Oklahoma State’s Starting Offensive Line Not Quite Locked In, But Starting to Take Shape

STILLWATER — Going back to the spring game, Eric Morris targeted the first fall scrimmage as a time he’d like to know who will make up his starting offensive line.

Well, that scrimmage was Saturday. Although Morris wasn’t ready to proclaim a starting five, at least not publicly, he said he’s getting close to knowing who will protect Drew Mestemaker come Sept. 5 in Tulsa.

“We’re getting close right now,” Morris said. “We’re getting close. Still working with Braydon (Nelson), not 100% healthy right now. He’s a guy that’s played a ton of football, so he’s one that we’ll have to throw into the equation. Now, whether that’s guard or tackle, he’s played both.

“But yeah, I think (Jacob) Sexton has done a phenomenal job at left tackle. (Tyler) Mercer’s for sure the guy at center. Joseph Hanson has moved around a little bit, is playing really good. I’ll tell you, the surprise of camp so far is Shaun Torgeson. Somebody that’s really played phenomenal for us. He can play multiple positions. We’ve had him at right tackle right now, him and (Ashton) Lepo battling that out. And then Johnny Dickson has done a good job at guard for us.”

That’s a lot of names and none of them were at Oklahoma State last season, so let’s slow it down a bit.

Nelson: Listed at 6-foot-4, 327 pounds, Braydon Nelson started all 14 of North Texas’ games last season as a true sophomore, starting 11 at left tackle and three at right tackle. He also played a heavy dose of right guard as a freshman in Denton. Nelson hasn’t been a full participant in the Cowboys’ fall camp because of injury.

Sexton: Jacob Sexton comes to Stillwater having spent the past four seasons at Oklahoma. Getting on the field wasn’t a problem for Sexton at OU. It was staying on the field while trying to fend off the injury bug. He’s played 997 offensive snaps — 404 at left tackle, 281 at left guard and 312 at right tackle. Based on the way Morris talked about him there, it seems like a lock that he’ll start at left tackle for the Cowboys.

Mercer: Tyler Mercer played at North Texas under Morris in 2024, where he was a Freshman All-American. He then transferred to Kansas ahead of last season and played in three games. Morris noted he is “for sure” the guy for the Cowboys at center.

Hanson: Jacob Hanson was All-Sun Belt second team selection at Coastal Carolina last season, playing all of his snaps at right tackle. He’s primarily been used inside of late and appears to be in contention for one of the starting guard spots.

Torgeson: Morris’ “surprise of camp,” Shaun Torgeson is a 6-foot-4, 302-pound redshirt sophomore who started at left tackle at Portland State last season. I wrote last week about Torgeson’s name starting to pop up a bit more as fall camp rolled on, and Morris kept that hype going Tuesday. He’s been used both inside and outside thus far in camp. Morris noted him in competition at right tackle, and during the live period the media were able to see Tuesday morning, Torgeson was in at right guard.

Lepo: Ashton Lepo was Michigan State’s starting right tackle in 2024 but made just two starts in 2025. At 6-foot-7, 320 pounds, he certainly checks the size box and is in contention at right tackle.

Dickson: Johnny Dickson was North Texas’ starting right guard in 2025 and started six games for the Mean Green in 2024 after spending the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Virginia Tech. He’s in the mix at guard for the Cowboys.

So, it’s shaping up to be something like this:

LT — Sexton
LG — Dickson/Hanson
C — Mercer
RG — Hanson/Torgeson
RT — Lepo/Torgeson

And Nelson could throw another wrench in that upon his looming return to action.

The Cowboys have another scrimmage this weekend, but for now, it might not be a bad thing to have more bodies than spots.

“Yeah, we’re getting really close,” Morris said. “And hopefully throughout this week we’re gonna work who we think are those guys together and let them gel, get on the same page and see them compete one last time on Saturday.”