We are less than two weeks away from the start of the 2026 College Football season, and USA Today has named the 10 most impactful transfers of the Big 12 Conference. These 10 players are poised to help their teams win the conference and reach the College Football Playoff.
Of the 10 named transfers, three play for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. That is not a big surprise because the team has a new head coach, Eric Morris, who brought in 85 new players for the 2026 season after Oklahoma State went 1-11 in 2025.
So which Oklahoma State players made the cut, and who are the other seven Big 12 Conference transfers fans should get to know? Here’s a look at the list of the most impactful Big 12 transfers compiled by Austin Curtright of USA Today.
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Drew Mestemaker is one of the 85 new players on the Oklahoma State roster. He spent the last two seasons at North Texas and was statistically one of the best quarterbacks for the 2025 college football season.
Last year, Mestemaker threw for 4,379 yards, which led the FBS. He also ranked second in the country in passing touchdowns (34) and won the Burlsworth Trophy, which is given to college football’s most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on.
With Texas Tech losing four defensive linemen to the NFL Draft this year, the team went after Mateen Ibirogba from Wake Forest. The Red Raiders are hoping the addition of Ibirogba will help them win the Big 12 title for the second consecutive year.
Ibirogba joins Texas Tech after spending the last two years at Wake Forest. In 2025, Ibirogba played in 12 games and finished with 21 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, three quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked kick.
Caleb Hawkins is another North Texas transfer who followed Morris to Oklahoma State. And if he was anything like he was with the Mean Green, Cowboys fans are going to love having him on the team.
As a true freshman in 2025, Hawkins set the FBS record for touchdowns scored by a freshman with 29 total. He had 1,804 all-purpose yards and was named to the All-America Second Team by Walter Camp and the Sporting News.
Like Hawkins, Cam Cook made a huge impact with a smaller school. He joins the West Virginia Mountaineers after playing for the TCU Horned Frogs in 2023 and 2024 and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in 2025.
While playing at Jacksonville State, Cook led the nation in rushing with 1,659 yards on 295 carries. He ranked sixth nationally in rushing touchdowns (16) and was named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award.
After losing Josh Hoover to the Indiana Hoosiers, TCU needed a quarterback, which led to the team adding Jaden Craig. The Horned Frogs are hoping Craig can lead them to their first Big 12 title since 2014.
Craig spent the last three seasons at Harvard. In 2025, Craig played in 11 games and finished with 2,869 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes, and he set the school record for passing completions with 208. Craig was selected to the All-Ivy League First Team last season.
DJ Lagway and Baylor might be a perfect match when it’s all said and done. Lagway has the potential to be a superstar, and Baylor needs the right player to make them a contender for the Big 12 championship.
Lagway joins the Bears after spending the last two seasons with the Florida Gators. In 2025, Lagway started all 12 games and threw for 2,262 yards with 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also rushed for 244 yards on 51 carries.
Wendell Gregory is playing for his third school in as many years. After making an impact at Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia, Gregory played for South Carolina in 2024 and Oklahoma State in 2025.
Kansas State is happy to have Gregory on the roster after what he did with the Cowboys last year. He played in every game with four starts and recorded 27 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and four sacks en route to being named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Arizona State added Omarion Miller to the roster after losing Jordyn Tyson to this year’s NFL Draft. Tyson was selected to the All-Big 12 First Team last year after catching 61 passes for 711 yards and eight touchdowns.
Miller joins the Sun Devils after spending the last three seasons with the Colorado Buffaloes. He played in 27 games for Colorado and finished with 66 receptions for 1,258 yards and 10 touchdowns. He earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2025.
Surprise, surprise, it’s another North Texas transfer. Wyatt Young makes his way to the Cowboys and will likely be Mestemaker’s top target this fall. Young is entering his third college football season, spending the previous two years with the Mean Green.
In 2025, Young recorded 1,264 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns on 70 catches. He notched the second-most receiving yards in a season in North Texas history and was selected to the All-America First Team by PFSN.
If Texas Tech wins the Big 12 again this fall, Austin Romaine will be a big reason why. Romaine will likely anchor a Texas Tech defense that could be one of the best in the nation. He joins the team after spending the last three years at Kansas State.
In 2025, Romaine played in only nine games due to an injury. But he still played at a high level, tallying 66 tackles, seven tackles for loss, half a sack, one interception, two passes defended, and a fumble recovery.
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