Will Cowboys Continue to Build Through Transfer Portal Under Eric Morris?
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Oklahoma State’s offseason has been busy thanks to the transfer portal, and that could easily be the case for years to come.
Over the past couple of months, OSU has settled into the Eric Morris era. With their new coach running the show, the Cowboys have added some of the most intriguing transfer portal players in the entire country.
Of course, the Cowboys’ most notable signings have come from Morris’ previous squad at North Texas. Following their head coach to Stillwater, the Cowboys have been able to get some big-time talent on the roster.
Of course, this will be the only season that this exact approach will be viable. With Morris set to be the Pokes’ leader for the foreseeable future, it seems quite unlikely for any other coaches to move to Stillwater and bring players with them.
Still, there’s a real chance that OSU will be building through the transfer portal moving forward. Although there’s no guarantee that the country’s top players will be looking to come to Stillwater, occasionally landing that top-end talent through the portal could be the key to long-term success for Morris and company.
When Mike Gundy was OSU’s head coach, the portal, albeit in its early stages, was never a popular team-building method in Stillwater. Unfortunately for Gundy, he eventually had no choice except to embrace the new era, but it never really came with success.
Throughout his tenure, OSU developed undervalued high school recruits and hoped to get a year or two of those players at the top of their games. While some players were naturally stars from the day they stepped foot on campus, player development was the main method of success for the Cowboys.
While that can still be a relatively solid approach in some respects in 2026, it is much more sustainable to build through the portal. Although player development could still be a viable option in some instances, most players want to see the field immediately and/or will be on their way out for a larger payday elsewhere.
Still, finding some good high school players is key, and building up local talents will always be an important piece of college football, particularly for a team like OSU. However, the days of that being the main way to add talent are likely over.
Morris has already shown he can recruit well in the portal, and doing that consistently should help the Cowboys get back to contention in the not-so-distant future.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.