Most Glaring Concern Oklahoma State Football Still Hasn't Solved (And How it Can)

The Oklahoma State Cowboys hope to be a team on the rise. But they need to solve this glaring concern first.

Oklahoma State Cowboys defensive end Jaleel Johnson. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have one of the newest, but most experienced rosters, in college football.

Head coach Eric Morris took over in December and put an emphasis on taking players out of the transfer portal. He landed nearly 90 of them. But he put a premium on experience. By number of snaps, the Cowboys have one of the most experienced rosters in college football — even if most of it is new to Stillwater and doesn’t have the path to Eskimo Joe’s down pat just yet.

As the Cowboys enter their final week of work before their first game week against Tulsa, many of the competitions for starting jobs have been settled, according to Morris. Much of the competition this week is about getting the backups and the rotation set.

Some issues going into fall camp have been settled. Some haven’t. One of the biggest concerns coming into camp was the pass rush, which was one of the worst in college football. Entering the final week, it remains the most glaring concern going into the season. So how are the Cowboys going to fix it? Morris may have alluded to it during his time with the media on Tuesday.

How to Fix OSU’s Most Glaring Concern

Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Last year OSU finished the season with 22 sacks, which was tied for No. 86 in the country in sacks per game with 1.83. It was one of many reasons why the unit was one of the worst in the country. Morris and his defensive coordinator, Skyler Cassity, are trying to fix it — or at least make it better than a season ago.

That’s part of why the Cowboys’ coaching staff were so active in the portal. Most of the 20 players up front are new. Many of them have college experience, though they may not have the production to back it up. He knows who some of those edge rushers will be, including Jaleel Johnson and Malik Charles. Florida State defensive lineman James Williams will be among them.

Two of them will start, but to Morris they’ve fixed last year’s problem thanks to their work in the portal and recruiting a balanced group of talent.

“Our defensive ends are really, really deep right now,” Morris said. “So those guys, you know, it doesn't matter who goes out there first because we don't think there's a big drop off. We'll keep those guys fresh and keep them rolling.”

How to take that quote? It’s possible the Cowboys have a deep well of talent, though it doesn’t have much production on paper. Morris and Cassity are counting on keeping players fresh to keep pressure on quarterbacks throughout a game, which is a good strategy. Or, it could be Morris talking around a unit that doesn’t have a “star” like Drew Mestemaker at quarterback.

He clearly sees the work the staff did in the portal as the fix to last year’s anemic pass rush. It’s about depth and talent and not about star power. For the Cowboys to be successful, they must hope they’ve addressed the concern already because reinforcements are not coming.