The stories surrounding NFL draft prospects are one of the main reasons many tune in. One in the 2026 NFL draft that stood out was Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Max Iheanachor, who has four to five years of football experience, but was a first-round selection. For the 2027 draft, there’s bound to be plenty more just like it. One already stands out with Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who transferred from North Texas this offseason.

There’s no guarantee Mestemaker will declare for the draft next year, but if he does, many will love the story surrounding him. He’s next up in the “Get to know me” series here with EssentiallySports, and he has a fun one to read about.

Early life/High school

Mestermaker grew up in North Austin and attended Vandegrift High School, where he started on the Freshman B Team, leading the team to a 10-0 record. He’d start a couple of games on the junior varsity team as a sophomore, and the next year he was the primary backup to Brayden Bohanon, who plays baseball at Baylor. Mestemaker waited for his turn and was expected to be the starting quarterback his senior year of high school.

It all came crumbling before high eyes, as three-star Louisville quarterback commit Deuce Adams transferred to Vandegrift and took over the starting job. There was a quarterback battle, but Adams eventually won the job.

So what did Mestemaker do?

He taught himself how to punt, of course. Mestemaker earned all-district honors as the team’s punter and played safety, where he has good size for the position at 6-foot-4. He earned all-district honors at the safety position as well. The team went 10-0 and won the district title for the sixth straight year in 2023.

How he got to North Texas

Despite playing well at the other position, Mestemaker wanted to be a quarterback. The problem was that he was a zero-star recruit, per 247Sports, and had no offers. He ended up working with quarterback trainer Jeff Christensen, who had experience working with Patrick Mahomes.

Christensen knew North Texas head coach Eric Morris and reached out, imploring him to watch Mestemaker throw. The only problem was that there wasn’t any tape. Mestemaker had offers at the junior college level and another walk-on spot with Sam Houston. But the opportunity to work with Morris is what attracted him. Morris worked with previous quarterbacks such as Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, and Cam Ward.

Morris eventually offered Mestemaker a roster spot and originally was sixth on the depth chart. By the time the season came around, he was the No. 2 and backed up Chandler Morris.

A chance to start

The original plan was for Morris to start for two whole seasons, but he ended up transferring to Virginia. Morris left the team before its bowl game against Texas State in the 2024 season, leaving Mestemaker as the next man up.  It’d be his first quarterback start since his sophomore year of junior varsity.

No one knew how Mestemaker would respond, but he had waited for this moment for years. The chance to start at quarterback again, and he made sure not to let it go to waste. He’d finish with 448 total yards, three total touchdowns, but had three turnovers as well. The team lost 30-28, but Mestemaker set a North Texas record with the most passing yards in a bowl game.

The 2025 offseason was deja vu for Mestemaker. The program brought in Miami transfer Reese Poffenbarger, who backed up Ward in 2024.

In August of 2025, Morris made his decision on who’d start, and Mestemaker was the guy. Morris made the right decision. Mestemaker threw for 4,379 yards, 34 touchdowns with nine interceptions, and added 89 yards on the ground with five rushing touchdowns. He led the FBS in passing yards, passing yards per game (312.8), total offense (4,468), and yards per attempt (9.46).

He won the Burlsworth Trophy, American Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Freshman All-America Team (FWAA), and All-American Conference First Team in 2025. You’d think it’d all stay the same in 2026, but Morris accepted a job offer to coach at Oklahoma State in the Power 4.

So what did Mestemaker do?

Enter the transfer portal as the No. 3-ranked play in the country (behind Brendan Sorsby and Sam Leavitt) according to 247 Sports. He followed his coach to Oklahoma State. In just three years, Mestemaker went from being a backup quarterback in high school to a starting quarterback in the Big 12. There will be plenty of eyes on him throughout the season, and whether he declares for the NFL draft next spring or not, his story is one worth sharing.

Mestemaker never gave up; he just kept chasing what he knew he deserved.

A starting quarterback spot.