Why Only One Oklahoma State Star Made Walter Camp Award Watch List

The Walter Camp Award is one of the most prestigious in college football. So why did only one Oklahoma Star star make the watch list?

Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker hands off to Caleb Hawkins. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

For most of the offseason, the award and watch list fortunes of two Oklahoma State offensive stars have been joined at the hip — until now.

On Monday, the Walter Camp Football Foundation released its watch list for its player of the year award, which will be handed out in December. The 2026 watch list included 41 offensive players (22 quarterbacks, 11 running backs and eight receivers/tight ends) along with nine on defense.

But there was only one Cowboys offensive player selected — running back Caleb Hawkins. There was no Drew Mestemaker, who was selected alongside Hawkins two weeks ago when the watch list for a similar award, the Maxwell Award.

Why? There was at least one factor at work.

Caleb Hawkins Makes Walter Camp Watch List

Oklahoma State's Caleb Hawkins. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Only 50 players were selected for the initial watch list. There doesn’t appear to be a cap on the number of players that can be selected. But Hawkins had an “in” to the team that Mestemaker did not.

Hawkins was recently selected a second-team preseason Walter Camp all-American. Twenty of the 50 players selected were on either the first-team or second-team Walter Camp all-America preseason lists. That includes quarterbacks Arch Manning of Texas and Julian Sayin of Ohio State, Walter Camp’s two all-America selections. The other 20 ran the gamut from returning Heisman hopefuls like Oregon’s Dante Moore to Group of 6 high producers.

Players that transferred were also on the list, including Miami (FL) quarterback Darian Mensah, who was at Duke last year. None of the quarterbacks led FBS in passing yards last season like Mestemaker, which 4,379 yards at North Texas.

He could be added to the watch list during the season. But for now, he’s on the outside looking in.

Hawkins is richly deserving of inclusion. He put up some of the best numbers of any true freshman running in FBS history as he finished with 1,434 rushing yards, including 1,056 yards after contact, and 1,804 all-purpose yards.

He set the FBS record for most touchdowns scored by a freshman (29). He was the FBS statistical champion in total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns and scoring. He was named a first-team freshman all-American and a second- or third-team all-American by multiple outlets.

Hawkins has a chance to be one of the 10 semifinalists that will be named in early November. For that matter, so does Mestemaker — even if he’s not on the initial list.