Five Players Who Will Change Everything for Oklahoma State Football in 2026
In this story:
Eric Morris and the Oklahoma State Cowboys get their first chance to start erasing the memory of last year’s 1-11 season with the season opener against Tulsa.
A win on Saturday would be just the first step. But, considering the Cowboys lost to the Golden Hurricane in Stillwater last year for the first time in decades, it would be an important first step in getting back to a bowl game for the first time since 2023. Morris takes over the program after leaving North Texas.
The Cowboys have won four games in two years. To flip the narrative, the Cowboys need better play across the board. But these are the five players that could change everything for Oklahoma State in 2026 — and beyond.
QB Drew Mestemaker
Not a shocking selection. But the Cowboys haven’t had a quarterback considered this talented across a wide spectrum of college football, including coaches, analysts and opposing players. The Cowboys have had just one quarterback selected in the first round of the NFL Draft and that was Brandon Weeden in 2012. Mestemaker could be the second, whenever he decides to go pro.
Mestemaker led FBS in passing yards (4,379), passing yards per game (312.8), total offense (4,468) and yards per pass attempt (9.46). Morris has repeatedly praised him for his mechanics — which he calls near-flawless — his ability to process information and his ability to lead. A great season by the third-year collegiate likely means the Cowboys have a good season. It also gives Morris more ammunition to recruit the position, both in the transfer portal and in the prep ranks, to find the players that want to follow in the potential first-rounder’s footsteps.
CB LaDainian Fields
There are only 25 players returning from last year’s team. Fields is the one that can have the biggest impact. Morris has called him a player that has All-Big 12 level talent. He just needs to show he can make the plays consistently that will help turn this defense around.
He started half of last year’s games and had two interceptions, one of which was the only non-offensive touchdown the Cowboys scored last season. If Fields has the kind of season Morris believes he can, he could lock down one side of the field, achieve All-Big 12 status and force cornerbacks around the country to give the program a second look when portal and commitment time comes along.
P Lachie Pozzobon
The punter? Really? Yes, really. Morris said they recruited Pozzobon out of the portal from Stephen F. Austin for his ability to directionally punt and to punt in different ways to throw teams off. He puts a lot of spin on the ball, can hug the sideline and make life easier for his return team.
Morris is one of those coaches that like to go for it on fourth down, but he admitted that over the last few years he’s tempered that aggressiveness based on the situation. Call it the maturation of his coaching style. Pozzobon can help him take it one step further. If he’s the punter Morris believes he is, then Pozzobon can be a field position matching that puts opposing offenses on its heels.
DE Jaleel Johnson
One of the biggest question marks on this team is the pass rush. It wasn’t good last year and unlike the offensive side of the ball — where there are stars aplenty — there aren’t any high-level producers on the pass rush. Many of them have played, in some cases for four years, but none have a production level like a Mestemaker or Fields relative to their position.
Johnson is the player who is most likely to break out. He’s motivated. It’s his fifth year, which means it’s his last year. He’s one of the 25 returning players from a season ago. Morris has sung his praises this summer and believes a breakout is coming. If Johnson has that breakout, the pass rush becomes more effective and allowed defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity to deploy his pass rush pieces with more versatility.
S Evan Jackson
Morris coached Jackson for two years at North Texas before Jackson followed his head coach to Stillwater. The head coach has talked like the player has untapped potential. He said earlier in camp that Jackson’s highs are “really high,” and his lows are “really low.” In other words, he’s been inconsistent. If Jackson can become a consistent safety at a high level, he could really unlock how the Cowboys can play on the back end this season.
Last season with the highs and lows he had 44 tackles with two interceptions, two pass breakups and one sack. Imagine if Jackson can become a player that reaches 70 tackles and doubles his interceptions? He could help turbo-charge this offseason and make reaching bowl eligibility easier.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Matthew Postins is the publisher of Oklahoma State on SI. He is an award-winning sports journalist who was formerly the editor of the College Football America Yearbook and covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
Follow PostinsPostcard