The Big 12’s biggest character is gone.

For two decades at Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy managed to find his way into the spotlight, despite traditional powerhouses Texas and in-state rival, Oklahoma, often running the conference.

Aside from his boisterous personality, Gundy delivered the Cowboys’ best run, starting in 2005 with one Big 12 title, three other championship game appearances and eight 10-win seasons.

It all came to a halt last season as Oklahoma State’s struggles since 2023 hit rock bottom at 1-11, the worst since a winless 1991 campaign. Gundy, by far the winningest coach in Pokes history, was fired three games into the season.

Now, Oklahoma State enters the 2026 season with just its third different head coach in the last 25 years. Here’s everything you need to know about the Cowboys, who host Deion Sanders and Colorado on Saturday, Oct. 24:

Offseason storylines

Part of the reason Oklahoma State let go of Gundy early in the season was to get out in front of an active coaching carousel. The Pokes guessed right, with plenty of surprising Power 4 coach firings changing the landscape throughout the season. But they identified one of the top candidates early in North Texas’ Eric Morris and hired him before December.

Morris comes from the Mike Leach and “Air Raid” school of offense, having played for the late coach at Texas Tech and coached under him for one season at Washington State.

The former wide receiver rose to prominence as Patrick Mahomes’ offensive coordinator at Texas Tech in the mid-2010s before getting his first shot as a head coach at Incarnate Word, where he discovered and developed future No. 1 NFL draft pick Cam Ward.

In three seasons at North Texas, Morris went 22-16 with half of those wins coming last year when he led the Mean Green to its first 10-win season in nearly 50 years thanks to an offense that ranked No. 1 in the nation in points per game (45.1) and yards per game (512.4).

With Morris comes a large chunk of that UNT team as part of a transfer portal class that had nearly 60 members, leading to optimism for an instant turnaround this fall.

On offense

While it’s a jump up in competition from the AAC to the Big 12, there is a certain floor that exists for Morris and the Cowboy offense, thanks to the three stars all making the short trip up from Denton to Stillwater.

Quarterback Drew Mestemaker, a former walk-on who didn’t even start for his high school team, is coming off a sensational season in which he led the country in passing yards with 4,379. He still has three years of eligibility left.

Alongside him in the backfield is running back Caleb Hawkins, who was just as explosive as the Mean Green passing attack, rushing for 1,434 yards and 25 touchdowns last season.

Out wide, Wyatt Young led UNT with 1,264 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns as Mestemaker’s top target. 

The offensive line will be a question mark, but that trio leading the way in an offense built to tear apart Big 12 defenses should scare everyone on Oklahoma State’s schedule, especially a new-look Buffs unit.

On defense

Also following Morris to Stillwater is defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity, another fast riser in the coaching ranks.

Although the nation’s best offense stole the headlines, a big reason North Texas made such a big leap was due to a much-improved defense. Cassity had a track record of doing more with less in the same role at Abilene Christian and Sam Houston State before he was hired by Morris. 

The Mean Green ranked in the middle of the pack in the AAC in both points and yards per game allowed, despite being on the field more than any other defense in the conference.

The few key returners from last year’s Cowboys squad are on this side of the ball with defensive ends Malik Charles and Jaleel Johnson and cornerback LaDainian Fields poised to play big roles alongside plenty of newcomers, including several key starters from last year’s UNT squad. That includes leading tackler Ethan Wesloski. 

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The Oklahoma State Cowboys file

2025 record: 1-11 (0-9 Big 12)

Head coach: Eric Morris (1st season)

Offensive coordinator: Sean Brophy (1st season)

Defensive coordinator: Skyler Cassity (1st season)

Key returners: DE Malik Charles, DE Jaleel Johnson, CB LaDainian Fields 

Key newcomers: QB Drew Mestemaker, RB Caleb Hawkins, WR Wyatt Young, OT Braydon Nelson, OL Johnny Dickson III, DE James Williams, DL Keviyan Huddleston, LB Isaiah Chisom, LB Ethan Wesloski