Oklahoma State Football Offseason Recap: Where Cowboys Improved (and Where They Didn't)
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When the Oklahoma State Cowboys begin fall camp in August, they'll be sifting through a roster full of people that eight months ago didn't know each other.
Current defensive end Jaleel Johnson, who has played in Oklahoma State for four seasons, likes to joke that he “transferred without transferring.” But it's the truth.
There are nearly 90 new transfer players on the roster, along with close to 20 true freshmen. They join a handful of Cowboys that decided to stick it out after Mike Gundy was let go and Eric Morris took over as head coach.
One can make the argument that practically everything at Oklahoma State improved from last season to this season. But let's dig a little bit deeper and pick areas where the Cowboys truly made improvements on paper and where there are still significant question marks about what direction they're going.
Where They Improved
Skill Positions
There's really no question the Cowboys got better at quarterback, running back and wide receiver from a season ago.
That is in large part due to Morris importing key players from his former job at North Texas. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker is already getting first-round NFL draft buzz after passing for more than 4,000 yards last season.
Running back Caleb Hawkins is an Oklahoma native who gets to come home and try to build on his fantastic true freshman season. Wyatt Young was a high producing wide receiver in North Texas and is an upgrade over last season.
Add to that depth at running back like Tre Page III and freshman KD Jones, along with wide receivers like Chris Barnes from Wake Forest and Justin Bowick from Illinois, and the Cowboys are flush with talent where they need to be to execute Morris’ version of the Air Raid offense.
Linebacker
The improvement at linebacker is wrapped up in a couple of players who will be key if the defense is going to be much improved over last season.
Ethan Wesloski starred at North Texas and runs the 4-2-5 scheme to perfection under new defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity. Tate Romney is trying to put injuries behind him. But he was productive at Arizona State when healthy. He also understands what success looks like in the Big 12.
Oklahoma State also brought in key transfers to help augment depth. With just two starters, the focus can be on cultivating a half-dozen players that can serve as depth and work special teams. That wasn't the case a season ago.
Secondary
The Cowboys also should have fewer concerns about the secondary, both at cornerback and at safety. Depth is a consideration, but the talent at the top should be better.
Oklahoma State was able to hang on to last year's top cornerback, LaDainian Fields. A couple of transfers should produce right away in Texas Tech’s Mo Horn and North Texas’ Kollin Lewis.
Safety should see North Texas transfers Evan Jackson and Quinton Hammonds take starting jobs alongside Vincent Holmes. Freshman Braeden Presley has potential to crash the lineup and get quality playing time from the start.
This secondary should not get torched as often as it got torched a season ago.
Where They Didn’t Improve (Yet)
Offensive Line
The Cowboys had 20 offensive linemen in fall camp. One could argue that they should have shopped a little bit more in the transfer portal. But this is what they have.
The one player that seems to have star potential and understands the offensive scheme is Braydon Nelson, who played for North Texas last year. That will be a common theme this season as Morris likely leans into the talent he imported him from UNT. Holdover Jakobe Sanders should be ready for a full-time starting job, but there is competition.
Many of the other offensive linemen have college experience but haven't been consistent starters. Either they've suffered injuries, lost jobs or simply haven't had the opportunity. It should make for a lot of competition in training camp, but it should also give fans pause about the quality of protection and run blocking early this season. The skill players will be only as productive as the guys in front of them.
Defensive Line
If the Cowboys defense is going to get better this season it must start up front. The Cowboys had one of the worst pass rushes and run defenses in college football. That falls to the front four.
Like the offensive line, there is talent but quite a bit of it isn’t that proven due to injuries, scant playing time or losing starting jobs.
Johnson should get plenty of run to win a starting job. Morris raved about him during the Big 12 media days. He thinks he's in for a big year. If he does, the rest of the defense could follow.
Tight End
The Cowboys have two tight ends with collegiate experience who need to prove they can be productive. Oscar Hammond comes from North Texas but didn’t play last year due to injury. Before that, he produced sporadically.
Donovan Green was at LSU and Texas A&M and in between injuries he only had 22 career catches. One could argue the talent at this position really didn't get upgraded from a year ago. It doesn't mean the players won't be better by season's end. It just means on paper it looks like they're stuck in neutral.
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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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