Oklahoma State Football Position Battle I'm Watching Closest During Camp

When the Oklahoma State Cowboys begin fall workouts, this is the position battle that I’ll be watching the most.

Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

With a team that has as much turnovers as Oklahoma State, it’s hard to pick one position battle that has the most value.

New head coach Eric Morris has … well if you’re a Cowboys fan you know the drill. New head coach, new coaching staff, nearly 90 new transfers, etc… It’s a lot. It’s one of the largest roster flips in modern college football history. There is plenty of optimism around the team, but no one knows for sure if it’s going to work — or how well it will work.

For those that look at preview magazines, the Cowboys have one returning starter — cornerback LaDainian Fields. Depending upon how you look at contributions, offensive lineman Jakobe Sanders could fall in that category, too.

This is my first year covering Oklahoma State, though I’ve spent nearly a decade covering the Big 12. This is the position battle I’m watching closest during fall workouts.

The Battle at Defensive End

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

Cover enough football and talk to enough coaches and they’ll lean into the adage that “defense wins championships.” It’s more nuanced than that, but teams that win tend to be good in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Cowboys weren’t good at either last season, but the defense was in worse shape.

The Cowboys were No. 114 in total defense as they allowed 418.3 yards per game. They were No. 124 in scoring defense as they allowed 33.33 points per game. They had 22 sacks, which wasn’t the worst in the Big 12, but Texas Tech led the league with nearly double what the Cowboys did.

Championship teams rush the passer well. That isn’t always measured by sacks. Pressures and other stats can reveal how good or how bad a defense is at rushing the quarterback. This unit was bad last year. The question is whether it has the tools to be better?

The focus this offense this offseason has been on Jaleel Johnson, the fifth-year Cowboy who hasn't really had the chance to shine. When I talked to Morris at Big 12 media days he raved about him. He gave the impression that he was going to give Johnson every chance to win a starting job. Johnson talked up the defense the entire time he was with the media. He believes the unit will be superior to last year's.

On paper, this unit doesn't have a lot of previous production. Many project Johnson to be a starter on one edge, with holdover DeSean Brown backing him up. On the other side is former Florida State end James Williams, who had 1.5 sacks last season, backed up by North Texas transfer Keviyan Huddleston. He may be the most productive end from a year ago. He had five sacks.

I'm interested in this competition because I feel like it's wide open. Cowboys fans are rooting for Johnson to play a healthy season and give them serious production. Huddleston has the best track record. But none of these guys have been “the man” on defense. You don't have to have one to get a consistent pass rush— but it helps.

I could put together a depth chart at these two positions and be completely wrong. It will be intriguing to watch how this competition evolves during camp. And the Cowboys must get something out of this competition because for them to be competitive in the Big 12, their pass rush must be much more productive than it was a season ago.