STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — After years of being informed no, Drew Mestemaker made essentially the most of his solely alternative to show he might play quarterback in faculty.
Oklahoma State's new sign caller didn't take a varsity snap in highschool and was neglected at quarterback camps, however walked on at North Texas and threw 34 landing passes as a redshirt freshman for coach Eric Morris final season.
“I really feel like each ‘no’ sort of like made me need to do it that rather more," Mestemaker mentioned. “I truthfully really feel like the rationale I saved going was due to how a lot work I used to be placing in. I knew i couldn’t put all that work in after which simply due to a number of no's throw all of it away and simply really feel sorry for myself.”
Mestemaker, a backup at Vandergrift Excessive Faculty in Austin, Texas, finally caught the attention of Morris, an elite evaluator of quarterback expertise who gave him a exercise in the summertime of 2024.
“Yeah, simply tremendous polished as a passer,” Morris recalled. "There was zero wasted motion in his throwing movement, which is one thing we search for. Drew was nearly as good as anyone I’d seen, so far as a few of these mechanics. We didn’t know the way good he was, how properly he retained info, how properly he processed when the bullets have been flying, when issues have been shifting in entrance of him.”
Mestemaker handed for an FBS-best 4,379 yards final season and is amongst 22 transfers who performed for Morris at North Texas and adopted him to Stillwater for a much-anticipated debut season at a program longing for some excellent news. The Imply Inexperienced led the nation in complete offense with common of 512.4 yards per recreation and scoring (42.6 factors) and gained 11 video games earlier than Morris was employed to interchange Mike Gundy, the longtime Cowboys coach d final September.
Oklahoma State has 4 wins in two seasons and hasn't crushed a Huge 12 Convention opponent since December 2023. The Cowboys shall be counting closely on Mestemaker and Morris to return this system to prominence.
The 6-foot-3, 217-pound Mestemaker has loads of weapons to work with.
North Texas switch Caleb Hawkins led the FBS with 1,434 yards and 25 touchdowns dashing final 12 months, and set an FBS document for many complete TDs by a freshman (29). Large receiver Wyatt Younger, Mestemaker’s favourite goal at North Texas, had 70 receptions for 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Cowboys might be in line for a bowl recreation if 88 newcomers can come collectively and Mestemaker can show final season's success story was no fluke towards Energy 4 competitors. A house recreation towards No. 2 Oregon arrives within the season's second week after the Sept. 5 opener at Tulsa.
If anybody's up for the problem, it's Mestemaker.
“I all the time had the idea in myself that after I bought the chance I might benefit from it,” he mentioned. "Every time I confirmed up at North Texas I used to be simply attempting to make the journey roster. I simply needed to see what faculty soccer's all about. Seeing all this hype round my identify it’s loopy as a result of I had none of that popping out of highschool. I really feel such as you've simply to maintain the principle factor the principle factor. It's cool to see all that nevertheless it’s additionally like we’ve nonetheless bought to exit and carry out this 12 months and win video games.”
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