Oklahoma State Football Veteran Who is Setting the Tone This August

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are essentially a brand-new team. So which player is working to set the tone for the season?

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

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have veterans on their football team. It's just that not very many of them we're in Stillwater last season.

New head coach Eric Morris took his own approach to building his roster after he took over the program in December. He took in transfers. He took in a lot of transfers. It might be the most extreme roster flip in college football history.

The Cowboys have nearly 90 transfers on the roster, including nearly 20 from Morris’ old school, North Texas. It didn't leave a lot of room for holdovers from a year ago, even though most transferred out. It doesn't mean leadership is hard to come by. It just means Morris is looking for leadership among players new to Stillwater.

One veteran is setting the tone this month. It’s just a veteran that is new to the program — but not new to Morris.

The OSU Veteran Setting the Tone

Oklahoma State's quarterback Drew Mestemaker. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It's not always the quarterback that is the tone-setter at fall camp. But it's always nice when it is. And for these brand-new Cowboys they're fortunate that third-year quarterback Drew Mestemaker has been doing that since Morris flipped the program and lured his top quarterback for North Texas in January.

Mestemaker was one of four players that represented the Cowboys at Big 12 Media Days in July. He's taken every interview he’s been asked to take, from media day in Stillwater on the first weekend of fall camp to a host of interviews with television and podcasts last week as he did the “car wash” promoting the program.

He’s the perfect spokesperson for the new-look Cowboys. He played two years for Morris at North Texas and went from walk-on to one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He's proof that Morris’ brand of football and player development works.

His story draws attention. Mestemaker didn't play a single snap of varsity football as a quarterback in high school. He got a tryout because his private quarterback coach was able to convince Morris to send a coach to watch him work out.

It's proof to the rest of his teammates that Morris is willing to turn over every rock to find talent and make the team better. By watching how Mestemaker has proven to the country that he's a great quarterback, it proves to his teammates that there's opportunity on a team filled with players looking for it.

Mestemaker’s personality helps, too. He isn’t seeking attention. It’s just coming to him. Morris has joked that the quarterback’s mustache isn’t up to snuff, but his work ethic is incredible. That rubs off on his teammates, too.

It all adds up to making Mestemaker the tone setter for Oklahoma State fall camp. Sometimes it works out perfect. The Cowboys have the right quarterback, the right leader at the right time. The Cowboys lucked out as they try to turn things around in 2026.