STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — After years of being told no, Drew Mestemaker made the most of his only opportunity to prove he could play quarterback in college.
Oklahoma State's new signal caller didn't take a varsity snap in high school and was overlooked at quarterback camps, but walked on at North Texas and threw 34 touchdown passes as a redshirt freshman for coach Eric Morris last season.
“I feel like every ‘no’ kind of like made me want to do it that much more," Mestemaker said. “I honestly feel like the reason I kept going was because of how much work I was putting in. I knew i couldn’t put all that work in and then just because of a few no's throw it all away and just feel sorry for myself.”
Mestemaker, a backup at Vandergrift High School in Austin, Texas, eventually caught the eye of Morris, an elite evaluator of quarterback talent who gave him a workout in the summer of 2024.
“Yeah, just super polished as a passer,” Morris recalled. "There was zero wasted movement in his throwing motion, which is something we look for. Drew was as good as anybody I’d seen, as far as some of those mechanics. We didn’t know how smart he was, how well he retained information, how well he processed when the bullets were flying, when things were moving in front of him.”
Mestemaker passed for an FBS-best 4,379 yards last season and is among 22 transfers who played for Morris at North Texas and followed him to Stillwater for a much-anticipated debut season at a program eager for some good news. The Mean Green led the nation in total offense with average of 512.4 yards per game and scoring (42.6 points) and won 11 games before Morris was hired to replace Mike Gundy, the longtime Cowboys coach who was fired last September.
Oklahoma State has four wins in two seasons and hasn't beaten a Big 12 Conference opponent since December 2023. The Cowboys will be counting heavily on Mestemaker and Morris to return the program to prominence.
The 6-foot-3, 217-pound Mestemaker has plenty of weapons to work with.
North Texas transfer Caleb Hawkins led the FBS with 1,434 yards and 25 touchdowns rushing last year, and set an FBS record for most total TDs by a freshman (29). Wide receiver Wyatt Young, Mestemaker’s favorite target at North Texas, had 70 receptions for 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Cowboys could be in line for a bowl game if 88 newcomers can come together and Mestemaker can prove last season's success story was no fluke against Power Four competition. A home game against No. 2 Oregon arrives in the season's second week after the Sept. 5 opener at Tulsa.
If anyone's up for the challenge, it's Mestemaker.
“I always had the belief in myself that once I got the opportunity I could make the most of it,” he said. "Whenever I showed up at North Texas I was just trying to make the travel roster. I just wanted to see what college football's all about. Seeing all this hype around my name it is crazy because I had none of that coming out of high school. I feel like you've just to keep the main thing the main thing. It's cool to see all that but it’s also like we’ve still got to go out and perform this year and win games.”
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FILE - North Texas head coach Eric Morris, center left, claps during an NCAA college football game against Temple, Nov. 28, 2025, Denton, Texas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias, File)
FILE - North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) passes the ball during an NCAA college football game against Temple, Nov. 28, 2025, Denton, Texas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias, File)
DENVER (AP) — Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche agreed to a $163.2 million, eight-year extension on Friday that will make him the highest paid player in league history.
The terms of the deal were confirmed by his agency, Bartlett Hockey.
Makar’s extension is set to be the the richest in NHL history, surpassing the eight-year, $136 million extension signed by Minnesota forward Kirill Kaprizov last September. Makar's deal runs through the 2034-35 season.
With an annual average value (AAV) of $20.4 million beginning in 2027-28, Makar’s deal eclipses that of San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini, who signed a five-year, $94 million extension in late July and has an $18.8 million AAV.
Makar’s record-setting deal could push the limit even higher with Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Toronto's Auston Matthews eligible for extensions next summer.
“I couldn’t be more excited to continue my journey here with the Avalanche in this amazing city of Denver,” Makar said in a video posted on social media by the team, calling it a historic day. “Here’s to another hopefully amazing nine years.”
The 27-year-old Makar is coming off a season in which he had 20 goals and 59 assists. He finished second to Zach Werenski of Columbus in the Norris Trophy voting, an award that goes to the league’s top defenseman. Makar has won the award twice over his career.
The cap hit for Makar for last season was $9 million after signing a six-year, $54 million contract in 2021. The new deal for Makar now sets the bar for fellow standout defensemen Quinn Hughes of Minnesota and Werenski.
Securing the long-term services of Makar was a high priority this offseason for president of hockey operations/general manager Joe Sakic, who maintained that Makar was “going to finish his career” in Colorado. Makar was taken fourth overall by Colorado in 2017 out of the University of Massachusetts.
The salary cap is projected to be $113.5 million in 2027-28 when Makar's new deal begins. He will take up roughly 18% of the room for a team with a Cup-ready roster. Left wing Artturi Lehkonen is set to be a free agent after this season, along with center Nicolas Roy and goaltender Scott Wedgewood.
Makar was banged up heading into a Western Conference Final where the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights. An upper-body injury sidelined him for Games 1 and 2, but he returned for the final two contests. Sakic recently said that Makar is slated to be ready for training camp.
It’s been a busy offseason for Sakic, who’s stepping back into the role of GM after Chris MacFarland left to lead the front office in Nashville. Among the deals orchestrated by Sakic was sending Valeri Nichushkin to the Blue Jackets for draft picks. It was a way to free up space to negotiate the extension for Makar.
“Cale is a generational defenseman and his accomplishments speak for themselves,” Sakic said in a statement. "He is obviously a tremendous competitor and player but even more so a great person, teammate and ambassador for the Avalanche and the Rocky Mountain region. We are beyond thrilled to get this deal done and have Cale in an Avalanche sweater for the next decade.”
A native of Calgary, Alberta, Makar has turned in four 20-goal seasons in his career, one of just 12 defensemen in league history to post at least that many campaigns. He also notched his 500th NHL point on March 28 in his 467th career game. He’s the fourth-fastest defenseman to reach that milestone, behind only Hall of Famers Bobby Orr (396 games), Paul Coffey (422) and Denis Potvin (465).
The core of Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and captain Gabriel Landeskog helped Colorado to a Stanley Cup title in 2022. Makar had eight goals and 21 assists during the championship run to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.
Makar's younger brother, Taylor, recently signed a two-year contract with the Avalanche that runs through the 2027-28 season. Taylor Makar made his NHL debut on Nov. 1 in San Jose, as the brothers became the first siblings to appear in the same contest while playing for the Avalanche. The Stastny brothers — Anton, Peter and Marian — accomplished the feat when the team was the Quebec Nordiques.
“Colorado has truly become a second home to us, and we are so grateful to be here,” Cale Makar said. "I look forward to getting back on the ice with my teammates and continuing to work toward our goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to the Mile High City.”
AP Hockey Writers Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow contributed to this report.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
FILE - Colorado Avalanche's Cale Makar (8) skates during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
FILE - Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, center, celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks, March 3, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
FILE - Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar skates with the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, March 6, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
