‘Tough and Gritty’: How Miles Coleman Is Already Making an Impact at Oklahoma State

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STILLWATER — Miles Coleman thinks the fearlessness it takes to be a punt returner came naturally to him.

Every weekend, Coleman — all 5-foot-6, 158 pounds of him — signs up to look up in the sky tracking a ball as other Division-I athletes sprint at him with bad intentions.

“You have to have confidence back there,” Coleman said Tuesday. “You gotta be smart. You have to make fast, quick decisions. I think that’s kinda been born into me, and I think it’s gonna help me a lot to get to that next level. So, I think it was just kind of born, instilled into me, just going out there and making plays every week.”

Coleman made plenty of plays in the return game this past weekend as part of Oklahoma State’s 59-0 win against Murray State.

He returned five punts for 115 yards, ripping off a 55-yard return that he was just a block away from housing. Through three games as a Cowboy, he’s returned eight punts for 123 yards.

That’s already the most punt return yards a Cowboy has had since Dillon Stoner had 164 in 2019. The last Cowboy to crack 100 punt return yards was Brennan Presley in 2022 when he returned 14 punts for 111 yards.

Coleman perhaps should have fewer punt return yards this year if he called a few more fair catches, but that’s where that fearlessness comes into play.

“Yeah, coach has kinda got onto be about that, but every time I have the ball in my hands, I like to make a play,” Coleman said. “But just making smart decisions back there has helped me, and Coach (Drew) Svoboda has helped me a lot. So, I think just making smarter decisions and knowing when to fair catch and when to be aggressive has helped me a lot.”

Coleman’s big day returning punts added to a solid day as a pass-catcher. Against Murray State, he also caught three passes for 53 yards and the first touchdown of his Cowboy career.

Little trickery to @Milescoleman14 for the first score 🤠 pic.twitter.com/RkebQurAAZ

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 19, 2026

Coleman’s journey to Stillwater intersects with a lot of other journeys to becoming Cowboys.

The obvious one is that he was part of the group that went from North Texas to OSU with head coach Eric Morris.

But before that, Coleman was childhood friends with Drew Mestemaker in Austin, with the two sharing a Pop Warner football team where Mestemaker was the quarterback and Coleman was the running back.

Coleman got his foot in the door with North Texas first, as it wasn’t until after he signed that Morris said he spoke with Coleman to get the rundown on Mestemaker.

“I still vividly remember when Drew and his mom came and kinda sat down when we started recruiting him and thinking there was a spot for him to be our fifth quarterback there,” Morris said. “It was something that Coach (Sean) Brophy and I sat down with him and his mom and had a great conversation. And after that, we were able to sit down and talk to Miles and just get some background and what type of human being moreso than playing football, what kind of kid he was, what kind of person he was. So, everything checked out.”

But there was a time that even Coleman’s spot on the UNT roster had some question marks around it. Coleman earned his scholarship offer by showing out at a camp in the summer going into his senior year.

Coleman committed to North Texas on June 27, 2023 — two days after another twitchy receiver committed: Chris Barnes.

“Ironically, Chris Barnes was committed to us for that spot when we were at North Texas,” Morris said. “So, didn’t know if we were gonna have a spot to take Miles at the time.”

In the end, Barnes flipped late to Washington State. Coleman made it to Denton and made an instant impact as a true freshman, catching 36 balls for 378 yards and two touchdowns while also totaling 172 yards in the kick return game. Across his two seasons at UNT, Coleman caught 83 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns.

Then when he got to Stillwater, Coleman and Barnes were sharing a receiver room.

“It was awesome,” Coleman said. “He’s an explosive player, too. I actually thought they were gonna bring both of us there to UNT, but unfortunately Chris committed to Washington State. But seeing him come here, it’s been a blessing. Like I said, (we can be) like that Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle combination. I think that’s kinda the explosiveness we bring each and every week.”

When Coleman announced he was set to visit Oklahoma State out of the transfer portal, he did so with a picture of Tyreek Hill.

Twenty years ago or so, Coleman’s height would’ve seen a lot of coaches look over him, but guys like Hill and Waddle have brought the shorter, speedy receivers back into play. Coleman’s speed and fearlessness have made up for anything he’s lacked in terms of stature.

“Just tough and gritty, and just the ultimate — I don’t want to say underdog story,” Morris said. “I mean, he’s got speed, and I wouldn’t even say over-achiever. But always has had a chip on his shoulder.”