The Transfer Portal Is Open in Stillwater, What Is Doug Meacham’s Plan?

STILLWATER — Every college football team across the country has either reached the business-decision point of the season or, like OSU, is creeping up on it. 

Once a player participates in five games he can no longer redshirt to preserve the year of eligibility, a fact which interim Cowboys head coach Doug Meacham was well aware of when he began speaking to reporters following Wednesday’s practice.

“Just want these guys to have fun because, you know in the day and age, what we’re doing now, these kids have the options,” Meacham said. “It’s not like back when I played, we were just kind of stuck with what it was, they have options.

“And not to say that we’re not going to hold them accountable and work them. At the same time, you know, it’s a sense of the time, and we want them to have fun, and we want to go out there and battle and fight and have fun as a unit out there.”

The Cowboys were just over 24 hours removed from the official announcement that OSU had removed former head coach Mike Gundy. On Wednesday, Meacham acknowledged that many of the players on the roster moved to Stillwater to play for Gundy.

Despite the abrupt change, OSU’s interim head coach said the player’s have impressed him with their work ethic in the two practices without Gundy.

“You know, as coaches, you can sense bad body language and people that are going off and holding court somewhere by themselves and that type of thing,” Meacham said. “I don’t feel any of that. I think these guys are excited about playing in this game this weekend.”

Because the Cowboys made a head coaching change, technically the transfer portal is open for 30 days for any players who want to begin speaking with other programs midseason. NCAA rules prohibit players from playing for multiple schools in the same season, though if a player moved quickly they could potentially practice with a new team if they could enroll.

Although the portal is an option, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for players unless they have the ability to redshirt.

For his part, Meacham said he hasn’t heard any talk of guys considering the portal, but added that he’s sure some guys have at least thought about it if they feel like they aren’t playing enough. 

Following Saturday’s game against Baylor, many Cowboys will hit the four-game threshold, so it’s possible some guys will choose to make business decisions at that point.

“Yeah, that’s a reality,” Meacham said. “So I mean, if and when and whatever happens, we’ll deal with it and make the best of it.”

Below is a list of noteworthy OSU players who retain the ability to redshirt this season if they choose to go that route.