Oklahoma State Football Position Battle Rankings: Where Does Everyone Stand After Scrimmage?

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are less than two weeks away from their first regular season games and competitions are getting settled.

Oklahoma State's Broderick Vehrs. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Eric Morris admitted on Tuesday that he's eager to get his team playing someone other than each other during practice and scrimmage.

But he and the Cowboys still have more than 10 days to wait for their season opener against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Sept. 5. Morris said he liked what he saw in Saturday's scrimmage, which was the second of fall camp. Oklahoma State is done with scrimmages and has a mock game day walkthrough planned for Saturday. In between, there are some final position battles to settle.

Based on a piece written last week at Oklahoma State on SI, which highlighted four critical competitions heading into the second scrimmage, here is where those competitions are ranked based on closeness to being settled.

Defensive Line

Oklahoma State’s Jaleel Johnson. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

This competition is probably the furthest from being settled for one important reason. Morris said the Cowboys intend to use several players across the defensive line and admitted on Tuesday that he doesn't believe the gap between starters and backups is that extreme. He doesn't see a big talent drop off from first team to second team. He said the starters were essentially settled, but he didn't reveal who.

But he did say that the Cowboys intend to use Jaleel Johnson and Malik Charles exclusively at one end, as expected. Meanwhile, he said that Billy Walton is a player that they’ll use “end to end.” Walton is listed as a 253-pound end. Does that mean the Cowboys might slide him at tackle in certain packages? Morris didn’t say. Perhaps he’s keeping that to himself for gameday.

Backup Quarterback

Oklahoma State’s Grant Jordan. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Morris wasn't asked about the backup quarterback competition nor did he volunteer any information. But last week offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Sean Brophy said that they intended to let the quarterback competition play out behind a starter Drew Mestemaker.

It's a classic case of trying to determine if the experience of Grant Jordan, who has played college football since 2020, is a better option than the arm strength and youthful exuberance of true freshman Broderick Vehrs.

There's a good chance the Cowboys haven't yet settled on a backup. It leaves open the opportunity for an “OR” on the depth when it's revealed next week. For that reason, this competition isn’t close to being settled, but it’s narrowed to two players.

Tight End

Oklahoma State’s Carson Kolb. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

This one is much closer to being settled than the two positions above. Last week Morris talked plenty about Carson Kolb, the Oregon State transfer who hasn't caught a pass in college football but seems to have earned the inside track to the starting job. Morris even said that if the season had started last Tuesday, Kolb would be the likely starter.

Morris didn't talk about the tight end position during his media availability on Tuesday but did say that most of the starting jobs were settled. That would indicate that Kolb probably has a solid hold on the job over Donovan Green. It’s not settled, but it’s close.

Right Tackle

Oklahoma State’s Ashton Lepo. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Morris said last week that right tackle was the one offensive line job where there was still significant competition going into the scrimmage, though he had it narrowed down to two players.

When he spoke to reporters on Tuesday, he talked about Shaun Torgeson as the player who would be their starter if the season started that day. It's the same language he used when talking about Kolb last week.

Morris said he's been impressed with Torgeson’s strength and his ability to pick up the offense quickly. He's giving up about two inches and about 20 pounds to fellow transfer Ashton Lepo, but Morris hast talked enough about Torgeson the last week to indicate that he has the clear inside track to claim the job.

Morris said he’s still “rolling with them,” indicating that Lepo still has a chance to take the job. But Torgeson seems to have the strongest hold on a starting job of the four positions listed here.