The Oklahoma State Cowboys had 92 new players in fall camp when the final numbers were crunched after last weekend.
It's one of the it's the biggest wholesale roster change in the transfer portal era. Head coach Eric Morris and his staff have navigated all that newness for the past month and are now itching for the opportunity to see their team compete against Tulsa on Saturday.
Certainly, they were players who were stars going into camp and only reinforced that in August. That includes players like quarterback Drew Mestemaker , running back Caleb Hawkins and wide receiver Wyatt Young .
But among the players among the young players that fans didn't know a lot about, these four stood out for a variety of reasons. For the purposes of defining "young," we'll define it as players who are redshirt sophomores or younger.
Oklahoma State's Broderick Vehrs. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
When Oklahoma state's first depth chart came out on Tuesday, Vehrs was listed as an "OR" next to Grant Taylor as the backup for Mestemaker. It's a bit of validation for the true freshman who Morris talked up repeatedly during fall camp for his ability to understand the offense, make quick decisions and hit the right receiver at the right time.
It does not mean that Vehrs takes over for Mestemaker if he gets hurt. Morris would rather avoid that. But it shows that the Cowboys saw enough to trust Vehrs in mop-up duty and can be a developmental prospect at the position, which is important because Mestemaker may only be at Oklahoma State for a year if he decides to go into the NFL Draft next spring.
He was one of the least talked-about players going into fall camp and Morris admitted that he was even surprised at how quickly the redshirt sophomore offensive lineman picked up the offense. He was a starter last year at Portland State and basically fought off fifth-year power conference tackle Ashton Lepo to be considered a starting option this weekend. They're listed as "OR" at right tackle.
Morris admitted a couple of weeks ago that if the season had started that day that Torgeson would be the starter. Torgeson was one of the last players the Cowboys pulled out of the transfer portal and no offensive lineman helped his stock more during fall camp then Torgeson.
Oklahoma State's Carson Kolb. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
For all the talk of the more experienced players at tight end, it was a redshirt sophomore who has never caught a collegiate pass who ended up getting the most attention from Morris during fall camp. It was surprising to hear after the second scrimmage that Kolb was his choice to be the starter if the season started that day.
He's proven himself to be a capable receiver and a good blocker. He may be the best combo tight end on the team. Morris said Tuesday that tight end is going to be a shared load, but Kolb was at the top of the depth chart with another unexpected name, is at the top of the depth chart along with another unexpected tight end in Morgan McPhaul. Kolb was one of the fastest risers in camp.
His outsized Australian personality was certainly a plus with the media. He received plenty of attention when he was made available to reporters to talk about his experience moving from Australia having never played American football as he became a punter at Stephen F. Austin last season.
Morris pulled him out of the portal for his ability to directionally punt. He became one of those buzzed about players at camp and he's giving Morris reasons to consider not going for it as often as he has in the past on fourth down, reasoning that Pozzobon's foot could be a field position weapon in key moments.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahomastate as Which Young Oklahoma State Football Players Became Larger Stars Than Anticipated .
