Biggest Overreaction Oklahoma State Football Fans Should Avoid Right Now

Oklahoma State Cowboys football fans are looking for any sign of hope right now. There’s reason to believe that desire is not misplaced.

The Cowboys underwent the most extreme makeover possible in the offseason. The program fired Mike Gundy in September, hired Eric Morris to take over as head coach in December and he transformed the program into something completely different.

The numbers have been well publicized. He brought in nearly 90 new transfers, nearly 20 of which are from his old job at North Texas. Only 13 letterwinners are back from last year. The freshman class is filled with three-star players with talent but need time to develop.

All of this to turn around a team that went 1-11 last year, went 4-20 in the last two seasons and hasn’t won a Big 12 game since late November of 2023. Morris has crammed a lot of change into eight months.

This week the Cowboys have five workouts, including their first scrimmage. The first three practices and media day brought good vibes. But as more reports come out of workouts this week, here’s the one thing Cowboys fans need to avoid overreacting to.

What Oklahoma State Fans Shouldn’t Overreact to Right Now

Oklahoma State’s LaDainian Fields poses with a football for a photo. — Oklahoma State’s LaDainian Fields. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Honestly, the list could be long here. While Morris has assembled a team with more talent than a year ago, there are plenty of moving parts all over the roster. Perhaps the biggest thing fans shouldn’t overreact to this early in camp are reports about who is working out with “first-team” players or the “second-team.” That’s a one-way ticket to raising expectations too high and too fast.

A good example is offensive line. Morris has spoken about the unit twice, has not anointed a starter at any position but has set a timeline to figure out who his top eight linemen are — after Saturday’s scrimmage. That may sound soon, but he wants that group to have the remaining practices to build continuity. Even then, there could be changes. Plus, as he said on Saturday, many of his linemen can play multiple positions.

While most believe Braydon Nelson, the talented left tackle from North Texas, will probably be the starter at left tackle, he could end up at left guard. Or right tackle, where he’s played before. But he needs to get healthy first.

Attached to LaDainian Fields as a starting cornerback? There’s good reason to be. But it’s not his job yet. Morris made that clear on Saturday. The talent is here. Morris said he needs to show he can “make more plays.” Then he ticked down the list of four or five players that are in on competing for the job.

Excited that quarterback Drew Mestemaker is throwing passes to a true freshman? Go for it. But Mestemaker is throwing passes to everyone right now as Morris and his staff assess who has it and who doesn’t when it comes to supporting his star quarterback.

This team is unlike any OSU team in recent memory. There is so much competition and so many things unsettled. But that also brings a brand of excitement the Cowboys haven’t had in at least three years. As news filters out about starters and backups without an “official” depth chart, it could lead to bloated expectations for a team that, while more talented than a year ago, has a long way to go to be the team Morris believes it can be.

Fans should keep that in mind this week and next week. Don’t get too attached to who is running first team or second team. Don’t overreact to the true freshman getting first-team reps for a few plays. Don’t overreact to the veteran that isn’t on the field with the first team.

The Cowboys are working through some things. Heck, they’re working through a lot of things. Give them the time to get that done and save the overreacting for the regular season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google