Oklahoma State has its quarterback for the 2026 season.

On Friday, OSU gained a transfer portal commitment from North Texas redshirt-freshman quarterback Drew Mestemaker, The Stillwegian has confirmed. ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported Mestemaker’s commitment. 

As Mestemaker’s success heightened, so did his status within the college football realm. Less than halfway into his inaugural season as a starter, he became a commodity in transfer portal discussions. Reports gradually surfaced indicating interest from a handful of prominent programs.

But at long last, OSU fans can be at ease. Mestemaker will instead follow his former coach at UNT, Eric Morris — who was hired in November to replace Mike Gundy after 21 seasons — to OSU. Now, Morris will keep his gunslinger protégé as he looks to revitalize a program that was for so long one of college football's most consistent.

Mestemaker is the third-best portal quarterback and the No. 8 overall transfer according to On3, as he becomes the Cowboys' first portal commitment this offseason. Mestemaker's deal with OSU is reportedly for two years, per On3's Pete Nakos.

Here is a breakdown of what the Cowboys are getting in Mestemaker and how it affects them heading into next season.  

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What the Cowboys are getting in Mestemaker

One of the best pure passers in college football. The arm talent is glaring, his 6-foot-4, 210-pound build provides him a pro-style build, and pundits and scouts alike have marveled over his deep ball. 

Mestemaker led the country in passing yards with 4,379 and ranked second in passing touchdowns with 34, only behind Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza of Indiana. Most notably, he threw for an AAC-record 608 yards in the Mean Green’s win at Charlotte on Oct. 24. And while Morris’ offensive scheme has historically favored pass-heavy quarterbacks, Mestemaker still completed 68.9% of his passes — ranking him 14th nationally — while averaging roughly 33 pass attempts per contest. So, the accuracy is there despite throwing so many passes every game.

What Mestemaker’s commitment means for OSU

Prior to Mestemaker’s commitment, OSU’s quarterback room was compiled by three freshmen — Hunter Trusler, Luke Tepas and former three-star recruit Broderick Vehrs. 

Redshirt freshman Hauss Hejny announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Thursday, only one week removed from former starter Zane Flores’ announcement. That left the Cowboys with no carryovers from their 2025 roster. 

The starting job will likely be Mestemaker’s to lose. But given his familiarity with Morris’ scheme, that should be encouraging, not discomforting. Afterall, look no further than UNT’s offensive numbers with that tandem intact.  

While Mestemaker certainly is relishing the spotlight, it’s been short-lived. He didn’t start a high school varsity game at quarterback, going as far as switching to punter for the sake of maintaining his varsity letter.

He walked on at North Texas and took an early liking to Morris’ air raid philosophy. And in turn, he reaped his rewards. Two years later, Mestemaker clinched the AAC Offensive Player of the Year award with relative ease and swiftly became a household name in college football. 

Now, Mestemaker has more time in a scheme he’s comfortable with, and one that best meshes with his skillset. And if he emulates his 2025 production next season, OSU fans might be in for a quicker turnaround than they might have initially anticipated.

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