Is Drew Mestemaker a Top-10 Quarterback?

It’s a far more exciting offseason for Oklahoma State football than a year go.

There’s a new, young head coach in Eric Morris, and 85 new faces in the locker room as the Cowboys looks to wipe the slate cleaning after firing Mike Gundy well before the end of a third consecutive losing season at 1-11 overall. More than 60 players entered the transfer portal, a modest group of guys stuck around and the roster turnaround is quite remarkable.

North Texas quarterback transfer Drew Mestemaker is perhaps the most important of the new lot, and after orchestrating the country’s leading offense a year ago for the once-lowly Mean Green, you’d be right to be excited for his career his Stillwater.

The Sporting News released a list of its Top 25 college football quarterbacks entering the 2026 season, and listed Mestemaker at No. 9 above Arizona State transfer and presumable LSU starter Sam Leavitt.

As a redshirt freshman, Mestemaker led the nation in passing yards (4,379) while completing 68.9% of his throws for 34 different touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Austin, Texas, native added another 89 for five touchdowns o the ground, but also threw five different interceptions through the final two games of the season: a 34-21 loss at Tulane, and a 49-47 win over San Diego State in the New Mexico Bowl.

Stats aside, Mestemaker’s breakout season is especially meaningful to Morris and the Cowboys given how much of that North Texas team are now located 3.5 hours north in Oklahoma. Mestemaker’s leading receiver, Wyatt Young, as well as standout rusher Caleb Hawkins are just two roster flippers already on campus getting reps. They’re also familiar with Sean Brophy, bumped up to offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State after coaching QBs and serving as pass-game coordinator at North Texas.

Oklahoma State finished with the 15th-best portal class in the country, but how much of that talent aligns and fits into the plan in Stillwater – particularly along the line of scrimmage – remains to be seen until the season kicks off and we get some actual tape.

Schools like Tulane and Southern Florida kept the Mean Green under control last season, and a schedule including the likes of Oregon, Texas Tech and Kansas State will provide a substantial challenge throughout the inaugural Morris campaign. FanDuel has set Oklahoma State’s regular-season win total at 5.5, which seems responsible enough considering the circumstances.

This team may surprise or derail a Big 12 program’s ambitions, and a top-10 quarterback might just be the why.