All-American RB Emerges as Top Player for College Football Program With Zero Expectations

Eric Morris led North Texas to a breakout 2025 campaign, with the Mean Green going 12–2 behind the nation’s top-ranked scoring offense, averaging 45.1 points and 512.4 total yards per game.

As the architect of one of college football’s most explosive units, Morris quickly drew Power Five attention, and on Nov. 25, 2025, Oklahoma State officially announced him as its new head coach.

North Texas offensive stars, quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins, entered the portal after the season and transferred to Stillwater, reuniting with Morris at Oklahoma State.

Mestemaker accounted for 4,468 total yards and 39 touchdowns, setting new program records for total offense and total touchdowns. He was named American Offensive Player of the Year, earned First-Team All-AAC honors, and won the Burlsworth Trophy.

Hawkins, meanwhile, emerged as one of the nation’s most dynamic running backs. Now, he’s drawing national buzz again after Bleacher Report listed him among the 13 transfer portal players to watch in 2026.

The outlet pointed to the Cowboys operating with “almost zero expectations” and warned that such a setup could be “dangerous” for the rest of the league.

North Texas Mean Green running back Caleb Hawkins. — North Texas Mean Green running back Caleb Hawkins (24) celebrates his touchdown against the Army Black Knights | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Hawkins is an Oklahoma native who starred at North Rock Creek High School (Shawnee, OK), rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 38 running back in the 2025 class by 247Sports.

As a true freshman in 2025, he exploded onto the national scene, rushing for 1,434 yards (top five nationally) on 231 carries (6.2 average) with a nation-leading 25 rushing touchdowns. He added 32 receptions for 370 yards and four more scores, finishing with 29 total touchdowns, an FBS freshman record.

Those numbers earned him First-Team All-America honors and widespread national recognition.

The move to Stillwater returns Hawkins to his home state and places him in a Power Five offense built to generate volume and showcase playmakers, positioning him as a potential immediate focal point.

Bleacher Report’s spring watch list emphasized that Morris’ offenses have consistently produced elite numbers and that Oklahoma State enters 2026 with minimal external expectations, a potentially lethal combination.

Hawkins’ record-setting freshman resume and scoring dominance are why Bleacher Report feels so confident in identifying him as one of the most intriguing high-upside transfers in the country.

For Oklahoma State, landing both the offensive architect in Morris and his top 2025 playmakers in Mestemaker and Hawkins effectively imports a ready-made system that could accelerate the Cowboys’ turnaround and outperform preseason projections.