Cowboys Set to Start the Season with FBS Record, What It Means for Season Ahead

STILLWATER — A lot has been written about Eric Morris and his gigantic transfer class. So much that it probably feels like old news at this point, but before we get buried in the high stakes of the season, it’s worth recognizing just how rapidly Oklahoma State is attempting to turn the ship around.

Was told today that Oklahoma State has finalized its 2026 roster and has 92 new players. That’s more than 2023 Colorado, which was believed to be the modern FBS record of 87.

Cowboys retained 25 players from 2025 and have 117 total (including DSAs grandfathered in from House).

— Sam Khan Jr. (@skhanjr) August 28, 2026

​Very few names that take the field next weekend will be recognizable to Cowboy fans at first. Although the hype surrounding quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins will likely offset some of those feelings.

For what it’s worth, the Colorado comparison could prove to be another sign that Oklahoma State’s short stint in the college football wilderness is coming to an end.

The Buffaloes combined to go 5-19 in the two seasons before they brought in Deion Sanders. As is well documented, Oklahoma State went 4-20 the last two years.

The similarities continue from there.

According to 247Sports’ transfer rankings, the Buffaloes added 52 players headlined by 5-star, two-way throwback Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who was one of five 4-star prospects. That group ranked No. 1 among transfer groups. The transfer portal has only gotten more competitive since then.

247Sports transfer rankings counted the Cowboys class at 54 players, not totally sure why the discrepancy. That group included 5-star quarterback Drew Mestemaker and four 4-star prospects, including Hawkins.

That group ranked 15th nationally and second in the Big 12.

In Sanders’ first season, the one with all those transfers, they finished 4-8, which represented a 3-win bump from 2022.

If Oklahoma State only adds three wins this season, the first year of the Morris era would be disappointing, but Deion’s first team was a bit unlucky. That Colorado team lost four games by one possession. The previous two Buffalo squads had lost two such games total.

So in reality, the Buffaloes gained three wins and were much more competitive in losses, putting themselves a handful of plays away from an 8-4 regular-season finish.

As impactful as Hunter was for the Buffaloes, he’s still probably not as impactful as a true first-round quarterback. It will be at least eight months until we learn if that’s what Mestemaker is, but given the ongoing draft conversation surrounding his future, that’s on the table.

As dark as things got last season, the Cowboys still managed to lose four games by one possession, and former coach Mike Gundy led OSU to a 1-3 showing in one-score games during his final full season in 2024.

From a program standpoint, the Cowboys were in a much stronger position than the Buffaloes for most of the last 20-plus years. So with all of that in mind, it seems reasonable to expect a bigger leap from Morris than Sanders got out of Colorado in year one.

It’s also fair to point out Sanders was still a bit of an unknown where coaching is considered, despite his tremendous success at a lower level. It would be almost like hiring Morris after Incarnate Word instead of North Texas, though given Morris’ experience coordinating offenses at Texas Tech, even that comp feels a little misleading.

At this point, some are probably pointing out that Colorado collapsed last season, finishing 3-9 following departures from Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. It’s worth noting that the Buffaloes still lost three one-score games, so it wasn’t like the team completely returned to being the conference’s punching bag.

Plus, in 2024 Deion  cashed in on all of that potential for a 9-4 finish, plus a single one-possession loss, which put his group on the wrong side of tiebreakers when it came time to determine conference championship participation. ​

If the Cowboys crush this season, then Morris might put Oklahoma State near some of those marks this fall. If they fall a bit short, think closer to six wins, then maybe that locks Mestemaker into a second year, and OSU can make a serious run at everything in 2027.

Either way, it feels like the Cowboys are on the cusp of real celebratory football for the first time since 2023, and it all starts with the record-setting transfer class.