Tulsa Coach Tre Lamb Compares Drew Mestemaker to Philip Rivers, Brett Favre

Tulsa coach Tre Lamb knows his defense will have its hands full when Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker takes the field Saturday.

Just how highly does Lamb think of the Cowboys' new quarterback? He's comparing him to two NFL legends.

“He's kind of a hybrid of Philip Rivers and Brett Favre,” Lamb said Monday. “The guy's got as much arm talent as anybody in the draft.”

That's quite the praise for a quarterback entering his second season as a starter. It's been well-documented already that Mestemaker followed Eric Morris from North Texas to Oklahoma State this offseason after emerging as one of college football's breakout stars in 2025. The former walk-on threw for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns with nine interceptions while helping lead one of the nation's most explosive offenses. Now he'll make his Oklahoma State debut against Lamb and the Golden Hurricane.

Lamb pointed toward Mestemaker's quick release and ability to make throws from seemingly any position as some of the traits that make him so difficult to defend.

“He can throw off his back foot, off platform, on the run,” Lamb said. “And he hates a check down. He's going to rip it and he's gonna fit it into windows.”

That aggressiveness could create some opportunities for Tulsa's defense, but Lamb also acknowledged there will be times Saturday when the Golden Hurricane simply won't have an answer.

“There's gonna be five or six throws Saturday where he's like, ‘OK, indefensible,’” Lamb said. “Don't care what you called it, that play, we can't cover that just because of his arm talent.”

Mestemaker's toughness has also caught Lamb's attention. Lamb praised the 6-foot-3 quarterback's willingness to remain in the pocket and take hits to complete throws, while also noting Mestemaker isn't afraid of contact when he decides to run.

Despite all of Mestemaker's production last season, his experience remains relatively limited. Mestemaker has made only 14 career starts and has yet to start a game at the Power Four level. That's one reason Lamb is happy Tulsa gets its opportunity against him immediately.

“He's continued to grow,” Lamb said. “He's only had 14 starts and he's only gonna get better. I'm kind of glad we're playing them Game 1 and not Game 10.”

Mestemaker isn't the only reason Lamb is expecting a significant challenge Saturday. The Tulsa coach has called Oklahoma State the most talented team on the Golden Hurricane's 2026 schedule, a dramatic change from the Cowboys team Tulsa defeated 19-12 in Stillwater last season. Their first against OSU in 51 years and the eventually end of the Mike Gundy era. 

Morris has since rebuilt nearly the entire Oklahoma State roster, bringing several of the key pieces from his 12-win North Texas team with him. 81 newcomers as I've talked about all offseason.

But no addition will receive more attention Saturday than the quarterback running Morris' offense.

Before Mestemaker has even taken his first snap as a Cowboy, the opposing head coach is already comparing his arm talent to two of the NFL's most recognizable gunslingers. Lamb also saying a few weeks ago, Mestemaker is already a pro. Now Mestemaker gets his first opportunity to show why.

Kick-off for the game Saturday is nationally televised on ESPNU at 2:45 P.M. CT.