The portal era loves to test loyalty, and this week it was Drew Mestemaker’s turn. With his head coach, Eric Morris, off to Oklahoma State, the obvious question found him fast. But his response cut through all the noise.

“I mean, not really,” North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker replied to reporter Joe Mussatto. “I love Coach Morris and everything he’s done for us, and for me specifically, but that’s something I honestly haven’t even thought about. If you’re in the season thinking about what you’re going to do after the season, you’re just missing out on what we play the game for, honestly.”

After taking down Temple with a 52-25 finish, North Texas sits on an 11-1 record. Now, with playoff hopes alive, the Mean Green can at least stop worrying about their quarterback jumping ship.

But the speculation wasn’t unfounded. Mestemaker has blossomed under Morris, rising from a former high school backup to one of the most productive passers in the country. He currently ranks top-three nationally in passing yards per game and touchdowns, and owns the third-highest passer grade among all FBS quarterbacks, per PFF. His season line of 3,469 yards, 26 touchdowns, and just four interceptions only fueled the assumption that he might follow the coach who elevated him.

And Morris’s track record made the rumors louder. His résumé includes Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech and Cam Ward at Incarnate Word, two quarterbacks who became stars under his guidance. But even with that history and even with Oklahoma State presenting its own opportunities, Mestemaker isn’t biting. The Cowboys already have starter John Mateer, who overlapped with Morris at Washington State in 2022.

But John Mateer, who’s the Cowboys’ starter, was a freshman at Washington State during Morris’s OC job in 2022. Knowing the competition Mestemaker will face at Cowboys if he decides to move his blunt take makes sense. And he made it pretty clear before Morris moved to the Cowboys. Mestemaker knows the battle that would await him, and even before Morris officially made the jump, he made his stance bluntly clear.

“The portal is kind of, just kind of a sensitive topic for a lot of reasons,” Mestemaker said. “But I don’t think in a season you should be thinking about what I’m going to do after this or things like that. I think if you’re not totally bought in on the season, then you’re just like missing out. I have an agent. And I told him, ‘Don’t tell me anything; I don’t want to hear it.’ I just want to play.”

On top of it, leaving a team that is standing on the verge of making it to the playoffs and the American Conference Championship doesn’t make sense.

Eric Morris gets real about his Oklahoma State move

Oklahoma State’s familiarity and Big 12 roots compelled Eric Morris to make the switch to the Cowboys. Talking about his move, he said that watching Mike Gundy build a program competing at the national level and going to bowls even when he didn’t win is something that attracted him.

“I was able to watch Coach (Mike) Gundy build that thing,” Morris said after their win against Temple. “I played there a ton, and the atmosphere is electric. I don’t think I ever won a game there as a player or a coach.”

With that, Morris is also planning early work for Oklahoma State. For now, he is taking one step at a time and not rushing into major decisions.

“I need time to really dissect and get into the weeds on some things before I start making super important decisions,” Morris added. “I don’t want to coach players who believe in me and them not knowing what’s going on.”

Well, these slow and steady moves make sense, knowing he will be doing a major rebuild at Oklahoma State. But his ability to turn programs into playoff contenders will give them a push. At North Texas, Morris was 22-15 and built the nation’s top offense, averaging 500 yards per game. Now, let’s wait and see if he can do the same with the Cowboys or not.