Oklahoma State fans already have enough names to learn this season. With roughly 80 newcomers arriving in Stillwater as part of Eric Morris' massive Year 1 rebuild, figuring out who actually plays for the Cowboys might require a roster nearby for the first few weeks.
But there's another group of names OSU fans will recognize throughout the season. The guys playing against them.
According to Pistols Firing, Oklahoma State has 15 former Cowboys scattered across eight opponents on its 2026 schedule.
Some barely played in Stillwater. Others? They were among Oklahoma State's best players just last season.
Circle the Kansas State game. The Wildcats have four former Oklahoma State players, the most of any team on OSU's schedule:
Wendell Gregory .Rodney Fields Jr.Jacobi Oliphant Jr.Jaxson Duffield. Gregory and Fields are obviously the headliners.
Gregory was named Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year by Oklahoma State's coaches after recording 27 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and four sacks last season.
Fields might've been OSU's best offensive player. He rushed for 614 yards in nine games as a redshirt freshman while adding 276 receiving yards. Now he's expected to have a role in Kansas State's backfield. Those aren't forgotten depth pieces.
Those are two players who might've been building blocks for Oklahoma State had the program not undergone a complete reset. Now OSU has to stop them.
There's another familiar name at Iowa State . Zane Flores.
Flores made eight starts for Oklahoma State last season, throwing for 1,490 yards with three touchdowns and seven interceptions. He isn't expected to start for the Cyclones, with Arkansas State transfer Jaylen Raynor projected ahead of him.
But quarterbacks are always one play away. And if Flores somehow gets into that game against Oklahoma State?
That would certainly create an interesting storyline. Iowa State also has former OSU tight end Jordan Vyborny.
Here's a throwback. Jaden Bray is still playing college football.
Yes, the same Jaden Bray who caught a touchdown in Oklahoma State's 2021 Fiesta Bowl victory against Notre Dame.
Bray eventually transferred to West Virginia , but injuries have continued to limit his availability. He's entering his third season with the Mountaineers after appearing in only seven games during his first two years there.
If healthy, however, he could have a significant role in West Virginia's offense.
So more than four years after that Fiesta Bowl? Bray could line up against Oklahoma State. College football in 2026.
Tulsa alone has three former Cowboys: Davis Dotson, Ty Williams and Kyran Duhon.
Elsewhere, OSU could encounter: Grayson Brousseau at UCF .De'Marion Thomas at Houston .Yamil Talib at Colorado .Lyrik Rawls at Arizona State.Kasen Carpenter at Kansas.
Talib even has a funny connection to Oklahoma State's new quarterback. While playing for Charlotte last season, Talib intercepted Drew Mestemaker . Mestemaker also threw for 608 yards in that game, so we'll probably call that a mixed evening for the defense.
This might be the biggest takeaway. Fifteen former players showing up on one schedule would've sounded absurd not that long ago.
Now? That's the portal era. Oklahoma State's situation is obviously more extreme after changing coaches and almost completely rebuilding the roster.
There are players who left OSU. Players who followed Morris to OSU. Players who will face their former teammates. And coaches who have changed sides too. Keeping track of everybody might be half the battle.
There will be plenty of reunions throughout Oklahoma State's first season under Eric Morris. But Kansas State is the one to circle. Four former Cowboys. Two of Oklahoma State's best players from last season.
Gregory and Fields will have an opportunity to show their former program exactly what it lost. That's going to make an already important Big 12 game even more interesting.
Oklahoma State has an almost entirely new team in 2026. But plenty of the old one is still waiting for them on the schedule.
