Tall and Small, Fast and Physical: Eric Morris Raves about OSU’s Diverse Receiving Corps.
By Marshall Scott | Pistols Firing Blog
STILLWATER — Eric Morris laughed to himself Wednesday when he saw Justin Bowick and Chris Barnes leaving a receiver meeting talking to each other.
“The tallest guy and the shortest guy in the room right there,” Morris said. “They were walking out of meetings today and they were talking to one another, and I was laughing because the two have totally separate skillsets.”
An Illinois transfer, Bowick stands at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. A Wake Forest transfer, Barnes checks in at 5-7, 168. Just a nine-inch and 42-pound difference between two men who technically have the same job.
Those two and North Texas transfer Wyatt Young make up three four-star transfer receivers the Cowboys added this offseason. Morris is obviously familiar with what Young can do. As a true sophomore with the Mean Green last season, Young caught 70 balls for 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Bowick led Illinois in touchdown catches last season, scoring five touchdowns on 22 catches. That came after a four-game stint at Ball State saw Bowick catch 20 balls for 383 yards and three scores.
“Super, super excited about Justin and the way that he’s worked and his fluidity, the way that he runs, just watching him condition right now,” Morris said. “Haven’t been able to see him catch yet. Talking to Drew (Mestemaker), Drew does a great job getting these guys together, and on the weekends having throwing sessions. Drew’s fired up just about his ball skills, the way his movements are, his transitions skills. Obviously, he led Illinois in touchdowns.
“I just think he’s a guy that’ll really blossom into a really major NFL-type guy that they’re gonna want to see next year in this system. If you’ve watched what he was able to do in an offense that isn’t even close to using him the way we’re gonna do it. Super excited about him.”
Morris nearly coached Barnes before. He was committed to North Texas for nearly six months in 2023 before he flipped late and signed with Washington State.
He redshirted at Wazzu in 2024 but took part in three games and had two catches for 19 yards.
Nick Edwards, Washington State’s receivers coach at that time, got hired by Wake Forest, and Barnes transferred with him. In 11 games with the Demon Deacons this past season, Barnes caught 39 balls for 547 yards and three touchdowns while running for another 143 yards and having 263 kick return yards (and a return TD).
Edwards is now OSU’s receivers coach, and Barnes is with him again.
“Super, super explosive with the ball in his hands,” Morris said. “I think he ran a 10.2 100-meter dash. So, as we’re getting into the running and stuff right now, already when I get my GPS reports, like Chris Barnes is the fastest guy on the GPS already right now. You turn on some clips last year and you see him run on some kickoff returns and some deep posts and things like that.
“For those guys, I think just for me, as still the offensive play caller, super excited just about the potential in the ways I can design plays to get those guys the ball in space in a completely different way. I think they’ll complement each other just because Justin’s a guy that’s so big and long and has a really big catch radius, and Chris is obviously so twitchy.”
If that was it, the Cowboys would have a solid receiver room. But that isn’t it. Incoming transfers Miles Coleman (North Texas), Terrence Lewis (North Texas), Israel Polk (Akron) and Rodney Harris II (Ohio) combined to make 121 catches for 1,678 yards and 15 touchdowns just last season. Drew Mestemaker shouldn’t lack options.
Needless to say Morris, who will also call plays in Stillwater, is bullish about his pass catchers.
“Excited about the receiver corps and how that kind of progresses,” Morris said. “Bunch of competition. We gotta figure out how to get all these guys on the dang field this year.”