While there were several head coaching changes in the Big 12, none carry the baggage that Oklahoma State’s change does.
For more than 20 years, Mike Gundy set the tone in Stillwater. The former OSU quarterback who became a Cowboys assistant coach and then head coach did things in Stillwater no one had ever done. He won a conference championship and got the Cowboys within one win of making it to the BCS National Championship Game.
OSU went to the Big 12 Championship game twice in three years from 2021-23 and looked poised to become one of the conference’s powers after the departures of Texas and Oklahoma.
Instead, the Cowboys went 4-20 over the last two seasons, and a 1-2 start last season cost Gundy his job as the Cowboys finished 1-11.
In comes Eric Morris, the 40-year-old head coach from North Texas who led the Mean Green to the American Conference championship game last year and within a win of likely making the College Football Playoff.
He’s been given the keys to a program that has the potential to be one of the true pacesetters in the Big 12. But there is plenty of work for him, his staff and a nearly brand-new roster.
Here are three things to watch going into the 2026 season.
How Many Transfers?
Everyone thought what Colorado head coach Deion Sanders did with transfers in his first season with the Buffaloes was extreme. It pales in comparison to what Morris has done with the Cowboys this offseason.
He took in nearly 90 new transfers, including nearly 20 from his former school in North Texas. He brought the pick of the litter from that program. But Morris and his staff plucked talent from all over the country, from power conferences to Division II schools.
The goal was twofold. First, he needed to amass as much talent as possible to help erase the stench of the last two seasons. Second, he needed depth. The Cowboys were sorely lacking it last season. By building a roster with mature players — many of the transfers have played at least three years — he’s building a depth chart with experience across the board that could have the added benefit of making an impact on their record.
If his bet is right, the Cowboys could rise quickly.
The Triplets
If Oklahoma State is going to exceed expectations, the play of three skill players will be critical. All three played for Morris at North Texas last year and are coming off tremendous seasons. That includes quarterback Drew Mestemaker, a player some believe could head to the NFL next spring after a great season for the Cowboys. He led FBS with 4,379 passing yards.
Running back Caleb Hawkins set an FBS freshman record with 29 total touchdowns and rushed for nearly 1,500 yards in an Air Raid offense that values the run. Wyatt Young, a talented wide receiver who was just named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list, was a First Team All-Conference performer and emerged as Mestamaker’s primary receiver.
The offensive side is undeniably talented and has plenty of depth, but these three players and how they perform will determine whether the Cowboys have a good season or a great season.
The Defensive Question
Unlike the offense, the defense doesn’t have superstars. The closest thing is linebacker Ethan Wesloski, who played for North Texas last season and was a Second Team All-Conference performer. The Cowboys focused on building depth across the board as last year’s unit was one of the worst in college football.
Defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity is 32 years old, and his father used to hold the same job at Oklahoma State in the pre-Mike Gundy era. It will be up to him to sift through the massive number of transfers and find a rotation of players that can make this defense look decent.
If the offense is as good as people believe it can be, decent is all this defense needs to be for the Cowboys to make a run and surprise some people. But can Cassity and his band of transfers make that happen in one offseason? Expectations may hinge on it.
