Oklahoma State

Morris is the organizing idea behind the overhaul. His teams produced top-five national passing offenses nine times in his previous 13 seasons as a head coach or coordinator, giving Oklahoma State a clear offensive identity to pursue. Offensive coordinator Sean Brophy and defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity entered spring alongside him, with many newcomers already conversant in the staff’s terminology. Morris also deliberately mixed North Texas transfers, Oklahoma State holdovers and other newcomers from the first team meeting. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker said the group made substantial cohesion gains during spring, an encouraging start for a roster with little time to grow together.

Mestemaker gives the rebuild its most important piece. He followed Morris from North Texas after throwing for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2025, and CBS Sports characterized him as the centerpiece of the transfer class. His production matters, but his command of Morris’s system may be just as valuable. Oklahoma State does not need to teach its likely offensive centerpiece a new language while simultaneously assembling the rest of the lineup. The remaining question is how effectively that production translates against Big 12 defenses.

The Cowboys also preserved the core around their quarterback. Caleb Hawkins rushed for 1,434 yards and 25 touchdowns as a North Texas freshman, giving the offense a runner capable of punishing defenses that lean too heavily toward stopping the pass. Wyatt Young, who ranked seventh nationally in receiving yards in 2025, brings an established connection with Mestemaker. Their timing offers Morris a dependable starting point in the passing game. Roles behind Young remain less defined, while tight ends Oscar Hammond, Carson Kolb, Morgan McPhaul and Donovan Green give the staff several experienced options without an established primary assignment.

No position may shape the offense more than the line. Oklahoma State lists veteran transfers Johnny Dickson III, Tyler Mercer, Braydon Nelson, Desmond Magiya, Ashton Lepo, Kai Holec and Jacob Sexton, creating a sizable pool of experienced candidates. Experience accumulated at several programs, however, does not automatically produce five linemen operating as one. Protection calls, combination blocks and consistency against Power Four fronts will determine whether Mestemaker has time to use the passing system and whether Hawkins finds the space to keep the offense balanced. The room has options; its cohesion will carry more weight than its number of recognizable names.

Cassity’s defense faces a different rebuilding challenge. He has called defensive tackle essential to his scheme and acknowledged a learning curve in that room. His 2025 North Texas defense improved by roughly 10 points and 90 total yards allowed per game from the previous season, but Oklahoma State first must establish the interior foundation that lets an aggressive structure work. Linebacker Ethan Wesloski, a North Texas transfer and redshirt senior, can serve as a communication bridge even though no starting assignment has been finalized. The secondary has similar organizational responsibility: defensive backs coach Jordan Malone said the back end is expected to run the defense through communication while playing fast, physical and selectively aggressive.

The schedule will test the rebuild before it has much time to settle. Oklahoma State opens at Tulsa on September 5, then hosts Oregon on September 12 and Murray State on September 19 before visiting West Virginia on September 26. That first month should provide an early measure of how quickly the familiar offensive core can support the rebuilt lines and defense. Later, the Cowboys face a demanding sequence at Iowa State, at Kansas State and home against Texas Tech, followed by a trip to Arizona State and a home finale against Kansas. Sustaining execution through those consecutive pressure points will require more than early offensive chemistry.

Oklahoma State’s case for rapid improvement rests on something tangible: Morris brought a productive quarterback, a high-output running back and an established leading receiver into a system they already know. The larger uncertainty lies around them. The offensive line must develop shared timing, the defensive tackles must make Cassity’s structure viable, and the secondary must communicate well enough to play aggressively without losing discipline. Complementary receiving roles and specialist jobs also remain unsettled. If the familiar core gives those rooms time to cohere, Oklahoma State can accelerate its rebuild; how far that acceleration carries the Cowboys remains an open question.

Season outlook

Projected win

Defensive havoc rate

14.9%

Front-seven havoc

10.3%