Eric Morris Has Cowboys on Cutting Edge of New College Football Trend Which Powered Indiana’s Playoff Runs

PORTAL TRACKER

STILLWATER — The idea of a package deal between head coaches and their best players is starting to emerge in college football.

It’s well documented that Indiana coach Curt Cignetti brought 13 James Madison players over when he made the jump. That group formed a core that sparked Indiana’s shocking rise from the college football basement all the way to the penthouse.

Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris referenced the Hoosiers during his introductory press conference.

“I think there’s definitely a formula to success now,” Morris said when asked about a possible quick turnaround in Stillwater. “And I think we’re seeing that in the parity in college football right now. You’re seeing what Indiana is able to do.”

So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Morris has brought over 15 North Texas players in the first week of the transfer portal (plus a few more who had played under Morris previously)..

As OSU did with the shirts (or lack their of) this fall, the Cowboys could once again cement a trend in college football should the program shatter expectations in year one.

When Cignetti made the jump to the power conference level, no other coach making the same jump brought over more than three players. Last offseason three coaches making the G6 to P4 jump brought at least six transfers.

Wake Forest led the way with nine package-deal transfers who followed Jake Dickert. The Demon Deacons were the only team to improve by more than one win, but the Dickert’s group more than made up for less impressive results elsewhere, finishing 9-4 in 2025 for an improvement of five wins from the previous season.

While Morris leads the way in terms of rerecruiting his old roster, Auburn has pulled 11 commitments from South Florida, UCLA has nine guys from playoff participant James Madison and Arkansas has six former Memphis players.

And in what could be the biggest sign of things to come, Penn State has 20 transfers coming with Matt Campbell from Iowa State.

Of those programs, it seems likely that Oklahoma State could have the biggest influence on future hiring decisions based on where the Cowboys were pre-Morris and the fact that it’s likely easier for most programs to entice a roster of G6 guys to follow their former coach.

Of course to shape the sport, the Cowboys have to return to relevance in a hurry, and there’s evidence to suggest that could happen.

OSU’s transfer class ranks second in the nation according to 247Sports, behind only Penn State. On3 has the Cowboys, slightly lower, down at 10th.

That shatters anything the program accomplished in past portals.

OSU transfer portal rankings:

For context, Cignetti’s first transfer class at Indiana ranked 10th (On3) and 30th (247Sports), while Wake Forest’s group last season ranked 65th (On3) and 48th (247Sports).

Eleven of Cignetti’s JMU transfers were starters or heavy-rotation guys before they arrived in Indiana. Nine of them played a similar or increased role in their first season with the Hoosiers.

Four of the guys who followed Dickert to Wake Forest were starters. One of them left the team prior to the season for undisclosed reasons. The other three started for the Demon Deacons this season and three of the remaining five transfers either started alongside them or increased their role from barely playing to become heavy rotation options.

If nine guys could spark Indiana’s first playoff appearance and six could turn Wake Forest into a mid-tier ACC program, then anything over a 50% hit rate on UNT transfers could result in a special 2026.

It’s clear Drew Mestemaker will start at quarterback based on the numbers floating around. Several other guys project as clear starters for the Cowboys, but it’s impossible to know anything close to a complete picture until spring practice starts.

Still, OSU added UNT’s starting quarterback, running back, wide receiver, offensive tackle, offensive guard, defensive lineman, linebacker, safety and longsnapper in addition to heavy rotational players including a wide receiver and multiple defensive backs. The remaining three players saw smaller roles but still played at offensive line, receiver and defensive line.

“This new landscape has allowed there to be a pathway to be really good and flip a roster in a hurry,” Morris said.