Inside the transfer portal chase for Drew Mestemaker -- and how Oklahoma State closed early

But the reality is Oklahoma State loomed as the favorite when Mestemaker announced his decision to enter the portal on Dec. 29.

North Texas head coach Eric Morris took the Oklahoma State job in the days before the American title game. Eventually, most of UNT's offensive staff, including co-OC and quarterbacks coach Sean Brophy, followed Morris to Stillwater.

That gave Oklahoma State the inside track in the push for Mestemaker. After all, that staff took Mestemaker, a high school receiver, and helped transform him from a walk-on to an All-American candidate.

There was some worry in Stillwater that teams like Oregon could step in and poach. The Ducks had Mestemaker in a small group of potential targets ahead of the portal cycle, but they also had to juggle Dante Moore's impending decision on the NFL Draft.

Oklahoma State maneuvered around the outside interest well.

The Cowboys landed the first visit with Mestemaker. Critically, he did not visit alone. Oklahoma State's staff wanted to create a wave of momentum early in the transfer cycle and planned a huge visit day on Jan. 3, during which double-digit UNT players would visit Stillwater simultaneously.

There's no better recruiter in college football than a player's peers, and that was part of the Cowboys' plan. It wasn't just Mestemaker visiting. Several of his starting offensive linemen were on the trip, and UNT star running back Caleb Hawkins visited, as did star UNT wide receiver Wyatt Young.

They all recruited each other, with Mestemaker leading the way with a commitment on Jan. 3, less than 24 hours after the portal opened.

He wouldn't come alone. Hawkins, Young and 13 other UNT transfers would join him in Stillwater.

Mestemaker got to continue on his developmental path. Oklahoma State got its building block for 2026.