What De'Marion Thomas' Redshirt Means for Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State will be without a key piece of its defensive front for the rest of the season.

On Wednesday, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that the Cowboys will be without defensive lineman De’Marion Thomas for the rest of the season as he is expected to redshirt. Thomas came to Stillwater after playing his first two years at Vanderbilt and was expected to be a significant player for the Pokes this season.

Through four games, Thomas had already racked up 13 tackles, including a tackle for loss. His total tackles ranked second among OSU defensive linemen, trailing only Jaleel Johnson, who has 16 thus far.

Of course, Thomas’ decision to redshirt doesn’t necessarily indicate that he intends to transfer. The Cowboys chose to move on from Mike Gundy and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham in the span of a week, and those moves could have made all the difference for the transfer star.

Considering he has only chosen to redshirt at this point and hasn’t made his way into the portal, Thomas’ future might still be in Stillwater. A true wait-and-see approach could be in the works for Thomas as he would still be able to work out with the team throughout the year and get a glimpse at what the next era of Cowboy football might look like.

Leaning into the optimistic side of things, Thomas could also be ready for another year in Stillwater in 2026 anyway. Considering his potential and OSU’s trajectory for the rest of the year, saving a season of eligibility in a season where the Cowboys might not win another game could be a smart move.

In the short term, this will obviously be a blow for the Cowboys, particularly interim defensive coordinator Clint Bowen. Since being named the interim on Sunday, Bowen has already seen Dylan Smith enter the portal, with Thomas becoming the second key fixture of the defense who won’t be on the field this weekend and beyond.

Still, OSU will need to find ways to succeed regardless of who is on the field. This also gives young players who might have been stuck behind Thomas all season an opportunity to break out and establish themselves ahead of the 2026 season.

In any case, Thomas’ decision to redshirt is just another obstacle thrown at the Cowboys and interim coach Doug Meacham as they look to have a successful finish to one of the strangest seasons in OSU history.