Projecting Oklahoma State Football's Week 1 Depth Chart: Risers and Fallers
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Now that the Oklahoma State Cowboys are less than two weeks away from the season opener against Tulsa, things are starting to get real at practice.
More workouts will be outdoors to prepare for the 2:30 p.m. game time in Tulsa, according to head coach Eric Morris. More starting jobs have been settled after the second scrimmage. Morris said most jobs are down to back-up spots and rotations at certain positions that require more than just a two-deep.
So, who starts and who backs up? A week after Oklahoma State on SI published its first depth chart projection, here is a second, in anticipation of the official depth chart being released next week.
Offense
Quarterback
Starter: Drew Mestemaker
Backup: Grant Jordan
Any Changes: None
Morris is enamored with the freshman, Broderick Vehrs. But, at least to start the season, he’ll lean into Jordan, who has played six years of college football, if Mestemaker gets banged up early. In mop-up duty, he could turn to both him and Vehrs just to get them reps.
Running Back
Starter: Caleb Hawkins
Backup: KD Jones
Any Changes: Jones for Ayo Adeyi
Jones is one of the freshmen that Morris has talked up during fall camp, enough to believe that he’ll have a role in the offense. But a true freshman on the two-deep? It’s a possibility. He offers speed and a burst that Morris doesn’t have the other backs on the roster right now, and he may want to lean into that early. Being able to block for Mestemaker in play-action situations could be the deal-breaker.
Wide Receiver
Starters: Wyatt Young, Chris Barnes, Justin Bowick
Backups: Miles Coleman, Terrence Lewis, Jabarie Thornton
Any Changes: Thornton for Dayvon Standard
The three starters — assuming Oklahoma State starts a game in a three-wide receiver set — really isn’t in doubt. Coleman is going to be the fourth wide receiver. Rodney Harris II, the Ohio transfer, has a solid track record but he doesn’t offer anything different from others in the position group. Morris has liked what he’s seen from Standard, but the same could be said for Thornton, who quickly earned time with the twos and the threes early in camp. That puts him in line to make an early appearance on the two-deep roster. He’s also going to help OSU on special teams.
Tight End
Starter: Carson Kolb
Backup: Donovan Green
Any Changes: No.
Morris didn’t indicate anything had really changed from last week, when he said that Kolb would be the starter if the season started that day. It’s a case of no news is good news for Kolb, who hasn’t caught a pass in two years of college football. Green will play, but Kolb seems like the starter now.
Offensive Line
Left Tackle: Jacob Sexton (starter), Braydon Nelson (backup)
Left Guard: Joseph Hanson (starter), Desmond Magiya (backup)
Center: Tyler Mercer (starter), Jakobe Sanders (backup)
Right guard: Johnny Dixon III, (starter), Louie Canepa (backup)
Right tackle: Shaun Torgeson (starter), Ashton Lepo (backup)
Any Changes: No.
On Tuesday with the media Morris said that if the season started that day that Toregson would be the starter at right tackle. Barring any major injuries between now and the opener, Morris probably has his Top 10 offensive linemen. It’s possible he flips Hanson and Dixon between the two guard spots but they’re the starters. The wild cards are Magiya and Canepa. There’s no reason to believe they’ve lost the backup jobs. But there is also no reason to believe they’re locked in.
Defense
Defensive End
Starters: Jaleel Johnson, James Williams
Backups: Malik Charles, Billy Walton III
Any Changes: Walton for Keviyan Huddleston
Morris talked about Walton quite a bit on Tuesday with reporters. While he noted that both Johnson and Charles were locked as ends on a particular side, he indicated that Walton could be a side-to-side end and, at 253 pounds, his speed could be a real problem for certain blockers on the edge. That’s why he could be on the two-deep next week.
Defensive Tackle
Starters: Saadiq Clements, Jerry Lawson
Backups: Iman Oates, Enai White
Any Changes: White for Savion Barthelemy
The progression of White from defensive end to defensive tackle has been worth watching in camp and Morris has pointed out how impressed the coaching staff is with the progression. It’s to the point where he could be seen as a backup at tackle doing into the opener. Oates, of course, still has his day in court coming. If he’s still eligible come the Tulsa game, the Cowboys face a decision on whether to play him.
Linebackers
Starters: Ethan Wesloski, Isaiah Chisom
Backups: Dallas Winner-Johnson, Tate Romney
Any Changes: None
It’s hard to see any other alignment on the depth chart come next week than these four players. Wesloski and Chisom are the most productive and experienced players at the position group. Winner-Johnson and Romney are capable backups who will rotate in and can help on special teams. This depth chart has been locked in since nearly the start of camp.
Cornerbacks
Starters: LaDainian Fields, Mo Horn
Backups: Kollin Lewis, Kobi Foreman
Any Changes: None
Morris hasn’t offered more feedback on this position battle and given that there are only eight cornerbacks on the roster it feels settled. Trudell Berry, the Vanderbilt transfer, or Jeremiah Piper, the Youngstown State transfer, will probably serve as a fifth cornerback to start the season.
Safeties and Nickel
Strong Safety: Evan Jackson (starter), Cameron Epps (backup)
Free Safety: Quinton Hammonds (starter), Markeith Williams (backup)
Nickel Back: Christian Bodnar (starter), Vincent Holmes (backup)
Any Changes: Williams for Mose Phillips III
Williams is the one switch here. It’s more of a gut thing. Morris has been impressed with how quickly Williams, who joined the Cowboys late in the summer, has picked things up. His experience in power conference football should allow him to slide into a backup role at one of the safety positions. For now, it’s free safety.
Special Teams
Punter: Lachie Pozzobon (starter), Nate Ost (backup)
Kicker: Sam Keltner (starter), Joseph Kim (backup)
Holder: Nate Ost
Kickoff Returner: Chris Barnes (starter), Miles Coleman (back-up)
Punt Returner: Miles Coleman (starter), Chris Barnes (backup)
Any Changes: Williams for Mose Phillips III
Barnes and Coleman make the most sense at the two return positions. The real question is who will back the pair up? Morris hasn’t given reporters a good sense of that yet, so that’s the one part of this depth chart that will likely change come next week.
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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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