Oklahoma State Hires Eric Morris: What It Means for the Cowboys
Oklahoma State has officially hired Eric Morris as their next head coach.
I’m writing this one because… well, you know why. This is my team. This matters. — Mike
The Hire
Eric Morris comes to Stillwater from Washington State, where he went 17-13 over two-plus seasons and rebuilt a program that was left for dead after the Pac-12 collapsed.
Before that, he was the offensive coordinator at Texas Tech (yes, Jake’s team) and the head coach at Incarnate Word, where he went 26-8 and developed some of the most innovative Air Raid concepts in college football.
He’s 40 years old. He’s an offensive mind. He’s inheriting a mess.
What He’s Walking Into
Let’s be honest about where Oklahoma State is right now.
3-9. Worst season in decades. Mike Gundy fired after 18 years. The roster depleted by transfers. The fan base demoralized. The facilities in need of upgrades.
This isn’t a program that’s one recruit away from competing. This is a rebuild. A real one. The kind that takes two or three years of patient work before you see results.
Morris knows that. He’s done it before — at Incarnate Word, at Washington State. He understands what it takes to build something from the ground up.
Why I Like This Hire
Three reasons.
1. He’s an offensive innovator. Morris runs a version of the Air Raid that’s evolved beyond what Leach and Kingsbury were doing. It’s faster, more versatile, and adapts to personnel. Oklahoma State’s offense was stale under Gundy’s final years. Morris will change that.
2. He’s a developer. At every stop, Morris has taken overlooked players and turned them into stars. That matters at a place like OSU, where you’re not going to out-recruit Texas or Oklahoma. You have to find guys and develop them.
3. He wanted to be here. Morris grew up in Texas. He knows the Big 12. He understands what Oklahoma State can be. This wasn’t a fallback job for him — he wanted this opportunity.
The Concerns
I’m not going to pretend this is a slam dunk.
Morris has never rebuilt a Power Four program from this low a point. Washington State was in rough shape, but they had more to work with than OSU does right now.
The defensive side of the ball is a question mark. Morris is an offensive coach. He’ll need to hire a strong defensive coordinator and let them run things. If he micromanages or hires the wrong guy, that’s a problem.
And the timeline is unclear. Is the administration willing to be patient? Will the fan base stick around through a 5-7 or 6-6 season in Year 2? Rebuilds require buy-in. We’ll see if everyone is committed.
Jake’s Take
Look, I’m not going to pile on here. Mike’s hurting. OSU is his team.
Eric Morris is a good hire. He made Washington State competitive with nothing. He developed Behren Morton at Tech before he transferred. He knows what he’s doing.
Will it work? I don’t know. Rebuilds are hard. But if you’re an OSU fan, this is about as good as you could’ve hoped for given the circumstances.
I’m rooting for them. A little. Don’t tell Mike I said that. — Jake
Final Thoughts
This is going to take time.
I’ve been an Oklahoma State fan my whole life. I watched Gundy build this program from nothing. I was at the 2011 Bedlam game. I’ve seen the highs.
Now I’m seeing the low. And it hurts.
But I believe in this hire. Morris is the right guy at the right time. He’s going to bring energy, innovation, and a plan. Whether it works depends on a lot of factors — recruiting, development, patience from the administration, buy-in from the players.
I’m going to be patient. I’m going to support the program. And I’m going to cover this honestly, even when it’s hard.
Welcome to Stillwater, Coach Morris. Let’s build something.
— Mike
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