Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris spoke at media day on Saturday and revealed his mantra for the season. It fits his team.
Eric Morris and the Oklahoma State Cowboys are only a few days into fall camp, but the program has already turned its attention toward media availability.
Saturday marked Oklahoma State’s media day in Stillwater, with Morris and a large portion of the roster meeting with local reporters.
Morris spent roughly 30 minutes answering questions on a variety of topics, with much of the discussion naturally centered on how his offseason approach will translate once the Cowboys take the field.
There is plenty of reason for the questions. Oklahoma State finished just 1-11 last season, has gone 4-20 over the past two years and enters the new season riding an 18-game losing streak in Big 12 play. Those struggles ultimately led to the end of Mike Gundy’s long tenure as head coach.
Morris has undergone a massive roster overhaul since taking over, bringing in nearly 90 transfers, adding a strong group of freshmen and returning only 13 letter winners from last year’s squad. With so much turnover and plenty of uncertainty surrounding the program, the new head coach understands why there are plenty of doubters. He’s not running from them, either. In fact, Morris has developed a simple mantra for his team as it prepares for the 2026 season.
Eric Morris and His 2026 Mantra
Morris has embraced the dramatic changes to his roster and turned them into a rallying point for the team. His mantra is designed to give the Cowboys an edge, particularly for players who did not have opportunities to compete at the Power Conference level last season.
“Our mantra this year is we call ourselves some misfits, right?” Morris said. “We have a bunch of people from different situations.” He pointed to players who came from vastly different backgrounds, including some who were highly recruited and others who were overlooked coming out of high school.
Morris specifically mentioned Wyatt Young, Caleb Hawkins and Drew Mestemaker, all of whom played for him at North Texas last season. None received significant recruiting attention out of high school, but after putting together productive seasons, each attracted interest from major programs across the country.
The trio was part of a North Texas team that went 12-2 in 2025 and advanced to the American Conference championship game before falling to Tulane. Nearly 20 former North Texas players followed Morris to Stillwater, hoping to prove that their success at the Group of Five level can carry over to the Power Conference stage.
Oklahoma State’s 25 fall practices will be critical in establishing the foundation Morris hopes can lead to a rapid turnaround. The Cowboys will have an early opportunity to make a statement when they travel to Tulsa on Sept. 5 to face the Golden Hurricane, which defeated Oklahoma State in Stillwater for the first time since the 1950s last season.
The Cowboys will then return home for consecutive games against Oregon on Sept. 12 and Murray State on Sept. 19 before beginning Big 12 play on Sept. 26 with a trip to Morgantown to take on West Virginia.
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