(Photo credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images)

North Texas star quarterback Drew Mestemaker is following coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State and told ESPN on Saturday that he has committed to the Big 12 school.

Mestemaker is the national passing-yardage leader with 4,379 yards, second-most by a freshman in FBS history behind only Ohio State's C.J. Stroud (4,435 in 2021).

He also fired 34 touchdowns and was intercepted nine times while guiding the Mean Green to a school-best 12-2 record.

Mestemaker said his comfort level with Morris - hired by Oklahoma State in late November - and new offensive coordinator Sean Brophy (his QBs coach at North Texas) were big factors in his decision.

'I think just the relationships that I've built there with Coach Morris, Coach Brophy and that whole staff, offense and defense,' Mestemaker told ESPN. 'I think Coach Morris is the best playcaller in the nation. The insight he has, and the way he sees offense, and the way he makes me at quarterback comfortable in everything we are running.

'I feel like he sets me up for success in everything that he calls.'

Mestemaker rarely saw the field at quarterback in high school and played sparingly in 2024 at North Texas before exploding on the scene this season.

He passed for two or more touchdowns 11 times and topped 300 yards on five occasions. He set a school record with 608 passing yards in a 54-20 road victory over Charlotte on Oct. 24.

His final game for North Texas came in a 49-47 win over San Diego State in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 27. He completed 27 of 47 passes for 250 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Now Mestemaker will test himself at the power-conference level with the lone college coach who was willing to bring him aboard after high school.

'To have a coach really be the first person to take a chance on me and trust me, I feel like I owe him that back in some sort,' Mestemaker said of Morris. 'I think he's the best at his job in the world, and I 100% believe in him, too. That trust that we've built is bigger than just on the football field.'

Oklahoma State also could soon land North Texas star running back Caleb Hawkins, the national leader with 29 touchdowns, which also rates as an FBS record for a freshman.

Hawkins rushed for 1,434 yards and 25 touchdowns and caught 32 passes for 370 yards and four scores for the Mean Green.

Hawkins posted on social media Friday that he was taking a visit to Oklahoma State this weekend.

--Field Level Media