Honestly, walking into Boone Pickens Stadium right now probably feels like walking into a house where someone just moved out in a hurry. The boxes are half-packed, the walls are bare, and you’re pretty sure someone left the oven on. After a 1-11 nightmare in 2025 that finally ended the two-decade Mike Gundy era, the Oklahoma State football transfer portal situation hasn't just been busy—it's been a complete demolition and rebuild project.
If you haven’t checked the roster lately, don't bother. It’s gone. Basically, new head coach Eric Morris walked into Stillwater and found a program that had hit rock bottom. And then it started digging. At one point in late December and early January, the Cowboys had a staggering 64 players in the portal. That isn't a "transition." It's an exodus.
The Great Stillwater Exit: Who Actually Left?
You can’t talk about the Oklahoma State football transfer portal without acknowledging the sheer volume of talent that decided to pack their bags. We’re talking about a historic roster overhaul.
The biggest sting for most fans was probably seeing the young core evaporate. Wendell Gregory, the talented edge rusher and former Freshman All-American, headed to Kansas State. That one hurts because he's staying in the Big 12. He’ll be lining up against the Pokes soon enough. Then you’ve got running back Rodney Fields Jr., an Oklahoma native who seemed like the future of the backfield. He followed the same path to Manhattan, Kansas.
It wasn't just them, though.
- Josh Ford (TE): Bolted for Alabama.
- Noah McKinney (OL): Headed to TCU.
- Gavin Freeman (WR): Flipped from Tennessee to Baylor.
- Taje McCoy (LB): Off to Georgia Tech.
- Armstrong Nnodim (DT): Committed to Penn State.
It’s almost easier to list who stayed. Safety Cameron Epps and receiver Da'Wain Lofton both entered the portal but eventually withdrew, giving Morris at least a couple of familiar faces to look at in the meeting rooms. But for the most part, the Mike Gundy era is 100% over. The "Gundy guys" are elsewhere, and Eric Morris is effectively starting a franchise from scratch.
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Bringing the "Mean Green" to Stillwater
So, how do you fix a roster that has more holes than a block of Swiss cheese? If you're Eric Morris, you go back to what you know. Since Morris came over from North Texas after a massive 11-2 season, he decided to bring half of Denton with him.
The crown jewel of the Oklahoma State football transfer portal additions is undoubtedly quarterback Drew Mestemaker.
Mestemaker is a legit star. Last year at North Texas, he put up 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns. He knows Morris’s system better than Morris probably does. He’s the presumptive starter, and frankly, he has to be. Behind him, the Cowboys added UMass transfer Grant Jordan to provide some veteran depth.
But the North Texas pipeline didn't stop at the QB. Morris leaned heavily on his former players to fill the voids:
- Caleb Hawkins (RB): A versatile back who should see immediate touches.
- Miles Coleman & Terrence Lewis (WRs): Bringing existing chemistry with Mestemaker.
- Johnny Dickson III (OL): Crucial for an offensive line that was essentially decimated.
- Keviyan Huddleston (EDGE): Adding some much-needed pressure off the corner.
Is it a risk to rely this heavily on one former school? Maybe. But when you have to find 44+ new players in a single window, you take the guys who already know where to line up.
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The Defensive Rebuild: More Than Just UNT
While the offense looks like "North Texas 2.0," the defense is a bit more of a patchwork quilt. It had to be. You don't lose a guy like Wendell Gregory and just "replace" him easily.
Morris and his staff, including defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity, have been hunting for Big 12-ready bodies. Kanijal Thomas, a cornerback from Kansas State, is a big addition—not just because of his talent, but because he’s an Oklahoma kid (Del City) coming home.
They also went the DII route for depth, grabbing guys like linebacker Jack Puckett from Central Oklahoma. In the modern portal era, those "jump-up" players are often the hungriest guys on the field. They also landed some Power Four experience with cornerback Trudell Berry (Vanderbilt) and safety Vincent Holmes (Washington).
Why the 2026 Season is a Total Wildcard
Look, let’s be real. Oklahoma State fans are used to 9-win seasons and bowl games. 2025 was a traumatic shock to the system. But this level of portal activity is actually... kinda exciting?
Most experts are looking at the Oklahoma State football transfer portal class and seeing a path to a quick turnaround. Pistols Firing and other local outlets have pointed out that while the 1-11 floor was low, the ceiling for a Morris-led offense with Mestemaker at the helm is surprisingly high.
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There are three ways this usually goes:
- The "Texas" Path: You go from a losing record to 8 or 9 wins by hitting on a star QB and a few key defenders.
- The "USC" Path: Total roster flip that leads to immediate offensive fireworks but leaves the defense thin.
- The "Chaos" Path: The team takes too long to gel, and you end up with a 4-8 season where everyone is still learning each other's names.
Honestly, the lack of familiarity is the biggest hurdle. You can have all the talent in the world, but if the left tackle doesn't know the silent count and the WR is running a post when the QB thinks it’s a curl, you’re in trouble.
What to Watch Next
The winter portal window officially closed on January 16, but the fallout is still happening. Here is what you should be looking for as we head toward spring ball:
- The Tight End Room: Morgan McPhaul (VMI) and Donovan Green (LSU) are the new leaders here. After losing Josh Ford to Bama, watching how Morris uses these two in his "Air Raid" variation will be telling.
- The Offensive Line Chemistry: This is the biggest "if." If this unit doesn't bond by September, Mestemaker is going to be running for his life.
- Late Spring Entrants: There is always a second wave. Once players see the depth chart after spring practice, expect another 2-3 departures and maybe a couple of late additions to the Oklahoma State football transfer portal tracker.
Actionable Insight for Fans: If you're looking to keep up, don't just track the "stars." Watch the offensive line additions. Skill players like Mestemaker and Hawkins will get the headlines, but this season will be won or lost based on whether those 9+ transfer linemen can actually play as a unit. Check the spring game roster carefully; if you see a lot of "TBD" or walk-ons in the second string, the depth might still be a major concern heading into the fall.
The 2026 Cowboys are going to be unrecognizable. For a program that had become a bit stagnant at the end of the previous regime, that might be exactly what Stillwater needs.