Why Eric Morris Isn’t Worried About Drew Mestemaker Step Up to Oklahoma State

The big opponents are coming for Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker. Here is why his head coach isn’t worried about how he will handle it.

Oklahoma State's quarterback Drew Mestemaker. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker put up pinball level numbers at North Texas last year. By any measure he was one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country.

But there was something missing in the 14 games that he played last year and that was a power conference opponent. As North Texas challenged for the American Conference championship and, potentially, a College Football Playoff berth, the Mean Green did not play a team from the ACC, the Big 12, the Big Ten or the SEC. If he were still at North Texas, he would be preparing for defending national champion Indiana on Saturday.

Instead, he’s preparing for Tulsa. But the power conference opponents are coming.

Next weekend the Cowboys will host No. 2 Oregon. Two weeks after that they will start Big 12 play on the road at West Virginia. In league play there are games against Big 12 favorite Texas Tech and Houston, the latter of which is considered a strong candidate to reach the Big 12 title game.

He’ll get a steady diet of big-time games this season, something he didn’t get last year. But his head coach, Eric Morris, isn’t worried about the step up and here’s why.

Drew Mestemaker’s ‘Brain Power’

Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Morris has spoken often about Mestemaker’s ability to process information and make quick decisions in the pocket. It’s just one of the reasons he threw for an FBS-best 4,379 yards a year ago and was named the American Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.

To Morris, none of that must change against 10 power conference opponents. Sure, there will be challenges. But the preparation that Mestemaker puts into each game is what leads him to believe the success will be similar in 2026. His quarterback’s growth, now in Year 3, has been substantial.

“As he gets older and around the game and smarter, I’ve let him [choose],” Morris said. “There's certain plays where he's got to make a decision. [I’ll say] ‘Hey, these four plays, which one do you want?’ And he picks it based off what he likes. So, I think he's always prepared really well. That's what allowed him to have so much success early. I don't see that changing.”

Morris has been a part of the college foundation of several quarterbacks as either an offensive coordinator or a head coach, most notably Patrick Mahomes (as OC at Texas Tech) and Cam Ward (as Ward’s head coach at Incarnate Word and OC at Washington State). He also tutored Baker Mayfield his freshman year at Texas Tech, along with Chandler Morris at North Texas, who parlayed the best year of his career into a transfer to Virginia in 2025.

As a coordinator or head coach his passing games have been in the Top 10 in the country in yards per game 10 times, including 318 yards per game last season, which was No. 2 in the country.

Morris is only as good as his quarterback, and he has a great one in Mestemaker. His next step will decide how good Oklahoma State is in 2026 — and when he heads to the NFL.