Five Takeaways from Oklahoma State Football Depth Chart Against Tulsa
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The Oklahoma State Cowboys released their first two-deep position chart of the football season in advance of their game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
As one might expect, no one's projections for the depth chart were exactly right. There were a few surprises. There were a few positions that had “OR” next to them. New head coach Eric Morris implied that there's still some competition going on at certain places.
He met with the media on Tuesday and talked about some of the depth chart decisions and here are some key takeaways from the first depth chart of the season.
The ‘Mean Green’
Morris brought nearly 20 players with him from North Texas after the Mean Green went 12-2 last season. Some of those players have been the biggest players in camp, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins. But what was interesting was seeing just how many North Texas players were on the two-deep.
Just how many ended up on the depth chart? There were eight on the offense end and there were six on the defensive end. There was one more among the specialists.
So, 15 of the North Texas transfers that followed Morris to Oklahoma State made the two-deep roster and should see some level of playing time on Saturday against Tulsa. That's pretty good bang for the buck.
The 25 That Stayed
One thing that was interesting was counting the number of Cowboys that were on last year's team that made the two-deep. Morris didn't bring in 92 transfers to push everyone off last year's roster. He did it to build competition. Logically, the Cowboys that made the two-deep and were a part of last year's 1-11 team proved capable of winning those competitions.
Who made it? There were no starters on the offensive side, but offensive linemen Louie Canepa and Jakobe Sanders were listed as backups. Defensively, Jaleel Johnson was named a starting end while cornerback LaDainian Fields received the “OR” treatment at his position. Malik Charles is one of Johnson’s backups. Iman Oates is a starter at nose tackle and Luke Webb is a backup there. Landon Dean is a backup at defensive tackle. DeSean Brown is a backup at rushing end. Gunnar Wilson is the backup at Will linebacker. Cameron Epps earned a backup safety spot.
That’s 11 players, nine of which are on the defensive side of the ball. It makes sense. Most of the returning letterwinners from last year were on that side of the football — and they have a lot to prove.
The Story at Y Receiver
One of the most interesting parts of the depth chart was Y receiver, where former North Texas stars Miles Coleman and Wyatt Young got the “OR” treatment. It was surprising because most have seen Young as the starter going into the season. Morris emphasized on Tuesday both will play and then said something that has been underreported during fall camp. Young was not the starter at North Texas last year to begin the season.
“Miles was our starter at slot, and Wyatt was the back-up,” Morris said. “Miles got a little banged up at one point in the season, and I think Wyatt took advantage of his opportunity, just like I talked about. He went out there and performed at a really high level, and he was rewarded for it.”
Young was an all-conference performer last season, but Coleman came back from his injury and had a highly productive year. Coleman will also get reps on both kickoffs and punt returns so he'll be just as busy as Young in the opener.
The True Freshmen
With the new age-based eligibility rule Morris doesn't have to worry about redshirts anymore. During fall camp he talked up several freshmen to media, including running back KD Jones, along with wide receivers Dayvon Standard and Jabarie Thornton. None of them appeared on the depth chart on Tuesday. But two true freshmen did.
The first was quarterback Broderick Vehrs, who Morris and offensive coordinator Sean Brophy have both said had an impressive fall camp and was pushing veteran Grant Jordan for the backup job. He’s listed as an “OR” on the depth chart.
The second was offensive lineman Ja’Qwon Evans, who for now is listed as the backup at left tackle for Jacob Sexton. North Texas transfer Braydon Nelson is still building up from an injury, and it appears Evans is the best option. The Shawnee, Okla., product was named his district’s offensive lineman of the year in 2025.
Iman Oates on the Two Deep
Iman Oates has been practicing on a temporary restraining order that he received in a Payne County, Okla., court earlier this summer. He's one of a couple hundred student-athletes that are suing for another season based on the NCAA's new age-based eligibility rule. So far, Oates is eligible and can play on Saturday.
While his case hasn't been fully heard in court and likely won't be heard until later this month, the Cowboys must feel reasonably assured that either Oates will remain eligible or the NCAA won’t punish them if he’s later deemed ineligible.
Being on the depth chart doesn’t mean he’ll play. But it does mean the Cowboys see him as their best option at nose tackle.
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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.
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