All-American RB Named College Football Star After Transfer Portal Decision

North Texas finished 12–2 in 2025, captured the program’s first New Mexico Bowl win (49–47 vs. San Diego State) and reached the American Athletic Conference title game, falling to College Football Playoff participant Tulane.

Despite missing the CFP, the Mean Green fielded one of the most explosive offenses in the country, leading the FBS in total offense (512.4 yards per game) and scoring (45.1 points per game). The historic surge vaulted the program into national relevance under third-year head coach Eric Morris.

Morris’ tenure in Denton produced a rapid offensive transformation that drew Power Five attention and ultimately made him the choice to replace longtime Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. Oklahoma State formally hired Morris in November 2025.

North Texas’ breakout was driven largely by freshman quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who led the nation with 4,379 passing yards and threw 34 touchdowns in his first collegiate season. He entered the transfer portal after Morris’ departure and committed to Oklahoma State during the 2026 cycle.

Star freshman running back Caleb Hawkins followed suit, joining Morris and Mestemaker in Stillwater, and he was recently named one of the players to watch in 2026 by Bleacher Report’s Brad Shepard, further amplifying expectations around Oklahoma State’s offensive reset.

"Nobody is predicting the Cowboys to have any sort of breakout year in Stillwater with a complete facelift of the program, but why not?" Shepard wrote. "The Cowboys are going to score some points and have a high variance. The bet here is Hawkins' game translates on any level, and he's going to take the Big 12 by storm."

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

Hawkins arrived at North Texas as a three-star prospect and lightly recruited in-state product from Shawnee, Oklahoma, but quickly turned into an immediate impact player.

In 2025, his first season with the Mean Green, Hawkins erupted for 1,434 rushing yards on 231 carries (6.2 yards per attempt) and 25 rushing touchdowns. He added 32 receptions for 370 yards and four more scores, finishing with 29 total touchdowns, the most in the nation and an FBS freshman touchdown record, earning first-team All-American honors.

Now, with both Hawkins and Mestemaker joining Morris in Stillwater, North Texas’ dynamic backfield tandem becomes the foundation of an Oklahoma State program that hasn’t claimed a Big 12 title since 2011.

For North Texas, the departures close the book on a breakthrough campaign but trigger another rapid rebuild in Denton.

Read More at College Football HQ