One Oklahoma State Football Position Battle Has Already Taken Interesting Turn

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have one position that is shaping up to be a bigger battle than one might have initially thought.

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

As the Oklahoma State Cowboys work through their different position competitions during fall camp, one has an unexpected level of intrigue.

During his interview with the media after the first practice on Wednesday, head coach Eric Morris was asked questions about different position battles. He was even asked what position battles to him were the most intriguing.

He mentioned the chase for playing time behind running back Caleb Hawkins. He mentioned the Cowboys needed to have seven or eight offensive linemen set before they go into their season opener.

But then he talked about one position group that, at least outside analysts believe, was already set in stone entering fall workouts. Turns out that may not be the case.

Oklahoma State’s Intriguing Position Battle

Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Turns out linebacker might be a bigger battle than some might think. Most have pegged former North Texas star Ethan Wesloski as one of the starters and his familiarity with how defensive coordinator Skyler Cassidy runs the defense will be helpful.

But as Morris pointed out, the Cowboys brought in at least four players who could earn a starting job where there's only two linebackers are on the field in most sets.

“We’ve got Wesloski that's played a ton of football,” he said. “He knows this scheme. [We] feel really confident in him. But then the guys like [Isaiah] Chisom and Tate [Romney] and Dallas [Winner-Johnson] and all those guys behind. We got to figure out who our top four are that are going to play for us there.”

Truthfully, that might be the group that plays the most in the Cowboys season opener against Tulsa. It may just be a question of who starts?

Wesloski led the Mean Green with 113 tackles, including 59 solo stops, as he earned All-American Conference second team honors. He’s spent four seasons at North Texas, including a redshirt season in 2022.

Chisom transferred in from UCLA where he produced in his third year of college football. He second on the Bruins with 84 tackles, including 40 solo, with 2.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Based on production, the Cowboys have their starters.

But Romney and Winner-Johnson can make it competitive. Winner-Johnson played 10 games at Tulane last year and only made five tackles. But in 2024 with Missouri State, he was an FCS Stats Freshman All-American after he had 62 tackles, including 26 solos and 6.5 tackles for loss. Romney transferred from Arizona State where in 2023 he had 52 tackles, adding four tackles for loss and a sack. Since then, he’s dealt with injuries and lost playing time.

Whether it's a matter of who starts and who backs up who, or which rotations the Cowboys use, the fact that Morris highlighted the position as a point of competition bears watching the rest of fall workouts. At minimum, it sounds like he's open minded to not leaning as hard into his former North Texas star when he has other talent to choose from.