What to watch for as Cowboy football begins fall camp

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The media scrum around Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins grew bigger than any other at Big 12 Media Days last month, as the two Cowboy newcomers were flooded with questions.

How quickly can 87 newcomers mesh together?

What’s it like being in the spotlight?

How do you handle expectations?

There might not be a team that’s been more nationally captivating, especially after a 1-11 season, than Oklahoma State. Head coach Eric Morris signed a top-15 – and the largest – portal class in the country, and the Cowboys spent the spring establishing a new identity.

It’s been an offseason full of hype and curiosity, but now things get real, as OSU begins fall camp Wednesday ahead of its Sept. 5 season opener at Tulsa.

As recently as a few weeks ago, CBS Sports listed OSU as a dark horse for making the College Football Playoff. That’s a bit premature, and Mestemaker said the Cowboys are paying those conversations no mind. It’s time now time to drown out the offseason talk and put in the work.

“You have to kind of keep what’s inside the building inside the building and what’s outside outside. It’s obviously good to hear those things and it feels good to hear your name in those talks. But also your name’s not going to be in those talks if you don’t go out and perform,” Mestemaker said. “We know that and have learned to kind of separate those two things.”

There are plenty of questions with this OSU team that won’t be answered until the season, but there are several things to learn over the course of fall camp.

How does offensive line take shape?

Offensive line was an area the Cowboys weren’t totally healthy in during spring ball. Junior tackle Braydon Nelson was “banged up,” Morris said, and senior tackle Ashton Lepo missed the spring game for “precautionary reasons.”

Both should be ready to go and are expected to be starting at the tackle sports. But when spring practice ended, Morris still wasn’t settled on a starting five.

“I think having five guys gel together is really important up front. … Hopefully by scrimmage No. 1 in fall camp, we’ll have the five solidify where we’re gonna play them and allow them to kinda grow together,” Morris said after the spring game.

That cohesion is important. Inconsistency on the offensive line has bitten the Cowboys several times, including the past two seasons, when the OSU offense ranked No. 114 and 120 in rushing offense. There are other factors that went into those outputs, but the offensive line play hasn’t helped.

The Cowboys invested heavily in its offense in the offseason, with the likes of Mestemaker and Hawkins. Finding the right combination up front to keep Mestemaker upright and open gaps for Hawkins is important.

What’s the RB depth chart?

Other than at quarterback, no position has a No. 1 spot locked up more than running back does with Caleb Hawkins. But who is behind him?

Hawkins was fifth nationally in rushing yards as a freshman and led the country in rushing touchdowns. Still, he only handled about 52% of the Mean Green’s handoffs. Roughly half or more of the offense’s snaps are up for grabs, and there are several players vying for them.

James Madison transfer Ayo Adeyi is one of the most experienced backs in the room, having rushed for 2,480 yards in his career. His best year came in 2023, while in Morris’ first year at UNT, so he’s familiar with the offense.

Tre Page III ran for 839 yards at Tarleton State as a redshirt freshman last year and could definitely be in the rotation. William Mason is another wild card, having rushed for more than 1,600 yards the past three seasons at UCO, and true freshman KD Jones from Jenks was one of the top recruits in the state.

Morris said the running backs room operated “by committee” in the spring and he was still looking for the hierarchy to take shape, but the fall should give a better look into who will be second and third in the rotation.

How does D-line change with/without Oates?

Now that defensive tackle Iman Oates is eligible after receiving a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, where does that put him in the mix?

His case is still ongoing, with a full hearing on his eligibility pending, so it’s a fluid situation. If he’s available this season, he’s certainly a boost. Oates, who participated in spring, made 19 starts the past two seasons with 39 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks.

While he brings experience, Oates hasn’t had eligibility this summer and hasn’t been with the team, so his playing shape is a question. Can he join the team a month before the season and pick up where he left off, get conditioned and mesh with a new group?

Without Oates, OSU still has some depth on the interior. Saadiq Clements followed Morris from North Texas, where he made eight starts a year ago with 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Senior Jerry Lawson is a seasoned veteran from Louisville, and Braylon Rigsby was a rotational piece at Texas Tech the past two years.

The defense as a whole is a question mark and maybe the biggest factor in how this season will play out, and the interior line depth will be something to watch.

How will tight ends be used?

Last year, North Texas tight end Tre Williams III had 30 receptions for 375 yards and five touchdowns. The last time an OSU offense had a tight end with 30 catches in a season? Blake Jackson in 2012.

Morris has shown he will use the tight end in the receiving game, but how will he use that position in Stillwater?

For years, OSU used the “Cowboy Back,” a hybrid tight end position that was primarily used in blocking and as a fullback. That later evolved, but OSU hasn’t been pass-heavy with tight ends. The past two years, the entire unit has combined for 30 receptions.

Morris’ mentor, Mike Leach, didn’t throw to tight ends in his Air Raid system, and at times Morris hasn’t either. In his first year at UNT, Morris only had four completions to TEs. But that number grew to 22 in Year 2, and Morris is more willing to use the tight end in the passing game in his version of the Air Raid, as personnel allows.

Donovan Green, a 6-foot-3, 238-pound senior with experience at Texas A&M and LSU, is a frontrunner of the group, and so is Oscar Hammond, who caught 19 passes at UNT in 2024 before transferring to OSU. Special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Drew Svoboda said in spring he wants an “H tight end” in the offense.

“That’s the true hybrid. That’s what we love here,” Svoboda said. “He’s part running back, part fullback, part receiver, part tight end, part offensive tackle, part offensive guard. He can kind of do a little bit of everything. And that true H hybrid tight end is what really flourishes in this offense.”

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