‘I’ll Die on That Hill’: Eric Morris High on Oklahoma State’s Experience Along the Offensive Line

STILLWATER — When Eric Morris addressed the media, and by extension the fans, last week for only the second time, he didn’t gloat about signing the seventh-best portal class in the nation.

That shouldn’t be a surprise. Oklahoma State’s new coach has been warning fans to be patient and trust his eye for talent when they see him sign lower-rated prospects.

Instead, Morris chose to emphasize the importance of experience.

“That’s kind of been the secret to our success in the past,” Morris said. “Finding guys who have played meaningful snaps.”

Morris made a particularly big deal about this when discussing the offensive line.

“I saw a cool graphic the other day,” Morris said. “One of the coaches sent it to me for next year in 2026. We’re in the Top 10 for the amount of snaps we’ve played in all of college football. That was really cool to me because that’s something that we really look for.”

Morris was possibly referring to a chart created by DawgStats, which has the Cowboys ranked seventh in OL snaps with 7,857. That ranks second in the Big 12 behind only West Virginia, which leads by 391.

I’ve spent multiple days reworking the 2026 data. We will be updating the rosters soon with individual stats. But team stats are up to date. Check it out.https://t.co/OfqbAN9jv8 pic.twitter.com/VpcbJup5Ms

— DawgStats (@DawgStats) February 4, 2026

It’s worth noting that Pro Football Focus has Oklahoma State’s total offensive snap count among offensive linemen at 9,179. It’s possible some of the discrepancy involves snaps where these guys lined up at other positions on offense (tight end, perhaps), and it seems likely DawgStats didn’t include 1,012 snaps played at lower levels than FBS.

Returning Cowboys:
Jakobe Sanders: 412 (374 in 2025)

Former Morris players:
Braydon Nelson: 1,595 (788)
Johnny Dickson: 1,315 (779)
Tyler Mercer: 609 (44 at Kansas in 25)
Desmond Magiya: 241 (234)

P4 transfers:
Ashton Lepo (Michigan State): 963 (189)
Jacob Sexton (Oklahoma): 908 (6)

Other FBS transfers:
Louie Canepa (New Mexico State): 1,116 (0)
Joseph Hanson (Coastal Carolina): 1,008 (572)

Others:
Shaun Torgeson (Portland State): 973 (788)
Kai Holec (Indiana State): 39

Marshall recently took a guess at how this group could shake out, and he offered reasoning behind some of those guesses even farther back in the portal process.

​Until we see these guys in action this spring, it doesn’t make much sense to speculate further on the exact spot they could see time at Oklahoma State next fall.

What’s obvious now is that Morris likes this group in large part because so many guys either have 1,000 snaps or would hit that goal well before the first month of the season ends if they can earn real playing time.

​“I don’t think you can replicate game reps,” Morris said. “I’ll stand on the table, and I’ll die on that hill. I don’t care where it is. Obviously, the higher the level it is, the competition is better and they’ve seen a faster athlete and things happen a little faster. … Those kids that have played a lot of college football, it’s easier for them to connect the dots. It’s easier for them to go out there and make sense of what’s going on because they’ve been a part of game days when bullets are flying.”