Will OSU Football's New Core Translate To The Big 12?

The core of the Pokes' new roster is coming from North Texas and will have to make the shift to the intensity of the Big 12.

Drew Mestemaker (17) runs drills during Oklahoma State football practice in Stillwater, Okla., on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma State football’s future is here. 

Spring football practices are well underway, and the hype for the Cowboys’ football season next year has continued to rise. The Pokes have yet to play a game, but Cowboy fans are hoping for a season that is nowhere close to the last two. 

OSU ended last year’s season 1-11 as they failed to win a Big 12 game and an FBS game. The year before wasn’t much better, with the Cowboys going 3-9, again not winning a Big 12 contest. Oklahoma State is hoping it has solved this problem with the addition of coach Eric Morris and his transfer portal class. 

Headlining this class are Morris’ former North Texas standouts, who led UNT to a 12-2 year. These players are assumed to be the focal point of the Pokes’ offense and defense, but the question is, will their play translate to the Big 12?

The Mean Green were a good team last year, as they were ranked at the end of the season, but the American Conference doesn’t have the same firepower as the Big 12. The Big 12 produced the No. 4 seed in last year’s College Football Playoff in Texas Tech, which had a dominant season. 

The Red Raiders averaged 39.4 points per game, but their strength was their defense. Texas Tech only allowed opponents to score 11.8 points per game and held them to 258.3 yards per game. 

This impressive defense is foreign to the American Conference, with no team allowing less than 20 points per game and 340 yards per game. But while replicating impressive defense might be difficult, OSU’s new core has the ability to bring the Cowboys’ offensive standards up. 

The three offensive weapons the Pokes will be utilizing from UNT are quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins and wide receiver Wyatt Young. All three were among the top of the nation at their position and led the Mean Green to the best offense in the nation. 

UNT averaged 45.1 points per game and over 512 yards per game, which would be a complete change for the Cowboys, who only averaged around 14 points per game and under 300 yards of offense. 

North Texas proved it could still put up points against good opponents, as in its two bouts against ranked opponents last season, the Mean Green scored 36 points and 21 points. 

We won’t know for sure how the move from the American Conference to the Big 12 affects this core group of players until they hit the field, but the offensive firepower in store is expected to have no problem replicating its success in the Big 12.