Two Cowboys Make On3 Way-Too-Early Top 100

On3’s Clark Brooks has dropped his “Way-Too-Early Top 100 College Football Players for the 2026 Season,” a preview of the talent set to shape next fall’s on the field battles.

Published just hours after the 2025 campaign concluded, the list is a who’s who of emerging stars, from Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith at No. 1 to Alabama’s Keon Sabb rounding out the century mark.

For fans of the Oklahoma State Cowboys, still nursing wounds from a disastrous 1-11 record in 2025, there’s a spark of optimism.

Two OSU players have cracked the rankings, a development that signals potential revival under new head coach Eric Morris.

Running back Caleb Hawkins slots in at No. 65, while quarterback Drew Mestemaker follows at No. 81.

While Brooks reserves in-depth profiles for the top 26, the mere inclusion of these transfers speaks volumes about their projected impact.

In his introductory remarks, Brooks paints a vivid picture of the upcoming season: “The 2026 college football landscape is stacked with game-wreckers, highlight machines and future legends ready to own Saturdays. Built to dominate, these are the college football players who flip fields, break defenses and turn big moments into history.”

By featuring Hawkins and Mestemaker in this elite group, Brooks is essentially anointing them as potential “game-wreckers” capable of transforming OSU’s fortunes.

This nod is particularly noteworthy given the context.

Last year’s way-too-early top 100 for the 2025 season probably didn’t include a single Oklahoma State player, reflecting the program’s struggles amid coaching changes, roster attrition, and on-field inconsistencies.

The absence underscored a team in transition, far removed from the consistent contenders of the Mike Gundy era.

Fast-forward to 2026, and the landscape has shifted dramatically, thanks to Morris’s aggressive rebuild.

Hawkins, a sophomore from Shawnee, Oklahoma, who transferred from North Texas, brings a bruising, touchdown-machine style that led the nation in rushing scores in 2025.

At 6’2” and 200 pounds, he’s built for the physicality of Big 12 play, and his ability to break tackles could anchor an offense desperate for reliability.

Mestemaker, another North Texas transplant and the No. 3 overall portal prospect per 247Sports, is a dual-threat quarterback who orchestrated one of the nation’s top-scoring units last season.

His poise under pressure and arm strength make him a natural fit for Morris’s Air Raid scheme, which emphasizes quick strikes and explosive plays.

Beyond these two, the Big 12 conference shows solid representation in Brooks’s list, highlighting its depth in a post-realignment era.

BYU leads with running back L.J. Martin at No. 29 and cornerback Evan Johnson at No. 73.

Texas Tech dominates with five entries: cornerback Brice Polluck (No. 34), interior offensive lineman Sheridan Wilson (No. 39), offensive tackle Howard Sampson (No. 45), tight end Terrance Carter (No. 58), and linebacker Austin Romaine (No. 84).

Houston’s wide receiver Amare Thomas sneaks in at No. 93.

This spread across positions, from rushers to blockers to defenders, illustrates the conference’s balanced talent pool, even as powerhouses like Texas (now in the SEC) poach headlines elsewhere.

Yet, for Oklahoma State, securing even two spots on this list is a notice of a much-needed bounce-back.

After a 2025 season marred by injuries, poor execution, and the firing of Gundy, Morris, hired from North Texas, has engineered a roster revolution.

With a nation-leading 54 incoming transfers, many from his previous stop, OSU has infused the team with proven production and high-upside athletes.

Hawkins and Mestemaker form the backbone of an offense that could rank among the Big 12’s best, providing stability and fireworks in equal measure.

Their recognition by Brooks validates Morris’s portal strategy, suggesting the Cowboys are no longer an afterthought but a team with legitimate playoff aspirations.

Moreover, several other OSU players could be lurking just outside the top 100, poised for breakout campaigns.

Wide receiver Wyatt Young, a junior transfer from North Texas who ranked third in FBS receiving yards in 2025, brings elite speed and hands that could complement Mestemaker perfectly.

Running back Ayo Adeyi, another North Texas alum and redshirt senior, adds versatility to the backfield with his 5’7”, 199-pound frame ideal for elusive runs and pass-catching.

On defense, EDGE Enai White, a redshirt junior from Penn State and Texas A&M, stands out as a former top-40 recruit with disruptive potential; his 6’5”, 225-pound build and quick first step could generate the pass rush OSU sorely lacked last year.

Other notables include wide receiver Miles Coleman (junior from North Texas), safety Quinton Hammonds (junior from North Texas), and defensive end Rashod Bradley (redshirt junior from East Mississippi CC), all part of the transfer wave that has remade the roster.

This talent infusion, combined with Morris’s innovative schemes and a schedule that avoids some of the Big 12’s toughest road trips early on, positions Oklahoma State for a dramatic turnaround.

Analysts are already drawing comparisons to Indiana’s meteoric rise in 2025, where a similar portal-heavy approach led to unexpected success.

If Hawkins and Mestemaker live up to Brooks’s implicit hype, flipping fields and etching their names into Cowboy history, 2026 could mark the start of a new era in Stillwater.

For a program that hit rock bottom, two spots on a prestigious list aren’t just accolades, they’re indications of Oklahoma State bouncing back quickly.