Oklahoma State Cowboys Projected Depth Chart After Two Weeks of Fall Camp
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The Oklahoma State Cowboys started fall camp two weeks ago on Wednesday and workouts continue even as the heat hits triple digits.
The Cowboys have one more scrimmage on Saturday and more than a dozen practices before new head coach Eric Morris and his team takes the field against Tulsa on Sept. 5.
So, who starts and who sits? Check out our depth chart projections after Week 1 of fall camp below. Subject to change, of course.
Offense
Quarterback
Starter: Drew Mestemaker
Backup: Grant Jordan
No surprise that the starter will be Mestemaker, who threw for 4,379 yards last year at North Texas. Jordan has the experience to be the backup, but true freshman Broderick Vehrs is pushing him the spot.
Running Back
Starter: Caleb Hawkins
Backup: Ayo Adeyi
Again, no surprise. Hawkins rushed for nearly 1,500 yards as a true freshman at North Texas last season. Adeyi has experience in Morris’ system and has rushed for 1,000 yards in it before so he gets the nod for now. The Cowboys could use up to five backs early in the season. Morris doesn’t want to wear Hawkins down.
Wide Receiver
Starters: Wyatt Young, Chris Barnes, Justin Bowick
Backups: Miles Coleman, Terrence Lewis, Dayvon Standard
The starters are locked in, barring injury. Morris likes the mix of Young’s experience with Mestemaker at UNT, Barnes’ speed and Bowick’s size on the perimeter. Coleman was highly productive at North Texas last year and was overshadowed by Young. Lewis and Standard have received the most “chatter” from Morris of late.
Tight End
Starter: Carson Kolb
Backup: Donovan Green
The surprise of camp to this point. Kolb has played two years of college football and never caught a pass in a game. But Morris said earlier this week that if the season started now Kolb would have the inside track to the job. Green is versatile enough and experienced enough to grab 20-30 reps per game.
Offensive Line
Left Tackle: Jacob Sexton (starter), Braydon Nelson (backup)
Left Guard: Joseph Hanson (starter), Desmond Magiya (backup)
Center: Tyler Mercer (starter), Jakobe Sanders (backup)
Right guard: Johnny Dixon III, (starter), Louie Canepa (backup)
Right tackle: Shaun Toregson (starter), Ashton Lepo (backup)
Morris said earlier this week that the only job that's truly locked in is Mercer, who played center for him at North Texas two seasons ago before he transferred to Kansas. Sexton is the leader at left tackle, but Morris acknowledged that Nelson has the mental reps to start as long as he's healthy. Torgeson and Lepo are competing for the right tackle job and Torgeson seems to have caught Morris’ eye.
Defense
Defensive End
Starters: Jaleel Johnson, James Williams
Backups: Malik Charles, Keviyan Huddleston
Johnson and Williams have done nothing to lose the starting jobs at this point. Morris praised Williams’ play during the first scrimmage, giving him a bit of an edge. Charles has been one of the most talked about players during camp and the staff likes his athleticism and versatility. Huddleston played for Morris and defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity at North Texas last season, so he knows the system.
Defensive Tackle
Starters: Saadiq Clements, Jerry Lawson
Backups: Iman Oates, Savion Barthelemy
This remains the most wide-open race on the depth chart on the defensive side. It also remains one of the least talked about. Cassity will use several players here based on matchups and wants linemen that can cover multiple gaps in some schemes. Clements knows the scheme from UNT and that’s a plus. Lawson played for Cassity at Abilene Christian, so he gets an edge.
Oates remains second string until his eligibility case is fully heard. He could move to first string if the Cowboys get complete clarity on his situation. Barthelemy has impressed and he’s on the radar even though he’s a freshman.
Linebackers
Starters: Ethan Wesloski, Isaiah Chisom
Backups: Dallas Winner-Johnson, Tate Romney
Of all the positions on defense, this is the one that has remained solid throughout camp. Wesloski was and all-conference performer last season while Chisom had nearly 90 tackles at UCLA last season. Winner-Johnson and Romney are capable backups who should play 20-25 plays per game depending on schemes and player rotations.
Cornerbacks
Starters: LaDainian Fields, Mo Horn
Backups: Kollin Lewis, Kobi Foreman
Fields and Horn have made Morris’ job easy with their play in camp. They’ve maintained their edge on the field. Morris believes Fields can really make an impact conference-wide in 2026. Horn has more experience than anyone at the position.
Lewis and Foreman seem to be the players he’s leaning toward as backups. But latecomer Jeremiah Piper might have something to say about it by the end of fall camp.
Safeties and Nickel
Strong Safety: Evan Jackson (starter), Cameron Epps (backup)
Free Safety: Quinton Hammonds (starter), Mose Phillips III (backup)
Nickel Back: Christian Bodnar (starter), Vincent Holmes (backup)
Morris laid out the potential starters last week, noting that moving Bodnar to nickel allows him to move Hammonds back to free safety. The backups are fluid. There's still a chance freshman Braeden Presley could earn himself a spot on the 2 deep.
Special Teams
Punter: Lachie Pozzobon (starter), Nate Ost (backup)
Kicker: Sam Keltner (starter), Joseph Kim (backup)
Holder: Nate Ost
Kickoff Returner: Chris Barnes (starter), Miles Coleman (back-up)
Punt Returner: Miles Coleman (starter), Chris Barnes (backup)
Pozzobon, Keltner and Ost have been baked in since the start of camp. Barnes was an all-conference returner last year at Wake Forest and Coleman is a Hornung Award watch list member. It makes sense for both players to handle returns, though they’re unlikely to back each other up based on workload. Additional backups should emerge after the second scrimmage.
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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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