​One of the most telling comments from Oklahoma State’s Big 12 Media Days didn’t come from Eric Morris.It came from linebacker Ethan Wesloski.Wesloski transferred to Oklahoma State after helping North Texas win 12 games last season. Like many of the Mean Green players who followed Morris to Stillwater, he arrived expecting to help change the Cowboys’ culture.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDuring Big 12 Media Days though,  Wesloski made it clear he also understands something else.This isn’t just his rebuild.When asked whether he feels an obligation to the Oklahoma State players who stayed through last season’s 1-11 campaign, Wesloski didn’t hesitate.”Just because those guys are so hungry to win,” Wesloski said. “I feel like I owe it to them to give them my best every day. If I don’t, I feel like I not only let myself down but I let them down.”That answer stood out to me.It shows Wesloski understands the dynamic inside Oklahoma State’s locker room.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt would have been easy for the North Texas transfers to arrive believing they were simply replacing what came before.Instead, Wesloski recognizes there are players who lived through the program’s toughest season in decades and chose to stay.Players like Jaleel Johnson.Players who could have entered the transfer portal but decided Oklahoma State was still worth fighting for.Those veterans don’t need sympathy.They need teammates willing to help restore the standard.Wesloski appears to understand that responsibility.That’s one reason I’ve become increasingly optimistic about this Oklahoma State team.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThroughout Big 12 Media Days, the message wasn’t about North Texas versus Oklahoma State.It wasn’t about old players versus new players.It was about building one team.Eric Morris has talked about mixing players together from the very first team meeting.The Cowboys have spent the offseason golfing, fishing and skeet shooting to build relationships.Now Wesloski is reinforcing that same message publicly.He’s not talking about what Oklahoma State owes him.He’s talking about what he owes Oklahoma State.That’s a subtle difference.It’s an important one.Winning programs aren’t built by newcomers believing they’re the answer.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThey’re built when everyone inside the locker room feels responsible for the outcome.Wesloski could have focused on his own opportunity.Instead, he focused on the teammates who endured a difficult season and never left.That’s leadership.It’s also exactly what Oklahoma State needs.The Cowboys don’t simply need talented transfers.They need players willing to invest in the people who were already here.If Oklahoma State is going to become one of the Big 12’s biggest turnaround stories, it won’t happen because North Texas players arrived to save the program.It will happen because newcomers and returning Cowboys build something together.Wesloski’s comments make me believe that proces