makenzie McGil II - combined for fewer yards than Hawkins put up by himself.
Oklahoma State doesn’t need Hawkins to be a miracle worker. It just needs the ground game to stop being a liability. Getting back to the FBS rushing average from last season, which was around 158 yards per game, would be a major step toward something much more stable.
Then there’s the takeaway problem. The Cowboys managed only six interceptions last season, and only Kansas with four and Cincinnati with two had fewer in the Big 12. Two of those picks are back with returning starter LaDainian Fields, but that alone won’t be enough.
The secondary has to create more chaos, and that’s why the additions matter. Texas Tech transfer Mo Horn is in the mix at cornerback alongside Fields, while redshirt senior Cameron Epps brings a track record that includes three interceptions as a redshirt freshman in 2023. Epps missed most of last season because of injury, but Oklahoma State needs him back in the rotation and making plays.
The standard in the league is not a mystery. Nine Big 12 teams had at least 10 interceptions last season, and West Virginia was the only one of that group that didn’t reach a bowl game. For Oklahoma State, the path forward is plain enough: get better on defense, run the ball with purpose, and start turning those thin margins into actual wins.
In Other News...
This Oklahoma State Transfer Just Changed The Rebuild Conversation
A major piece of Oklahoma States roster reset has come with familiar faces from North Texas, where Drew Mestemaker and head coach Eric Morris helped turn a program into one of the more interesting stories in the league. Mestemaker arrives after a breakthrough season that put him among the most productive passers in the country and earned him the Burlsworth Trophy, giving the Cowboys a proven quarterback at the center of a sweeping overhaul.
Morris has rebuilt fast, bringing in 87 newcomers after a rough 2025 season, and the optimism around Stillwater is tied to more than just one transfer. Caleb Hawkins and Wyatt Young also followed from North Texas, while other impact additions have helped change the tone of the conversation before the Big 12 season even starts, though the real test is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Eric Morris Is Already Seeing Potential Starters Emerge In Fall Camp
Fall camp has given Eric Morris and his staff a first real look at how Oklahoma States roster might take shape after a busy offseason of turnover, and a handful of newcomers and returners are already separating themselves. Morris pointed to Barnes, Sexton, Williams, Romney and Horn as players who have flashed enough to suggest they could become significant pieces this season, with the coaching staff encouraged by how quickly some of the new faces are settling into key roles on both sides of the ball.
For a team still sorting out its depth chart, those early signs matter because so much of the Cowboys success will depend on how fast the offense and defense can identify reliable starters. Barnes has shown the kind of versatility that can help an Air Raid attack, Williams is in the mix as a potential edge presence, and Horn brings veteran experience to a young secondary. The biggest question now is how many of those camp standouts can turn promising reps into jobs once the pads stay on and the competition tightens. [Read more 🡒]