Oklahoma State Has Plenty of Reasons to Buy the Hype—The Coaching Staff Isn’t Buying Any of It Yet
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Drew Mestemaker can sling it. Caleb Hawkins can run. Wyatt Young can make plays. Justin Bowick apparently looks like a monster.
The transfer portal has completely transformed Oklahoma State's roster, and national analysts are beginning to notice.
It's August. This is when we're supposed to get excited.
Eric Morris' coaching staff? They're worried about whether everyone lines up correctly.
And honestly? That's probably one of the most encouraging things we've heard all fall camp.
Because Oklahoma State doesn't need another August championship. It needs to win football games.
All the speed, athleticism and offensive firepower Morris brought to Stillwater won't mean much if the Cowboys don't master the boring stuff first.
Brophy Isn't Interested in Winning the Hype Machine
Ask offensive coordinator Sean Brophy about all the speed Oklahoma State has accumulated and he certainly recognizes it.
How couldn't he? Mestemaker led the country in passing last season. Hawkins led the nation in touchdowns. Young finished third nationally in receiving yards. Bowick has become one of the biggest names coming out of fall camp. There are weapons everywhere.
But when Brophy was asked about all that explosiveness this week, he quickly redirected the conversation toward something considerably less exciting. Execution.
“I think the skillset's there,” Brophy said. “I think at this point now it comes down to execution, right?” That's the point.
Nobody needs convincing that Oklahoma State has talent. Now prove you can use it.
Everybody Has to Do Their 1-of-11
I love the way Brophy framed this. Every player has one job within the larger operation.
Do your 1-of-11. It sounds simple. Football usually does until somebody doesn't do it.
Mestemaker can make the perfect read, but it doesn't matter if someone misses a block.
Hawkins can have a lane designed perfectly, but it disappears if one offensive lineman loses his assignment.
Young can beat his defender, but the football never arrives if protection breaks down.
Great offenses aren't simply collections of talented players.
They're 11 players executing simultaneously. That's what Brophy is trying to build.
Cassity Is Saying the Exact Same Thing
On the other side of the football. Different coordinator. Same message.
Skyler Cassity has plenty of athletes he's excited about defensively.
But before Oklahoma State starts flying around making highlight-reel plays, he wants something else.
Communication. Stance. Alignment. Fundamentals.
“Don't get things twisted,” Cassity said. “It all goes back to the fundamentals of football.”
That's about as straightforward as it gets and after what Oklahoma State has endured defensively over the past couple of seasons, perhaps boring is exactly what the Cowboys need.
Line up correctly. Know your assignment. Communicate. Tackle. Then worry about everything else.
That's How You Turn Talent Into a Football Team
This roster is fascinating because Oklahoma State essentially assembled it in one offseason.
Dozens of transfers. Players from North Texas. Players from Power Four programs. Players from the FCS level. Returning Cowboys.
They're all wearing the same uniform now. That doesn't automatically make them a team.
That's the challenge Morris' staff is dealing with. It's one thing to accumulate talent.
It's another to get eleven players operating as one.
Cassity specifically said that's when the defense can really begin flying around and making plays—when everyone is functioning together. That's culture-building in its least glamorous form.
The Margin for Error Is About to Get Smaller
That's where this becomes especially important.
Oklahoma State could get away with certain mistakes against lesser competition that will become disasters against better teams.
Miss an assignment against an elite pass rusher? Mestemaker might be on the ground.
Give away a coverage against a Big 12 quarterback? Touchdown.
Miss a tackle against an explosive running back? Good luck catching him.
The talent level is increasing. That means the details become more important, not less.
This Is Actually What I Want to Hear From the Staff
Coaches could spend August telling everyone how explosive Oklahoma State is going to be.
Sell the excitement. Feed the hype. Talk about all the points they're going to score. We already know that stuff.
I don't need Morris' staff telling me Hawkins is fast. I've watched him.
I don't need them telling me Mestemaker can throw. We have an entire season of evidence.
Tell me they're obsessing over alignment. Tell me they're fixing communication. Tell me they're making players repeat something until all 11 execute it correctly.
That's how you turn an exciting roster into a winning football team.
The Fun Stuff Only Works Because of the Boring Stuff
Everyone wants the 70-yard touchdown. Nobody talks about the offensive lineman who made the correct protection call.
Everyone wants the interception. Nobody notices the safety communicating the coverage correctly before the snap.
Everyone wants Hawkins breaking three tackles. Nobody remembers the receiver who sealed the edge.
But those plays don't happen without those details. That's football.
The spectacular stuff is usually built on something incredibly ordinary being done correctly.
Final Thoughts
There are plenty of reasons for Oklahoma State fans to be excited.
I understand the hype. I've bought into plenty of it myself.
Mestemaker is fascinating. Hawkins could be one of the Big 12's most explosive backs. The receivers look loaded.
Morris has an offensive track record that speaks for itself. But none of those things guarantee Oklahoma State wins.
Brophy and Cassity seem to understand that better than anyone.
They're not spending August worrying about how exciting Oklahoma State looks on paper.
They're worrying about execution. Communication. Alignment. Fundamentals. Eleven guys doing their jobs.
It's boring. It's not going viral.
And if Oklahoma State really is going to pull off the dramatic turnaround everyone keeps talking about?
The boring stuff might be exactly what makes all the exciting stuff possible.
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