Eric Morris Taking Advantage of Opportunity Steve Lutz Didn't Have
In this story:
Oklahoma State’s transfer portal class looks promising early, and it’s a reminder of how important timing can be.
On Saturday, North Texas transfer quarterback Drew Mestemaker made his commitment to OSU official after reports of him agreeing to a deal with the program earlier in the week. As arguably the best quarterback on the transfer market, Mestemaker choosing to follow his coach to Stillwater could be just the first of many big dominoes to fall this offseason.
With plenty of other talent from North Texas expected to join the team and a plethora of other roster spots for various transfers around the country, the Cowboys’ portal class is shaping up to potentially be one of the best in not only the Big 12, but the entire country.
Of course, it’s hard to imagine OSU would be in such a position if Eric Morris came into a similar situation as Steve Lutz. The Cowboy basketball coach was just under .500 in his first year at the helm and also used the transfer portal to fill out the bulk of his roster upon arrival.
While Morris’ ability to build through the portal could land the Cowboys firmly in the Big 12 title conversation in just his first season, Lutz’s unfortunate situation left him without that chance. That’s because Lutz took over well after the transfer portal was in full swing, leaving him without a fair shot to retain OSU’s talent from 2023-24 and putting him behind the curve in recruiting some of the top-end talent that might have considered coming to Stillwater if the offer was on the table a bit earlier.
With a full offseason to work with ahead of his second season, Lutz has already shown some clear improvement, leading OSU to a 12-2 start. While it remains to be seen if his team will be able to compete in the Big 12, it’s obvious that a full offseason to work with could be the difference between an average and good team.
For Morris, it could be what makes a potentially solid roster one that competes for the Big 12 crown. With the Pokes making their decision to fire Mike Gundy in September and making their hire before the season even ended, Morris was always set up to succeed.
Assuming the Cowboys can continue to add some key pieces in the portal, the extra time Morris got could be viewed as what put OSU in a position to immediately compete.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.