Oklahoma State Offensive Line: The Good, The Great, The Unknown Entering Fall Camp
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One of the hardest parts of last season for Oklahoma State fans was watching how the offense fell apart as the season went on.
Offense, in many ways, was former head coach Mike Gundy’s calling card. His teams didn’t always win. But they were always exciting on that side of the ball. Last season was a mess.
New head coach Eric Morris was hired to fix it. That is his calling card. He runs the Air Raid offense and he played for former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach. The skill position players he brought with him are considered some of the best in college football.
But he needs and offensive line that can pass protect and run block. He’ll lean on offensive line coach Cody Crill to figure that out before the Tulsa game on Sept. 5.
Oklahoma State on SI continues its fall camp position previews with a look at the offensive line position.
The Good
The Cowboys have options and they’ve invested in a talent pipeline. While many of the players in the position group are transfers, the coaching staff took care to start building a pipeline for the future in this recruiting class. Five freshmen are on the roster, two of which were among the Top 10 recruits — Eli Holbrook and Kole Seaton. Oklahoma State clearly wants to build some continuity here in future seasons.
Plus, there are several players that opted to stay at least one year with the new coaching staff, including Jakobe Sanders, the only letterwinner, and five others who were redshirts a year ago. Some of those players, like Louie Canepa, are options to push for spots on the two-deep roster by the opener against Tulsa.
The Great
The transfers have solid track records and put them in line for potential starting jobs. Braydon Nelson and Johnny Dickson III both blocked for new Cowboys quarterback Drew Mestemaker at North Texas last year. Both were all-conference selections in 2025. Tyler Mercer redshirted at Kansas last year, but in 2024 he was a freshman all-America for North Texas.
Beyond the players with North Texas ties, Jacob Sexton was a one-time starter at Oklahoma before injuries took opportunities away. Joseph Hanson was an all-conference selection at Coastal Carolina. Shawn Torgeson was a full-time starter at Portland State a year ago.
That group will get pushed by Sanders, who started six games a year ago and hopes to start a full season this time around. The Cowboys recruited good options all over the offensive line.
The Unknown
Will it all fit together? That’s a big question that must be answered during camp. The best offensive lines have chemistry. More than any other unit on a football field those five players must move in concert with one another. Most of the starters are set to be transfers. The summer work has been great, but now they have a month to figure out how to work with one another with a season clearly on the horizon.
When one considers how much the offense struggled a year ago — and how much the imported skill position players can improve that this season — how the offensive line comes together, especially early in the season, will be critical to success. It’s part of the reason why the Cowboys invested recruiting in five freshmen offensive linemen. They see the value in continuity. For now, Morris and his staff will have to work with what they have — a lot of parts that they must find a way to fit together.
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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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