Oklahoma State Veteran Makes Case His Position Group is Cowboys’ Deepest

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are essentially a brand-new team, so finding the deepest position group is tricky.

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

FRISCO, Texas — For the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the 2026 season is all about turnover — and not the football kind.

The Cowboys have nearly 90 new players this year, many of which came from the transfer portal. Nearly 20 of them are from North Texas, where new OSU head coach Eric Morris coached last year. He managed to lure transfers from around the country and did hang onto a few of former head coach Mike Gundy’s recruits.

Trying to figure out when positions groups are the deepest and which ones have the most talent is something to figure out during fall workouts. But one Cowboys player made the case that his position group is the team’s deepest during Big 12 Media Days.

Which OSU Position Group is Deepest?

Oklahoma State defensive end Jaleel Johnson (center) | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Jaleel Johnson has been at Oklahoma State for four seasons. He’ll play his final year with the program that he started with, a rarity. But he has lost time to make up for after he missed the majority of last season with a shoulder injury. While he was on the bench, he watched Morris and his staff turn over the roster and his position group, one that he believes is the deepest on the team.

“There’s not one person in that group that I have a worry about,” Johnson said. “Those guys work their behinds off. I’m just excited to see what they can do. Everyone is versatile, so we can mix and match, we can play schemes and things like that.”

Johnson figures to be the starter at one of the end positions. Morris said that Johnson one of the most impressive players in the spring at the position. He’s not the only one.

James Williams, a senior, figures to start on the other side but has played at three different schools before landing at OSU. Saadiq Clements, who played at North Texas last year, and Jerry Lawson, who played at Louisville in 2025, are expected to start inside in defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity’s 4-2-5 scheme.

But the depth beyond that is what has Johnson excited. DeSean Brown and Keviyan Huddleston could back up on the edge, while Enai White and Luke Webb could back up inside. That doesn’t cover the other players that he mentioned.

“We’ve got guys like Malik Charles, he can play all across the board,” Johnson said. “We have DJ [Jackson Jr.] and he can play both sides, rush or play in.”

Depth doesn’t always lead to production, though. Having that many pieces could mean two things — either OSU hopes that one or two can become elite producers or that the Cowboys hope this large group can provide waves of pressure on the quarterback.

Either way, Johnson made his case. Only how they play this season will prove if he’s right or not.