The Talented Long-Time Cowboy Hiding Among Oklahoma State’s Preseason Honorees

A recent preseason publication listed six Oklahoma State Cowboys on its preseason honors and there was a fifth-year Cowboy among them.

Oklahoma State Cowboys defensive end Jaleel Johnson. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

All the talk around the Oklahoma State Cowboys has been around its transfer portal players and for good reason — they have a lot of them.

New head coach Eric Morris and his staff came on in December. They had a limited amount of time to retain what players they could from former head coach Mike Gundy’s final team and recruiting class, along with tap into what talent he could lure from the transfer portal. He and his staff did a good job, including bringing in nearly 20 players from his former school, North Texas.

As preview magazines roll out their preseason all-Big 12 and all-America teams, many of those transfers are standing out. But one long-time Cowboy made one publication’s recent all-Big 12 team.

The Long-Time Cowboy with Preseason Buzz

6️⃣ Cowboys land on @philsteele042’s preseason list 👀 #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/91LafB0xx5

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) June 11, 2026

Phil Steele Magazine released its all-Big 12 team and six players made it, including five transfers. The one holdover Cowboy that made the team was redshirt senior defensive lineman Jaleel Johnson, who was named third-team preseason all-Big 12.

Johnson, like many Cowboys, had a rough 2025. He played in four games, starting three of them, before he missed the rest of the season. He had 16 tackles (seven solo), with 2.5 tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries.

But Phil Steele remembered Johnson’s 2024 season, which should have served as a springboard to a breakthrough 2025 had he been able to play more. He played 10 games that season, finishing with 21 tackles (11 solo) with two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.

Morris and his staff are hoping to get a full season out of the Putnam City North product, who is playing his final season of college football.

The other five all-Big 12 selections were transfers, three of which played for Morris at UNT last year. Running back Caleb Hawkins was selected to the second team, along with wide receiver Wyatt Young. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker was selected to the fourth team. Hawkins was the only Cowboy to make Steele’s all-America team, making the second team as an all-purpose player.

The other two transfers to make the all-Big 12 team were former Arizona State linebacker Tate Romney, who made the third team, and former Liberty safety Christian Bodnar, who made the fourth team.

Morris and the Cowboys will open the season on Sept. 5 when they go to Tulsa to face the Golden Hurricane, which beat OSU in Stillwater last year, the final loss of the Gundy era.