Oklahoma State Hasn’t Taken a Snap Yet—Does Eric Morris Already Have One of College Football’s Best Offenses?

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Oklahoma State hasn't scored a point yet. Drew Mestemaker hasn't thrown a touchdown in Boone Pickens Stadium. Caleb Hawkins hasn't taken a handoff as a Cowboy. Wyatt Young and Miles Coleman haven't caught a pass in orange and black.

Yet look at the preseason award lists and you might think Oklahoma State is returning one of the most established offenses in college football.

Quarterback. Running back. Wide receiver. National recognition everywhere.

And considering Eric Morris was hired largely because of his offensive success at North Texas, it's getting harder not to wonder:

Does Oklahoma State already have one of college football's most talented offenses before we've even seen it play?

Start With Mestemaker

The latest recognition belongs to the quarterback. Mestemaker has been added to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list, another major honor for a player who enters Stillwater with significant expectations.

But this isn't his first preseason recognition. Mestemaker is also on the Maxwell Award watch list alongside Hawkins. And remember what happened last season.

Mestemaker won the Burlsworth Trophy, was named American Conference Offensive Player of the Year, became a Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist and a Manning Award finalist. He led the FBS with 4,379 passing yards while finishing second nationally with 34 passing touchdowns.

So while Mestemaker hasn't done it in the Big 12 yet, he's hardly an unknown commodity.

Then There's Hawkins

We've spent plenty of time talking about Caleb Hawkins this week because the guy seemingly lands on another watch list every day.

Doak Walker Award. Walter Camp Player of the Year. Maxwell Award.

That's what happens after scoring an FBS-leading 29 touchdowns as a freshman.

Hawkins isn't being viewed merely as one of the Big 12's intriguing running backs. National award committees already view him as one of the most talented backs in college football.

And Don't Forget the Receivers

Then we get to the group Mestemaker will be throwing to. Wyatt Young and Miles Coleman are both on the Biletnikoff Award watch list.

That puts Oklahoma State among only 14 programs nationally with players represented on both the Doak Walker and Biletnikoff preseason lists.  That's impressive enough.

Then add a quarterback receiving Maxwell and Golden Arm recognition. Now you're talking about national award candidates at essentially every major offensive skill position.

They've Already Done It Together

This might be the most important part. These aren't random stars Eric Morris collected through the portal and now has to figure out how to use.

Mestemaker knows Hawkins. Mestemaker knows Young. Mestemaker knows Coleman.

They know Morris. They know the offense. They know the terminology. And most importantly, they've already produced together.

North Texas led the FBS in scoring offense and total offense last season, while Mestemaker led the country in passing yards and Hawkins led it in touchdowns.

Morris didn't just bring his playbook to Stillwater. He brought many of the guys who proved it works.

Now Comes the Giant Disclaimer

We've said this with basically every North Texas transfer. The Big 12 isn't the American.

Defensive lines will be better. Secondaries will be deeper. The athletes will be faster. And Oklahoma State won't surprise anybody.

That's why I'm not ready to declare this one of the best offenses in America. But I'm certainly ready to ask the question.

Because how many teams can say their quarterback, running back and multiple receivers are already being discussed for major national awards? Not many.

Final Thoughts

We've spent the offseason wondering how quickly Eric Morris can turn Oklahoma State around. Maybe we're starting to get our answer—at least offensively.

Mestemaker has the Maxwell and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm recognition.

Hawkins has the Maxwell, Doak Walker and Walter Camp recognition.

Young and Coleman have the Biletnikoff. And they haven't played one snap together at Oklahoma State.

Watch lists don't score touchdowns. Preseason hype doesn't win Big 12 games. Everything still has to translate.

But after a 1-11 season, it's remarkable that we're even asking this question: Does Oklahoma State already have one of college football's best offenses?

Eric Morris brought the pieces with him. Now we finally get to see what happens when he puts them back together in the Big 12.

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