Three Oklahoma State Football Players About to Earn Themselves a Bigger NIL Deal
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There is a lot of energy around the Oklahoma State football program right now and it's not just because of new head coach Eric Morris.
With nearly 90 new players via the transfer portal, there is an influx of talent that this program didn't have last year. Many of them have gotten attention, most notably quarterback Drew Mestemaker. Between his stop at the Manning Passing Academy and his interview with Yahoo Sports last week, he's become the face of the program.
He also has an extremely high NIL (name, image and likeness) valuation. On3 (subscription required), which has a tool that measures every player's NIL value, has Mestemaker at No. 9 nationally with a $3.5 million valuation.
It's important to note that valuation isn't the same as how much a player is making, but it gives a sense of how the market perceives the player.
As the Cowboys prepare for the 2026 season, here are three players who could significantly improve their NIL value, and thus their payday, with their play in 2026.
RB Caleb Hawkins
If valuations mean anything, then Hawkins is already in good shape. On3’s NIL valuation tool values Hawkins at $1 million. Another tool, the NIL Standard, values Hawkins at $750,000. At On3 the running back with the highest valuation is Ole Miss back Kewan Lacey, who has a valuation of $2 million. That is a gap that Hawkins could potentially make up with another big season but the Cowboys.
Consider his valuation now is based on what he did at North Texas last season, where he rushed for 1,434 yards, had 1,804 all-purpose yards and ranked No. 1 in FBS in total touchdowns (29), rushing touchdowns (25), points scored (174) and points per game (13.4).
Plus, since Hawkins is only a true sophomore, he must play at least one more year before he can consider going to the NFL. Another highly productive season combined with a surge in his valuation would likely lead to a much higher NIL payday in 2027.
WR Chris Barnes
Wide receivers can reach high valuations under the right circumstances. Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has the highest NIL valuation of any receiver per On3 at $5 million. Eight receivers are in the site’s Top 100, with the bottom being a $1 million valuation.
Barnes, the former Wake Forest wide receiver, is not among the Top 100. Per NIL Standard his valuation is $660,000. He’s joined an offense that can change that in 2027.
Barnes has played two seasons of college football and showed glimpses of being a truly dominant receiver with the Demon Deacons last year. He led the team in receiving, catching 39 passes for 547 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the football and returned kicks. But the offense really wasn’t geared for him to be as highly productive at receiver as Oklahoma State’s offense could make him.
Wyatt Young was North Texas’ leading receiver a year ago. He had 70 catches. The No. 2 receiver, Cameron Dorner, had 56 catches for 911 yards and eight touchdowns. If Barnes can duplicate that, along with remaining a quality returner, his valuation could surge by this time next year.
CB LaDainian Fields
LaDainian Fields is one of the few players returning from last year's team and he's one of only three that started at least half of the Cowboys games a year ago.
He's the one returning player that has the potential to become a star this season, as he has all the talent needed to be an all-Big 12 cornerback. He showed glimpses of it last year, as he picked off two passes and returned one for a touchdown, which was Oklahoma State’s only non-offensive touchdown this season.
Per NIL Standard, he has a valuation of $452,000. There is only one cornerback in On3’s Top 100 and that’s Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore. An All-Big 12 season would put Fields in a position where he could see that sort of valuation in 2027.
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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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