When Oklahoma State released its first depth chart of the Eric Morris era, one of the more interesting designations came at wide receiver. Miles Coleman OR Wyatt Young.
According to Morris, there is much more behind that “OR” than simply an unresolved position battle.
“There’s a whole story behind the story,” Morris said. “Those are two guys we recruited and have a great relationship with.”
Morris knows exactly how quickly the roles between Coleman and Young can change because he watched it happen last season at North Texas.
At this point a year ago, Coleman was the starter in the slot while Young was behind him on the depth chart. An injury to Coleman eventually opened an opportunity for Young, who took advantage of his increased role and earned more playing time.
“You think back to last year, Miles was our starter at this time in the slot and Wyatt was the backup,” Morris said. “Miles got a little banged up and Wyatt took advantage of the opportunity. He went out there and performed at a really high level. Rewarded for it.”
Both receivers ultimately followed Morris from North Texas to Oklahoma State, joining a large collection of familiar faces making the move to Stillwater.
Now the two are competing for snaps again, but Morris does not anticipate the competition creating problems inside the locker room.
“The cool thing is that they’re such good friends with each other and Drew, so you’ll see a heavy dose of both of those guys,” Morris said.
That connection with quarterback Drew Mestemaker could be particularly valuable as Oklahoma State installs Morris’ offense with an almost completely rebuilt roster. Coleman and Young already understand the system and have experience catching passes from Mestemaker, giving the Cowboys some continuity at the skill positions despite the massive offseason turnover.
And while the depth chart lists the two receivers together, Morris made it clear Oklahoma State plans to use both. Part of that is personnel. Part of it is also necessity.
The Cowboys open the season Saturday afternoon at Tulsa, where Morris expects the combination of playing on turf, the early-afternoon heat and Oklahoma State’s desired offensive tempo to make receiver depth important.
“We’re going to play at our pace with some tempo,” Morris said. “Both of those guys will be super important.”
That could make the “OR” designation less about determining Oklahoma State’s definitive starter and more about keeping both receivers involved and fresh throughout the game.
Morris also believes their friendship will allow the Cowboys to rotate them without creating tension over playing time.
“That’ll never be an issue as far as the dynamics in our locker room because of how they are as human beings and their relationship,” Morris said. “Trust both of them and put them in some sort of rotation. Hopefully we keep them both fresh and firing on all cylinders.”
So when Oklahoma State takes the field for the first time under Morris, expect to see plenty of No. 1 on the depth chart. And plenty of the guy listed right beside him.