North Texas QB Drew Mestemaker likely to enter portal, not a lock to follow Eric Morris to Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State would make sense, but it isn't a lock that Mestemaker follows his former coach
By
Will Backus
•
2 min read
North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker is likely to enter the transfer portal once the window opens in January, sources tell CBS Sports' Chris Hummer. Mestemaker will not make his final decision until after North Texas' Dec. 27 showdown against San Diego State in the New Mexico Bowl.
Though it makes sense to think that Mestemaker would follow former coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State if he enters the transfer portal -- especially after he emerged as one of Morris' latest diamond-in-the-rough success stories at quarterback. But the Mean Green star is expected to garner robust interest from quarterback-needy teams, according to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz.
Mestemaker, who didn't start as a varsity quarterback and instead played defensive back at Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas, joined North Texas' roster as an unheralded walk-on in 2024. He spent most of his true freshman season as a backup but earned his first career start in the 2024 First Responder Bowl after former North Texas quarterback Chandler Morris transferred to Virginia.
Mestemaker wowed in his postseason appearance, as he tallied 448 total yards and three touchdowns in a narrow loss to Texas State. He also solidified himself as North Texas' quarterback of the future.
It didn't take long for Mestemaker to prove that his bowl start wasn't a fluke. In North Texas' 2025 season opener against Lamar, Mestemaker threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. He also logged a touchdown on the ground.
That was the first of three games this season in which Mestemaker had at least three touchdowns passing and one touchdown rushing. Mestemaker guided the Mean Green to an 11-1 regular season record and their first appearance in the American Conference Championship Game, where he accounted for 294 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
Mestemaker's 4,129 yards led the FBS -- in fact, he was the only FBS quarterback with at least 4,000 yards passing on the season -- and his 31 touchdowns passing tied with Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin of Ohio State and Baylor's Sawyer Robertson for second-most in the nation.
The 6-foot-4 and 211-pound Mestemaker still has three years of eligibility, which adds to his appeal as a potential multi-year starter with more room to develop.
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Chris Hummer
Mestemaker comes from good stock
Mestemaker could be the latest former Eric Morris protege to have success in the transfer portal. A former assistant at Texas Tech, where he tutored Patrick Mahomes, Morris was the head coach at Incarnate Word from 2018-21 and the offensive coordinator at Washington State in 2022.
At Incarnate Word, he discovered a lightly recruited quarterback prospect named Cam Ward. Ward signed with UIW in 2020 and won the Jerry Rice Award as the most outstanding freshman in the FCS. He followed Morris to Washington State, where he threw for 3,735 yards and 25 touchdowns.
When Morris left to become the coach at North Texas, Ward transferred to Miami. He finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after leading the FBS with 39 touchdowns passing in his lone season with the Hurricanes.
Morris also recruited John Mateer, who is gearing up for a College Football Playoff run with Oklahoma, and Emmett Brown, who threw for 16 touchdowns at San Jose State last season, while he was at Washington State.
Morris' first starter at North Texas, Chandler Morris, transferred to Virginia ahead of the 2025 season. Chandler Morris guided the Cavaliers to their first 10-win regular season since 1989 with 2,802 yards and 18 touchdowns passing.
