How Oklahoma State’s Best Defenders Stack Up with Big 12

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State’s defense faces a tall task in 2026 if it’s going to avoid living in the shadow of what could be one of the Big 12’s best offensive units.

But how do Cowboy defenders measure up against their peers inside the Big 12? In short, there’s a real chance Oklahoma State could produce a few of the better defenders in the conference.

When ranked mostly from a production standpoint, Oklahoma State was one of only five teams with multiple top-five options suiting up in 2026.

It is worth noting that defensive talent can often show up in the box score as an absence of stats, as top pass rushers face double teams and top defensive backs see fewer targets. So it’s possible these shortlists could feature a few more duds across the conference than the offensive one Oklahoma State dominated.

Top Tacklers

1. LB Owen Long (Arizona State): 151 tackles
2. LB Gideon Lampron (Colorado): 119 tackles
3. LB Ethan Wesloski (Oklahoma State): 113 tackles
4. LB Cade Uluave (BYU): 97 tackles
5. S Jamel Johnson (TCU): 96 tackles

Wesloski seems like a lock to be the heart of the Cowboys’ defense in 2026 and for good reason after he finishing 22nd in the nation in tackles last season. He finished with double-digit tackles four times and, more importantly, has proven he can execute coordinator Skyler Cassity’s defense as he finished last season with an overall defensive grade of 91 per Pro Football Focus.

Long led the nation by eight tackles while at Colorado State last year. His only power conference opponent came in week one at Washington, where he finished with 13 tackles and two quarterback pressures. His grade of 71 that week matches his season-long grade of 71.

​Lampron finished 16th in the nation in tackles, and unlike the other two transfers coming from non-power conference ranks, he got two shots against those teams last season at Bowling Green. He recorded six tackles at Cincinnati and another 12, including a sack, in a lopsided loss at Louisville. His grades in those games were 75 and 66, but that didn’t stop him from finishing with a season-long grade of 87.

Uluave’s overall 2025 grades from PFF are spotty, as he experienced a bit of a rollercoaster ride at Cal. His overall defensive grade of 61 was a nearly five-point bump from the previous season. He did finish with a 90-plus grade as a pass rusher for the second straight season, although he only averages close to 50 such opportunities per season.

Johnson is the Big 12’s lone true returner, making his season-long grades of 73 and 69 in the last two seasons at TCU the most concrete thing on this list.

Total pressures

1. Edge Adam Trick (Texas Tech): 67 total pressures (hits, hurries and sacks)
2. Edge Trey White (Texas Tech): 51 total pressures
3. Edge Harper Holloman (West Virginia): 48 total pressures
4. DL Ezra Christensen (Colorado): 40 total pressures
5. Edge Isaac Terrell (Iowa State): 39 total pressures
6. DL Santana Hopper (Colorado): 39 total pressures

Top Cowboy: James Williams: 22 pressures

It’s a popular week to hate on Texas Tech, something offensive line coaches across the Big 12 might be feeling this fall. Trick and White each recorded eight sacks last season playing for Miami (Ohio) and San Diego State, respectively. In three games against power conference opponents, that duo combined for 17 pressures and three sacks.

The rest of the top are also new to the power conference ranks this fall. Here is how they did against that level of competition.

• Holloman (Western Kentucky transfer): 1 game, one hurry
• Christensen (New Mexico State): 1 game, two hurries
• Terrell (Washington State): 3 games, nine total pressures, including three sacks
• Hopper (Tulane): 3 games, seven pressures in regular season, but none against Ole Miss in playoffs

Hopper did play a role in getting Morris to Stillwater full-time earlier, as he finished with a season-high six total pressures, including two sacks in the conference title win over North Texas.

Although Williams, a Florida State transfer, didn’t put up the overall numbers of those guys, the difference in schedule could be a major factor. Nine of his 11 games tracked by Pro Football Focus came against power conference foes. He finished those games with 21 pressures, including three sacks. Williams might have put himself on the radar early as he finished with a season-high five pressures in the opener against Alabama.

​Top Defensive Backs

Most coverage snaps per reception (min. 100 coverage snaps)

1. S Ben Finneseth (Colorado): 106 (second, nationally)
2. CB LaDainian Fields (Oklahoma State): 61.5 (fourth)
3. S Antwan Peek (Cincinnati): 57.3 (fifth)
4. S Devin Dye (Kansas): 42 (19th)
5. S Trevon Gola-Callard (Cincinnati): 40.9 (23rd)

Top Secondary coverage grade (min. 100 coverage snaps)

1. Jay’Vion Cole (Arizona): 89.8 grade
2. Ty Goodwill (Cincinnati): 86.3 grade at South Alabama
3. Faeltau Satuala (BYU): 84.9 grade
4. John Curry (Texas Tech): 83.2 grade
5. Evan Johnson (BYU): 82.6 grade

Top Cowboy: CB LaDainian Fields 77.6

​It’s hard to identify top defensive backs using any form of metric. The first grouping feels a lot like defensive backs poised to break out, considering most played less than 200 coverage snaps, while the second list feels more established, given those guys saw a lot more playing time on average.

Of the 10 guys above, only Goodwill transferred to a new team since last season, so the other nine are true returners. Fields might be the best thing to come out of last season’s turmoil, as the portal departures and coaching changes gave him a chance to prove himself.

An opportunity he immediately turned into an interception against Arizona. Fields then posted a season-high grade of 80 against Houston during his next appearance.

From there, his role increased, and opponents still rarely looked his way. He finished the season allowing only two completions against 13 total targets. Those receptions went for 23 yards, meaning Fields finished the year with an equal amount of interceptions (two) and more yards (50) than he allowed.