Drew Mestemaker Nearly Bolted to Oregon, but Eric Morris Said Two Words That Changed Everything

Drew Mestemaker had one foot out the door. The star quarterback was fresh off a call with Oregon, and it went well enough that he actually phoned his new head coach Eric Morris to check in. Mestemaker didn't commit to staying at Oklahoma State. He was considering his options because, well, millions of dollars were on the line as one of the top QBs in the portal. Most people figured he'd follow Morris from North Texas to Stillwater, but Mestemaker wasn't sold yet.

Then Morris said something that stopped him cold.

The Closer That Worked

"All right, two things," Morris told Mestemaker over the phone. The first thing was a reminder: in Mestemaker's first season as a college starter, he led the entire nation in passing yards. His offense ranked No. 1 in FBS scoring. The team went 12-2, the best record in school history. Morris didn't have to say much more. Then came the second thing, the one that actually landed.

"And two? Don't break my heart."

Morris hung up.

Mestemaker laughed about it later. "I was like, 'Dang, how do I go somewhere else after that?'" he said. That was it. Mestemaker stayed.

The Biggest Rebuild in the Big 12

Morris needed Mestemaker more than Mestemaker needed Oregon. The new Oklahoma State coach had 10 weeks to completely rebuild a roster and flip the worst team in the Big 12 into an instant contender. That's not hyperbole. The Cowboys fell off a cliff after Mike Gundy's era. Gundy had given the program 18 consecutive winning seasons, including eight 10-win seasons. His last good year was 2023. Then came 4-20 and zero conference wins over the last two years. Gundy, the winningest coach in school history, was fired three games into a hopeless 1-11 season last fall.

Now Morris, just 40 years old, had to do the impossible: turn a historically bad team into a Big 12 threat in a single offseason. Keeping Mestemaker was the foundation everything else was built on.

With Mestemaker committed and Morris pulling together his roster, Oklahoma State is banking on a complete transformation. The Cowboys are about to find out if Morris can actually pull this off.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.