Eric Morris and Oklahoma State reeled in the Big 12’s most incoming transfers with 54 new players heading to Stillwater as a result of the latest portal cycle. It comes after the worst season in Cowboy history since a winless finish in 1991.
Across the board, Morris is set to restore almost every inch of a roster that finished dead last in offense (292.4 ypg) and second only to Colorado for the worst defense in the conference last year. A thin layer of returners, most notably Oklahoma City native and redshirt freshman cornerback LaDainian Fields, will rejoin the program in the fall, but it’s worth considering whether Oklahoma State came out a winner in the portal.
Morris is coming off the best North Texas campaign in the school’s history at 12-2, and much of that program’s starpower is following leadership’s Power 4 move north. That list includes three Mean Green skill guys in starting quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins, and wideout Wyatt Young.
Additionally, Oklahoma State adds some serious experience up front to the offensive line and features some key transfer targets on defense. Morris is working with a lot of chess pieces on a rather short table between now and spring football, but it’s safe to say many of these position groups will be fluid right up until Week 1.
THE BIG 3
Mestemaker’s 4,379-yard redshirt freshman season led the country last year, and he’s coming into an Oklahoma State program with a world of resources at his disposal. His output dwarfs that of the Cowboys’ entire quarterback room a year ago. Mestemaker completed 349 career passes for 11 touchdowns in two seasons at North Texas.
Young, Mestemaker’s No. 1 receiving target with two years of eligibility remaining, pulled down 70 of his passes for 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025. Add another 1,434 yards on the ground via Shawnee, Oklahoma, native and true freshman Caleb Hawkins, and you have three of the best portal pieces in one package with Morris.
Sean Brophy steps in as offensive coordinator after working alongside Morris at North Texas, Washington State and Incarnate World. Brophy led the Mean Green quarterbacks starting in 2023 and took on a bigger playcalling role as Morris’ pass game coordinator last year.
LINING THE WALLS
Big things are coming up front.
Morris swayed 17 different players over from North Texas with the Oklahoma State job, including five lineman across the line of scrimmage. The team welcomed 13 new linemen (7 offense, 6 defense) to the trenches in the latest portal cycle.
Incoming junior Braydon Nelson leads the offensive line lot as the No. 50 offensive lineman in the portal this offseason. Nelson received a Second Team All-American Conference honor and posted a 73.2 PFF grade this past season. Oklahoma State added two more interior lineman, fellow Mean Green lineman Johnny Dickson III and Kansas transfer Tyler Mercer, to its interior group.
Greg Richmond’s defensive line adds two top-50 defensive line transfers in Jerry Lawson (Louisville) and Braylon Rigsby (Texas Tech) – two tackles appearing 52 combined games at their past Power 4 stops. Oklahoma State also welcomes four new edge rushers, including Kansas City, Missouri, native James Williams (Florida State).
A NEW DC AND A HOST OF UNKNOWNS
Oklahoma State is Skyler Cassity’s fourth stop as a defensive coordinator, and the second alongside Eric Morris after leaving Abilene Christian for the job in 2025.
The Mean Green’s elite offense paved the way for a 12-win finish and No. 24 ranking in the final AP Top 25 Poll, and Cassity’s pass defense, ranking eighth nationally, certainly helped reach the school’s milestone football season. But holistically, North Texas didn’t make waves defensively by allotting offenses an average of 381.9 yards per game.
North Texas intercepted opponents 15 different times last year – six of those belonging to transfers Quinton Hammonds (S), Evan Jackson (S), and Kollin Lewis (CB). The DB group, led by position coaching combo Jordan Malone and Julian Wilson, added two former SEC corners in Trudell Berry (Vanderbilt) and Mose Phillips III (Missouri).
Simply put, Cassity fielded enough drive-killers for North Texas to get by last year, and his first haul in Year 1 in Stillwater is a damn good start at replicating those takeaways in what’ll be a crash course for Oklahoma State’s defense this spring.
