Drew Mestemaker's Arrival Signals New Era for Oklahoma State

The Cowboys' new quarterback could mean an immediate return to the top of the Big 12.

Oct 10, 2025; Denton, Texas, USA; North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) stands in the pocket against the South Florida Bulls during the second half of a game at DATCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State is ready to get back in the Big 12 mix.

After winning only four games over the past two seasons, the Cowboys hired Eric Morris as their next head coach. As one of the top young coaches in the country, Morris was always expected to help the Cowboys get back into the conference title picture at some point in the next few years, but his first big move of the offseason might be enough to jolt the Pokes back into that conversation as early as next season.

Of course, that big move was landing North Texas transfer quarterback Drew Mestemaker. Morris originally recruited Mestemaker to the Mean Green, and after becoming the nation’s top statistical passer, he’s following Morris to Stillwater to continue his college career.

As one of the top transfers in the entire country, Mestemaker’s decision to come to Stillwater could mark the beginning of something special for OSU. While there always some smoke about Mestemaker following his head coach to OSU, him actually making that decision and potentially jumpstarting this next era of Cowboy football is a massive win for the program.

Sure, there’s no guarantee that Mestemaker is going to come in and be the same dominant player now that he’s facing Big 12 competition. There’s also no guarantee that having a quarterback of his caliber will result in having a team capable of competing with the top teams in the Big 12.

However, his arrival almost certainly ensures that the Cowboys will at least have to be viewed as a dark horse coming into 2026. Of course, the next step for the Pokes will be to put together a complete roster around Mestemaker.

OSU already has their star who will sell jerseys and be the face of a potentially explosive offense in 2026, but he also needs plenty of weapons to support him on that end along with a solid defense to ensure that the team isn’t too one-sided.

Whether that is simple as adding some more of the outgoing talent from North Texas or getting a number of players from around the country to make their way to Stillwater is yet to be determined. Yet, there isn’t much doubt that Mestemaker’s arrival could be all OSU needs to get into the conversation for some of the top prospects who might not have otherwise considered coming to Stillwater.

Morris has only been in Stillwater for a few weeks, but his impact on the program is already being felt in a big way, and his quarterback could be a gamechanger for OSU on numerous fronts.

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