Three Oklahoma State Football Returning Letterwinners with Most to Prove This Season
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The upside of flipping a roster like Oklahoma State’s with nearly 90 new transfers is that infuses optimism throughout the program.
It also makes it harder to remember that there are some players from last year’s 1-11 team that chose to stick around.
The OSU media guide lists 13 returning letterwinners. It may be the smallest number in FBS this season. One — cornerback LaDainian Fields — is a returning starter. Another, defensive tackle Iman Oates, is temporarily eligible after he got a temporary restraining order this week to play in 2026. His case still needs a final hearing.
Between the pair they’ve started in 25 games for the Cowboys. One might argue they’ve proven enough to the new coaching staff. But the other 10? Here are the three with the most to prove this season.
OL Jakobe Sanders
Sanders started six games last year for the Cowboys. Depending on which preseason publication you subscribe to he’s either a returning starter or he’s not. But he started half of last year’s 1-11 season, so he suffered through it like the rest of the Cowboys that survived.
He’s invested in a different way than most players. He’s a Stillwater native. He went to Stillwater High School. He redshirted and didn’t play in 2023. He played in three games in 2024. Along with his six starts, he played in all 12 games and took nearly 400 snaps. He has quality, under-fire experience.
Yet, in some publications he’s not considered a projected starter. One has him as a backup to Tyler Mercer at center.
Head coach Eric Morris and his staff were not shy about bringing in new players. The intention is to have players compete for every job. Sanders will be no different. He’s going to have to prove to a new coaching staff that he’s worthy of a starting job in his fourth season of college football.
DE Jaleel Johnson
The Oklahoma City, Okla., native has been at OSU longer than Sanders. This is his fifth season with the program, and it will be his last. He redshirted in 2022, worked as a backup in 2023 and 2024 and was finally poised to be a full-time starter in 2025 before he got hurt and missed the final eight games of the season.
He’s become the public face of the remaining players. Johnson was at Big 12 media days speaking about hit time at OSU and why he didn’t leave. He said it was home. He also said he “transferred without transferring,” considering the influx of new talent.
Johnson must prove to this staff he can be a full-time starter. Morris is already impressed. There are no players with “star” track records on the edge. But there will be stiff competition. He is out to prove that staying was the right decision, not just for his heart, but for his talent.
DT Landon Dean
The lineman from Frontenac, Kan., is finally at the end of his career. After four seasons at Oklahoma State, he only has one shot at playing time. Like both Sanders and Johnson, it was a slow burn to get the opportunity.
He redshirted in 2022, played sparingly in 2023 and 2024 while finally getting a chance to start last season. He played in all 12, games, started six and made 10 tackles. The run stopping unit was one of the worst in the country. He was one of the few players to get through the entire season healthy.
Here’s a case where the outside depth charts don’t respect his experience. One two-deep in one publication doesn’t list Dean. Three of the four interior tackles are transfers, along with Luke Webb, a redshirt sophomore who made six tackles last year. If that’s the competition, then the goal is simple for Dean — he must prove he’s worthy of that spot. With 11 tackles in camp, he’ll have to work hard for it.
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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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