Oklahoma State football opens fall practice with these key position battles

STILLWATER — Eric Morris has been on the job for more than eight months, but he’s still experiencing lots of firsts as the head coach of Oklahoma State football. 

Wednesday brought another one. Morris’ first preseason practice with the Cowboys. 

“We had some guys that performed well, came out here and handled it like pros,” Morris said, “but overall I thought we had too many people who were gasping for wind at the end of practice.” 

Things are still moving fast for an almost entirely new OSU team. The Cowboys have 81 newcomers — many of whom followed Morris from North Texas to OSU — compared to 25 returners, only five of which are returning starters. 

Here’s what we learned on Day 1. 

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Iman Oates welcomed back 

Iman Oates had the honor of bringing the team together at the end of practice. 

The defensive tackle was granted a temporary restraining order last week in his eligibility case. As of now, Oates is back with the Cowboys after being barred from team activities in the offseason. 

“I’d be sitting in my office and he’d be outside running by himself,” Morris said. “He’d have to go lift somewhere else.” 

Oates returned to the team in “phenomenal” shape. 

“A testament to him being committed,” Morris said. “That’s hard to do when you’re not out here with the team and you don’t know what your future looks like.” 

Oates, if available, will be a fixture on the Cowboys’ defensive front. 

Drew Mestemaker settling in 

Drew Mestemaker was one of college football’s breakout stars in 2025. He led the nation in passing at 313 yards per game. He threw for 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions. North Texas had its best season in school history. 

But Mestemaker might have another level to reach. Being QB1 is still relatively new for him. Remember, he never started a varsity game at quarterback in high school. 

Mestemaker has already asserted himself as OSU’s leader. 

“He’s been able to take charge and almost be a coach out there,” Morris said. 

For example, when a receiver wasn’t lined up correctly during practice Wednesday, Mestemaker said something before a coach could. 

“And I think just adjusting to the speed of the game at the (Power Four) level is something that’s going to be super important,” Morris said of Mestemaker. “There’s a reason this is a higher level of football. The guys are bigger, faster, stronger. The windows are going to be tighter. He’s got to continue to anticipate the way he has in the past.” 

Position battles to watch 

North Texas transfer Ethan Wesloski is the leader of the linebacker corps, but Morris said the Cowboys still need to settle on a top-four at the position. Isaiah Chisom, Tate Romney and Dallas Winner-Johnson were the other linebackers Morris mentioned. 

Chisom brings experience, having made a combined 22 starts at UCLA and Oregon State. Romney is the oldest player on OSU’s roster. He appeared in 10 games last season at Arizona State. Winner-Johnson, who’s in contention for best name on the team, is a Tulane transfer. 

Morris said there are also competitions at cornerback and offensive line. 

OSU has seven or eight offensive linemen competing for starting sports, Morris said. 

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Who will back up Drew Mestemaker?

UMass transfer Grant Jordan is the safe bet. He’s been in college since 2020, although he’s only made 11 career starts — nine at Yale and two at UMass. 

Keep an eye on freshman Broderick Vehrs, though. He’s the 5-foot-11 freshman from Gilbert, Arizona. 

“Brodie’s a guy who’s right on (Jordan’s) tail right now,” Morris said. “A young guy who got all those reps in the spring. We’ll give them a ton of reps and scrimmage live situations and see who can put it all together.” 

Extra points 

– Former Carl Albert standout Carl’veon Young has moved from linebacker to defensive end. “As a young kid, it’ll take some of the thinking out of the game and allow him to just read and react and play fast,” Morris said. 

– Behind Caleb Hawkins, who projects to be the bellcow back, KD Jones, William Mason and Tre Page III could all get carries. “KD has shown some explosion and has matured a lot,” Morris said. “Tre Page is super fast. He has speed to take it the distance. William Mason is a bigger, stronger kid — 225 pounds … I think we’ll use the majority of them in different situations.” 

Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football opens fall practice with these key position battles