Eric Morris Feels the Urgency to Win at Oklahoma State Right Now

Eric Morris understands Oklahoma State is rebuilding.

That doesn't mean he's asking everyone to be patient.

Speaking at Big 12 Media Days, Morris made his competitive mentality clear when discussing the urgency surrounding his first season in Stillwater.

"There's definitely urgency for me right now because I love winning and I love competing," Morris said. "As soon as there's not urgency for me to put out a good product, I'm going to find something else with my time."

That's not the answer of a coach arriving at Oklahoma State expecting to casually work through a multi-year rebuilding project.

Morris wants to win AND win NOW.

Of course, the challenge in front of him is significant.

Oklahoma State is coming off a 1-11 season.

The Cowboys didn't win a Big 12 game.

Morris said there are players on the current roster who have spent two seasons in Stillwater without experiencing a conference victory.

The program needed what Morris called a "hard reset."

That reset will include 87 newcomers when Oklahoma State begins fall camp.

New coaches.

New systems.

New players.

Almost everything about Oklahoma State football has changed.

Normally, those circumstances would create a built-in excuse.

Give the coach time.

Let the roster develop.

Wait for everyone to learn the system.

Morris doesn't sound interested in leaning on those explanations.

That doesn't mean he's guaranteeing a Big 12 championship in Year one.

It doesn't mean Oklahoma State will immediately return to the standard established during Mike Gundy's best seasons.

Morris' comments tell us something about how he's approaching the rebuild.

Progress has to be visible.

Before Big 12 Media Days, one of my biggest questions for Morris was simple.

What does success look like in Year one?

Morris didn't give a specific win total, but his comments about urgency may have provided an even more revealing answer.

He expects Oklahoma State to put a good product on the field.

That's important.

The Cowboys lost 11 games last season, but the losses alone weren't the only problem.

Oklahoma State frequently struggled to remain competitive.

The program that Morris remembered from the outside looked completely different from the team he inherited.

His memories of Oklahoma State included a rowdy student section and a program that consistently won football games.

Now, he's trying to restore that feeling.

Morris brings some advantages most first-year coaches don't have.

Drew Mestemaker already knows his offense.

Caleb Hawkins already knows his offense.

Wyatt Young already knows his offense.

Several former North Texas players followed Morris to Stillwater after helping the Mean Green win 12 games last season.

That continuity creates expectations.

I've argued before that Oklahoma State doesn't need to beat Oregon in Week 2 or contend for the College Football Playoff for Morris' first season to be successful, but the Cowboys should be capable of showing significant improvement.

A bowl game is possible.

A winning season shouldn't automatically be dismissed.

Oklahoma State should enter Big 12 games believing it has a chance to win.

Morris' urgency is part of why I believe that.

Some coaches ask fans to trust the process.

Morris is talking about the product.

He knows Oklahoma State fans have watched two difficult seasons.

He knows the program hasn't won a conference game during that stretch.

He knows why he was hired.

Eric Morris isn't promising Oklahoma State an overnight championship, but he also isn't asking Stillwater to wait forever.

The urgency is already there.

Now the Cowboys have to make sure the wins follow.