STILLWATER — Exactly a month out from the Eric Morris Era kicking off in Tulsa, the Cowboys had their first practice of fall camp on Monday.
Morris met with reporters after the opening day. We’ll have plenty of coverage over the coming days from that media scrum, but here are five things that initially stood out.
1. Initial Takeaways from Day 1, Morris Challenges Toughness
The first question Morris fielded on Wednesday was if the first practice went as expected.
“I thought the excitement was there,” Morris said. “I think at some point — this is my eighth year of being a head coach, and it goes back to the same thing. There’s a bunch of anxiety for a lot of people on Day 1. That just seems to happen. Even as much as we get to meet and practice during the summer and go over installs, just the first day you’re out there with your helmet on, it’s happening in real time.”
When the media was first let in on Wednesday morning, I walked down the west sideline of the indoor facility and noticed some puke on the ground. Practice hadn’t even officially started yet. It sounds as if the Oklahoma heat might’ve gotten the better of some of the guys.
“We had some guys that couldn’t finish practice today, so toughness is gonna be a major factor,” Morris said. “I’ve gotta go back and watch the tape and see why that happened. Obviously it’s super hot out here, but we gotta get a lot tougher from this point on before our first game. All of those issues will be addressed. There was some good mixed in there today. I think we had some guys that performed well, came out here and handled like pros, were in shape, but overall I felt that we had too many people that were gasping for wind at the end of practice.”
That led me to asking Morris how you coach toughness.
“Going through hard things, I think, and really seeing how people respond to adverse situations,” Morris said. “It’s tough to do what we’re doing right now with the heat and to come out here mentally and physically put it together for a training camp. Not like the olden days, like the two-a-days, right, but to be able to come out here and be focused in this heat and physically and mentally do it.
“And two, I think it’s a little bit different now. There’s a little bit of an NFL approach to it because these guys are rewarded financially in such a way when they go out and perform, and so much is riding on it for them and their families. So, I think I’ve seen that be a good thing as far as these kids being able to push through because there’s something that they’re gonna be rewarded with on the back end.”
2. Freshmen Receivers Starting to Creep Up the Depth Chart
With all the new faces entering via the transfer portal, there hasn’t been as much discussion about the Cowboys’ freshman class as their might usually be, but Morris name dropped a few rookie receivers who stood out.
“Jabarie Thornton has been a guy that’s a young kid that I think is continuing to improve,” Morris said. “He’s moved kinda from the threes and fours and getting some reps with the ones and twos right now. …
“I’ll tell you the guy that’s surprised me the most of our freshman class that came late is (Dayvon) Standard, that came in from Arizona — 6-3 wide receiver that wouldn’t surprise me if he pushes himself into the rotation.”
Thornton may just be a freshman, but he had an interesting journey to Stillwater. He committed to OSU in April of 2025 and stayed committed up until Mike Gundy’s firing in September. After re-opening his recruitment, he ended up committed to Morris at North Texas, just for Morris to take the OSU job and Thornton follow him over.
Out of La Vega in Waco, Thornton had north of 1,000 receiving yards in his final two seasons of high school ball. He also participated on his high school track team, with MileSplit crediting him with a 22.61 200 meters in 2024 and a 20-8.5 long jump in 2025.
Standard committed to OSU in February, after the early signing period, over offers from Idaho and UMass. He is listed at 6-foot-4, 185 pounds entering his freshman season. He played just six games in his high school senior season at Desert Edge (AZ), where he caught 23 balls for 463 yards and 10 TDs.
3. Justin Bowick Sounding More Freaky By the Quote
Speaking of receivers, I grow more excited to watch Illinois transfer Justin Bowick every time someone talks about him.
In the spring, Chris Barnes put Bowick, listed at 6-foot-5, 209 pounds, on his make-believe 4×100-meter relay team among his teammates. On Wednesday, Morris again pointed to his speed while others might stop at just his height.
“I think Justin Bowick is a guy that has a skillset to play this game for a long time, has the length and speed,” Morris said. “I think he had our fastest timed 10-meter dash this summer at 6-foot-5, so a guy that is looking like a 4.4, 4.3 guy at that size is a guy (I’m) super excited about.”
Bowick is a redshirt senior, having spent time at Eastern Illinois, Ball State and most recently Illinois. He caught 22 passes last season for 265 yards and five touchdowns (which tied for a team lead). His year at Ball State was also impressive, as he caught 20 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns … in just four games.
4. Morris Bullish on the Returning Malik Charles
Morris didn’t get too good a look at Malik Charles this spring as he recovered from injuries suffered while toughing out the 2025 season at OSU. But it sounds like the more Morris sees Charles, the more he likes.
“Just a physical phenomenon,” Morris said. “I mean, like, his numbers right now at 6-foot-4, 300-plus pounds and how fast he was running, the weights he was moving, what kind of shape he’s in — I mean, we can do so many things with him. He’s big enough to be a presence on the end and athletic enough to do that. And at times in certain packages, we can move him down and get him matched up on guards as a three technique.
“I think the versatility, I didn’t get to see him to anything because of the injury in the spring, but he was probably the most pleasant surprise. And he’s a great kid. He’s super thankful to be here.”
Charles, at one point, fancied himself a basketball player, but his genes took over. He’s the son of Mike Charles, who played defensive line at Syracuse and 101 games in the NFL. Charles took the scenic route to Power Five football, spending time at Western New Mexico (as a tight end), Northern Arizona and West Georgia before joining the Cowboys last season. In his first season at OSU, he played in 11 of 12 games and finished with 28 tackles and three sacks.
5. Oates Returns to Practice
After an offseason of uncertainty, a ruling from a judge meant Iman Oates was able to return to the practice field as he seeks another year of eligibility.
Should he officially get that extra year, Oates will likely play a big role in the middle of the Cowboys’ defense.
Morris on Wednesday praised Oates ability to keep working (alone) this offseason despite the uncertainty.
“Incredible,” Morris said. “He’s somebody that I’d be sitting in my office, and he’d be outside running by himself. He’d have to go lift somewhere else and not being able to do his workouts here. Actually, when we were able to get him back, phenomenal shape. Strength was incredible. Maybe the best shape that I’ve seen here, so a testament to him being committed.
“That’s hard to do when you’re out here without the team and don’t know what your future looks like. First day back, having him break the guys down at the end, the whole team went crazy.”
Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.
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