Three Things We Learned About the New Oklahoma State Football Defense
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Oklahoma State is starting over. There is no unit on the team where that's more apparent than on defense.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys were one of the worst defenses in the country last year and there's no dispute. New head coach Eric Morris is putting his trust in his former North Texas defensive coordinator, Skyler Cassity, to turn the Cowboys into a respectable unit.
He did that at North Texas last year, and even though the Mean Green were in the middle of the pack in total defense, it was much better than the season before. It helped North Texas go 12-2.
Now, Cassity is working with a brand-new program to try and craft a unit that can support an offense that, on paper, could be one of the most explosive in the country.
Here are three things we've learned so far about Oklahoma state's new defense.
There is No “Star”
There may be some stars in the making on this defense. But as far as someone like a Drew Mestemaker or a Caleb Hawkins, this defense doesn't have that sort of star quality.
The players that come closest to that are transfer linebacker Ethan Wesloski, who was just named to the Butkus watch list, and holdover cornerback LaDainian Fields. Morris believes Fields can move to the next level but needs to show that he can make more plays. Fields had two interceptions last year returned one for a touchdown. It was Oklahoma state's only non-offensive touchdown of the season.
Not having a “star” isn’t worst thing for a football team. The best defenses work as units and not as freelancers. But one thing we've learned about this team is that even though it has depth in key areas across the defense, there's no one that came to Oklahoma State that truly stood out nationally.
But if a “no name” Oklahoma State defense performs much better than last year's unit, fans won’t complain.
They’re Willing to Compete
Entering this weekend’s scrimmage there isn't a single defensive position that seems to be set. That’s a good thing after such a horrible season a year ago.
One area where that is curious is linebacker. It’s the one position with two high-performing players from a season ago in Weslowski and UCLA transfer Isaiah Chisom. But Morris isn't handing out starting jobs to anyone.
Unlike the offense where Mestemaker and Hawkins can be counted on to start, Cassity has turned camp into a massive competition across the board. Everything is in play — as it should be.
But it also means this side of the football might take a little bit longer to put together than the offensive side. It also means rotations maybe be bigger at certain spots as Cassity determines what works and what doesn't. That may bleed into the regular season.
The Latecomers Have Some Juice
Most of Oklahoma state's roster arrived in the spring. In fact, most of the freshmen enrolled early. But a few transfers came in late and while they're playing catch up in terms of the scheme and expectations, Morris has been impressed with how quickly they've been able to get into the mix and compete.
Two players that have caught his eye so far are cornerbacks Jeremiah Piper, last of Youngstown State, and Markeith Williams, who transferred in from Miami (FL). Both shared traits in common. They are four-year players who never really got a foothold of their previous schools. Both made a handful of starts but didn’t make make a huge impact. They define the hunger of this unit, one that wants to prove that last year's debacle is behind them.
They've impressed Morris and Cassity by getting up to speed quickly. The more of that this defense does, the better off they'll be in the regular season. Piper and Williams may not start, but they're quickly earning the opportunity to have a role defensively.
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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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