The Oklahoma State Cowboys made the decision to finally bring an end to the Mike Gundy era after 20+ seasons. Moving on from a legendary head coach is never easy, but it became clear that the team needed to move on after the abysmal start to the season. While the decision seemed scary, Oklahoma State found a perfect replacement in Eric Morris.
After impressive tenures at Texas Tech (OC), Incarnate Word, and Washington State (OC), Eric Morris was given his chance to coach at the FBS level with North Texas. After going 11-14 in his first two seasons, Eric Morris put together an incredible 11-2 season with the Mean Green earning himself the Oklahoma State job.
David Pollack declares Oklahoma State can "do something special" in 2026
On his Podcast "See Ball Get Ball", David Pollack declared the Oklahoma State Cowboys a team to look out for in 2026 as Eric Morris had an impressive transfer cycle.
Y'all need to keep a look out for @CowboyFB.
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) January 27, 2026
That portal class... new coach... hmm... pic.twitter.com/yJRyI2pYhx
When you look at Eric Morris' track record at North Texas, and what he built this season, it's hard to see how this team isn't competitive next season. The Mean Green had the most explosive offense in the Country this season, averaging 50.6 points per game which ranked 1st in the Nation.
Eric Morris was the architect of that unit but he also brings most of the key pieces with him to Stillwater. Drew Mestemaker drew a ton of interest in the Transfer Portal, but he followed his head coach to the Big 12. Along for the ride is elite running back Caleb Hawkins who rushed for 1,434 yards and 25 touchdowns as a true freshman.
The playmakers on the outside don't get as much attention as Mestemaker and Hawkins, but they're both bringing elite ability to this offense. Wyatt Young went for 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns while Miles Coleman was the third option in the passing game, but still went for 550 yards.
The biggest question will be whether all of these pieces can transfer to a tougher conference and continue to play at such a high level. The biggest concerns will be in the trenches and on defense, but there's no question that this team has explosive playmakers all over the field.