‘Texas North’: Former Kansas QB Carter Stanley Believes Oklahoma State Could Flip Things Quickly Under Eric Morris

One win doesn't normally generate this much intrigue the following offseason.

Oklahoma State isn't operating under normal circumstances.

The Cowboys have a new head coach. A new quarterback. Dozens of new players.

An offense largely transplanted from one of the most productive programs in college football last season.

That's enough for former Kansas quarterback Carter Stanley to be paying attention.

During an appearance on The Jones Report with Tyler Jones, Stanley identified Oklahoma State and Houston as the two Big 12 programs that have particularly caught his eye entering the season.

When discussing what Eric Morris has assembled in Stillwater, Stanley came up with a pretty appropriate description. “Texas North.”

Stanley isn't predicting Oklahoma State will immediately go from the bottom of the Big 12 to winning the conference. That's important.

What he does see is a program capable of taking a significant step forward immediately.

“They've pretty much made Stillwater, Oklahoma, Texas North,” Stanley said. “Interested to see how that process goes because we've seen in the past with coach changes and the transfer portal that in this era you can flip a team around in one year.”

That's exactly what makes Oklahoma State one of the most difficult teams in the Big 12 to evaluate.

How much does what happened before Morris arrived actually tell us about what happens next?

Stanley's description is pretty fitting. Morris arrived from North Texas. Drew Mestemaker followed him. Caleb Hawkins followed him. Wyatt Young followed him. Miles Coleman followed him and they weren't alone.

Oklahoma State brought in 17 transfers from North Texas, essentially allowing Morris to transplant a significant portion of the program and system he already built into Stillwater.

That's different from a traditional coaching change. Morris isn't starting completely from scratch.

Many of the most important players in his offense already know exactly what he wants.

They've run the system. They know the terminology. They understand his personality. They've already won games together. The uniforms changed. The conference changed. The level of competition changed. But The foundation didn't.

This was the most important part of Stanley's argument.

College football rebuilds don't necessarily require three years anymore.

We've seen coaches inherit struggling programs, aggressively use the portal and dramatically change the trajectory almost immediately.

That doesn't mean every rebuild works. It certainly doesn't mean Oklahoma State is guaranteed to do it.

But the possibility exists now in a way it didn't a decade ago.

If you can bring in the right coach and surround him with players who already fit what he wants to do, the transition can accelerate quickly.

Oklahoma State is about to find out just how quickly.

This is where expectations need some perspective.

Stanley isn't saying Oklahoma State is suddenly the favorite to win the conference. Far from it.

“That's not to say they'll definitely compete for a Big 12 title this year, but I do expect them to take a step up from what we've seen the last two years.”

I think that's exactly the right way to frame Year one. Oklahoma State doesn't need to go from where this program has been to Arlington overnight.

It needs to demonstrate progress. Become competitive again. Find an identity. Get the offense rolling.

Show that Morris' vision can translate from North Texas to the Big 12 and win enough games to make everyone believe something meaningful is being built.

What's also interesting is the amount of national and regional intrigue beginning to surround Oklahoma State.

This isn't necessarily about everyone suddenly predicting a championship run.

It's about people looking at the roster turnover and realizing this team is difficult to dismiss.

The Cowboys have become one of the Big 12's biggest unknowns. Unknown can be dangerous especially when there's legitimate offensive upside attached to it.

Stanley also mentioned Houston after its 10-win season and West Virginia entering Year two under Rich Rodriguez.

That's another reminder of what makes this conference so unpredictable.

There isn't much room between the middle of the Big 12 and the teams capable of making a run. A couple of close wins can completely change a season.

If Oklahoma State's offense becomes what many expect and the defense can simply become functional, suddenly the ceiling gets interesting.

Not necessarily championship interesting. But certainly much more interesting than what we've seen recently.

Carter Stanley isn't predicting Oklahoma State will win the Big 12. He doesn't need to.

The fact that the Cowboys are already one of the teams that caught his attention says plenty about how quickly perception can change.

Morris has essentially brought a chunk of North Texas to Stillwater. His quarterback came with him. His playmakers came with him. The system came with him.

Now comes the fascinating part. Can Oklahoma State take something that worked at the Group of Five level and make it work in the Big 12?

Stanley believes the Cowboys are positioned to take a step forward.

How big? We'll find out soon enough.

But after the last two seasons, Oklahoma State doesn't need to become a Big 12 champion overnight.

First, prove Texas North can work then see just how quickly Eric Morris can turn Stillwater around.