Eric Morris is not worried about Drew Mestemaker’s jump to Oklahoma State, and the reason is simple: he thinks the quarterback is ready for a harder stage because he is processing the game faster, preparing better and growing in Year 3.
That confidence comes as Oklahoma State’s schedule gets heavy fast. The team will host No. 2 Oregon next weekend, start Big 12 play on the road at West Virginia two weeks later and later face Texas Tech and Houston. For Mestemaker, the timing matters because the first real test of whether last year’s production can travel is arriving now.
The case for him is strong on paper. Last season at North Texas, Mestemaker played 14 games, threw for an FBS-best 4,379 yards and won the American Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year award. Morris has pointed often to the same traits when talking about him: the ability to process information quickly, make decisions in the pocket and keep improving as he gets older and around the game more.
But there is also a reason the evaluation is still open. North Texas did not face a team from the ACC, the Big 12, the Big Ten or the SEC last season, so Mestemaker put up those numbers without a power conference opponent on the schedule. Oklahoma State will play 10 power conference opponents this season, which makes his transition less about last year’s yardage total and more about whether that production holds when the margin for error shrinks.
That is where Morris’ view becomes more than a compliment. He said Mestemaker’s growth in Year 3 has been substantial, and he has also described a player he trusts to help shape his own answers at quarterback rather than simply follow instructions. In Morris’ telling, that kind of maturity is what can carry over when the opponent is faster, deeper and less forgiving.
The first answer should come quickly. Oregon arrives next weekend, and then the Big 12 run begins at West Virginia. If Mestemaker handles that stretch, the questions around him will change from whether he belongs to how far Oklahoma State can go with him making the decisions.
