Can Cowboy Football Live Up To The Hype Next Season?

There has been a lot of change to the Pokes roster, and with it, a lot of new expectations.

Dec 2, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of a Oklahoma State Cowboys helmet before the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Cowboy football is going to have all eyes on it next season. 

Spring practice has begun for Oklahoma State, and with it, another surge of excitement for next year. Oklahoma State has 53 new transfers on its roster for next season, and Pokes fans are hoping that the new players will bring in new results. However, will the Cowboys truly be able to live up to this hype?

OSU is coming off two consecutive years of underwhelming football. The Cowboys have a combined record of 4-20 over the past two seasons, and in that stretch failed to win a single Big 12 game. 

However, the sheer size and talent of the new team that is coming into Stillwater have given hope that the Cowboys' luck is going to turn around. 

ESPN college football reporter Jake Trotter is buying into the hype and has said the Cowboys will have the greatest improvement in the nation this coming year in a recent ESPN article.

He makes the bold prediction that the Pokes will end the year with a winning Big 12 record, which is bold to say after two years of no wins at all. 

“The North Texas star transfer trio of quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins and wideout Wyatt Young will ensure that the Cowboys get back to putting up points after two dismal offensive seasons in Stillwater,” Trotter said. “Don't be stunned if the revamped Pokes make a run to the Big 12 title game.”

The expectations of Morris and his North Texas transfers to turn the Pokes from zero to hero continue to rise, but it's for good reason. 

UNT had the most explosive offense in the country last year, averaging 44.6 points per game, and as Trotter mentioned, all of its key pieces will now be playing in Stillwater. Mestemaker was first in the nation in passing yards last year, Young was third in the nation in receiving yards and Hawkins was first in the nation in rushing touchdowns.

This addition of firepower to the Poke’s offense is bound to make improvements to a squad that only averaged 13 points per game last season. 

Only time will tell if the Cowboys can live up to the hype everyone has given them this offseason, but it's certain that next year will be an exciting football season, which Stillwater hasn’t seen in a couple of years. 

The first look at the new squad will be in the Spring Game on April 18, before the Pokes take the field for real Sept. 5 against Tulsa.