ESPN's honorable mention for Wyatt Young adds to the growing hype surrounding Oklahoma State's new-look offense. With Drew Mestemaker and Caleb Hawkins already earning national recognition, analysts are showing confidence in Eric Morris' system before the Cowboys have even played a Big 12 snap.
Does this make you even more excited to see OSU play?
If Oklahoma State fans needed another reason to be excited about the Eric Morris era, ESPN just provided one.
After placing quarterback Drew Mestemaker eighth and running back Caleb Hawkins 64th on its Top 100 newcomers list earlier this offseason, ESPN continued showing love to the Cowboys' offense by naming receiver Wyatt Young an honorable mention just outside its ranking of the top 10 receivers in college football entering 2026.
That's pretty impressive considering Young hasn't even played a snap in the Big 12.
The transfer from North Texas is coming off a season in which he ranked among the nation's leaders with 1,264 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. More importantly for Oklahoma State fans, he wasn't putting up those numbers with just any quarterback.
He was catching passes from Mestemaker.
And Hawkins was lining up in the same backfield.
That's what makes all of this national attention so intriguing.
It's becoming a trend. National writers continue to place Oklahoma State skill players on preseason lists despite none of them having played a down for the Cowboys. That speaks to both the production they bring from North Texas and the confidence analysts have in Eric Morris' offensive system.
I understand the skepticism.
The American Athletic Conference is not the Big 12, and the jump to the Power Four level is real. But what makes me buy into the hype is that Oklahoma State isn't asking these players to learn a new system or build chemistry from scratch.
Eric Morris, Mestemaker, Young and Hawkins have already experienced success together.
The terminology, timing and trust are already there.
In an era where many teams are piecing together entirely new rosters every offseason, Oklahoma State is bringing in proven production with established relationships.
People questioned whether transfers could immediately translate at schools like Indiana and Arizona State. Those concerns disappeared quickly. The Hoosiers were nationals champions and the Sun Devils won the Big 12 year one in the conference.
Will the same happen in Stillwater?
Nobody knows.
But ESPN's repeated recognition of Mestemaker, Hawkins and now Young tells me one thing.
National writers aren't simply betting on three talented players.
They're betting on Eric Morris' offense.
And if they're right, Oklahoma State fans could be in for one of the most explosive and entertaining seasons the program has seen in years.
The hype may be growing before a single Big 12 snap has been played.
That doesn't mean it's wrong.
