Why Wake Forest Transfer Chris Barnes Chose Oklahoma State Football

This new Oklahoma State player could have chosen another Big 12 school, but he explained why he ended up win Stillwater.

Oklahoma State's Chris Barnes. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Not every transfer that landed at Oklahoma State came from North Texas. A good example is Chris Barnes.

The wide receiver played for two schools before he landed at OSU, he spent the 2024 season at Washington State after a standout career at Houston (Texas) North Shore High School. He played in three games but took a redshirt. In 2025, he went across the country to Wake Forest, where he was a third-team All-ACC special teams selection.

He hit the portal again after the season and landed at Oklahoma State. He could have headed back to Houston and played for the Cougars, who are coming off a 10-win season and are set up to be Big 12 contenders in 2026. The Cowboys will need to flip everything to contend.

Why Chris Barnes is at OSU

Wake Forest Demon Deacons wide receiver Chris Barnes. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Barnes could have gone home. But he chose Oklahoma State. It’s a bit of culture shock from Wake Forest, but during spring workouts, in an interview with OKState.com, he explained why he landed at Oklahoma State.

"Being in your hometown, there could be a lot of distractions and all that kind of stuff,” he said. “You got family, people around leeching and stuff like that. I feel like being away was best and being around the staff that I'm with is more people that care about you outside of football, not just what you can do for them on the field. I feel like Stillwater and the coaching staff were the best option, in my opinion.”

For a team that needs talent after a 1-11 2025, the redshirt sophomore could give the Cowboys a boost in a couple of areas. On special teams, where he excelled last season, he returned seven kicks for 263 yards and a touchdown, which was the highest kick return average of any qualified returner. One of those returns was a 98-yard touchdown return against NC State.

He made an impact in the pass game, too. He led the Demon Deacons with catching 39 passes for 547 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the year with nearly 1,000 all-purpose yards, which led to him being selected All-ACC honorable mention. Plus, Pro Football Focus rated him the sixth-best wide receiver in the ACC.

He should be a solid fit for what the Cowboys want to do offensively. Morris led a Mean Green team that had one of the best offenses in the country and coach a quarterback in Drew Mestemaker who threw for 4,379 yards, best in FBS. That means there will be plenty of footballs to go around for Barnes and the rest of the pass catchers.

[The] play style, with coach Morris and the staff coming over here, moving more towards the air raid side,” Barnes said. “At Wake Forest, it was more RPO-ish. I caught a lot of screens, which you'll see on tape.”

The Cowboys open the 2026 season under Morris at Tulsa on Sept. 5