92 of Oklahoma State's 105 players are new: Inside college football's most extreme makeover with Eric Morris
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92 of Oklahoma State's 105 players are new: Inside college football's most extreme makeover with Eric Morris originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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When a successful small-school coach heads to a bigger college football program, he tends to bring plenty of talent along with him. Oklahoma State is benefitting from that in 2026.
Like Lane Kiffin at LSU, Matt Campbell at Penn State and Bob Chesney at UCLA, when the Cowboys hired former North Texas coach Eric Morris this past offseason, it meant more than just finding the right voice to lead the program. Morris brought along a ton of players with him.
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker highlights the massive group of former Mean Green players to make the trip to Stillwater in 2026, on top of plenty of other newcomers.
Here's a look at Oklahoma State's roster revamp this past offseason, the former North Texas names to know and more.
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North Texas transfer players on Oklahoma State
Morris was able to convince a total of 65 players to join the Cowboys in the transfer portal this offseason, 20 of which came directly from his former squad, North Texas, per ESPN. After the Mean Green went 12-2 last season, contending for a College Football Playoff spot and beating San Diego State in the New Mexico Bowl, Morris got plenty of buzz as a coaching candidate.
He landed in Stillwater, where 16 of his former players also went afterward. The most notable of the bunch, of course, is quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who started at North Texas last season, throwing 34 touchdown passes and for over 4,000 yards.
Here's a look 17 of the players from 2025 North Texas now on Oklahoma State's squad:
Offense:
- QB Drew Mestemaker
- WR Miles Coleman
- OT Braydon Nelson
- OT Desmond Magiya
- WR Terrence Lewis
- WR Wyatt Young
- RB Caleb Hawkins
- RB Dennis Moody
- OL Johnny Dickson III
Defense/Special Teams:
- DL Fatafehi Vailea II
- S Evan Jackson
- CB Kollin Lewis
- EDGE Keviyan Huddleston
- S Quinton Hammonds
- LB Ethan Wesloski
- LS Caden Yates
- DL Saddiq Clements
That list includes the Mean Green's leading rusher in 2025 (Caleb Hawkins, 1,434 rushing yards), two of their three leading receivers (Wyatt Young, 1,264 yards, and Miles Coleman, 550 yards), their leading tackler (Ethan Wesloski, 113 total tackles) and their sacks leader (Keviyan Huddleston, 5 sacks).
For the most part, Morris brought all of his key contributors to Oklahoma State.
"We're trying to write the same script as Indiana," Young told ESPN this offseason of his Oklahoma State recruitment. "They're telling me I can come in and be the guy. 'You're my guy, you're gonna be a 1,000-yard receiver here, we're feeding you the ball.' Is that really what's going to happen? They have a week to get to know me. How do you make relationships with that time?
"Wherever Drew was going, that's where I wanted to go. Why would I want to play with any other quarterback? I feel like he's the best in the country."
According to Underdog Dynasty, North Texas lost 98.4% of its 2025 passing yardage, 57.3% of its rushing yardage, 53.2% of its receiving yardage, 29.9% of its tackles total and 41.7% of its sacks total to Oklahoma State this offseason in players.
It was all part a major shift for Oklahoma State, which finished a rough 1-11 in 2025, parting ways with Mike Gundy after around two decades. Now, Morris and his band of newcomers have brought some juice back to the program.
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Other notable Oklahoma State transfers
Morris wasn't satisfied with only former North Texas players, though, also bringing in a notable collection of transfers.
Wide receiver Justin Bowick joined the Cowboys from Illinois, with over 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns in his collegiate career. Another receiver, Chris Barnes, committed to Oklahoma State after putting up 547 yards for Wake Forest in 2025.
Former Florida State pass rusher James Williams, former Louisville defensive lineman Jerry Lawson and former Texas Tech defensive lineman Braylon Rigsby were also among the many transfers to join Morris in Stillwater this offseason.
According to 247Sports' rankings, Oklahoma State was one of just five programs to land at least one five-star transfer prospect this offseason (Mestemaker), finishing 15th overall in the outlet's scoring system for transfer acquisitions.
How many new players does Oklahoma State have?
In total, between transfers and freshmen, Morris' first Oklahoma State squad has 92 newcomers in 2026, per ESPN.
Of course, the Cowboys also had a ton of turnover, with 20 graduating seniors from 2025 and 66 outgoing transfers.
Oklahoma State football depth chart
Here's a look at Oklahoma State's starters for 2026, per OurLads. Former North Texas players are listed in bold.
Offense
PositionPlayerQBDrew MestemakerRBCaleb HawkinsWRJustin BowickWRChris BarnesWRWyatt YoungTECarson KolbLTDesmond MagiyaLGJohnny Dickson IIICTyler MercerRGJoseph HansonRTAshton LepoDefense
PositionPlayerDEJaleel JohnsonNTSaadiq ClementsDTIman OatesRUSHJames WilliamsWLBIsaiah ChisomMLBTate RomneySLBEthan WesloskiLCBLaDainian FieldsSSEvan JacksonFSQuinton HammondsRCBMo HornNBChristian Bodnar