OSU football coach Eric Morris on how he discovered QB Drew Mestemaker
Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris recalled how he discovered Cowboys QB Drew Mestemaker before his rapid rise to stardom entering the 2026 season.
There could be a shakeup in the Big 12 championship race this season thanks to some key transfers across the conference.
First-year Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris brought in a whopping 85 new players after the Cowboys went 1-11 last season, including a trio of offensive stars from North Texas. Texas Tech also reloaded its defense after earning a College Football Playoff spot last season.
West Virginia, Arizona State, UCF, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Cincinnati and Iowa State will all have transfer quarterbacks to start the season.
Texas Tech and BYU are the favorites to win the conference in 2026 after facing off in the conference championship last season, but there are multiple teams who could potentially push for a Big 12 title.
Here are the 10 most impactful Big 12 transfers heading into the season:
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
The nation’s leading passer in 2025, Drew Mestemaker is already regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the conference.
The former walk-on passed for 4,379 yards with 34 touchdowns to nine interceptions last season as a redshirt freshman and first-time starter, and reunites with Morris and multiple of his former teammates at Oklahoma State.
Mestemaker has great touch and arm strength, and his 6-3, 215-pound frame gives him prototypical NFL size, already gaining attention from the professional ranks. He was the No. 4 overall transfer and No. 2 quarterback this offseason, per 247Sports’ Composite ratings.
Mateen Ibirogba, Texas Tech
Texas Tech lost four defensive linemen to the NFL Draft last season, but is hoping sought-after Wake Forest transfer Mateen Ibirogba can pick up some of the slack.
Ibirogba had 21 total tackles with two sacks and a forced fumble last season for the Demon Deacons, and was the No. 1-ranked interior defensive lineman in the transfer portal, per 247Sports’ Composite rankings.
He started his career at Georgetown, where he earned first-team All-Patriot League honors in 2022-23.
Caleb Hawkins, Oklahoma State
Caleb Hawkins hails from Shawnee, Oklahoma, less than 60 miles from Stillwater. He wasn’t recruited by the Cowboys, but after rushing for a nation-leading 25 touchdowns last season as a true freshman, he finds himself at his hometown school.
Hawkins had one Division I offer out of high school from North Texas, but showed he was better than his recruiting ranking after rushing for 1,434 yards last season on 6.2 yards per carry. He had a four-game stretch in November where he scored 16 combined rushing scores against Navy, UAB, Rice and Temple.
Hawkins will be asked to shoulder a lot of offensive load in 2026, and is projected to be one of the best running backs in America.
Cam Cook, West Virginia
West Virginia made a splash in adding former Jacksonville State running back Cam Cook, who led the nation with 1,659 rushing yards last season.
The former TCU running back also scored 16 touchdowns on 5.6 yards per carry, and was an obvious fit for the Mountaineers, as second-year coach Rich Rodriguez was at Jacksonville State before rejoining West Virginia for his second stint.
Cook will form a backfield along with Oklahoma transfer quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. to form potentially one of most dynamic duos in the conference.
Jaden Craig, TCU
TCU lost three-year starter Josh Hoover to Indiana, but replaced the veteran quarterback with another in former Harvard signal-caller Jaden Craig.
Craig, who played against Ivy League competition in FCS last season, garnered 2026 NFL Draft hype before opting to enter the transfer portal. He was one of the most sought-after quarterbacks available. He passed for 2,869 yards with 25 touchdowns to seven interceptions last season, and has a 52-to-12 interception-to-touchdown ratio in college.
Craig is well-built, standing 6-3 and 225 pounds. The Big 12 is a big step up in competition, but he’s already earning hype from the Horned Frogs since joining the program.
DJ Lagway, Baylor
Former five-star recruit DJ Lagway is hoping a change of scenery can revive his college football career in 2026.
Lagway entered 2025 with loads of hype after showing flashes as a true freshman at Florida, but he struggled with turnovers and consistency as a sophomore before opting to transfer after coach Billy Napier was fired.
Lagway still has impressive arm talent and potential despite throwing 16 touchdowns to 14 interceptions in 2025 with a 63.2% completion percentage. Baylor is a familiar place for Lagway, as his dad, Derek Lagway Sr., was a standout running back for the Bears from 1997-2001.
Kansas State lost productive pass rushers Tobi Osunsanmi and Chiddi Obiazor (both to Indiana) this offseason, but replaced them with another productive edge in former Oklahoma State defender Wendell Gregory.
Gregory started his career at South Carolina in 2024, but hardly played before earning a key role for the Cowboys last season. The 6-3, 265-pound edge had four sacks and a forced fumble in 2025, although he pressured the quarterback more than his sacks total suggests.
The Wildcats are a sleeper team this season under first-year coach Collin Klein, a former Kansas State Heisman Trophy finalist and offensive assistant for the program from 2017-23.
Omarion Miller, Arizona State
Arizona State lost star receiver Jordyn Tyson to the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and hopes to replace much of his production with talented transfer Omarion Miller.
Miller caught 45 passes for 805 yards with eight touchdowns last season at Colorado, despite the Buffaloes bouncing between quarterbacks. He projects to be Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley’s top option in 2026.
Miller was the No. 11-ranked transfer and No. 4 overall receiver in 247Sports’ Composite transfer rankings.
Wyatt Young, Oklahoma State
Mestemaker’s top target last season, Wyatt Young caught 70 passes for 1,264 yards with 10 touchdowns at North Texas in 2025.
Young is a yards-after-catch demon, with an 89.9 PFF grade last season after ranking third nationally in receiving yards. The 6-foot, 199-pound receiver lines up all over the field for Morris, from the slot to the outside.
Oklahoma State will manufacture touches for the Katy, Texas native in 2026, and he no doubt has huge expectations from the Cowboys this season.
Austin Romaine, Texas Tech
Texas Tech has one of the most veteran linebacker corps in the country, and adding Kansas State transfer Austin Romaine to that group only solidifies it.
Romaine will join returning starters Ben Roberts and John Curry to form a trio of tacklers with a knack for jarring footballs loose. Romaine had 66 total tackles last season with half a sack and an interception. He already has 2.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and 184 total tackles for his career.
The Red Raiders project to have one of the best defenses in not just the Big 12, but the country in 2026. Romaine figures to be in the middle of that unit.