Pokes Report’s Big 12 Media Days coverage is brought to you by VisitStillwaterOK.org. Touch down at SWO and experience an Oklahoma State game day the Stillwater way. Visit Stillwater is your go-to for where to eat, stay and celebrate in America’s Friendliest College Town.
FRISCO, Texas – By the time we got a chance to talk to Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker he had been through a hefty media carwash underneath The Star at the Ford Center. The Cowboys itinerary to start Big 12 Football Media Days was to come in, dress in game uniform (orange jersey and white pants) and take lots of photos, do lots of interviews, and read lots of in-game and preseason promo reads.
“This is my first media day right here, so it’s been good,” Mestemaker said. “They’ve all (ESPN, TNT, and FOX) been nice to me. We did the photo shoot in uniforms and all the interviews and promotions. It’s been a long morning so far.”
When we met up with the quarterback the uniform was gone, a brand new gray suit with orange trim for the button holes, a dress shirt with orange monogramming in its place. They were all decked out, different suits but we found out the same tailor.
“They had them done, they got them for all of us,” Mestemaker said. “We got it for media day.”
We hit on several topics including his recent brush with American football royalty in Thibodeau, Louisiana.
“I did, had lots of fun, not as much throwing as I thought we’d do,” Mestemaker said. “They put us to work (camp counselors). It was a lot of fun being around those guys (other quarterbacks) and being around that family. You soak up all the knowledge you can. They showed us the highlights of Archie Manning (patriarch). You see those wheels and that arm, he was the deal. I got to talk to him a little and he would talk at all of our team meetings.”
Watching video and checking with some sources, including some of the camp management, they were all complimentary of Mestemaker, on and off-the-field.
“I feel like everyone was cool,” he said. “I felt like after the first day everybody dropped the ego. We’re all there for the same reason.”
Speaking of reasons, Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris told me that he has reasons he and his staff use July for vacation. He wants the players to be with the strength coaches this month. Call it bonding through the adversity of heavy training in the heat. I asked Mestemaker if he had got some exposure to my good buddy, Gary Calcagno.
“He’s awesome, fiery, I love him,” Mestemaker said. “The summer is when the team comes together for sure. I feel when the team comes together really strong and makes really strong connections sets the tone for the year. When things get tough during the year we go back to running on the steaming hot turf at two o’clock in the afternoon. When we’re laying around in the locker room after that, we’re bonding together.”
Mestemaker told me that he doesn’t talk about or show anything that has to do with money. He is the first Oklahoma State quaerterback to make over a million dollars. The highest paid OSU quarterback so far that I know of was Alan Bowman, who made $400,000 his last season. Mestemaker makes $3.5 million and will make more in 2027 if he stays through his orginal agreement.
He has his mother, agent, and money manager handle all of it. It is not a topic with him and certainly with his teammates.
Regarding his teammates, he is always there for the ball.
“It’s coming together great,” Mestemaker said. “We have guys on all sides the field and depth. I felt like at North Texas if one guy went down then it was, “oh gosh, we need to have a freshman come through.’ Now, we have lots of guys.”
That could go for most all positions groups and the huge bonus is they have the right guy, humble, easy going, and absolutely competitive to lead them. He dresses up nice too.
