College Football’s Leading Passer Named Big 12’s Most Impactful Transfer for 2026

A former walk-on who led the nation in passing now arrives in Stillwater as the centerpiece of a total roster overhaul.

This Big 12 quarterback came out of nowhere last season as a former walk-on and is a part of one of the best stories in college football. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The transfer portal has reshaped rosters across the Big 12 this offseason, and few additions carry the storyline of Oklahoma State's new starting quarterback.

Drew Mestemaker never started a game at quarterback in high school, instead he played defensive back and handled punting duties at Vandegrift in Austin, then walked on at North Texas with no scholarship and no guarantee of ever taking a snap.

Two years later, he led the entire FBS in passing yards, won the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the country's top former walk-on, and followed head coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State, where he now anchors one of the biggest roster overhauls in the country.

On3's Brett McMurphy placed that move at the top of his list of the Big 12's most impactful transfers for 2026.

Top 10 Big 12 transfers

After Mestemaker at No. 1, the rest of the top ten reads like a map of where the league expects its biggest swings to come from.

Wake Forest defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba landed at No. 2, now headed to Texas Tech. Running back Caleb Hawkins, Mestemaker's former backfield partner at North Texas, checked in at No. 3, also now wearing orange in Stillwater. Kansas State linebacker Austin Romaine ranked fourth on his way to Texas Tech, giving the Red Raiders two names inside the top five.

NEW: Top 10 Most Impactful Big 12 Football Transfers for 2026💥

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— On3 (@On3) July 16, 2026

Colorado wide receiver Omarion Miller (No. 5) and Boston College wide receiver Reed Harris (No. 6) both landed at Arizona State, while Texas wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. (No. 7) heads to Colorado. Oklahoma State also grabbed defensive end Wendell Gregory from Kansas State at No. 8, and wide receiver Wyatt Young, another North Texas transplant, rounded out the Cowboys' presence on the list at No. 9. Former Florida quarterback DJ Lagway closed things out at No. 10, now throwing for Baylor.

Three of the ten names, Mestemaker, Hawkins and Young, belong to Oklahoma State. Morris imported the engine of the North Texas offense that nearly reached the College Football Playoff and rebuilt his roster with 87 newcomers, a move Morris himself described as a "hard reset."

Mestemaker's role in Oklahoma State's turnaround

Oklahoma State finished 1-11 in 2025, its worst record since 1991, and hasn't won a Big 12 game in two seasons. Cowboys legend Mike Gundy was let go after a 1-2 start and the program eventually moved on to Morris after his success at UNT.

Mestemaker finished last season leading the FBS with 4,379 passing yards and 9.46 yards per attempt, adding 32 touchdown passes and a 608-yard outing along the way.

"Drew's just scratching the surface of how good he can be," Morris said. "He hasn't played a ton of football, and so I think he'll really grow a ton in these next couple of years."

Mestemaker has echoed that mindset since arriving on campus, noting that the Big 12 hasn't had a repeat champion since 2020.

Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker celebrates after an OSU touchdown during a spring football game. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"Coach Morris' whole thing is we're going to win wherever we go. So I think if you don't have that mindset, you're not in it for the right reasons, and that's how you should feel every day," Mestemaker said.

He's framed the open state of the conference as an opportunity rather than a hurdle, adding that the situation "excites us and really lets us set our goals high, like we can win this conference championship and be at the top of this thing."

Whether that translates against Big 12 competition remains an open question. But pairing the nation's leading passer with the running back and receiver who helped him get there gives Oklahoma State an updated version of last year's North Texas attack. Only this time, the stakes are higher with a nine-game conference schedule against far more talented defenses.