Tim Brando Calls Oklahoma State a Big 12 Sleeper

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Add Tim Brando to the growing list of national voices buying into Oklahoma State's potential turnaround under Eric Morris.

During an appearance on The Tyler Jones Report, the longtime FOX Sports broadcaster offered a fascinating comparison for what Morris is attempting in Stillwater: instead of building a program piece-by-piece, bring the nucleus of a successful team with you and try to win immediately.

That's essentially what Morris has done. And Brando believes it could make Oklahoma State one of the sleepers in the Big 12.

“That's a team who can immediately come out, have a winning team and go to a bowl game,” Brando said.

North Texas Moves North

Brando compared Morris' Oklahoma State rebuild to other coaches who have taken significant pieces of their previous programs with them to new jobs.

His point? In today's transfer portal era, a new coach doesn't necessarily need multiple recruiting classes to establish his system anymore.

Morris arrived in Stillwater after building North Texas into an 11-win program with the nation's No. 1 scoring and total offense. Instead of leaving the core of that success behind, a significant portion followed him north.

Quarterback Drew Mestemaker came. Running back Caleb Hawkins came. Wide receiver Wyatt Young came. Defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity came. And they're far from alone.

Oklahoma State enters 2026 with 88 newcomers, including 21 players who previously played for Morris. That's why Brando's comparison makes sense.

This isn't Morris arriving in Stillwater and teaching his system to an entirely unfamiliar roster. He's bringing players who already know how it works.

‘Morris Is a Quarterback Whisperer’

Brando also highlighted something we've discussed throughout the offseason: Morris' history developing quarterbacks. “Morris is a quarterback whisperer,” Brando said.

Cam Ward might be the best example. Morris coached Ward at Incarnate Word, where an overlooked quarterback developed into one of the most productive players in the FCS. Ward eventually followed Morris to Washington State before continuing his career at Miami and becoming one of college football's biggest stars.

But Ward isn't the only name on Morris' résumé. Patrick Mahomes. Baker Mayfield. John Mateer. Chandler Morris. And now Drew Mestemaker.

Mestemaker went from a former high school backup and North Texas walk-on to leading the FBS with 4,379 passing yards last season.

That track record is a major reason expectations surrounding Mestemaker have become so high before he has even taken his first snap at Oklahoma State. Brando believes Morris can continue that success in Stillwater.

“He'll do great things with the personnel he's bringing in from North Texas at Oklahoma State,” Brando said.

Another National Voice Buying the OSU Hype

That's becoming the bigger story as Week 1 approaches. The optimism surrounding Oklahoma State isn't confined to Stillwater anymore.

National analysts have increasingly identified the Cowboys as a potential surprise team. Tulsa coach Tre Lamb recently called Oklahoma State the most talented team on Tulsa's schedule and said the Cowboys don't have any weaknesses.

Now Brando is taking it another step. He expects Oklahoma State to win games immediately.

“They'll win games this year and definitely a sleeper pick,” Brando said. “The upper division of the conference.”

Think about what that would represent. Oklahoma State went 1-11 last season. The Cowboys haven't won a Big 12 game since 2023.

Now we're discussing whether they could finish in the upper half of the conference in Morris' first season. That sounds like an enormous leap.

But that's also exactly why Morris brought so much of North Texas with him. He isn't trying to build Oklahoma State from scratch. He's trying to take something that already worked, move it a few hours north and see how quickly it translates to the Big 12.

Brando believes it will. And if he's right, Oklahoma State's rebuild might look a lot more like a reload than anyone would've imagined after 1-11.

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