OSU Bullets

• Cowboy Baseball added a talented right-hander from the ACC yesterday (PFB)

• Chad Weiberg’s right-hand man in the athletic department announced he’s leaving for a similar role at Navy yesterday (TulsaWorld)

• CBS Sports rated Wyatt Young and Caleb Hawkins both in their top 20 offensive skill players in college football, a list not including quarterbacks

• This article power-ranked the Big 12 basketball teams, fawns over what Steve Lutz has done with this Cowboy squad, having them at No. 9:

 What an offseason for Steve Lutz. This Oklahoma State roster has made an about-face and enters 2026-27 with loads of playable depth after it found usable pieces in every area of roster-building. [CBS Sports]

• Five Cowboys are fighting for spots on the World Team tomorrow (PFB)

•  20 minutes of national college football podcasts talking OSU football: 

Non-OSU Bullets

• The quiet grief of adult friendships • Most common language (outside of English and Spanish) spoken in each US state

Wake Forest transfer right-handed pitcher Tyler Wood announced via Instagram on Tuesday that he has committed to Oklahoma State.

Listed at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Wood was a freshman for the Demon Deacons this past season. He pitched just 1 1/3 innings, finishing the year with a 27 ERA thanks to one of those four appearances being rather rough. But with the limited sample size, I wouldn’t put too much into that number.

Wood was a solid prospect. Out of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, by way of Lee’s Summit West High School, Wood was the No. 139 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, according to Perfect Game. That made him the No. 3 player out of Missouri.

Perfect game credited him with a 94 MPH fastball in 2024. Here’s what the outlet said about him as a prospect as the 2024 National Showcase:

“Outstanding athletic build with length and some present strength and more to come. Has a balanced and athletic delivery with a clean and fast arm stroke, ball comes out of his hand easily. Fastball topped out at 94 mph, more velocity there as he matures, locates his fastball well to the glove side, has advanced fastball metrics with 20″ plus IVB and some horizontal as well. Slider was a solid second pitch, gyro shape and lateness and is located well. Still developing his change up but kills spin effectively. High level athlete with a very projectable arm.” — Perfect Game

Wood joins Utah pitcher Kaden Soder and Morehead State transfer Aubrey Kearns as pledges in the Cowboys’ portal class.

Israel Hammons, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound four-star linebacker, announced via social media on Tuesday that he’ll pick a college program at 7 p.m. Friday. Rivals and 247Sports each consider Hammons a four-star prospect, with the Rivals Industry ranking listing Hammons as the No. 160 overall player in the 2027 class, making him a Top 15 linebacker and the No. 6 player from the state of Oklahoma.

I will be announcing my commitment this Friday on Instagram Live @israelhammons0!!! pic.twitter.com/RNMZmD5LpY

— Israel Hammons (@israelhammons0) June 16, 2026

Hammons didn’t announce a top group, but considering he took a visit to Stillwater in April, the Cowboys seem to be in contention. Hammons has also garnered offers from Texas, Arkansas, Baylor, Kansas State, Texas Tech and others.

Hammons’ recruitment started to take off around last November. Under new OSU coach Eric Morris, North Texas was actually the first Division-I program to offer Hammons all the way back in January of 2025. Then OSU, under Morris, became Hammons’ eighth offer this past January.

Hammons visited Oklahoma State in April alongside quarterback commit Carson White.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Israel Hammons (@israelhammons0)

Hammons plays both sides of the ball at Choctaw, as a bruising linebacker and a thumping H back. Even while being 230 pounds, he returned a kick for a touchdown this past season.

The Cowboys have eight commitments in their 2027 class as of writing, and only two of those are defenders in safeties Bryson Brown (OK) and Chayce Davis (TX). Hammons would not only be the Cowboys’ highest-ranked defender, he’d be their highest-ranked prospect overall thus far if he picks the Pokes.

Final X, the finale of the United States’ World Team qualification process, happens Friday in New Jersey. The Cowboy RTC will be well-represented with Forrest, Wyatt Hendrickson and Zahid Valencia all seeking a spot on the World Team. Landon Robideau and Dustin Plott will also take part in the event, wrestling true-third matches to be a part of the national team. The finals will best-of-three series.

The festivities get going at 11:30 a.m. Friday on Flo.

Here’s a preview on what each Cowboy is up against.

Jax Forrest vs. Marcus Blaze

It’ll be Oklahoma State vs. Penn State at 61 kg.

Forrest won the U.S. spot at this weight last season but didn’t have to beat Blaze, a U17 and U20 World Champion, to get there.

Both guys were collegiate freshmen this past season. Forrest went 18-0 and won the 133-pound national title, while Blaze went 25-3 and finished fourth at the weight. But they didn’t hit at NCAAs either.

To get to this point, Blaze won the U.S. Open but again didn’t wrestle Forrest there, as Forrest lost to Ben Davino (Ohio State) in the semifinals before Forrest went and avenged that loss and won the World Team Trials to secure his spot at Final X.

I believe their last meeting on the mat came at the 2024 Olympic Team Trials, a bout Blaze won 6-1.

Flo released a video last week of all the Forrest-Blaze matches they have filmed. It starts all the way back in 2020 when they were wrestling at 105 pounds at Super 32, a match Forrest won 13-4. Then Forrest beat Blaze 10-1 at 2022 Super 32 at 120 pounds. Then Blaze beat Forrest at the 2023 Clarion Open (a college tournament) 9-4 at 125 pounds. So, they’re familiar with each other, but it has been a while.

Wyatt Hendrickson vs. Mason Parris

Two NCAA champs and former World Team members will duke it out for the Americans’ heavyweight spot.

Parris won his NCAA title with Michigan in 2023 in Tulsa. He went on to earn the World Team spot that year and took third at the World Championships in Belgrade.

Hendrickson won his NCAA title two years later in that epic final against Gable Steveson before Hendrickson went on to earn the World Team spot but came home without a medal.

Hendrickson won the U.S. Open, while Parris bowed out in the quarterfinals. But Parris rebounded with a win at the World Team Trials, taking out 2026 NCAA champ Isaac Trumble 14-12 in a wild final.

Hendrickson and Parris have some recent results against each other. Hendrickson beat Parris 13-2 at RAF 04, just for Parris to turn around and tech Hendrickson at a ranking series event earlier this year. Both guys like scoring points, so despite some heavyweights having a reputation for being slow, expect fireworks here.

Zahid Valencia vs. Kyle Dake

Valencia didn’t wrestle at Oklahoma State, but the two-time NCAA champ at Arizona State trains out of the Cowboy RTC.

Kyle Dake was a four-time NCAA champ, winning all of those titles at different weights. Needless to say, both guys are credentialed, and that doesn’t even include the fact that Valencia won a world title last year, not giving up a point at the World Championships, while Dake is a four-time world champ.

This was the 86 kg Final X pairing last year, as well, where Valencia won both matches by a combined score of 9-4. Valencia also beat Dake 8-4 at last year’s U.S. Open.

Because Valencia went on to win Worlds last year, he received a bye into Final X, meaning the two haven’t had to wrestle each other since last year’s Final X. Dake won the U.S. Open, beating his four opponents a combined 28-3.

Landon Robideau vs. Caleb Henson

It’s been the year of Landon Robideau, but he faces a tough test in the 70 kg true-third match.

Robideau is coming off an NCAA title win and a win at the U20 U.S. Open and the U20 World Team trials to secure his spot at the U20 World Championships in August.

He’ll take on Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson, who won an NCAA title at 149 pounds in 2024 before taking second at that weight in 2025. Henson redshirted this past season as the Hokies build a stacked lineup heading into this upcoming season.

Henson and Robideau both lost to Zain Retherford at the World Team Trials, with Robideau losing 3-2 in the semis and Henson losing 2-1 in the final. At the U.S. Open, Robideau focused on U20s, while Henson fell in the final of the Senior bracket to Ridge Lovett.

Dustin Plott vs. Seth Shumate

Dustin Plott was oh, so close to wrestling for a spot on the World Team, but he can still cap a solid domestic summer with a win here.

Plott made it to the final of the U.S. Open at 92 kg but fell 4-3 to Michael Macchiavello. With Trent Hidlay winning the World Championships last year and automatically advancing to Final X, this weight wasn’t contested at the World Team Trials, meaning the Open was Plott’s only shot at the World Team.

A four-time NCAA All-American at Oklahoma State, Plott draws Ohio State’s Seth Shumate in the true-third match. Shumate will be a senior at Ohio State this upcoming season. He has made the NCAA Championships once, falling in the blood round in 2025.

Shumate took third at the Open, battling back after a loss in the quarters to do so. His backside run featured an 8-4 win against Cody Merrill.

OSU Bullets

• The Pokes added a commitment from a solid Texas defensive back with some eye-popping measurables, while Cowgirl Softball added a former freshman All-American from the Big Ten (PFB)

Former Wisconsin P/UT Kendra Lewis is transferring to Oklahoma State.

An NFCA All-American in 2025, Lewis owns a 5.63 career ERA in 93.1 innings of work, along with a .364 career batting average, 13 home runs, 12 doubles, and 73 RBIs. pic.twitter.com/CiCH99g5eo

— Justin McLeod (@justfactsmaam) June 16, 2026

• Nine current or former Cowboys will be in the US Open this week – check out the details here (PFB)

• Fascinating to read about revenue generated from football in the Big 12 and how it impacts the rest of the programs – OSU netted over $24M from football, squarely in the middle between Utah bringing in over $50M net as a league-leader, while Cincinnati lost $16.7M.

Oklahoma State brought in nearly $57 million from football, good for a surplus of $24.1 million.  [247 Sports]

• A couple of Cowboy wrestlers won gold at the Pan-American Championships (OKState.com)

• Lists like this will be peppering out through the summer:

A few more preseason All-Big 12 lists 🤠#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/GKomKB7IPS

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) June 16, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Previewing Friday’s 2PM CST World Cup game between Australia and the US

• Letting go of the lie in my right hand (faith-based)

Wisconsin transfer Kendra Lewis announced her commitment to Oklahoma State on Tuesday. As a sophomore with the Badgers in 2025, Lewis slashed .333/.432/.519 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs. That came after she was an NFCA Third Team All-American as a freshman in 2025.

Officially a part of cowgirl country 🤠#osu #gopokes @cowgirlsb @OSUcoachG @Coach_Shippy pic.twitter.com/PWeqeTDLNy

— Kendra K Lewis (@KendraLewis2024) June 16, 2026

That All-American freshman season saw Lewis hit .408 with a 1.092 OPS, seven home runs and 39 RBIs. Not only was that enough to earn her an All-America nod, she was also named to the All-Big Ten First Team.

Although she’s primarily been used as a hitter, Lewis also stepped in the circle for the Badgers, throwing 93 1/3 innings across the past two seasons where she has a 5.63 ERA. She was essentially Wisconsin’s third arm the last two seasons.

She hails from Milan … Illinois. Her high school, Rockridge, went 134-5-1 in her four years, which included a pair of state titles. She went 83-4 from the circle with a 0.95 ERA and had a career batting average of .528.

This is the third portal pickup for the Cowgirls this offseason, and all have come from the Power Conference level, with Lewis joining Kennedy Proctor (Utah) and Madison Hartley (Houston).

Texas safety Chayce Davis announced his commitment to Oklahoma State on Tuesday. Listed as the No. 763 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking for the class, Davis picked the Pokes over offers from Baylor, Iowa State, Arizona and others.

✍️ 100% committed. #gopokes

The work doesn’t stop here. #SAS

@__CoachMorris @CoachMalone18 @rajesh_murti @OwensDajon_ @CoachRRoberts @TheCoachDiesel @EulessTrinityFB pic.twitter.com/384Vm6rloU

— Chayce Davis 3⭐️🥇 (@Chayce09Davis) June 16, 2026

Listed at 6-feet, 173 pounds, Davis hails from Euless Trinity High School (TX), also known as the same high school Ollie Gordon attended.

He also competes on his school’s track team (a regular for Eric Morris recruits), where he has recorded a 10.59 100 meters, a 20.89 200 meters, a 13.5 11o hurdle, a 6-foot-6 high jump and a 23-1.75 long jump, according to MileSplit.

Highlights from Davis’ junior season so him primarily lining up as a traditional safety, though there was an instance of him at corner. He shows good ball skills and a willingness to use that track speed to get downhill and lay some lumber.

Davis announced his OSU offer via safeties coach Jordan Malone on Feb. 11, as the Cowboys were just his second D1 offer. He announced in early May that he had set up an official visit to Stillwater and took that visit at the beginning of June ahead of his commitment.

Davis’ commitment marks nine for the Cowboys in the 2027 cycle, but he is just the second defender to pledge to the class, joining Broken Arrow safety Bryson Brown.

Oklahoma State’s 2027 Commits

Nine current or former Oklahoma State golfers are in the field for the U.S. Open, which tees off Thursday in New York:

Wyndham Clark
Ethan Fang (a)
Rickie Fowler
Viktor Hovland
Eric Lee (a)
Alex Noren
Sam Stevens
Preston Stout (a)
Peter Uihlein

Among that group of Cowboys, Viktor Hovland and Wyndham Clark share the best odds to win, according to FanDuel, with both sitting at +4,500. Here’s a little preview on how each Cowboy got to this point.

Clark: This marks Clark’s sixth U.S. Open, and it’s event he has won before.

In 2023, Clark won at the Los Angeles Country Club North Course with a 10-under 270. That was the only time he shot under par at a U.S. Open, as aside from that 2023 tournament, Clark has missed the U.S. Open cut four times and finished tied for 56th the other time.

On 15 PGA Tour starts this year, Clark has made the cut 12 times and won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in late May. That tournament has started a good run for Clark entering the U.S. Open, as he has since finished third at the Memorial and tied for 11th at the RBC Canadian Open.

Fang: At just 21 years old, Fang will make his U.S. Open debut after a win at the 2025 Amateur Championship.

As a junior on the OSU golf team this past season, Fang received honorable mention All-America status by PING and Golfweek. He was an All-Big 12 First Team selection and was a semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award.

Fang won the Carmel Cup back in August, marking his first college win as a Cowboy. He’d share a win with teammate Preston Stout at the Maridoe Collegiate in March and had Top 10 finishes at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, The Clerico, the Haskins Award Invitational and the Big 12 Championships.

Fowler: This is a tournament that Fowler has threatened at in the past.

This’ll be the 15th time Fowler competes in a U.S. Open, going back to 2008. Although he’s never won the event, he has been in the hunt on a few occasions. In that 2023 Tournament that Clark won, Fowler finished tied for fifth, just five shots back. That was one of four times Fowler has finished in the Top 10 of the U.S. Open, tying for fifth in 2017, tying for second in 2014 and tying for 10th in 2013.

Fowler has made 10 of 14 cuts this year but has missed the past two cuts at the Charles Schwab in May and the Memorial earlier this month. But the form isn’t all the way down. In early May, Fowler tied for second at the Truist Championship — one of four times he’s finished in the Top 10 in 2026.

Hovland: Viktor Hovland finished third at the U.S. Open last year at Oakmont, and this weekend will be the eighth U.S. Open he has participated in.

He has made 10 of 12 cuts this year with a pair of Top 10 finishes. The best of those finishes is Hovland’s most recent result when he placed third at the RBC Canadian Open last weekend.

Lee: Another current Cowboy, Lee got into this field by tying for second at a final qualifying event in Sacramento, California earlier this month.

Lee earned an honorable mention All-America honor from PING this past season. He won the NCAA Marana Regional and had Top 10 finishes at the Carmel Cup, the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational and the Maridoe Collegiate.

Noren: This will make a dozen U.S. Opens for Alex Noren, with his best finish at the tournament being a T17 in 2020. He’s only made the cut three times at the U.S. Open, but one of those times was at Shinnecock Hills, as he tied for 25th in 2018.

Noren has made 11 of 14 cuts on the PGA Tour this season, including a ninth-place finish at the Memorial earlier this month. He also tied for seventh at the Cadillac Championship at the end of April.

Stevens: This will be Stevens’ fourth U.S. Open, and he has made the cut in his other three attempts. He finished tied for 23rd at the tournament last year, his best finish at the event.

Stevens has made 15 of 17 PGA Tour cuts this year and has two Top 10 finishes. The most recent was a fifth-place finish at the Texas Children’s Houston Open in late March. He also finished tied for sixth at The American Express in January.

Stout: Stout earned this opportunity by winning the NCAA Championship this year.

He has been named a First Team All-American the past two seasons and has won three Big 12 individual titles in three years in Stillwater. He was the Big 12 Player of the Year in 2026 and was a finalist for the Jack Nicklaus Award, Ben Hogan Award and Fred Haskins Award. He has eight collegiate wins, which is three short of Lindy Miller’s program record.

Uihlein: Uihlein earned his spot in the field by winning a final qualifying event in Dallas last month. This will mark his fourth U.S. Open and first since 2018 — when the event was also at Shinnecock Hills. He made the cut back in 2018, tying for 48th.

Tristan Hardin-Roberts announced Tuesday that he is down to four schools: Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Tulane and USF. He’ll make his college decision on Monday.

Thank you god for putting me in this position Im in I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and I’ll love to announce that I will be announcing my commitment on the 22nd this month pic.twitter.com/bd8YfSjuGp

— Tristan Hardin Roberts / The Big Ticket🎟️‼️ (@251tristannn) June 16, 2026

Out of Mobile, Alabama, Hardin-Roberts is listed at 6-foot-4, 300 pounds. He’s still waiting on a ranking by the major recruiting services, but also held offers from the likes of Florida State, Memphis and others.

He’s fresh off his official visit to Stillwater from this past weekend. He’s also taken officials to West Virginia and Tulane and has one scheduled to USF this weekend.

Great time on my visit at @CowboyFB it was truly a blessing to see how they operated thank you @Coach_Crill @__CoachMorris for the experience @BlountFTB @BlountLeopards @gus_smith22 @ScoutFball @HallTechSports1 @bigmackmediatv @D1RecruitNation @AL6AFootball @PrepRedzoneAL #agtg pic.twitter.com/WRN9Dhu148

— Tristan Hardin Roberts / The Big Ticket🎟️‼️ (@251tristannn) June 15, 2026

“It’s been great,” Hardin-Roberts said in a video he posted from his OSU visit. “I’m having a great time. It’s been eye-opening. I ain’t expect for Oklahoma State to be all this. It’s a great experience.”

OSU offensive line coach Cody Crill was down at Blount High School in Alabama for Hardin-Roberts’ spring game in May, where Crill extended an offer from OSU. Less that two weeks later, Hardin-Roberts had set up that aforementioned official visit.

Hardin-Roberts fits the multisport athlete mold that OSU coach Eric Morris has been so fond of, as Hardin-Roberts also plays basketball and throws shot on the track team. MileSplit credits him with a 40-0.5 shot throw.

The Cowboys have an nine-man 2027 recruiting class as of writing. Crill is off to a solid start, as three of those pledges are offensive linemen in Sonny Mullen (TX), Chase Clark (IL) and Jake Baker (TN).

OSU Bullets

•  As the Texas Tech saga rolls on, a couple of updates: Nathan Sorsby is reportedly entering the Supplemental NFL Draft, while the Utah and Kansas attorney generals have come in support of Oklahoma and the Big 12 – the Big 12 filed for the ability to punish Texas Tech at a federal level, too. See summary of the situation here – lots of options are on the table (outside of kicking out Texas Tech).

Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger reports that the punishments being discussed include monetary sanctions and/or a ban on competing in the Big 12 championship game if Sorsby plays.

There’s no way the Big 12 would go through all of this trouble just to hit Tech with a fine, so rest assured, a Big 12 championship game ban is very much on the table.

[Open for Business]

• Cowboy Baseball added an infielder from the southeast yesterday (PFB)

• Marshall Scott did a great mailbag looking ahead to the new football season (PFB)

• OSU’s new kick returner made the watchlist for returner of the year (PFB)

•  Solid graphic looking at the new Cowboy roster:

TRANSFER PORTAL U

Stillwater is betting on experience.

The Cowboys enter the season with the No. 7 transfer class in the nation and a roster built on proven production, veteran leadership, and Power Four experience.

A true all-star transfer roster.#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/XNRLrLVdaZ

— Boone Pickens State (@BP_State) June 13, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• The $255 beach shade dividing coastal towns • You’re always inheriting what your past self gave you • Kill your ego, find joy (faith-based)

Enjoy this Brit enjoying his first biscuits and gravy (at The Cracker Barrel): 

A Brit, here for the World Cup, discovers those magical pillows of biscuit smothered in peppery, sausage gravy.

Welcome to ‘Merica, brother! 🤣🇺🇸🔥 pic.twitter.com/AJXKbss8BF

— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) June 12, 2026

Oklahoma State wide receiver Chris Barnes was named to the watch list for The Jet Award, given annually to the top return specialist in the nation. The award has been around since 2011 with past winners including the likes of Tavon Austin, Tyler Lockett and Christian McCaffrey.

The Pokes have had some lethal returners in those last 15 years who have not been in contention for this honor, a fact which should stoke the excitement around Barnes even more.

Barnes came in as part of the huge transfer portal class heading into Eric Morris’ first year at OSU and got fans talking this spring.

As a redshirt freshman for Wake Forest last year, Barnes returned seven kicks for 263 yards and a score. He was also the Demon Deacons’ No. 2 wide receiver, reeling in 39 catches for 547 yards and three touchdowns and he rushed 13 times for 143 yards.

He’s the type of guy you want to get the ball in space which was instantly evident at OSU’s Spring Game. His first time suiting up for fans at BPS, Barnes caught four passes for 141 yards, including a dazzling 97-yard touchdown on the sideline.

The Jet Award is named in honor of former Heisman winner Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers and will be voted on by a panel that includes media members, former winners and the award’s founders. It will be presented during the Jet Award Gala on April 8, 2027.

The Brendan Sorsby saga has seemingly come to its college end.

According to multiple reports Monday evening, Sorsby will enter the NFL’s Supplemental Draft.

It looks as if Brett Yormark doesn’t intend on getting pushed around by Texas Tech or the Texas attorney general as it pertains to Brendan Sorsby.

The Big 12 on Monday filed a legal complaint in the Northern District of Texas seeking a declaratory judgment and injunctive relief to allow the conference to use its bylaws to potentially punish the quarterback engulfed in a gambling scandal. This filing comes after Texas attorney general Ken Paxton last week warned that any sanctions the Big 12 tried to impose on Sorsby or Texas Tech would be met with legal action.

The Big 12’s 47-page complaint listed Paxton, Tech AD Kirby Hocutt, Tech president Lawrence Schovanec, Tech chancellor Brandon Creighton, Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech University System as defendants.

The Big 12 Board of Directors released the following statement on Monday:

“Last night, the Big 12 filed a legal complaint asking a federal court to protect the constitutional and contractual rights of the Conference and our member institutions to take actions expressly permitted under our Bylaws. The Big 12 has long spoken out about the dangers of sports wagering by student-athletes and remains committed to protecting the competitive integrity of conference competition. Universities should not field players who have bet on their own team’s games in college athletics.

“This situation is evolving with pending legal matters and the upcoming start of the football season, and the Conference hopes for a timely resolution of these issues.  The Board continues to keep all options on the table.”

The league is asking a federal judge to permit the Big 12 to enforce its own rules, which allows a supermajority vote to decide whether Tech’s conduct warrants sanctions. The suit also hinted at what those could be, including monetary sanctions and/or a ban from the Big 12 title game should Sorsby play.

The arguments the Big 12 makes in the filing span from Sorsby playing creating “serious integrity concerns” to just about everyone outside of Lubbock agreeing that Sorsby shouldn’t be allowed to play.

If you’ve somehow managed to avoid this saga until now, first off, congratulations. Secondly, let’s get you caught up. Sorsby transferred to Tech from Cincinnati this offseason before an investigation came to light that resulted in Sorsby admitting that he bet thousands of times, including 40 instances of placing bets on Indiana football while he was with the Hoosiers. Even after enrolling at Tech, Sorsby admitted to sending about $5,000 to someone to be on his behalf.

Sorsby spent time in a rehabilitation clinic, and the NCAA deemed him ineligible. But last week, a Texas judge granted Sorsby a temporary injunction, taking Sorsby from missing the entire season to missing just two games against Abilene Christian and Oregon State.

So, it’s gone from looking like Sorsby wouldn’t play to looking like he would, and now the Big 12’s filing puts that back up in the air.

More on the filing: Pete Thamel (ESPN), Ross Dellenger (Yahoo)

We’ll probably do some more of this over the coming months, so if you’d like  to be a part of that, you can get 25% off a subscription here.

SherlockOhms: How would the season have to go/how well would Mestemaker need to play to get a day 1 NFL draft grade for 2027? Is it even possible?

Marshall: If Mestemaker proves he can do it against the boost in Big 12 competition, I think he’s got a real shot at being in that conversation. With guys like Arch Manning (Texas), Dante Moore (Oregon), CJ Carr (Notre Dame) and Darian Mensah (Miami) — this is a deep quarterback class. But that’s a group that, I think, Mestemaker can become a firm part of.

Even if Mestemaker isn’t a sure fire Top 10-type guy going into the draft, remember back to a draft like 2020 when Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert were all taken in the Top 10, and the Packers had too high a grade on Jordan Love to keep watching him fall.

Still a lot has to happen, but I think it’s definitely possible so long as he continues his trajectory with the move up in competition.

Kyle: I think it’s absolutely possible. If the Cowboys are competitive in the Big 12 and he remains healthy and is a big part of that, he’ll have a decent shot. If he puts up similar numbers to last year against stiffer competition than I think the chances get even better.

Tyler: You’re using the word grade, which implies what the NFL tells players. Quarterbacks often just need a Day 2 grade to be in the first round conversation as most teams would rather draft guys at the position early to lock in the extra contract year.

I assume what you’re actually interested in is that first-round conversation, which is very possible. ESPN’s way too early 2027 mock lists Mestemaker as the fourth, and final, quarterback going in the first round next season.

If Mestemaker comes close to his nation-leading pace set last season he will be in the mix should he choose to leave. However, it’s probably more realistic that he falls off a little from a statistical standpoint given the jump in competition.

He will likely face at least two highly ranked opponents in Oregon (Week 2) and Texas Tech (Week 11). Those two games will get broken down live and after the season by NFL scouts and draft experts. Even if the Pokes lose those guys, if Mestemaker can show real flashes of NFL competency in those games he might earn himself even closer looks in other games. I think it’s a real concern Oklahoma State fans should prepare for based on how he looks in practice.

Bramos: Do you guys think Eric Morris will bring in a Top 15 recruiting class anytime in the next decade?

Marshall: I could go either way here.

On one hand, Morris seems to still value the development piece of this, something that has gone by the wayside for some programs given the prominence of the transfer portal. So, Morris digging into high school recruiting more deeply could lead to a Top 15 class.

On the other hand, Morris does not seem to care about recruiting rankings whatsoever, as evident by this quote at his introductory news conference:

“And so if I take a three-star quarterback, nobody get mad at me. Like that’s all I can say. We have a set of qualifications in a kind of a formula that we have to recruiting these guys.”

It’s still uber early for Morris’ tenure to have any big takeaways on his recruiting, but early signs would suggest he practices what he preaches in that he is getting multi-sport, athletic guys and might not be focusing too much on how many stars are next to their names.

Kyle: A Top 15 class is a big ask, but it’s obviously not impossible. I think comes down to three things: how quickly he can turn things around, followed by sustained success and his ability to leverage that into more financial support for NIL. But he has said that he is going to emphasize traditional recruiting.

Tyler: He sort of already did. 247Sports ranks Oklahoma State’s portal group 15th in the nation.

Now, as good as Morris is with the portal, he’s not going to be able to recruit a whole team like that again so I won’t pretend that’s the new norm in Stillwater.

Morris’ best class at UNT ranked 90th overall and 74th in the portal. Oklahoma State’s best portal class in the last five years of the Mike Gundy era ranked 22nd, though his portal classes averaged out to be around 53rd.

From 2006-2014, Oklahoma State’s classes averaged out to finish 27th with a best ranking of 24th.

If Morris can succeed in the next two seasons using this core group then that 25ish overall ranking might be the baseline of what we can expect from future Cowboys recruiting classes. His ability to push for a top 15 group will likely depend on how much money donors want to give him.

Stephenson: With what you know/have seen coming out of spring ball, where do you rank each position group in relation to each other? (I.e. 1. Safeties, 2. QBs, 3. Edge, etc.)

Marshall: With everything being so new (players and system) this feels like a shot in that dark, but very quickly, without spending two hours refining each take, here we go:

1. QB — Behind Mestemaker is a mystery, but Mestemaker gives you a shot.
2. WR — Wyatt Young had 1,264 yards via Mestemaker last season and might be the third-best WR on the roster (see Chris Barnes, Justin Bowick).
3. RB — Caleb Hawkins is an excellent featured back, and while I’m not sure who will develop into RB2 or RB3, I like how position coach Patrick Cobbs has built that room.
4. DE — Morris sounded sort of surprised at the depth here during spring ball, and it’s hard to blame him. Jaleel Johnson, DeSean Brown, Malik Charles, James Williams, Keviyan Huddleston, Billy Walton — the Cowboys have options.
5. CB — I think people will soon realize how big LaDainian Fields’ return is. I’m not sure who will feature most prominently opposite him, but I think Mo Horn, Kollin Lewis and Kobi Foreman are all solid.
6. TE — Given the state of this position over the past handful of years (or maybe a decade) in Stillwater, I’m cautiously optimistic, but I think Donovan Green is one of the more promising dudes OSU has had in the room in a while.
7. LB — There’s some depth here with Ethan Wesloski, Tate Romney, Isaiah Chisom, Trip White and Carl’veon Young.
8. OL — In theory, I like this group, but there is some “prove it” to it as to how some guys handle the step up in competition and whether others can stay healthy.
9. S — I’m still not entirely sure who will emerge here, but I think the likes of Christian Bodnar, Quinton Hammonds, Cameron Epps and Vincent Holmes are all good options.
10. DT — Again, I like pieces in this room but am interested to see what it looks like when the bullets are live. It would also be a big help for this unit if Iman Oates can get that extra year.

Kyle: Man, from the hip, my top five are:
1. QB
2. RB
3. WR
4. DBs
5. LB

Tyler: This is a great question that I felt a lot more confident in back in the spring when I was seeing these guys regularly. It all feels a little bit muddled now. The top of the list reflects groups I’m extremely high on at the moment, the bottom half is more reflective of just general uncertainty as opposed to low expectations.

1. QB — I actually thought Mestemaker looked as bad as I’ve seen him all spring during the public scrimmage. I’m a little worried that he might force some bad throws, as he did to start the scrimmage, this fall should he find himself under pressure and/or trailing by multiple scores. But even if he does that at times, I fully expect him to light up most opponents this fall.
2. RB — I have similar faith in Caleb Hawkins.
3. LB — Ditto for Ethan Wesloski.
4. CB — I just really like what I’ve seen from the two-deep during practice and LaDainian Fields impressed me late last season.
5. WR — The depth at the position in combination with Mestemaker’s arm gives me confidence the receivers will produce as a whole. Wyatt Young hasn’t jumped out to me as much as expected yet. I still need to see someone on this team prove they can be a No. 1 WR in the Big 12 capable of carrying that load each week.
6. Edges — Jaleel Johnson had a great scrimmage and these guys earned praise from Morris as maybe the most impressive group during the spring. I’m buying into the hype, though this is the point on the list where we move from my eyes to a combination of what I saw and what I heard.
7. Safeties — Largely based on spring, might deserve to be higher, but it’s tougher to evaluate them than corners during 7-on-7 drills we saw during spring.
8. TE — Feels like a one-man show with Donovan Green, and I’m not sure how good that performance is just yet. Not a knock on him, I just didn’t leave spring with a huge understanding of his skill, it’s hard to watch everyone.
9. DL — I personally find it impossible to draw strong conclusions on the lines during spring ball given important contact and winning leverage battles are for those guys.
10. OL — Expected starters missed the spring. This is by far the position I have the worst feel for headed into the fall.

R11: Where do you see our Offense ranking in the Big 12? The league? Same for defense.

Marshall: I think the offense is going to be right up there. Morris has proven to be an excellent play-caller, and the guys largely responsible for the most prolific offense in the country last season are now in Stillwater. Again, you have to note the jump up in competition for a lot of those guys, but unless the offensive line is just a calamity, I think this’ll be a Top 3 unit in the league.

I’m less confident in the defense, which is probably evident by my position power rankings. I can certainly see the path for this being a solid unit, but a lot of it is less proven than the offense. Given how good I think the offense will be, if this defensive group can hang in the Top 10, I think it’ll be a successful season in Stillwater.

Kyle: Three Offense, five Defense. Also a bit of a guess because there are some many variables and new pieces that have to gel and adjust.

Tyler: With the transfer portal, this is another good but impossible question to confidently answer, but I will do my best.

I think Oklahoma State’s offense will finish somewhere between third and seventh in the conference this fall. I’m largely basing this off Mestemaker’s arm talent, familiarity with his play-caller and the core group of returning (from UNT) offensive talent and coaches around those two guys. I expect Texas Tech, BYU, Utah, Kansas State, Houston, and Arizona to compete offensively roughly in that order.

I will put Oklahoma State’s defense somewhere between eighth and 12th in the conference. It feels like there is too much familiarity between the players and coaches to be one of the worst units in the conference. However, I have yet to see true game-wreckers on defense. It is a lot harder to evaluate defenses during the spring, so my confidence is also a lot lower on this side of the ball.

Aubrey Kearns, an infielder transferring from Morehead State, announced that he was transferring to Oklahoma State via his X account.

Thankful to the Lord and all those who’ve helped me in this journey. I’m grateful to announce I’ve committed to Oklahoma State University. pic.twitter.com/GEjn2Fk7qn

— Aubrey Kearns (@AubreyKearns26) June 15, 2026

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound sophomore hails from Nicholasville, Kentucky where he starred at West Jessamine High School. As a freshman for the Eagles in 2025, Kearns played both first and second base and batted .240 with six home runs and an on-base percentage of .318.

As a sophomore in 2026, he focused more on the offensive side, and it paid off. Kearns batted .387 with 12 home runs and boasted an OBS of .471. That spike in offensive output landed Kearns on the All-Ohio Valley Conference First Team as a designated hitter. Last year, he ranked in the Top 4 in the OVC in hitting, hits (82), home runs and RBI (59).

This commitment came just a day after the Cowboys landed Utah transfer pitcher Kaden Soder.

Here’s a highlight reel from when Kearns announced he was entering the transfer portal in May.

I am entering the transfer portal.
Grateful for my time at Morehead State.

2026 stats: 1.096 OPS
.387 AVG/.471 OBP/ .622 SLG
54G- 84 H, 12HR, 26 XBH, 59 RBIs
1st team all OVC

2yrs of eligibility
5’11 195lbs| RH/LHH | 3B, 2B, 1B

📞- (859)-533-3694
📧-aubkear26@gmail.com pic.twitter.com/V2kbvszWcc

— Aubrey Kearns (@AubreyKearns26) May 24, 2026

OSU Bullets

• A Nashville area offensive lineman committed to the Pokes yesterday (PFB)

• Josh Holliday’s squad added a Big 12 pitcher as well (PFB)

• CBS Sports has Eric Morris in the middle of the back as a Power Four coach – hinging on two different possible outcomes. 

“There was not as much variance in Morris’ results as anticipated, and that lack of variance compared to coaches below him in the rankings worked to his benefit, as he begins his Oklahoma State tenure at 46th,” wrote Tom Fornelli. “Morris has been a head coach for seven seasons at Incarnate Word and North Texas. He won 10 or more games in 2021 and 2025, but has finished somewhere between 5-7 and 6-5 in his other five seasons.

Who is Oklahoma State getting?” [GoPokes 247]

• Cowgirl Golf added a two-time conference player of the year (O’Colly)

• So. Many. Snaps.

The Most Experienced Rosters in College Football Based on Snap Count (2026) pic.twitter.com/SHEr9aW0iw

— College Football Report (@CFBReport) June 14, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• New Six Flags over Texas coaster sounds terrifying • 50 best pizzerias in the US – heinous mistake leaving out (the Stillwater) Hideaway

This was tough to read.

Most people give soft feedback because they care more about how the conversation feels than about whether the problem gets solved. This is selfish. Another thought on this… A lot of people don’t actually want direct feedback; they prefer something softer. When they hear direct feedback, they focus on how it makes them feel and not the substance. If you’re focusing on how feedback makes you feel and not its accuracy, you’re robbing yourself of the opportunity to get better. Exceptional results happen when people are willing to give direct feedback and to hear it. [FS]

Jake Baker, a 2027 offensive tackle from Tennessee, announced that he’s headed to Stillwater after high school.

#AGTG Very excited to announce my commitment to play football at Oklahoma State!! Go Pokes🤠@__CoachMorris @Coach_Brophy @Coach_Crill @BooneFeldt @_TheCoachHarris @AndrewLee_CFB @rajesh_murti @WesDr8ke @JasonMartinezz @Coach_Peavey @tthasselbeck @coachwilliams77… pic.twitter.com/b2PTjIVcjB

— Jake Baker 3⭐️ 6’6 290 (@JakeBaker_50) June 14, 2026

The 6-foot-6, 290-pound Nashville native picked the Pokes over the likes of Memphis, UConn, Tulsa and East Carolina. Eric Morris extended Baker his first Power Conference offer in May and then apparently sealed the deal this weekend as Baker was on-site for an official visit.

As such, Baker is still flying a bit under-the-radar, but we know how well Morris has done without strictly adhering to the rankings. Baker is unranked by 247Sports, but Rivals has him tabbed as the No. 1,527 prospect in the 2027 class and the No. 53 Tennessean, as of writing.

This is the Cowboys’ eighth commitment of the class. It’s also their third OL pledge in the last calendar week. OSU landed commitments from Houston transfer Sonny Mullen and three-star class of 2027 prospect Chase Clark both last Sunday.

2027 OSU Commits

OSU Bullets

• Kenny Gajewski landed the first of two Big 12 transfers Saturday afternoon with former Utah catcher Kennedy Proctor. [PFB]

• Then he added another with two-way player Madison Hartley from Houston. Hartley hit 20 home runs last season as a sophomore but also has experience throwing strikes from the circle. [PFB]

• Josh Holliday also got in on the action with a commitment from former Utah pitcher Kaden Soder. [PFB]

• Showing Cowgirl fans what she can bring, recent OSU Softball commit Jade Barton (who was also in Stilly this week) with a couple of bombs to start summer camp for Impact Gold Jackson/Jazz 18U Fastpitch. 

Wrapped up Day 1 of the Summer Cup with 2 💣s! Back at it tomorrow! @igjacksonjazz @jazzvesely @KcJackson00 @OSUcoachG @Coach_Shippy @bergy_9 @JeffWildma83285 pic.twitter.com/0qfWBHF5qs

— Jade Barton – CO’ 2026 (@jademalibarton) June 14, 2026

• Carson Benge showing off the athleticism Cowboy fans remember. 

Mr. Pulchritudinous 😤 pic.twitter.com/TTHECpmcWW

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 13, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• An impressive run by the Knicks and an impressive performance by Jalen Brunson.

Jalen Brunson, NBA CHAMPION 🏆 pic.twitter.com/T44dvLmIoP

— NBA (@NBA) June 14, 2026

• This is incredibly sad. 

Breaking: Former San Francisco 49ers LB Aldon Smith has died, the team announced Saturday. pic.twitter.com/r9TIFIXwyV

— ESPN (@espn) June 13, 2026

Right-handed pitcher Kaden Soder announced he has committed to Oklahoma State.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kaden Soder (@kaden.soder)

Listed at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Soder was a junior this past season. In 22 1/3 innings, Soder had a 4.84 ERA with a 3-0 record and a save. He struck out 28 while walking a dozen.

This season was his first playing at the Division-I level, as the Las Vegas native spent the previous two seasons at the College of Southern Nevada (JUCO). He had a 6-3 record in his time in JUCO with a 3.68 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings. He was named his conference’s pitcher of the year as a sophomore, earning first team honors for the conference and the region.

Prior to that, Soder spent the 2023 season at Oregon but didn’t play. That was the year before OSU pitching coach Blake Hawksworth got to Eugene, but there could be a connection there nonetheless.

Houston two-way player Madison Hartley announced her commitment to Oklahoma State on Saturday evening. That news came after Utah transfer catcher Kennedy Proctor announced she has also pledged to be a Cowgirl.

Extremely grateful to announce that I’m going to be a cowgirl!🤠🤍🧡#committed pic.twitter.com/CUhlynOCGr

— madison hartley (@madisonhartle16) June 14, 2026

Hartley primarily played either first base or was the Cougars’ designated player this past season, but she also threw eight innings in the circle.

As a batter, she hit .345 with 20 home runs and 47 RBIs as a sophomore in 2026. That home run total tied for third in the conference, while she led her team in batting average, RBIs, walks drawn, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

She had more success in the circle as a freshman than she did this past season. In 41 innings across 23 pitching appearances as a freshman, Hartley had a 4.95 ERA and a 3-2 record. She had an 18.38 ERA in her limited work this past season.

That would lead me to believe that Hartley is likely coming to Stillwater to be a fielder/hitter first. Lexi McDonald slotted in at first for OSU midway through this past season, but it was her senior year.

Hartley hails from Georgetown High School (Texas) and played club ball with the Texas Bombers.

With Hartley and Proctor committing, the Cowgirls have gained 34 home runs from last season on Saturday alone.

Utah transfer Kennedy Proctor committed to Oklahoma State on Saturday. Through her first two seasons of college softball, Proctor has a .329 batting average with 20 homers and 69 RBIs.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by kennedy proctor (@kennedyproctorrr)

As a sophomore this past season, Proctor slashed .338/.461/.706, leading the Utes with 14 home runs and tying for a team lead with 13 doubles.

Here she is going yard on NiJaree Canady:

B6 | Proctor goes yard!

📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/JKb0clrGJA

— Utah Softball (@Utah_Softball) April 11, 2026

Proctor also had an outstanding freshman season in 2025, finishing with a .319 batting average in 135 ABs with six round-trippers and 10 doubles.

She hails from Rancho Santa Margarita, California by way of Tesoro High School, where she also lettered in volleyball and flag football.

Catcher was definitely a position of need for the Cowgirls this offseason considering Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection Audrey Schneidmiller and 2025 All-Big 12 First Team selection Amanda Hasler both finished out their eligibility this season.

The Cowgirls will have more work to do in the portal, particularly finding who will throw Proctor the ball next season. All-American Ruby Meylan and RyLee Crandall were also a seniors, and freshman Preslee Downing, who threw 40 2/3 innings, announced her intentions to hit the transfer portal. But, adding a catcher who has hit better than .300 in two Big 12 seasons is a more than solid start.

Three Thoughts

NEW: Oklahoma AG Gentner Drummond sent a formal letter to Big 12 officials urging the conference to sanction Texas Tech over Brendan Sorsby’s injunction. https://t.co/AQdmHyZxTR https://t.co/8ay7yWceO4 pic.twitter.com/zFnXTnQ9Z1

— On3 (@On3) June 12, 2026

Who 🧩 Where 🧩 When ❓

Our 2026-27 Big 12 schedule is coming together. Details: https://t.co/DXXxQmrjSZ pic.twitter.com/98m9gZxCJx — OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) June 11, 2026

Two Quotes

From Denton to Stillwater.

Wyatt Young arrives at Oklahoma State after one of the most productive seasons in college football: 🔥 1,264 Receiving Yards 🔥 89.9 Receiving Grade 🔥 3.69 Yards Per Route Run (1st in FBS) 🔥 32 Missed Tackles Forced 🔥 10 Touchdowns The Big 12… pic.twitter.com/Vo4Z1Osclf — Boone Pickens State (@BP_State) June 11, 2026

𝙀𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮 Ritchie Rich is the 𝟮𝟴𝘁𝗵 Cowboy to earn First Team All-America honors#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/jPSvVIXY2t

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) June 12, 2026

One Question

Non-OSU Bullets

Let me explain why I think Freddy resonates.

Lots of Europeans visit the USA as tourists. They visit New York City, or Washington DC, or Hollywood, or Las Vegas, and if they visit natural beauty too, they go to really crowded places like the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. So… https://t.co/mPsaJN5ckN — Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) June 12, 2026

Drummond argued that the conference has every right, according to its own bylaws, to “sanction member schools if a ‘Supermajority of Disinterested Directors determines’ that a member school has engaged in any action or a course of conduct materially adverse to the best interests of the Conference as a whole.”

With reports out that conference decision makers discussed boycotting any games against Texas Tech earlier this week it certainly sounds like the Big 12 has reached a bit of a boiling point. For those who haven’t kept up, Sorsby is currently eligible to play this season following a temporary injunction issued against the NCAA earlier this week, although he will miss the first two games against college football powerhouses Abilene Christian and Oregon State.

This letter came one day after Texas attorney general Ken Paxton sent a letter of his own which more or less said don’t mess with Texas (Tech).

Drummond didn’t just point out that Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark can step in and suspend Sorsby as a separate entity from the NCAA, the Oklahoma AG urged him to do so.

“My office stands ready to assist the Big 12 if Texas Tech’s leadership attempts to punish the Conference for doing the right thing,” Drummond wrote.

He also shared the following statement on X: “Texas Tech’s actions in obtaining eligibility for Brendan Sorsby — an athlete the NCAA declared permanently ineligible for extensive wagering on college sports, including games involving his own team — have constituted a shameful chapter in the story of college football.

If Texas Tech will not do the right thing, the Big 12 should.”

But how do Cowboy defenders measure up against their peers inside the Big 12? In short, there’s a real chance Oklahoma State could produce a few of the better defenders in the conference.

When ranked mostly from a production standpoint, Oklahoma State was one of only five teams with multiple top-five options suiting up in 2026.

It is worth noting that defensive talent can often show up in the box score as an absence of stats, as top pass rushers face double teams and top defensive backs see fewer targets. So it’s possible these shortlists could feature a few more duds across the conference than the offensive one Oklahoma State dominated.

Top Tacklers

1. LB Owen Long (Arizona State): 151 tackles
2. LB Gideon Lampron (Colorado): 119 tackles
3. LB Ethan Wesloski (Oklahoma State): 113 tackles
4. LB Cade Uluave (BYU): 97 tackles
5. S Jamel Johnson (TCU): 96 tackles

Wesloski seems like a lock to be the heart of the Cowboys’ defense in 2026 and for good reason after he finishing 22nd in the nation in tackles last season. He finished with double-digit tackles four times and, more importantly, has proven he can execute coordinator Skyler Cassity’s defense as he finished last season with an overall defensive grade of 91 per Pro Football Focus.

Long led the nation by eight tackles while at Colorado State last year. His only power conference opponent came in week one at Washington, where he finished with 13 tackles and two quarterback pressures. His grade of 71 that week matches his season-long grade of 71.

​Lampron finished 16th in the nation in tackles, and unlike the other two transfers coming from non-power conference ranks, he got two shots against those teams last season at Bowling Green. He recorded six tackles at Cincinnati and another 12, including a sack, in a lopsided loss at Louisville. His grades in those games were 75 and 66, but that didn’t stop him from finishing with a season-long grade of 87.

Uluave’s overall 2025 grades from PFF are spotty, as he experienced a bit of a rollercoaster ride at Cal. His overall defensive grade of 61 was a nearly five-point bump from the previous season. He did finish with a 90-plus grade as a pass rusher for the second straight season, although he only averages close to 50 such opportunities per season.

Johnson is the Big 12’s lone true returner, making his season-long grades of 73 and 69 in the last two seasons at TCU the most concrete thing on this list.

Total pressures

1. Edge Adam Trick (Texas Tech): 67 total pressures (hits, hurries and sacks)
2. Edge Trey White (Texas Tech): 51 total pressures
3. Edge Harper Holloman (West Virginia): 48 total pressures
4. DL Ezra Christensen (Colorado): 40 total pressures
5. Edge Isaac Terrell (Iowa State): 39 total pressures
6. DL Santana Hopper (Colorado): 39 total pressures

Top Cowboy: James Williams: 22 pressures

It’s a popular week to hate on Texas Tech, something offensive line coaches across the Big 12 might be feeling this fall. Trick and White each recorded eight sacks last season playing for Miami (Ohio) and San Diego State, respectively. In three games against power conference opponents, that duo combined for 17 pressures and three sacks.

The rest of the top are also new to the power conference ranks this fall. Here is how they did against that level of competition.

• Holloman (Western Kentucky transfer): 1 game, one hurry
• Christensen (New Mexico State): 1 game, two hurries
• Terrell (Washington State): 3 games, nine total pressures, including three sacks
• Hopper (Tulane): 3 games, seven pressures in regular season, but none against Ole Miss in playoffs

Hopper did play a role in getting Morris to Stillwater full-time earlier, as he finished with a season-high six total pressures, including two sacks in the conference title win over North Texas.

Although Williams, a Florida State transfer, didn’t put up the overall numbers of those guys, the difference in schedule could be a major factor. Nine of his 11 games tracked by Pro Football Focus came against power conference foes. He finished those games with 21 pressures, including three sacks. Williams might have put himself on the radar early as he finished with a season-high five pressures in the opener against Alabama.

​Top Defensive Backs

Most coverage snaps per reception (min. 100 coverage snaps)

1. S Ben Finneseth (Colorado): 106 (second, nationally)
2. CB LaDainian Fields (Oklahoma State): 61.5 (fourth)
3. S Antwan Peek (Cincinnati): 57.3 (fifth)
4. S Devin Dye (Kansas): 42 (19th)
5. S Trevon Gola-Callard (Cincinnati): 40.9 (23rd)

Top Secondary coverage grade (min. 100 coverage snaps)

1. Jay’Vion Cole (Arizona): 89.8 grade
2. Ty Goodwill (Cincinnati): 86.3 grade at South Alabama
3. Faeltau Satuala (BYU): 84.9 grade
4. John Curry (Texas Tech): 83.2 grade
5. Evan Johnson (BYU): 82.6 grade

Top Cowboy: CB LaDainian Fields 77.6

​It’s hard to identify top defensive backs using any form of metric. The first grouping feels a lot like defensive backs poised to break out, considering most played less than 200 coverage snaps, while the second list feels more established, given those guys saw a lot more playing time on average.

Of the 10 guys above, only Goodwill transferred to a new team since last season, so the other nine are true returners. Fields might be the best thing to come out of last season’s turmoil, as the portal departures and coaching changes gave him a chance to prove himself.

An opportunity he immediately turned into an interception against Arizona. Fields then posted a season-high grade of 80 against Houston during his next appearance.

From there, his role increased, and opponents still rarely looked his way. He finished the season allowing only two completions against 13 total targets. Those receptions went for 23 yards, meaning Fields finished the year with an equal amount of interceptions (two) and more yards (50) than he allowed.

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OSU Bullets

• Eric Morris picked up a commitment from a 6-foot-3, track star wide receiver. [PFB]

• The Big 12 released basketball pairings for the women and men. [PFB]

• Speaking of hoops, Steve Lutz noted this week that they leaned more heavily into a personality test to build his roster. [PFB]

“You’re always gonna weigh the talent vs. the fit. I think we did a better job of getting both.” — Steve Lutz

• The OSU track team is making waves at the NCAA Championships. Denis Kipngetich (10K), Adisu Guadie (10K), Laban Kipkemboi (steeplechase), Will Bynum (4×400), Mason Page (4×400), Riley McGowan (4×400), Charlie Thorne (4×400) and Steven Schmidt (decathlon) all earned some sort of All-American status. [okstate]

Non-OSU Bullets

• The Texas Tech saga continues. Tech released a 20-minute video explaining their stance on the Brendan Sorsby situation.

A message to the Texas Tech community from our leadership. pic.twitter.com/MpbXtNJakp

— Texas Tech Red Raiders (@TechAthletics) June 12, 2026

• TCU’s X admin didn’t have 20 minutes to spare, apparently.

pic.twitter.com/3riz10e43n

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) June 12, 2026

• The United States Men’s National Team starts its World Cup journey against Paraguay at 8 p.m. on FOX. Here’s The Ringer’s ranking of every team at the World Cup. [The Ringer]

Profile is essentially a personality test that Oklahoma State has used going back to the Mike Boynton Era, but Steve Lutz said this week that he leaned more heavily on it this season than he did last.

“I think we were much more intentional this year with making sure — even though time was short and things were moving quickly — making sure that we called people about them,” Lutz said. “I think in some other case we haven’t probably dug enough into it.

“And then obviously I’ve alluded to this before, we use something called Profile, which is a behavioral assessment on each of the players , so those guys each took that prior to. I knew last year when we were signing the class that we just had leave, I knew that we were going to have some internal conflicts, just because of the type of personalities we had. And when you look at each of these guys on paper, they quantify them … they fit better. So, we also tried to be as intentional as we can about that. I mean, you’re always gonna weigh the talent vs. the fit. I think we did a better job of getting both.”

OSU isn’t the only program to use the service. Illinois and Purdue both use it. Illinois coach (and former OSU coach) Brad Underwood told CNN earlier this year that the test pushed power forward Marcus Domask over the top in his recruitment process after Underwood wasn’t initially sure they’d pursue him out of the portal. Domask would go on to start all 38 games he played in with the Illini this past season, averaging 15.9 points, five rebounds and 3.9 assists a game.

Chad Brown, a former football coach, founded the service. Its website says Profile “gives coaches and staff a clearer understanding of how athletes think, communicate, and respond under pressure,” helping highlight traits like decision-making, communicating and leadership.

“You send them a link, and they click on it,” Lutz said. “It takes about 15 to 30 minutes depending on how fast you go. There’s no right or wrong answer. Your answer triggers the next question, and then that triggers the next one.”

It’s not as if internal struggles were running rampant in Stillwater last year, but the team did have its deficiencies.

Isaiah Coleman missed the opening game of the season because of an internal suspension, and then at the end of the year, the Cowboys were without Coleman, Anthony Roy and VJ Miller in OSU’s NIT opener against Davidson for an internal issue. At other times, more effort on the defensive end was desired or a guy would play in isolation rather than keeping the ball moving.

As much as Profile might’ve helped the Cowboys’ staff build this roster, Lutz mentioned on multiple occasions this week that he had more money to work with when shopping the portal.

The extra funds along with an increased attention to different personality traits should make for a better, more cohesive group of Cowboys next season.

“I don’t want to say this badly upon anybody, but the more funds you have, you are able to get in rooms with more complete players,” Lutz said. “If you’re not overly resourced, the way I look at it is you can usually get some talent, but you might lose a little bit here in character, or maybe they’re skinny, or maybe academically something’s off. Well, then you can kind of get back over here what we want in terms of culture and character and those sorts of things, but you’re probably gonna drop off in talent.

“But the more money you got, you can recruit guys that are up here on both, on that level, those guys that are about winning, they’re about the team and winning and getting better — those sorts of things.”

Ake O’Neal, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound prospect from Argyle, Texas, announced his commitment to Oklahoma State. He picked the Pokes over offers from Utah, Duke, Wisconsin, Texas Tech and others.

1000% COMMITTED!! GO POKES https://t.co/4GsOWYpSfp

— Ake O’Neal (@AkeONeal) June 11, 2026

O’Neal will bring size and speed to Stillwater. At 6-3, he’s been credited with a 11.4 100-meter dash this year and has a high jump of 6-foot-6 and a long jump of 22-7, according to Athletic.net.

He’s the No. 1,393 overall prospect in 247Sports’ Composite ranking for the class, which tabs him as a Top 180 receiver and Texan.

Argyle High went 12-2 in O’Neal’s junior season, with MaxPreps crediting O’Neal with 21 catches for 335 yards and a touchdown.

OSU’s staff extended an offer to O’Neal in February, and he visited for a Junior Day at the end of March before taking an official visit to Stillwater at the end of last month.

He joins in-state standout Cooper Hooker as receivers in the Cowboys’ 2027 class and is the seventh commitment OSU has landed overall. All but one of those pledges play offense, with in-state safety Bryson Brown being the only defensive player to commit to this point.

O’Neal’s commitment moves the Cowboys up one spot in the Big 12 team rankings to No. 13, which is highest among Big 12 classes with fewer than eight commits.

OSU’s 2027 Commits

No longer a league of 10 teams, the Big 12 squads don’t just play everyone home-and-home anymore. So, here is a look at the teams OSU will play and where this season (dates and times for these games will be announced at a later date):

Both: Iowa State, TCU, Utah
Home Only: Arizona, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Colorado, Texas Tech, UCF
Away Only: Baylor, BYU, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State, West Virginia

It’s a fairly evenly divided lineup in terms of how teams performed last year at least. The average NET finish among the Cowboys’ three two-way opponents was 59.7. For the home-only foes, it was 45.5; and the away-only foes averaged a 42.2 finish in the NET. In the modern world with so much player movement, it’s tough to predict how any team will do next season, but in terms of how teams finished last season, it’s mostly balanced.

The Cowboys’ two transfers from within the Big 12 won’t travel back to their former teams but will get them in Gallagher-Iba Arena. OSU added Andrija Grbovic from Arizona State and Jordan Burks from UCF this offseason.

Last season was the first since the 2009-10 season that the Cowboys didn’t travel to Lawrence for a game against the Jayhawks, but they will make that trip this season.

Lutz has turned over most of his roster entering his third year leading the Cowboys. They return four players (Kanye Clary, Ben Ahmed, Ryan Crotty and Mekhi Ragland). That number could push to five should Parsa Fallah gain an extra year of eligibility.

Along with that group, Lutz has added four freshmen (Jalen Montonati, Latrell Allmond, Parker Robinson and Anthony Felesi) and six transfers (Luka Bogavac, Kashie Natt, Jacob Walker, Grbovic, Julius Halaifonua and Burks).

TCU has been the class of Big 12 women’s basketball for the last two seasons, going 1-1 in Big 12 Championship games and winning both regular season titles. The Cowgirls will face the Horned Frogs once this season in Stillwater on a yet-to-be-announced date. Here’s the Cowgirls’ full matrix:

Both: Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas
Home: Arizona, Arizona State, Kansas State, TCU, Cincinnati, West Virginia
Away: BYU, Utah, Texas Tech, Baylor, Houston, UCF

Although it’s difficult to predict how many teams will do year-to-year, ESPN ranked the Horned Frogs portal class fourth and CBS Sports ranked the Horned Frogs 15th in their way-too-early list (Oklahoma State topped the Big 12 at 12th).

The pairing with the Cyclones will draw headlines since that was previously the home for new Cowgirl Audi Crooks. Based solely on recent history, which included some incredible play from Crooks, that’s the toughest draw among the trio.

Meanwhile Colorado and Kansas rank eighth and ninth in conference wins over the last two seasons.

It wouldn’t be shocking to see Baylor emerge as the toughest road assignment for the Cowgirls, as the Bears have finished third or higher in the conference during each of the last two seasons.

Here is where all the Cowgirls’ road opponents ranked in Big 12 wins over the last two seasons with ties broken in favor of last season’s standings:

Baylor- 2nd
Utah- 5th
Iowa State- 6th
Colorado- 8th
Texas Tech- 9th
Kansas- 10th
BYU- 11th
UCF- 15th
Houston- 16th

No West Virginia on the road sounds like another favorable draw, as the Mountaineers have been incredibly consistent the last two seasons (third in Big 12 wins) and won the conference championship last season. They also rank 26th on the CBS Sports way-too-early list.

Arizona State, which ranked 14th in conference wins since 2025, also visits Stillwater this season, which could be noteworthy considering ESPN had their portal class ranked in the honorable mention category which seemingly puts them in the top 10 after the site only ranked five total teams.

OSU Bullets

• Former Oklahoma State football coach Bob Simmons died this week. As someone who was too young to really remember his OSU teams, I had a good time going back and researching Simmons’ top five wins. [PFB]

• Eric Bailey wrote an excellent story on Simmons, which includes a Chris’ University Spirit reference. [Tulsa World]

Chris Norris, a longtime OSU fan, owned Chris’ University Sprit during that time. His apparel shop couldn’t keep up with the merchandise orders during the month leading up to the [the 1997 bowl game against Purdue]. — Eric Bailey in the Tulsa World.

• OSU also released a nice piece on Simmons with quotes from R.W. McQuarters, strength coach Gary Calcagno and Kenyatta Wright. [okstate]

• All sorts of OSU athletes picked up All-America honors Wednesday. From baseball, Kollin Ritchie and Aidan Meola were honored. Cowgirl golfer Marta Silchenko became an All-American, and Cowboy golfers Preston Stout, Ethan Fang and Eric lee also picked up honors.

Non-OSU Bullets

• The New York Knicks overcame a 29-point deficit to take Game 4 of the NBA Finals last night and take a 3-1 lead in the series. OG Anunoby had a tip-in with 1.2 seconds to play to win it.

OG Anunoby game-winner for the Knicks! 😳

New York pulls off the unreal 29-point comeback! pic.twitter.com/o5FF3IoMiX

— ESPN (@espn) June 11, 2026

• It’s World Cup day. Here’s one reason to support each of the 48 teams. [CBS Sports]

Junior Oklahoma State outfielder Kollin Ritchie was named to the All-American second team by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. It is Ritchie’s first All-American honor and comes after one of the best hitting seasons in school history.

His 31 home runs led the Big 12 and ranks third nationally. That total ranks second all-time at OSU behind only Pete Incaviglia’s NCAA record of 48 back in 1985. As of writing, Ritchie is second in the conference in slugging percentage (.804), second in runs scored (81), third in runs batted in (75) and is second in on base + slugging PCT (1.266).

Ritchie led the cowboys with 20 multi-RBI games including a history-making three home runs in a win over TCU, including the walk-off winner.

HOMER x3

Kollin Ritchie ends the night with his third home run of the game#GoPokes | @RitchieKollin pic.twitter.com/VdmODyP3Og

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) May 2, 2026

Ritchie is the 153rd Cowboy to be named an All-American and the 18th under head coach Josh Holliday. He was also a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.

Simmons led the Cowboys for six seasons from 1995 to 2000. He was tasked with revitalizing a program that was coming off six losing seasons and probation.

He’d go 30-38 in that stretch, winning Big 12 Coach of the Year honors in 1997 — a year he led the Cowboys to an 8-4 record where they climbed as high as No. 12 in the AP Poll.

In memoriam, let’s take a look back at some of Simmons’ biggest wins as the Cowboys’ coach.

Bedlam 1995

Oklahoma State had lost 17 of 18 Bedlams entering the 1995 contest, and the only game the Cowboys didn’t lose in that stretch, they tied.

There was reason to believe that streak would continue on Veterans Day of 1995, as OSU entered Bedlam at just 2-7. That record included losses to Tulsa and Wyoming. The Sooners weren’t world beaters in ’95, but they entered this game at a much-better 5-3-1.

The Cowboys shut out OU in Norman, winning 12-0.

“For the OSU fans and alums, all the aggies that’s been agonizing — it’s over,” Simmons said. “We won. We won.”

The game’s only touchdown game on a 1-yard quarterback sneak from Tone Jones.

Obviously it featured an outstanding defensive effort. On two occasions, the Sooners ran four straight plays from inside the OSU 5-yard line and left those instances with nothing.

Colorado 1997

This game marked the first ranked win of Simmons’ tenure and might’ve been the peak of his best season as the Cowboys’ coach.

After going 4-8 in 1995 and 5-6 in 1996, Simmons had the Cowboys at 5-0 and ranked 20th nationally entering the 1997 homecoming game against No. 25 Colorado — a game OSU would win 33-29.

The Cowboys were down 29-26 with less than three minutes to play when Tony Lindsay hit Alonzo Mayes for a 19-yard game-winning touchdown. Lindsay did a little bit of everything for the Cowboys that day, finishing with 105 passing yards, 126 rushing yards and two total touchdowns.

Kicker Tim Sydnes also deserves a bit of a shoutout for keeping the Pokes in it early, as OSU’s first 12 points came off his leg. Kevin Williams also had a 40-yard pick-six late in the first half.

Bedlam 1997

Following the win against the Buffaloes, the Cowboys climbed as high as No. 12 in the polls but back-to-back overtime losses to Missouri and Texas A&M saw OSU drop down to No. 25 by the time Bedlam rolled around.

After snapping that streak in 1995, the Cowboys lost the 1996 Bedlam game 27-17, but that Sooner streak wouldn’t last nearly as long as the previous one.

OSU beat the Sooners 30-7 in Norman. OU actually scored the game’s first points before the Cowboys rattled off 30 straight starting in the second quarter.

R.W. McQuarters had an interception in that 1995 Bedlam game. In 1997, he caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Lindsay, who finished 9-for-16 for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Jamaal Fobbs didn’t find paydirt that day, but you could argue he was the player of the game, running for 122 yards and 25 carries.

Here’s the Bob Simmons Show after that game:

Mississippi State 1998

The Cowboys hosted a ranked SEC foe early in the 1998 season and left Lewis Field that day with a 42-23 win.

The Bulldogs had no answer for the OSU ground attack that day.

Nathan Simmons, Bob’s son, ran for 148 yards and a touchdown. Fobbs added another 104 rushing yards and two scores. Oh, and Lindsay ran for 77 more yards and two more scores. In total, the Cowboys ran for 360 yards and six touchdowns on Mississippi State that day.

Bedlam 1998

Remember when it had been 18 years since the Cowboys beat the Sooners on the gridiron?

OSU beat OU 41-26 in 1998 to move to 3-1 against the Sooners with Simmons as the coach.

Lindsay was the Cowboys’ star man that day, throwing for 138 yards, running for 99 yards and accounting for four of OSU’s five touchdowns.

It was OSU’s first Bedlam win in Stillwater since 1966.

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OSU Bullets

• Steve Lutz said Tuesday that Parsa Fallah has filed for a waiver seeking more eligibility. [PFB]

• Lutz also seems quite bullish on the squad he has assembled. [PFB]

“I told them ‘it’s not enough to make the NCAA tournament.’ I think we have enough talent in the room to win” — Steve Lutz

•  Here’s Lutz’s full presser from Tuesday.

• It’s shaping up to be another busy week for Eric Morris and Co. hosting visits. [PFB]

• Informative tweet from Daniel here about the early portions of the OSU baseball offseason.

A few takeaways from this:

> Francisco was a serviceable backup, but it’s not the end of the world for #OkState. Options via the transfer portal and junior college exist.

> There is a real possibility Smithwick forgoes the MLB Draft and returns to Stillwater for his senior… https://t.co/PfPu07VLkp

— Daniel Allen (@bydanielallen25) June 9, 2026

• The NCAA Track and Field Championships get rolling today.

Tomorrow, we ride in Track Town 🤠#GoPokes I #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/yWaM2sP4Z3

— Oklahoma State XC/T&F (@run4okstate) June 9, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Carolina finds a way in Game 4 to tie the Stanley Cup final. Last night’s game winner came via a falling Jordan Staal.

JORDAN STAAL SCORES AGAIN 💥

The captain’s second of the night gives the @Canes a 4-3 lead! #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: ABC
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet & @TVASports pic.twitter.com/374dwNdaoA

— NHL (@NHL) June 10, 2026

• For the Thunder fan contingent of the OSU fanbase, Sam Presti met with the media this week. Here are nearly two hours of him talking if you want to pop in a headphone today.

Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz told reporters Tuesday that Fallah has filed for an eligibility waiver that would see him gain a sixth season.

“Parsa is petitioning the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility because of some circumstances he had when he first came over to the United States,” Lutz said. “So, yes, I am holding the scholarship for him at this point.”

Fallah was a fan favorite in what was initially thought to be his lone season at Oklahoma State and became even more of a fan favorite late in the year when he tore his ACL at the end of OSU’s win against West Virginia just to hobble into the postgame news conference and pour his heart out for the university.

Fallah’s eligibility will be interesting.

He came to the United States from Iran, but it wasn’t as simple as hopping on a plane and heading over. He had to go to a U.S. embassy in Africa — a process he thought would take two days, but he ended up being in Africa for sixth months with $400.

By the time he got to Southern Utah, his first college program, Fallah redshirted. He went on to play 58 games with Southern Utah across the next two seasons, averaging 7.7 points and 3.8 boards a contest before transferring to Oregon State. In one year with the Beavers, Fallah averaged 12.8 points and four boards a contest before averaging 14.7 and six last season with the Cowboys.

“He’s around,” Lutz said. “He comes to the team meetings and practices, and he works out with (strength coach) Gavin (Roberts), and Kevin (Blaske), the trainer, and our physical therapist. He’s a lot thicker, but that’s because he’s not running. But he told me the other day, if I’m not mistaken, he should be running here very soon, or jogging pretty soon.

“So, he’s doing great. Positive attitude, excited about the future — whether it be with us in basketball or he’s had some job opportunities presented to him here in Stillwater and beyond. So, he’s living the dream.”

It’s hard to tell anymore in terms of what the NCAA is thinking when it comes to waivers. Then on top of that, it’s tough to determine just how much power the NCAA actually has to enforce a decision. Just Monday, a Texas judge ruled that Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is eligible despite his gambling situation.

Fallah’s isn’t the only waiver the Cowboys are waiting on, either.

Reigning Conference-USA Defensive Player of the Year Kashie Natt signed with the Cowboys this offseason, but he’s in need of some extra eligibility.

“I don’t have any updates,” Lutz said of Natt’s situation. “There’s been waivers filed with the NCAA, and then obviously depending on what they say, you obviously have to take it to the courts.”

Natt’s path to that extra year seems a little more straight forward. Last season was Natt’s first at the Division-I level, where he averaged 10.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a pair of steals a game at Sam Houston.

Natt started his college career at Southern University-Shreveport — a junior college — before spending two seasons at LSU-Alexandria — an NAIA school. He was a two-time All-American at LSU-Alexandria and was the 2025 NAIA National Player of the Year.

He’s also apparently made quite the impact in a short period of time this summer in Stillwater.

“He’s an unbelievable human being,” Lutz said. “He’s constantly bringing energy. He’s constantly bringing energy. Today, we started off practice … you get a towel, and you have hold the towel over your head. And then you have to do step slides, defensive step slides, like old school. I’ve never really said you have to say ‘ball’ or you have to say whatever, and Kashie decided, ‘Hey, coach, we’re gonna call ball, ball, ball, ball.’ Well, it’s contagious, and he’s just got that personality. So, it’s been enjoyable.”

Although the Cowboys have yet to crack the NCAA Tournament field under his leadership, the Oklahoma State coach made it clear to the 2026-27 squad that his expectations will be even higher in his third season in Stillwater.

“I told them ‘it’s not enough to make the NCAA tournament,’” Lutz said. “I think we have enough talent in the room to win, and you know that’s kind of sticking your neck out and going out on a limb for a guy that won six games in the Big 12 last year, where I think we need to be fighting hopefully for a conference title, or at least be in the top, you know, 4,5, 6, in the league. Because that guarantees you that you’re probably a top 20 to 40 team in the country, and you give yourself an opportunity to win (and get) in the NCAA tournament and win some games.”

Getting into the field should be easier than ever this season, considering eight additional teams will make the field this time around, following expansion from 68 to 76 teams, which will pit six at-large teams versus other at-large squads and six automatic qualifiers versus other automatic qualifiers.

Of course, if everything goes the way Lutz hopes in the Big 12, Oklahoma State fans won’t have to get too invested in learning the new format ahead of the first weekend.

“I’m all for it, if they think that is what is going to be best for our game, then let’s do it,” Lutz said when asked about expansion. “I mean, selfishly, you know, if we had that field this past year, we were off by three teams, and we would have been in the NCAA tournament. I would love to be in the NCAA tournament, you know, you guys know that that’s my main concern, and that’s our standard here.”

On paper, this is the most talented group of Cowboys to play for Lutz.

The Cowboys added six portal prospects, including four four-star players, and rank 26th overall in the 247Sports portal rankings. OSU’s four-member freshman class also ranks seventh overall and second in the Big 12, behind only Kansas.

That’s a pretty big leap from previous offseasons.

“The biggest growth is, as I’ve said a couple times here today, is we’ve had more funds available for this year’s team, just plain and simple,” Lutz said. “I mean, we’ve been funded from an NIL standpoint in the bottom third of the league in years one and two, and we’ve improved that in this class, and that’s certainly helped us acquire more talent, and it’s helped us to acquire more pieces that fit us.”

Money came up often during Tuesday’s press conference as the Oklahoma State coach addressed the realities of building and retaining a roster in the current era of college athletics.

Although it’s too early for Lutz or his staff to know exactly what they have in this team yet, the head coach is confident he has a great option leading the way at point guard after Kanye Clary chose to return.

“I mean, Kanye has obviously got to be a huge factor for us,” Lutz said when asked about his four confirmed returners. “He’s got to be a steadying force every single day. … So I expect him to have a fantastic year. I expect him to be one of the better point guards in the country.”

After scoring double-digit points 12 times in his first 26 games as a Cowboy, with only three outings with 15-plus points, Clary had something of a breakout late. He hit double figures in seven of his final eight games and surpassed 15 points on four separate occasions, highlighted by a season-high 23 in an overtime win at UCF on March 3rd.

Clary also finished with 157 assists, putting him one shy of a spot on Oklahoma State’s top-10 list for single-season records.

His return could also help Oklahoma State take the next step with both funding and fan engagement.

“The thing that people usually, I don’t want to say complain about, but the thing that I hear from most fans, what they don’t like about the current landscape in college athletics, especially basketball, is that they don’t get to know the players,” Lutz said.

Not only is Clary remaining in Stillwater, he told his head coach in no uncertain terms why he wanted to stick around even if it meant missing out on a bigger financial windfall elsewhere. Lutz also seems to believe that motivation will result in a step up in performance from the point guard.

“Kanye was very intentional about returning and saying, ‘Hey, coach, like I know that other teams may be offering more money and trying to steal me, but if you’ll give me a fair offer, I want to stay here because I want to bring my kids back to Oklahoma State. I want this to be my university, I want to be a Cowboy.’ And that means something to him.”

After picking up a pair of offensive line commitments this past weekend, the Oklahoma State staff will continue to host prospects. Here’s a look at four of the players who will be in Stillwater this week.

Finn Walker, DL

Listed at 6-foot-7, 260 pounds, Finn Walker is the No. 611 player in all of the 2027 class, according to the 247Sports Composite ranking. That ranking marks him as a Top 75 defensive lineman in the class and a Top 90 Texas prospect.

Out of Oak Ridge High in Conroe, Texas (north of Houston), Walker also has offers to Arizona, SMU, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Baylor, Kansas State, Oregon State and others. He has a robust official visit schedule that has already seen him take visits to Arizona, Kansas State and SMU.

He fits the mold of multi-sport athletes that new OSU coach Eric Morris likes to recruit, as he also throws shot and discus, boasting a PR discus throw of 182 feet, 10 inches.

OSU extended an offer to Walker on Jan. 30. In April, OSU defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity and defensive ends coach Greg Richmond made their way down to the Houston area for a home visit, and early last month, Walker announced he’d take this official visit.

Jake Baker, OL

Oklahoma State became Jake Baker’s first Power Conference offer last month, and on Sunday he announced that he’d take an official visit to Stillwater.

Out of Nashville, Baker comes in at 6-foot-6, 290 pounds. The Rivals industry ranking lists Baker as the No. 1,515 recruit nationally and a Top 50 player from Tennessee.

Along with his offer to be a Cowboy, Baker has announced offers to UConn, Memphis, Tulsa, East Carolina, Arkansas State and others.

Tristan Hardin Roberts, OL

Out of Mobile, Alabama, Tristan Hardin Roberts is a 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive lineman.

He’s unranked as of writing, but that hasn’t stopped the likes of OSU, Florida State, West Virginia, Tulane, USF and others from offering.

OSU offensive line coach Cody Crill was at Hardin Roberts’ spring game last month, where he extended the offer before locking in an official visit. Hardin Roberts has already taken visits to West Virginia and Tulane.

Caleb Canty, OL

Another offensive lineman from Alabama, Caleb Canty committed to Maryland last month but told PFB he will still take  his official visit to Stillwater.

He’s listed at 6-foot-5, 290 pounds, and the 247Sports Composite ranking tabs him as the No. 1,137 player in the 2027 class, making him a Top 100 offensive tackle and a Top 45 player from Alabama. Along with his offers to OSU and Maryland, he’s announced offers to Memphis, Troy, Arkansas State and others.

He also excels on his schools track team. Athletic.net credits Canty with a 152-7 discus throw and a 50-1 shot throw this year.

OSU Bullets

• A court ruled Brendan Sorsby eligible to play in 2026 following a two-game suspension to the surprise of many. [PFB]

• Ross Dellenger spoke with some ADs from the Big 12 and elsewhere. Schools and other conferences are discussing not playing Texas Tech. [Yahoo]

“It’s f***ing bulls***. I know the kid has a problem. Well, get well and focus on your problem. It is absolutely devastating for him to be able to play when every other sport, no matter the level, deems an athlete ineligible or they are punished severely for betting on their team.” — K-State AD Gene Taylor to Yahoo.

• Lastly on Sorsby, Josh Pate went on with Rich Eisen in a discussion I found interesting on the matter.

• Ruby Meylan signed with the OKC Spark. [PFB]

• Steve Lutz spoke with Hoops HQ about his new squad. Lutz meets with the local media today, so expect more OSU hoops content over the next few days. [Hoops HQ]

“This year’s team seems to be much more focused on the processes of winning and those sorts of things. And focused on teamwork. You can already tell the way they’re wired based on our research.” — Steve Lutz to Hoops HQ

Non-OSU Bullets

• The Spurs went into a hostile MSG and got a much-needed win, crawling back into the series.

AREA 51’S FIRST NBA FINALS WIN 👽🏰

Wemby: 32 PTS
Castle: 23 PTS

First teammates, age 22 or younger, to score 20+ PTS in an NBA Finals game! pic.twitter.com/hv50OVlSSR

— NBA (@NBA) June 9, 2026

• Perhaps the greatest soccer player to ever live standing next to a quarterback Alan Bowman beat in the 2023 Texas Bowl.

Elite Company pic.twitter.com/zARLYlnwzg

— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) June 7, 2026

Former Oklahoma State ace Ruby Meylan was named to the reserve pool for the AUSL franchise OKC Spark.

Ruby Meylan’s pro debut on the Spark just makes sense 🤠 @rubymeylan pic.twitter.com/UGiddFMvh3

— Oklahoma City Spark | AUSL (@ausl_spark) June 8, 2026

The AUSL’s reserve pool allows teams to fill roster spots when necessary due to injuries or absences. It also gives the players the opportunity to be called up and to earn full-time roster spots.

Meylan earned the opportunity after an impressive career which included two seasons at Washington before spending the last two in Stillwater. The three-time All-American was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and boasted the most wins of any OSU pitcher (29) since 1993.

Despite spending just two seasons at Oklahoma State, Meylan finished 10th in career strikeouts (458), and her career winning percentage of .725 ranks 11th in program history.

The Spark kick off a three-game series against the Texas Volts at home starting Tuesday night.

In case you missed it, Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby was granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA to regain eligibility for the 2026 season after initially being deemed ineligible by the NCAA following a gambling investigation.

Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger has been in contact with some higher-ups around the college athletics space, including in the Big 12, where there have apparently been serious talks as to not play the Red Raiders in 2026. OSU is set to host the reigning Big 12 champs on Nov. 14.

“It’s f****** bulls***,” Kansas State AD Gene Taylor told Yahoo. “I know the kid has a problem. Well, get well and focus on your problem. It is absolutely devastating for him to be able to play when every other sport, no matter the level, deems an athlete ineligible or they are punished severely for betting on their team.”

Another anonymous Big 12 AD told Dellenger it was the “lowest point in my time in college sports” and that Tech “should be ashamed of itself.”

You could see why others in the space would push against Monday’s ruling, given the precedent it sets that gambling on your own team (Sorsby reportedly made bets on Indiana while he was with the Hoosiers) could come down to a two-game suspension.

Before Monday, gambling had been a hardline issue as it pertains to athletes’ ability to play, going back to Pete Rose and even more recently when former Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers got in some trouble for a similar case and had to close his college career at the junior college level. But in this era where everyone has found out the NCAA has no power to enforce just about anything, challenging such a ruling in court — a court in the Lubbock area, no less — you can get by just about anything, it seems.

“There is no better example of why targeted intervention from Congress is necessary,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement. “When you have schools and deep-pocketed supporters willing to look the other way on the glaring integrity threat of betting on your own team — and judges whose rulings effectively strip away our ability to stop them — only Congress can equip the NCAA to apply this common sense rule to everyone fairly and consistently. The Protect College Sports Act would empower the NCAA to enforce rules including the gambling restrictions – it’s needed now more than ever.”

Update: Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark Releases Statement

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark released the following statement on the matter on Monday afternoon:

“The ramifications of today’s ruling are significant and could have broad impacts across college athletics, creating great concern amongst our membership. I’ve been consulting with our key stakeholders and have scheduled meetings with our Conference ADs and Executive Board this week. We are also in touch with Charlie Baker and anticipate the NCAA to appeal the order in the next 24-48 hours. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation.”

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby was granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA on Monday that helps clear a path for him to play in 2026. That ruling comes after Sorsby was declared ineligible for betting on college sports, including 40 bets on Indiana while he was a freshman with the Hoosiers.

The injunction would still see Sorsby miss two games of the 2026 season. The Red Raiders open the year with games against Abilene Christian and Oregon State. Conveniently, that suspension ends just before the Red Raiders are set to host what is expected to be a solid Houston squad in the teams’ Big 12 opener.

Major League Baseball’s all-time hit leader was blackballed from the game after a gambling scandal. But in college football, it’s a quick two-game slap on the wrist.

Here was the court’s attempt to put lipstick on this pig:

“This Court finds that Applicant has demonstrated that he will suffer a probable, imminent, and irreparable injury if this Court does not issue this temporary injunction because he will be unable to participate as a member of Texas Tech University’s 2026 football team, including Texas Tech’s 2026 Football season and:

“1. Benefit from the elite coaching, training resources, camaraderie, and regimen that only being a member of a Division I college football team can provide,

“2. Build the skills necessary to maximize his own success during the college football season,  as well as that of Texas Tech’s football team and each of its players, and

“3. Make an informed decision regarding whether to enter the 2026 NFL Supplemental Draft.”

Hyperbolic comparison incoming — If a guy got in trouble for robbing a bank, a judge would not rule that because he is now behind bars, he doesn’t have the opportunity to make more bank robbery money and thus must be set free. That’d be insane, right?

And all this isn’t to say that Sorsby’s life should be ruined forever. If he needs help, I hope he continues to get it. But actions have consequences, and what precedent does this set moving forward? Is betting on your own team a two-game suspension now? That’s 25% of a second-half targeting penalty.

Cover 3’s Tom Fornelli put it like this, and it’s something I certainly agree with.

Brendan Sorsby isn’t a victim. pic.twitter.com/BMaa31t5SQ

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) June 1, 2026

To even be so bold as to challenge this shows that the NCAA has no power anymore. That might sound like I’m dunking on the NCAA (which lends itself plenty of reasons to get dunked on), but it isn’t. What is the NCAA supposed to do when it makes a ruling and then a court comes over the top and says, “Nahhh.”

So, is everyone eligible all the time now?

Former Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers was suspended for a similar ordeal back in 2023 and never played Division-I  college football again. Closer to home, OSU grabbed Iowa transfer receiver Arland Bruce IV out of the transfer portal in 2023, but he was also caught up in that Iowa investigation and never played a down for the Cowboys. Turns out, all they needed was a better lawyer/judge.

It feels like anyone who goes to court seeking some sort of eligibility would get it based on this Sorsby ruling and the wording in it. There still hasn’t been official word on Iman Oates’ eligibility for the 2026 season. If the NCAA rules against him, OSU should find a way to clone him and put four Iman Oateses on the field Game 1.

I’ve seen a lot comparing gambling problems to drinking problems. I don’t have either, so perhaps this is just generally something I should step away from. But, I will note that the rapid development in the online gambling space makes gambling much more accessible. Upon unlocking your phone, you’re a few taps away from being able to gamble on a sporting event. Unless you have a creative phone case, your phone (something you almost always have on you) isn’t going to turn into a drink of some sort. So, this’ll be something that the NCAA or whatever entity is in charge of college sports needs to get ahold of as it pertains to protecting young athletes from themselves.

Lastly, in some ways this story has the ridiculous charm to it that only college athletics could provide. This feels like Eric Dickerson rolling up to school in that Gold Trans Am — where everyone knows exactly what’s going on, but the sport is so Wild West that no one can do anything about it.

For better or worse, this is the type of story that only college athletics can provide, but the more stories like this pop up, the more it feels like the whole system is nearing some boiling point.

OSU Bullets

• The Cowboys picked up not one, but two offensive line commits yesterday. First came 6-foot-7, 285-pound Houston flip Sonny Mullen. A little bit later came 6-foot-4, 290-pound Chase Clark. [PFB]

• Long-tenured coaches were already rare, but they might be getting more rare. Good stuff here from Kyle. [PFB]

“If you take the 16 coaches set to lead the league this fall, they combine for just 43 seasons at their current job. That’s one more than Gundy’s and Whittingham’s tenures together when they left.”

• Lee Roy Smith is heading to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. [okstate.com]

Non-OSU Bullets

• NBA Finals Game 3 is tonight. Interesting piece from Danny Chau on the Knicks starting to feel inevitable. [The Ringer]

• The World Cup starts Thursday! Here’s an informative team-by-team guide. [The Athletic]

By the end of the 2025 season, the Big 12 had said goodbye to two of the top 3 longest tenured head coaches in the country, leaving a big hole when it comes to experience. But in a league, and in a sport, that’s been defined by transition over the last few years, maybe some fresh blood is necessary.

Mike Gundy was fired mid-year after 21 years at the helm of Oklahoma State’s program. Then Kyle Whittingham stepped down a couple months later after 21 years at Utah (though just two in the Big 12). Only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (27 years) was longer in his post in the FBS. Whether or not it was time for each to go, the league lost a lot of experience and stability in a sport that has become even more in-flux of late.

With the exit of two such established program heads, I thought I would look around the league, dig into the numbers and see what kind of takeaways I could cobble together. First off, those two coaching changes made for a lot more parity when it comes to coaching experience.

If you take the 16 coaches set to lead the league this fall, they combine for just 43 seasons at their current job. That’s one more than Gundy’s and Whittingham’s tenures together when they left. Those exits alone cut the median tenure of coaches in the league in half (5.3 years on average to 2.7).

Breaking up is rarely pretty, but sometimes it’s necessary.

Although Gundy’s firing was not a complete shock given how the previous couple of years of his tenure had gone, Whittingham’s departure wasn’t exactly expected from an outsider’s view. The 66-year-old head coach reportedly wanted to stay on but negotiations broke down apparently stemming from Utah’s desire to keep an extension short and for him to cede control to head coach-in-waiting Morgan Scalley. Whittingham stepped down Dec. 12 but two weeks later he signed a five-year deal to lead Michigan’s program. Whether or not that decision backfires on Utah remains to be seen.

But that’s the same at any school. Even at OSU which was able to land one of the hottest up-and-comers in the nation in Eric Morris, who brought large portions of his staff and roster and boasts a highly ranked transfer portal class from North Texas and elsewhere.

College football has been a win-now culture for a couple of decades so seasoned longstays like Gundy and Whittingham were the exception even before the seismic shift of the last few years. We’ve seen NIL and transfer portal changes shift the sport closer to a free agency model than the amateur flag it had been trying to run under for as long as we can remember. What they lose in consistency and tradition, programs gain in the ability to pivot quickly now that you can retool 80 percent of your roster in an offseason.

There are five new head coaches that ran their first practices at their respective schools this spring, essentially one-third of the league. In addition to Morris, those include Jimmy Rodgers (Iowa State), Colin Klein (Kansas State), Scott Frost (UCF) and Morgan Scalley (Utah).

To be fair, Frost spent two years at UCF prior, but it was before the school joined the Big 12. And Scalley has been with his school since playing his college ball there and has served in some form on Utah’s staff since 2007.

But the average amount of years coaching in the Big 12 is just 2.1 years. That’s a stark contrast from the Big 12 many of us grew up under with figures like Bill Snyder, Bob Stoops, Mac Brown and Gundy running programs for decades instead of seasons.

BYU’s Kalani Sitake is the elder statesman of the hodge-podge Big 12, entering his 11th year in Provo. Next up is Dave Aranda entering Year 7 at Baylor and Lance Leipold going into his sixth at KU. The remaining 13 head coaches have five years’ experience or less in the league.

Only three of those 16 current coaches have a Big 12 trophy on their mantel and all three won the title within their first three years in the league. Aranda got one in his second year in 2021, Dillingham got his in 2024 in his second year at Arizona State but his first in the Big 12. Joey McGuire took a whole three years to take the crown home last season. This may say more about the parity in the conference as each of those were their school’s first Big 12 titles.

With that turnover comes its own limitations and insecurities. What if Morris kicks butt and wins 10 games this season? What if he follows the McGuire’s and Dillingham’s of the world and brings some hardware home? His name will be atop all coaching search lists and a school like OSU will always run the risk of “stepping-stone” status. But like it or not, that’s a good problem to have.

Gundy built a winning and preternaturally consistent program (even with the last two years included) and boasts the title of best to do it in Stillwater until someone proves otherwise, which may or may not be possible giving the new model. Back to Iowa, Ferentz has been nothing but consistent in his time in Iowa City. Just four losing seasons in 27 years. But the Hawkeyes also haven’t owned a share in the Big Ten title since 2004 and have not won an outright title since 1985.

I guess it comes down to shifting your opinion of what a college football program is. Or maybe, to being more honest about what it is. It’s entertainment commodified, in a huge way. Results matter and fresh blood can be a boon, if the formula is right — and there are a lot of variables.

It might be over-simplifying to call it a sign of the times, but those long-timers figure to be more and more rare. Maybe they’ll go extinct. The sport has changed a lot, and to their credit, OSU brass took steps to change with it.

Not long after the Cowboys flipped three-star offensive tackle Sonny Mullen from Houston, OSU landed fellow three-star lineman Chase Clark.

First and foremost, I want to give all glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without His guidance, grace, and blessings, none of this would be possible.

I want to thank my family for their endless love and sacrifices, my coaches for believing in me and pushing me day in and… pic.twitter.com/FHJhWNfRm2

— Chase Clark ‘27 (@ChaseClark35) June 7, 2026

Out of Mount Carmel in Chicago, Clark is listed at 6-foot-4, 290 pounds. He’s the No. 1,364 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking for the class, which lists him as a Top 100 interior lineman in the cycle and a Top 50 player from Illinois.

Clark chose Oklahoma State over an offer list that also includes Purdue, UConn, Oregon State, James Madison, Liberty and others.

He announced his OSU offer on May 13, with the OSU staff working quickly to get him on campus this weekend for an official visit and now a commitment.

“I’m loving it so far,” Clark said of his visit in a video he posted. “I’ve enjoyed the people. I’ve enjoyed the atmosphere, and I’ve enjoyed pretty much the whole environment around me.”

Mount Carmel went a perfect 14-0 in Clark’s junior season, with Clark primarily playing right tackle.

He’s the Cowboys’ second commitment of the day and their sixth overall for the 2027 class.

After a slow start to the class (which was somewhat expected considering Eric Morris spent much of his first few weeks on the job hitting the transfer portal), the Cowboys’ class is up to No. 12 in the Big 12 and 65th nationally.

OSU’s 2027 Class

Listed at 6-foot-7, 285 pounds, Mullen announced his commitment to Oklahoma State on Sunday following an official visit to Stillwater. Mullen is the No. 1,133 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking for the class, making him a Top 100 offensive tackle and a Top 150 player from the state of Texas.

#AGTG Go Pokes 🤠 !!! I am committing to Oklahoma state!! @_coachjsmith @__CoachMorris @Coach_Crill @BooneFeldt @rajesh_murti @JasonMartinezz @CowboyFB @OSUAthletics pic.twitter.com/F5mCY9wTHX

— Sonny Mullen (@SonnyMullen56) June 7, 2026

“I’m loving the vibe so far,” Mullen said in a video he posted from his visit. “Team feels like a family. Coach (Eric) Morris is awesome. All the position coaches are awesome. It feels like a family here.”

Along with his offers to OSU and Houston, Mullen has offers to TCU, Baylor, Kansas State and others.

The Cowboys moved quickly with Mullen. Offensive line coach Cody Crill extended an offer on May 5 before quickly setting up an official visit and getting him committed in early June.

He hails from Troy, Texas, a city of about 3,500 south of Waco. Like many of the athletes Morris recruits, Mullen is a multi-sport athlete, also throwing shot and discus. He has a 140-11 discus throw and a 42-7 shot throw this year, according to MileSplit.

Mullen is the fifth commitment in the Cowboys’ 2027 class and the first offensive lineman of the group.

2027 Oklahoma State Commits

OSU Bullets

• Not a shocker, but Drew Mestemaker has been tabbed a Top 10 QB coming into 2026. [Heartland Sports]

• Eric Morris and staff hosted a speedy Texas safety this weekend.

Thank you to @CowboyFB and the entire coaching staff for an amazing official visit I appreciate all the love and hospitality. Had a great time in Stillwater! #GoPokes @CoachSkyCassity @CoachMalone18 @__CoachMorris @EthanRusso_OSU @CoachRRoberts @coach_ikeDL @CoachMikeOG pic.twitter.com/EiIBlVzqN0

— 🌟Chayce Davis🌟🥇 (@Chayce09Davis) June 6, 2026

• A nice trip down memory lane.

In 2002 Nebraska came to town to take on @CowboyFB. The defense played a great game led by Kevin Williams and Greg Richmond who made big plays all day. Tatum Bell rushed for 182 yds and John Lewis made a highlight catch to seal the first win over Nebraska since 1961 #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/CtvxAyxPwP

— Dustin J (@405pokefan) June 5, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• I just don’t even understand this thought process. 

Insane no-rules 2v8 MMA fight just went down in Czechia 😳

Ended in less than 30 seconds 😭 pic.twitter.com/RwIZPUz253

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) June 6, 2026

• What a play.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by ESPN (@espn)

OSU Bullets

• Tyler compared the Big 12’s best QB-RB-WR trios, and it’s a good look for the Cowboys. [PFB]

• New Stilly Boys video dropped, detailing the Cowboys’ trip to the U20 World Team Trials. Really good stuff about Landon Robideau’s win, Dreshaun Ross’ comeback, Ronnie Ramirez’s weight cut and Dee Lockett rebounding from the NCAA Championships. [YouTube]

• Get to know incoming freshman basketball player Parker Robinson.

catch Parker Robinson at the golf course… just don’t look at his swing 😅 pic.twitter.com/2f5JXrGzf4

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) June 5, 2026

• Jackson Koivun vs. Preston Stout: the match that everybody wanted to see but just didn’t see end. [Golf Channel]

Non-OSU Bullets

• This is an absolutely brutal way to lose an NBA Finals game. The Knicks went to San Antonio and won two.

Wemby’s costly turnover in the finals seconds of Game 2…

Tough. pic.twitter.com/96BRj8L5Aj

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 6, 2026

• The World Cup starts next week, and ESPN predicted every game. [ESPN]

Sometimes it was tough to tell which was worse for the Cowboys, but that shouldn’t be the case in 2026.

Not when the Big 12’s best trio resides in Stillwater, and if history means anything, it might not be close.

When ranked from a production standpoint, the Cowboys are the only team in the conference with a top-five option at quarterback, running back and wide receiver in 2026. BYU is the only team that appears on the list more than once.

All stats obtained using Pro Football Focus database, which might vary from official box scores.

Quarterbacks

1. Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State): 4,381 yards in 14 games
2. Noah Fifita (Arizona): 3,228 in 13 games
3. Bear Bachmeier (BYU): 3,022 in 14 games
4. JC French (Cincinnati): 2,924 in 13 games
5. Alonza Barnett (UCF): 2,811 in 14 games

There are so many elephants in this room, there’s barely room for the five quarterbacks. Let’s get those guys out of here.

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby was one of the most discussed returners before the gambling scandal broke out, which has his eligibility in real doubt. He would rank sixth on this list with 2,782 yards in 12 games.

So his case bears watching, especially since his yard-per-game stats would rank him third among this group, anyway.

Other fanbases and understandably glass-half-empty OSU fans will mention that Mestemaker racked up his yards against a much easier slate than he will face in the Big 12.

Even if he threw for 1,000 yards less in 2026, that would still put him ahead of all returning players and would have ranked 20th in the nation last season.

French and Barnett are also new to the conference. French, a Georgia Southern transfer, faced one Power Conference opponent last season in USC. He completed 54% of his passes for 179 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. As bad as that sounds, he threw for less than 200 yards six times and failed to hit 60% four times.

Barnett, a James Madison transfer, faced two power conference opponents. In week two, he finished with 102 yards while completing 60% of his passes for one touchdown against Louisville. He then threw for 273 and two touchdowns while completing 48% of passes against Oregon in a weird playoff game.

Mestemaker didn’t face any power conference opponents, but he completed 80% of his attempts as often as he finished under 60%, three times. His worst passing yardage total (211) came against Washington State in week three when he completed 86% and threw four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

His biggest competition through the air this year will likely be Fifita, who has now thrown for 2,800-plus yards in three consecutive seasons, and Bachmeier, the latter of whom wasn’t expected to be the starter for the Cougars until they found themselves in need of one late last offseason. As a true freshman last season, it’s easy to imagine him making a leap this fall and putting BYU in conference title contention.

Although it might be hard to put the Pokes in that same conversation, this is also Mestemaker’s first offseason as a starter. So it’s just as possible he makes a leap in year two, which might more than make up for the additional challenges of playing power conference football.

Running backs

1. Cam Cook (West Virginia): 1,650 yards in 13 games
2. Caleb Hawkins (Oklahoma State): 1,431 in 13 games
3. LJ Martin (BYU): 1,299 in 13 games
4. Cameron Dickey (Texas Tech): 1,135 in 14 games
5. Wayshawn Parker (Utah): 992 in 13 games

Hawkins isn’t the only Big 12 newcomer on this list. Cook transferred in from Jacksonville State, a program West Virginia Rich Rodriguez coached before returning to his alma mater.

When adjusted for yards per attempt, Hawkins ranked ninth in the nation, averaging 6.2 yards per carry among backs with at least 146 carries. That’s how many attempts Parker finished with when he averaged 6.8, which put him fourth in the nation last season.

Cook, Martin and Dickey averaged 5.6, 5.5 and 5.4, respectively, last season, ranking 25th, 28th and 34th.

All together, it sounds like the Big 12 title will come down to which offense has the best season. From a pure production standpoint, Hawkins led the way with 370 receiving yards, followed by Cook (291), Martin (251), Dickey (217) and Parker (185).

Receivers

1. Danny Scudero (Colorado): 1,299 yards in 12 games
2. Wyatt Young (Oklahoma State): 1,264 in 14 games
3. Eric McAlister (TCU): 1,173 in 13 games
4. Nik McMillan (Kansas): 983 in 12 games
5. Amare Thomas (Houston) 966 in 13 games

Most of this list includes newcomers to the conference. Scudero transferred in from San Jose State, Young obviously from North Texas and McMillan from Buffalo.

Young stands out on the list as the most reliable target, hauling in 72% of his 97 targets. Thomas led the others with 68%, followed by McMillan (64%), McAlister (60%) and Scudero (56%).

All five proved capable of making some big plays last season.

Deep Targets 20-plus yards downfield

Young finished third in yards but second in catch percentage and fourth in deep targets. He will have to prove he can win those battles and get loose against better defenses this fall, but based on these numbers, it wouldn’t take a lot of additional deep targets for Young to establish himself as the Big 12’s frontrunner for the receiving title.

OSU Bullets

• Oklahoma State offered another Class of 2027 quarterback on Thursday in Mississippi passer Sladen Shack. [PFB]

• I had fun doing research on two years I wasn’t alive for, 1945 and 1988, to take a peek at what was the best year for OSU athletics. [PFB]

Question: Which year do you think was better for the school?

• After the past few years, it’s fun seeing OSU on these types of lists again, and I promise to not take it for granted.

The Top 10 college football offenses in 2026, according to PFN CFB Analyst @hodgkinsonsport ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/WbGBfaePwi

— PFSN College (@PFSNcollege) June 4, 2026

• We dropped two pods Wednesday. Carson and Colby went heavier on the Cowboy golf season coming to an end, while The Reload went heavier on baseball.

Non-OSU Bullets

• Texas went back-to-back in college softball, beating Texas Tech two games to none.

The last out of the 2026 #NCAASoftball season 👏#WCWS x @TexasSoftball pic.twitter.com/yKvGXnCNDO

— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) June 5, 2026

• The Hurricanes made an electric comeback in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals to even the series.

THE REF CAM VIEW OF THE CANES’ OT WINNER 🔥#StanleyCupFinal pic.twitter.com/ZC1zRMmVZX

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 5, 2026

Sladen Shack announced an Oklahoma State offer on Thursday, also announcing he’ll take an official visit to Stillwater next week.

After a great conversation with @Coach_Brophy I’m blessed to receive an offer from Oklahoma State University!!!
Extremely excited for my OV next weekend! #AGTG pic.twitter.com/gqZbD71ixA

— Sladen Shack (@sladen_shack) June 4, 2026

Listed at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Shack hails from Brandon, Mississippi. He’s the No. 1,485 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking for the 2027 class, which lists him as a Top 100 QB in the cycle and a Top 40 player from Mississippi.

Shack also holds offers from Ole Miss, Illinois, Arkansas State, Southern Miss, Tulane and others. He’s set to take an official to Illinois this week, and has an official scheduled to Arkansas State for June 19.

He led Brandon to a 7-6 record as a junior, which might not sound all that ideal, but the Bulldogs got hot late in the year, making it all the way to the Mississippi 7A state semifinals.

Get ready to see some dimes:

Eric Morris and Co. already had a 2027 quarterback committed in Iowa Colony (TX) product Carson White. White is one of four pledges in the Cowboys’ class to this point, along with tight end Talan Scott, safety Bryson Brown and receiver Cooper Hooker. In his short time in Stillwater, Morris has already shown a willingness to take multiple QBs in a cycle, adding Broderick Vehrs and Luke Tepas to his 2026 roster.

Rob Glass to Receive Award

Rob Glass has been named the recipient of the 2026 Merv Johnson Integrity in College Coaching Award, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Football Foundation announced this week.

The award is presented yearly to an esteemed coach from any level in Oklahoma and recognizes them for their outstanding career as a coach, educator and community leader.

OSU’s longtime strength coach, Glass has transitioned to OSU’s assistant athletic director in athlete performance. He’s in his 31st year at OSU. He graduated from OSU in 1984 and has worked with just about the who’s who in OSU athletics — from Barry Sanders, to Robin Ventura, to Ollie Gordon and so on.

Glass was the 1994 NSCA Big Eight Strength Coach of the Year, and along with his work in the college athletics space, he has ran the powerlifting portion of the Special Olympics Oklahoma Summer Games for 25 years.

He’ll be presented the award at the All-Sports and Scholar Athletes Award Ceremony on June 25 at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

Russell Okung on College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

On Monday, the National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame released a list of 80 players on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame’s 2027 class, and that list includes a Cowboy.

Russell Okung might be the best offensive lineman in OSU’s history, playing as a Cowboy from 2006-09.

Okung was a unanimous All-American as a senior, a year that also saw him win the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year and the Jim Parker Trophy (given to the nation’s best offensive lineman). He was also a finalist for the Outland Trophy (best interior lineman) and a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award (top lineman).

In each of his four seasons, the Cowboys had a 1,000-yard rusher, and Okung made 47 straight starts.

The Seahawks took Okung sixth overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. He’d spend 11 years in the league, playing for Seattle. Denver, the Chargers and Carolina. Okung made two Pro Bowls and has a Super Bowl ring from 2014.

The announcement for who gets voted in to the College Football Hall of Fame will be made in early 2027.

That year, in Oklahoma State lore, is best known because Barry Sanders had the greatest season in college football history, but he wasn’t the only OSU athlete shining in ’88.

In my recent tracking of Kollin Ritchie climbing OSU’s season home run chart, I learned that Monty Farris hit 30 homers in 1988 — now tied for the third-most in a season in OSU’s history.

As 1988 has popped up a few more times, it had me (someone born in 1995) wondering — was that OSU’s greatest athletic year to date? As I started thinking about other years that could compete, the other best year I could come up with was 1945 when OSU won national titles in football (sorta after the fact) and men’s basketball in the same year.

So, I’ve spent my morning diving through both years in OSU athletics. Here are my findings.

1988

Football: We’ll start with the obvious: Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy. He’s the only OSU football player to ever accomplish the feat, and he did so while putting together what many consider to be the greatest college season of all-time.

He accounted for 264 points — 102 more than anyone else had in a season in program history. He scored 44 touchdowns — 17 more than any other Cowboy. He ran for 2,850 yards — the most ever, OSU or otherwise.

OSU went 10-2 that season under Pat Jones, one of the program’s best seasons to that point. The Cowboys scored 584 points, the fourth-most in program history. That’s especially impressive  given the offensive boom of the 2010s. The 78 touchdowns the Cowboys scored that year are still the second-most they’ve ever scored, and the 6,365 total yards still ranks seventh in program history.

Hart Lee Dykes joined Sanders as an All-American, while Mike Gundy threw for 21 passing TDs, which at the time was a program record.

Baseball: The Cowboys won 61 games and a Big Eight title in 1988. They had three All-Americans: Monty Fariss, Tim Pugh and Robin Ventura.

Ventura had 100 hits, which is tied for 10th in program history. Fariss had 114 RBIs, good for second in program history. Pugh had 14 wins, tied for second in program history. Oh, and Ventura won Olympic gold that year, as well.

OSU’s Regional that year featured three of the top 10 crowds in Allie P. Reynolds’ history.

Wrestling: Speaking of Olympic gold, John Smith won that and an NCAA title in 1988. Kenny Monday wasn’t in college anymore, but he too won Olympic gold in 1988.

OSU also had seven All-Americans that year: Smith, Chris Barnes, Cory Baze, Kendall Cross, Mike Farrell, Laurence Jackson and Wes White.

Softball: This was also an elite year for the Cowgirl softball program, winning 51 games — the most in program history.

That team featured three All-Americans in Michele Smith, Dee Brewer and Shari Johnson. All three of their 1988 seasons still rank in the Top 20 in batting average in program history. Smith also had 218 strikeouts from the circle, the 15th-most in program history, and her 16 shutouts that season rank fourth.

Then Dena Carter, a freshman that season, had a 0.35 ERA, which ranks tops in program history among pitchers who threw at least 100 innings.

Men’s Golf: EJ Pfister won an individual national championship, and the Cowboys won the Big Eight.

Women’s Cross-Country: Cowgirls Sonia Barry and Jackie Goodman were All-Americans, finishing third and fourth, respectively, at the national meet.

Women’s Tennis: Jane Wood and Monika Waniek were both All-Americans, and the Cowgirls won the Big Eight regular season and conference tournament.

Women’s Golf: The Cowgirls won the Big Eight, while Eva Dahloff won an individual conference title and was an All-American.

Men’s Basketball: There isn’t a ton to report on basketball from 1988. The Cowboys had a losing record, but Richard Dumas scored 512 points, the 35th most in program history, ranking second among freshmen.

1945

There weren’t as many sports going on in 1945 because they hadn’t made it to campus quite yet or, as was the case with baseball, there was the little thing called World War II going on. So, baseball didn’t even play in 1945.

But there is something to be said about winning national titles in what to this day are still considered the two biggest college sports.

Basketball: Henry Iba’s squad went back-to-back in 1945 and 1946, winning the Missouri Valley both of those seasons, as well.

Bob Kurland was the team’s star man, being an All-American both seasons. His 529 points in 44-45 rank 30th in program history, while his 643 points in 45-46 are the ninth-most.

Football: OSU went 9-0 under Jim Lookabaugh this season, later claiming the national title. OSU also won the Missouri Valley that season while Bob Fenimore and Neill Armstrong were both named All-Americans.

Conclusion

If you’re asking me which I would’ve rather been in school for (taking WWII out of account), I think I’m going with 1988.

There was greatness all over the campus that year, and while that year might’ve not had the high-level team success of 1945, watching Barry and John Smith live and in color would’ve been enough on its own for me. And even the sports that don’t always get all the pub had something cool going on.

What do you think — 1945 or 1988?

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OSU Bullets

• After doling out grades for the fall sports on Tuesday, Tyler handed out winter sport grades Wednesday. [PFB]

• Three-star corner J’lyndd Kellow included OSU in his top group and will pick a program next week. [PFB]

• Nebraska pitcher Jordy Frahm was pregnant when the Cornhuskers beat the Cowgirls in Supers.

Nebraska pitcher Jordy Frahm announced she is pregnant after playing in the WCWS ❤️

Frahm has been competing for three months while pregnant 🤯

(via jordybahl/IG) pic.twitter.com/h4AlWsFSLS

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 2, 2026

• The Cowgirl soccer team released its 2026 schedule. [PFB]

Non-OSU Bullets

• It’s hard to have original commitment posts these days, but this WVU commit gets an A+.

pic.twitter.com/QOn3yQgDyH

— Ethan Lawson (@BigELawson) June 3, 2026

• Jalen Brunson went crazy and led the Knicks to a Game 1 win.

JALEN BRUNSON 4Q TAKEOVER.

THE CAPTAIN LEADS NEW YORK TO VICTORY.

Knicks move 3 wins away from their first NBA Championship in 53 years 🤯 pic.twitter.com/xj7MPUZ0uv

— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2026

But that wasn’t a problem for wrestling, which somehow managed to exceed even last year’s success by putting three Cowboys atop the podium this time.

Wrestling coach David Taylor continues to set himself apart from his peers despite only having two years under his belt, which begs the question: What will year three look like?

​This is the second installment in a four-part series looking back at how each OSU team finished in the 2025-26 athletics calendar year. Be sure to check out Part 1: Fall Sports.

Wrestling

Record: 15-1, 7-0 Big 12

Postseason: Second

Conference: First

All-Americans: 8

125 Troy Spratley

133 Jax Forrest

141 Sergio Vega

149 Casey Swiderski

157 Landon Robideau

184 Zack Ryder

197 Cody Merrill

HWT Konner Doucet

Final Thoughts: Three freshmen claimed individual national titles, a first in NCAA history and the Pokes finished second as a team for the first time since 2016. The Cowboys also finished with more team points than any other year since 2005, including the national championship team in 2006.

The trio of champions (Jax Forrest, Sergio Vega and Landon Robideau) all spoke of chasing the next one shortly after returning home with their titles. There remains a sizable gap between the Pokes and David Taylor’s alma mater, Penn State, but the Cowboys appear to be creating a second gap between themselves and the rest of the sport.

If Oklahoma State can continue trending in that direction in year three under Taylor then the difference between OSU and Penn State might look smaller than the difference between those two and everyone else, not that the trio of champs have any interest in waiting to catch the Nittany Lions.

Grade: A+

Cowgirl basketball

Record: 24-10, 12-6 Big 12

Postseason: NCAA Tournament round of 32

Conference: Fourth (regular season), quarterfinalist

All-Americans: Micah Gray (honorable mention)

Final Thoughts: UCLA won the national championship, beating South Carolina by 18 points after beating the Cowgirls by 19 in round two. I’m not arguing Oklahoma State was on the same level as the Gamecocks, but UCLA beat up on most of the teams it faced all season so that shouldn’t be held against the Cowgirls.

In fact, OSU’s ability to cut it 13 points in the third quarter then 14 in the fourth highlights the potential this team had to go on a much deeper run if given a higher seed. While it seems like the Cowgirls always get overlooked a bit on the national stage, this team failed to truly capitalize on its potential highlighted by a devastating inability to close out against Baylor at home on New Year’s Eve and the buzzer-beater loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 quarterfinals.

Whew, that sounded negative there for a bit. Oklahoma State did win its first NCAA Tournament since 2021 and continued breaking records under the leadership of Jacie Hoyt. Cornerstone Stailee Heard remained in Stillwater when her teammates chose to leave following the season, but that group proved that Hoyt’s teams can make real noise on the national stage.

An example the head coach seems to have gotten a lot of mileage out of during transfer portal season, although it’s worth noting this grade does not reflect anything that happened following the season.

Grade: B

Cowboy basketball

Record: 20-15, 6-12 Big 12

Postseason: NIT, second round

Conference: 14th, Second round

All-Conference: Parsa Fallah (honorable mention)

Final Thoughts: The Cowboys won three more games than they did last year and tied or exceeded any season’s win total since winning 21 in the 2020-21 season. All of it was good enough to put the Cowboys on the NCAA Tournament bubble following a win over then-No. 16 BYU on Feb. 4.

Then Oklahoma State dropped five consecutive games and finished with a 3-3 mark, which included a competitive loss against then-No. 7 Houston. Add in a premature, devastating injury to senior Parsa Fallah late in the year, and there’s no question this group wrapped things up on a down note.

That said, from a big picture standpoint, Cowboy basketball was more fun than it has been in recent memory, and it feels like Lutz should be able to at least get the Pokes on the bubble if he can get a little more out of next year’s squad.

Grade: C+

Cowgirl indoor track

Postseason: 32nd

Conference: Third

All-Americans: 5

Billah Jepkirui (two events)

Elyse Wilmes

Elise Eikeland

Brooke Beck

Kaylie Politza

Final Thoughts: Senior Billah Jepkirui earned All-American honors after finishing fourth in the mile and 8th in the 3,000 meters. This came after running what was then the fourth-fastest mile in NCAA history to claim the Big 12 title in that event two weeks earlier.

Fellow senior Kaylie Politza also earned All-American honors when she and a trio of freshmen (Elyse Wilmes, Elise Eikeland and Brooke Beck) on the distance medley relay finished eighth.

This was a significant improvement for the Cowgirls who failed to score any points at the indoor championships last year after finishing ninth in the Big 12. However, the program finished eighth overall in 2024 and 21st in 2023 so it’s not an unprecedented placement.

Grade: B-

​Cowboy indoor track

Postseason: T47th

Conference: Fourth

All-Americans: Kevin Kemboi

Final Thoughts: Freshman Kevin Kemboi earned second-team All-American honors after finishing 13th in triple jump at the indoor championships. He beat his previous mark on all three attempts to finish with a final jump of 15.99 meters.

The Cowboys entered the indoor season with three-consecutive top seven placements at the NCAA Indoor Championships and an equal streak of runner-up placements at the Big 12 meet. So from a big picture standpoint, this was a rather uncharacteristic finish for the Cowboys during the indoor portion of the season.

Grade: D-

Checkout how the fall sports graded out here.

The Oklahoma State soccer team released its 2026 schedule on Wednesday, with the Cowgirls opening with an exhibition on Aug. 6 before the true season gets started on Aug. 12 against Sam Houston.

Here’s the schedule in full:

OSU is coming off a 4-13-2 season on the pitch, the Cowgirls’ fewest wins in a season since 2000. It wasn’t that the Cowgirls were just getting ran off the field, though. Six of those losses came by a single goal.

Colin Carmichael had to reshape his roster a bit this offseason. Among the six Cowgirls who scored multiple goals last season, only Sonora Defini (four goals) and Reganne Morris (two) are on the 2026 roster.

That might not necessarily be viewed as a bad thing for a squad that scored 20 goals in 2025, tied for the third-lowest among Big 12 schools. But where the Cowgirls really need to get better is in defense after allowing 36 goals last season — most in the conference.

On Tuesday evening, J’lynnd Kellow announced that he’ll make his college announcement next Tuesday (June 9) and is down to Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Iowa State, Mississippi State, Kansas and Baylor.

#AGTG @CoachTMiller18 @SlafkaJeff @Th3DWilliamsJr @DarrylDJSimon @MickensJay @TheProtectUCrew @BenjaminGolan @samspiegs @On3 @vypehouston @RazorbackFB @CowboyFB @CycloneFB @HailStateFB @KU_Football @BUFootball where’s home 🏡👀 pic.twitter.com/BCqWYV6RW5

— J’lynnd Kellow (@jlynnd1123) June 3, 2026

Listed at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Kellow hails from Willis, Texas — a town of about 7,000 north of Houston. He’s the No. 1,028 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking for the 2027 class, making him a Top 100 corner in the cycle and the No. 134 player from Texas.

According to MaxPreps, Kellow made 46 tackles during his junior season to go with 14 pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Here’s a look at his highlights:

He also plays on the Willis basketball team:

#AGTG Check out my 2025-2026 🏀highlights I am a Dual sport athlete !! pic.twitter.com/QiYOkXe0dw

— J’lynnd Kellow (@jlynnd1123) March 21, 2026

Kellow has official visits set to four of his finalists: Mississippi State (May 28), Oklahoma State (June 4), Arkansas (June 5), Iowa State (June 12). Based off the timing of his announcement, Mississippi State might be considered the favorite, as his official to Starkville has already taken place. But — unless he cancels them — those visits to OSU and Arkansas would come before he makes his announcement.

Via corners coach Julian Wilson, OSU extended its offer to Kellow in late February. He was then in Stillwater for the Cowboys’ spring game in April. He also took unofficial visits to Iowa State, Baylor and Arkansas this spring.

OSU’s 2027 class is growing. The Cowboys are up to four pledges in the cycle, led by quarterback Carson White (Iowa Colony, Texas). OSU also has two in-state pledges in Pryor receiver Cooper Hooker and Broken Arrow defensive back Bryson Brown. Arizona tight end Talan Scott is the Pokes’ most-recent commit.

OSU Bullets

• The Cowboy golf squad beat Florida in the NCAA quarterfinals but dropped its semifinal match against Auburn, ending OSU’s season. [PFB]

• The Cowboys’ shot of the day was this chip from Eric Lee in the Florida match.

Hooped it!

📺 — @GolfChannel #GoPokes | #golfschool pic.twitter.com/vRpmpUFHv6

— OSU Cowboy Golf (@OSUCowboyGolf) June 2, 2026

• Bill Haisten got into the resource gap the Cowboy baseball program was operating within this season. [Tulsa World]

It is believed that OSU’s 2026 roster revenue was about $400,000. The Cowboy baseball payroll is ranked in the lower half of the Big 12.

“I’m always going to be grateful for everything we have,” Holliday told the Tulsa World, “but if we’re looking for facts for the reporting of news, those are facts.” — Tulsa World

• With the school year wrapped up, Tyler handed out grades for OSU’s fall sports. [PFB]

Non-OSU Bullets

• Interesting Thunder piece dropped yesterday from OSU alum Anthony Slater and Tim MacMahon on how far OKC will go to keep its roster in tact. [ESPN]

• The NBA Finals start tonight. The Ringer staff did an entrance survey, discussing their favorite storylines, impact players, predictions and more. [The Ringer]

Oklahoma State dropped its NCAA semifinal match against Auburn on Tuesday evening in Carlsbad, California, ending the Pokes’ season. The Cowboys were unable to secure a point against the hot-playing Tigers.

The Cowboys entered the NCAA Championships ranked fifth nationally and had a Top 4 finish.

Auburn advances to Wednesday’s final against UCLA. Should the Tigers win, they’d join the 2018 Cowboys as the only teams to win the stroke-play portion and the match-play tournament at the NCAA Championships.

Although the Cowboys were unable to secure their 13th national title this season, they did win four other tournaments this schools year — the Fighting Illini Invitational, the Cabo Collegiate, the Maridoe Intercollegiate and the Big 12 Championship.

The five-man lineup the Cowboys used for the past two NCAA Championships could all return next season, as none are seniors. Now it’ll just be a question of whether anyone would transfer or look to start their professional careers.

Oklahoma State beat Florida 3-2 in the quarterfinal round at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California. The Pokes advance to face top-seeded Auburn in Tuesday evening’s semifinals.

Junior Eric Lee got the Cowboys on the board first, taking his match against Luke Poulter 6&4. It wasn’t even that Poulter was having a rough round, Lee just caught fire.

The Cowboy bogeyed the fourth hole, falling behind in the match, but he birdied holes six, eight and nine to flip the script and go 2-up. Then Lee eagled the 10th to go 3-up and holed out a beaut of a chip shot to go 4-up through 12.

Hooped it!

📺 — @GolfChannel #GoPokes | #golfschool pic.twitter.com/vRpmpUFHv6

— OSU Cowboy Golf (@OSUCowboyGolf) June 2, 2026

He’d birdie the 13th, as well, before Poulter bogeyed 14 to drop the match.

The sailing wasn’t quite as smooth elsewhere.

Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson dropped his match against Parker Sands 3&2, meaning it was going to come down to two of Ethan Fang, Preston Stout and Gaven Lane to push the Pokes across the line.

Fang went to an extra hole against Zack Swanwick, where the Gator birdied the playoff hole to win the match.

Lane trailed Jack Turner by a hole through eight, but three straight birdies on nine, 10 and 11 moved him to 2-up. That started a bit of a back-and-forth, as Lane lost hole 12, won hole 13, lost hole 14 and won hole 15 to maintain his 2-up lead in entertaining fashion. The pair would tie the next two holes, closing the match.

Newly crowned individual national champ Preston Stout matched up with Matthew Kress. Stout jumped out to an early lead, winning the first two holes, but Kress would tie the match at the 10th hole, setting up for a tight finish.

Stout pulled back ahead with a birdie on the 11th, a lead he increased to 2-up after birdieing 15. Kress won the next hole, but Stout was able to maintain his lead through the next two.

Update the board! #GoPokes | #golfschool pic.twitter.com/5d3N2toMC6

— OSU Cowboy Golf (@OSUCowboyGolf) June 2, 2026

The Cowboys will be paired up against a squad that has been seeing the course well this weekend in the semis. Auburn earned the top seed in the stroke-play portion of the tournament, finishing three strokes ahead of the field and 15 strokes ahead of the Cowboys.

The Tigers beat Stanford 3.5-1.5 in the quarterfinals. Auburn is led by Jackson Koivun, who just won his second Haskins Award, and he’ll match up with the reigning national champ.

OSU-Auburn Semifinal Matchups
Eric Lee-Logan Reilly
Preston Stout-Jackson Koivun
Gaven Lane-Jake Albert
Ethan Fang-Josiah Gilbert
Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson-Cayden Pope

The other semifinal will see UCLA play Arizona. Shoutout to the Big 12 for having half of the semifinalists.

It certainly looks that way now as the program bookended it with national championships giving the program six overall.

While these Pokes celebrated a dominant return to prominence, most of the other fall sports derailed in 2025 and will be looking to bounce back later this year.

This kicks off a four-part series looking back at how each OSU team finished in the 2025-26 athletics calendar year.

Cowboy Cross Country

Postseason: National Champions
Conference: Big 12 Champs
All-Americans:
Brian Musau
Fouad Messaoudi
Denis Kipngetich
Adisu Guadie
Ryan Schoppe

Final Thoughts: Smith has built the Pokes into a legitimate powerhouse. The team has finished second or higher in three of the last four seasons and gives the program six first-place and two second-place finishes since 2009.

In that 17-year stretch only three other programs have combined to finish second or higher three times. Northern Arizona won six titles and finished second three times to hold the slimmest of leads over OSU, but the Cowboys are miles ahead of BYU and Colorado who each won a pair of titles with one second-place showing mixed in during that stretch.

Fouad Messaoudi and Denis Kipngetich finished fifth and sixth in the national championship race, making them the seventh and eighth Cowboys to earn three-time All-American honors. Their teammate, Brian Musau, finished fourth in the race, becoming the sixth three-timer.

The senior-to-be has also won the Big 12 conference race all three times he competed. His success in other sports will come up later in the series, but there’s a reason both Smith and PFB’s own Marshall Scott have big expectations for him in the upcoming sports cycle and it all starts with cross country.

Grade: A+

Cowgirl Cross Country

Postseason: 12th overall
Conference: 4th
All-Americans:
Isca Chelangat

Final Thoughts: The Cowgirls didn’t hoist the trophy at the end of the season, but they arguably responded even better to a disappointing 2024 run that saw them finish 27th in the nation after back-to-back finishes inside the top five during 2022 and 2023.

Freshman Isca Chelangat led the way this time around, placing seventh overall. In the process she beat her own school record (which was just over a week old at the time) for the fastest 6K by 23 seconds.

Grade: B+

Football

2025 Record: 1-11, 0-9 Big 12
All-Big 12:
Punter Wes Pahl (First Team)
Edge Wendell Gregory (Freshman of the Year; Third Team)
LB Brandon Rawls (Honorable Mention)
OL Bob Schick (Honorable Mention)

Final Thoughts: The Pokes hit rock bottom last fall.

In the long-term, the collapse in 2025 could prove to be perfectly timed to usher in the next great era of Cowboy football, but that doesn’t really change how bad things looked or how unfair this ending was for the players who remained committed throughout the season, including guys like Parker Robertson who wrapped up their careers.

Grade: F

Soccer

2025 Record: 4-13-2 (0-10-1 Big 12)

Final Thoughts: Considering the Cowgirls lost six one-goal games in 2025, there’s an argument to be made that the team was much better than the record suggests. However, the Cowgirls returned seven starters from a team that won 14 games in 2024 and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2020.

Eight of the team’s losses came against teams which made the NCAA Tournament field with five of those advancing to the third round or later.

Even with a challenging schedule this was an unusual down year for a program that won double-digit games for eight of the last nine entering 2025. Considering the last losing season came back in 2001, there’s reason to believe the dip could be short-lived.

Grade: F

OSU Bullets

• Preston Stout won the individual portion of the NCAA Championships on Monday. OSU opens match play Tuesday against Florida. [PFB]

The winning putt 🙌

Preston is the 10th Cowboy to earn NCAA Individual National Champion honors 🥇

📺 @GolfChannel #GoPokes | @preston_stout8 pic.twitter.com/JQw8XO6yb3

— OSU Cowboy Golf (@OSUCowboyGolf) June 2, 2026

“Being at Oklahoma State, we have the best practice facility in the country. I don’t really care what anybody says. We see everything and that has really sharpened my game. Obviously, the coaching staff has really helped me a lot.”#GoPokes | #golfschool pic.twitter.com/VqXEbCzRRf

— OSU Cowboy Golf (@OSUCowboyGolf) June 2, 2026

• The Cowboy basketball team got their jersey numbers. I can’t decide which single digit I think will look the coolest. Also a lot of fans of double numbers.

Cowboy Basketball, from 1 to 99 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/wRH9pRN1fX

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) June 1, 2026

• Steve Lutz also added a new strength coach who has two NCAA title rings and experience with Lutz. [PFB]

Non-OSU Bullets

• Russell Westbrook is an investor in OKC’s multipurpose stadium. [The Oklahoman]

• This is must-see TV.

A CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS REMATCH 🥎🏆

Game 1
📆 Wednesday, June 3
⏰ 8 PM ET

Game 2
📆 Thursday, June 4
⏰ 8 PM ET

Game 3 (if nec.)
📆 Friday, June 5
⏰ 8 PM ET

📺 ESPN
📻 @westwood1sports
📲 https://t.co/2QO2igeQwl#WCWS pic.twitter.com/fUUByMkwKw

— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) June 2, 2026

Preston Stout claimed the individual title at the NCAA Championships on Monday at the Omni La Costa North Course in Carlsbad, California.

Stout closed out his 3-under final round in the tournament lead but had to wait for Alabama’s William Jennings to finish, as Jennings was running Stout down. But Jennings missed a putt on his final hole, meaning Stout was the champion.

Stout was at 5-under for the day through 11 holes, birdieing the second, sixth, seventh, ninth and 11th. But then he had three bogeys across his next six holes to bring the field back into the tournament. Stout closed with a birdie, one that ended up being rather important given Jennings’ missed putt to finish a stroke back.

The winning putt 🙌

Preston is the 10th Cowboy to earn NCAA Individual National Champion honors 🥇

📺 @GolfChannel #GoPokes | @preston_stout8 pic.twitter.com/JQw8XO6yb3

— OSU Cowboy Golf (@OSUCowboyGolf) June 2, 2026

Already a three-time Big 12 champion in three college seasons, Stout becomes the Cowboys’ first individual national champ since Matthew Wolff in 2019. Here’s the full list of names Stout joins as Cowboy national champs:

Preston Stout — 2026
Matthew Wolff — 2019
Jonathan Moore — 2006
Charles Howell — 2000
E.J. Pfister — 1988
Brian Watts — 1987
Scott Verplank — 1096
David Edwards — 1978
Grier Jones — 1968
Earl Moeller — 1953

An impressive aspect of Stout’s win was that he was 1-over after his first round. No one else who finished in the top five had a round over par, but Stout overcame that with a 5-under 67 in his second round, a 7-under 65 in his third round and then his 3-under 69 to close.

The moment Preston Stout found out that he became a national champion 🎉 pic.twitter.com/fqvnkXGVVT

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) June 2, 2026

Cowboys Advance to Match Play

More good news for the Cowboys, they’re moving on to match play.

OSU finished stroke play tied for fourth as a team with Florida. It looks as if the Cowboys will be the 5 seed, but it doesn’t really matter as the 4 seed and the 5 seed will be matched up in the first round on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at the rest of the first-round matchups:

1 Auburn vs. 8 Stanford

2 Texas vs. 7 UCLA

3 Vanderbilt vs. 6 Arizona

4 Florida vs. 5 Oklahoma State

That action starts at noon (Central) Tuesday.

An All-American at Oklahoma State, Adamovic was announced to be taking over the program she played for on April 28. About a month removed from that announcement, she already has added three players to a team that had to forfeit multiple meets last season because of a lack of players.

Jovana Grujic (Florida State), Claudia Gasparovic and Veronika Kliuch (UNLV) have all signed on to join the Cowgirls.

From Ukraine, Kliuch brings the most put-together collegiate resume of that trio. She was the Mountain West’s Women’s Tennis Player of the Year last season as a sophomore. She went 25-2 on the season in singles and produced a 15-5 record in doubles. She closed the season on a 21-match winning streak in singles and was 18-0 in dual matches.

She has 10 ITF Juniors wins and earned a career-high ranking of 476 back in 2024.

“Veronika is a proven winner and one of the most competitive players in college tennis,” Adamovic said in OSU’s release. “What stood out to me throughout the recruiting process was her ambition. She’s the type of player who wants to be the best, embraces big challenges, and isn’t afraid to set the bar high for herself.”

From Serbia, Grujic was injured this past season, missing her entire freshman year at Florida State. She is, though, a member of the Serbian Junior National Team and recorded 16 wins in ITF juniors competition. She has a career-best ITF Juniors Ranking of 188, which came back in 2022.

“Jovana embodies the mindset we want our program to be built on — toughness, humility, discipline, and a true blue-collar work ethic. She is someone who had great success internationally before college,” Adamovic said. “What stood out most to me throughout the recruiting process was her mentality and character. She’s hungry to improve, grateful for every opportunity and fully aligned with the culture we’re building at Oklahoma State. We’re incredibly excited to welcome her to Cowgirl Tennis.”

From Austria, Gasparovic hasn’t played college tennis to this point. She earned a spot on Austria’s 2026 Billie Jean King Cup squad after a 2025 season that saw her win the Austrian Women’s National Championships in doubles and a runner-up finish in singles.

Gasparovic also has a higher ITF singles ranking than the others, as she was ranked at No. 161 in March of 2025.

“We believe Oklahoma State is the perfect place for her to maximize her potential both on and off the court, and we’re excited to welcome her to the Cowgirl family,” Adamovic said.

Despite last season going off the rails, the Cowgirl program is a proud one, having won seven Big 12 titles since 2001 and another 21 Big Eight titles between 1981 and 1991. OSU finished as the national runner-up in 2016. In 2024, the Cowgirls won their first ITA National Indoor Championship.

On top of all of that, the program plays at the Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center, which has to be among the nicest college tennis facilities in the country. It won the 2016 USTA Outstanding Facility Award.

So, there’s reasons to believe that Adamovic’s rebuild of the program could happen fairly quicky.

Oklahoma State announced Monday the program has hired Gavin Roberts as the Cowboys’ new strength coach. Roberts has been at UConn in a director of sports performance role since 2021, being a part of the Huskies’ NCAA Tournament wins in 2023 and 2024. Roberts was responsible for all aspects of strength, conditioning, nutrition and wellness for the UConn men’s program.

Lutz is also familiar with Roberts, as they were both on Matt Painter’s staff at Purdue. Roberts was the Boilermakers’ strength coach the three seasons before he went to UConn, while Lutz was at Purdue from 2017-21. Roberts worked at Western Michigan before that.

“Gavin has been part of championship-level programs and understands what it takes to prepare players to perform at their best,” Lutz said. “I saw that firsthand when we worked together at Purdue. He brings energy, expertise and a very intentional approach to developing athletes, and he will be a tremendous resource for our players.”

UConn and Purdue went a combined 209-73 with Roberts on staff.

Some guys Roberts worked with in that stretch include Zach Edey, Jaden Ivey, Jordan Hawkins, Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle.

Roberts played football at Purdue. He was a defensive back for the Boilermakers, graduating in 2013 with a degree in health and fitness before earning his master’s in technology leadership and innovation in 2015.

He hails from Somerset, New Jersey, playing football and basketball at Franklin High School.

Roberts will be tasked with strengthening a new-look squad for the Cowboys. Only four players (Kanye Clary, Benjamin Ahmed, Ryan Crotty and Mekhi Ragland) return from last season’s roster. Meanwhile, the group is adding four freshmen (Jalen Montonati, Latrell Allmond, Parker Robinson and Anthony Felesi) and has six incoming transfers (Luka Bogavac, Kashie Natt, Jacob Walker, Andrija Grbovic, Julius Halaifonua and Joran Burks) as of writing.

“I’m excited to be at Oklahoma State and to work alongside Coach Lutz and this staff,” Roberts said. “This program has great tradition, and I’m ready to help our players build the daily standard that it takes to win.”

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OSU Bullets

• The Cowboys never gave up in Tuscaloosa, but their season came to an end late last night with an 11th-inning loss to Alabama. [PFB]

• Eric Morris and Co. picked up a commitment from a tight end out of Arizona. [PFB]

Grateful for the journey I have been able to go through and thankful for all the coaches who recruited me. I am extremely excited to call @CowboyFB Home.🏠 @CoachSvoboda @__CoachMorris @Coach_Brophy @lukepardee @JUSTCHILLY @BrandonHuffman @BlairAngulo @SWiltfong_ @alaqcfootball pic.twitter.com/wzDEDYZ8vD

— Talan Scott ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@TalanScott9) June 1, 2026

• The Cowboy golf team is in a three-way tie for fourth going into the fourth and final round of stroke play at the NCAA Championships. Meanwhile, Preston Stout sits alone in first on the individual leaderboard. [Clippd/Golf Channel]

“Proud of the fight we showed and that’s what champions are supposed to do.”#GoPokes | #golfschool pic.twitter.com/9aPfyoKJvj

— OSU Cowboy Golf (@OSUCowboyGolf) May 31, 2026

• Troy Spratley and Bennet Berge picked up wins at U23 Nationals. [PFB]

Non-OSU Bullets

• People are breaking down handshake lines at the WCWS.

Texas Tech-Tennessee postgame controversy explained. pic.twitter.com/Fl3eX3XJuY

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 31, 2026

• Not a whole lot of firsts happen in baseball anymore, but the Yankees became the first team to score 13+ runs in a game with all of those runs and hits coming in one inning. [CBS Sports]

The Cowboys had to fight an uphill battle to make it to the Tuscaloosa Regional Final, but fight they did.

Oklahoma State fell to Alabama 9-7 in 11 innings. The Cowboy rallied from a 5-3 deficit, took a 6-5 lead into the eighth and then duked it out for three tough innings with the No. 13 team in the country on their home field.

Brock Thompson and Kollin Ritchie hit back-to-back solo home runs in the seventh to give the Pokes their first lead at 6-5, but it didn’t last long. Alabama freshman Eric Hines’ solo moonshot tied it at 6 in the eighth, and it was a battle the rest of the way. The Cowboys’ defense held Alabama’s bats in check, and OSU’s offense put tons of pressure on the Tides’ D. But a couple of big plays by Bama’s catcher and some missed opportunities made the difference.

Ritchie 🚀

Another clutch 💣 for Ritchie Rich#GoPokes | @RitchieKollin pic.twitter.com/3KCSNbERh4

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) June 1, 2026

The Cowboys’ bats were hot all day, but they couldn’t quite take advantage of some big opportunities. After racking up six home runs in their earlier win over USC-Upstate on Sunday, the Cowboys added four more in the title game. But again and again, they were one swing away from forcing and winner-take-all game on Monday, and they just couldn’t make it happen.

The Cowboys were the home team in Tuscaloosa and loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings of a tied game while their defense continued to get outs.

With two outs in the eighth, Garrett Shull singled to right field, and then Remo Inomenico singled and Deacon Pomeroy was hit by a pitch. With bases loaded and two away, Alex Conover came to the plate. He went 0-for-5 on the game and had been 0-for-4 in the earlier contest against USC-Upstate. He had clipped one to right field but was out at first to strand three Pokes in a tied game going into the ninth.

Conover did secure the Pokes’ second and third outs in the ninth on defense. The first came on a circus play from Avery Ortiz who climbed the ladder to catch a line drive toward left field.

In the ninth, new Bama pitcher Hagan Banks retired both Brock Thompson and Kollin Ritchie swinging before Ortiz made another play. He cracked a breaking ball to left center to get on base and bring up Campbell Smithwick who cracked one to left that was fumbled, and Ortiz advanced to third. Colin Brueggemann got a free pass to load the bases for the second-straight inning, but Banks struck out Shull swinging.

In the 10th, the Cowboys went with freshman Elijah Essex as a DH to get some speed on the bag. But he was caught stealing at second by catcher Brady Neal, his first time caught this season. Then Neal made an even bigger play on his next at-bat. He cranked a three-run homer over the right-field fence to give Bama a 9-6 lead in the 11th.

After those back-to-back tries, OSU was 1-for-10 with bases loaded over the weekend. But they would get another shot in the 11th and final inning, and this time they actually scored.

Garrett Shull kept this game from dying taking a strike and then five-straight foul balls to before his RBI single that cut it to 9-7. But Banks was able to strike out Indomenico to end the game.

With the loss, the Cowboys’ season ends at 39-22. The Cowboys fought through a tough start to the regional and got their licks in, a microcosm for the season. OSU got hot late in the year, winning its last four series to finish fifth in the Big 12 and secure the 2 seed in a regional.

With the win, the Crimson Tide will now host the Super Regional against the winner of the Tallahassee Regional.

Scott announced his commitment to Oklahoma State on Sunday evening, as his official visit weekend to Stillwater comes to a close. He’s a three-star tight end out of Arizona in the 2027 recruiting class who picked OSU over offers from SMU, Cal, Colorado, Stanford, Utah, Auburn and others.

Grateful for the journey I have been able to go through and thankful for all the coaches who recruited me. I am extremely excited to call @CowboyFB Home.🏠 @CoachSvoboda @__CoachMorris @Coach_Brophy @lukepardee @JUSTCHILLY @BrandonHuffman @BlairAngulo @SWiltfong_ @alaqcfootball pic.twitter.com/wzDEDYZ8vD

— Talan Scott ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@TalanScott9) June 1, 2026

Listed at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Scott is the No. 849 recruit in the 247Sports Composite ranking for the 2027 class, which lists him as a Top 50 tight end in the class and a Top 20 player from Arizona.

He plays at American Leadership Academy in Queen Creek, Arizona. As a junior, he caught 45 passes for 468 yards and eight touchdowns. He also plays as out outside linebacker/edge rusher where he accumulated 44 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks as a junior. He also plays basketball.

OSU associate head coach/tight ends coach Drew Svoboda offered Scott in early March. In April, Scott mentioned his official visit to OSU being in June, but then earlier this week he announced he was moving it up. Just last week, Svoboda was out in Arizona visiting Scott. So, the Cowboys’ staff was after him and got him.

He’s the fourth pledge in Eric Morris’ 2027 recruiting class, joining quarterback Carson White (TX), wide receiver Cooper Hooker (OK) and safety Bryson Brown (OK). Recruiting news is likely to get rolling over the next few weeks as more visit weekends roll on.

It’s a shame they don’t enact the mercy rule in regionals.

Oklahoma State defeated USC-Upstate 12-1 in an elimination game in the Tuscaloosa Regional. The Pokes will face 1 seed Alabama in the regional final. To get there, the Cowboys had to deal with a brief lightning delay that followed the type of heat that sent the home plate umpire to the locker room for the final two innings.

The Cowboys started the Tuscaloosa Regional with an 8-5 loss to the Spartans. But despite that upset on Friday, the Cowboys have one big statistical advantage over Upstate and it showed on Sunday afternoon.

Coming into this game, OSU ranked second nationally with 143 home runs while USC-Update ranked T-303rd, allowing 88. This one followed that blueprint early and often, as 11 of OSU’s 12 runs came by way of homer.

Campbell Smithwick broke the seal with a two-run homer in the second, and then the Cowboys stamped their name all over the third inning.

Orange Crushed @campbellrsoup with a no doubter to put us up early#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/xxKHP6rzq5

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) May 31, 2026

After Alex Conover struck out swinging to start the third, the Cowboys scored seven runs before their next out and they had blown it open 9-0.

Avery Ortiz drilled his second pitch from the plate 461 feet into the parking lot for a three-run bomb.

This @averyortiz_7 bomb was our 142nd HR of the season, the third most in school history.

The top two
1. 154 in 1988
2. 149 in 1997#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/nyusgQj38J

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) May 31, 2026

Colin Brueggemann added an RBI double to make it 6-0. It was OSU’s only score that didn’t result from a round-tripper. After walking Garrett Shull, Upstate starter Max Eichenberger was benched. But Remo Indomenico drilled the first pitch from Upstate reliever Andrew Kummer for his second three-run homer of the regional.

Stay hot kid

2nd 💣 of the weekend for @RemoIndomenico #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/rAFke2fSBO

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) May 31, 2026

Smithwick also hit a solo bomb with two outs to push the lead to 10-0 in the fourth. That second was Smithwick’s 10th homer of the season, making it seven Cowboys with double-digit home runs on the year.

Indomenico homered again in the top of the seventh, as did Terrance Bowen (his first of the season) to make it 12-0 after seven. If this weren’t the postseason, the game would have stopped there via mercy rule. Instead, the teams played through a sweltering afternoon in Tuscaloosa that saw the home plate umpire have to leave the game due to some type of overheat issue and then a brief lightning delay during the top of the eighth.

From the mound, Hudson Barrett pitched a season-high 102 pitches, earning the win to move to 6-1 his junior season. He pitched seven innings, allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out 10 Spartans. His ability to keep Upstate scoreless so long should pay off in the regional final.

Kyler Zagar finished things up for the final two innings, allowing three hits and one run. The Spartans were able to avoid the shutout in their season finale with an RBI double in the bottom of ninth with two outs.

The Cowboys will face 1 seed Alabama in the Tuscaloosa Regional Final set to get started at 7 p.m. CST. If the Pokes win, they stay alive and will face Alabama again to move to the Super Regionals. A loss on Sunday night would end the season for Oklahoma State.

Spratley and South Dakota State transfer Bennett Berge won U23 Nationals in Geneva, Ohio.

Spratley stormed through the 57 kg field, winning his seven bouts by a combined score of 69-0. Only one opponent made it the distance against the Cowboys’ 125-pounder. He was named the event’s Outstanding Wrestler.

Spratley met up with Missouri’s Mack Mauger in the best-of-three final. Mauger was 21-16 during the college season, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Spratley won the final via two techs in a combined 6:34.

His closest match of the tournament was a 6-0 win against Penn’s Max Gallagher in the quarterfinals. Spratley beat Iowa’s Joey Cruz 11-0 in the semis.

Troy Spratley is the U23 Nationals champion at 57 kg and wins the Outstanding Wrestler award to close out the competition.#stillyboys pic.twitter.com/aSM7pyCtN5

— stillyboys (@stillyboys_) May 31, 2026

Berge also went 7-0 on the weekend, winning his bouts by a combined score of 59-15.

He took out an old teammate in his best-of-three final. South Dakota State’s Brock Fettig was the Jackrabbits’ Big 12 entry at 184 pounds this past season while Berge was up at 197. Berge won the first match against the Jackrabbit 9-3 before winning the second bout 6-2.

Berge beat NCAA qualifier Ian Bush (West Virginia) 7-3 in the semis and took out Aidan Brenot, who transferred from North Dakota State to Arizona State this offseason, 13-3 in the quarters.

Bennett Berge owns the mat 😤#USAWrestling #U23Nationals2026 #U20WTT2026 pic.twitter.com/tUsvzW9tRe

— USA Wrestling (@USAWrestling) May 30, 2026

Elsewhere

Those guys weren’t the only Cowboys competing at U23 Nationals.

Casey Swiderski was one of the more intriguing storylines entering the tournament at 74 kg — about 163 pounds. That comes after Swiderski wrestled for the Cowboys at 149 this past season, but with Sergio Vega likely moving up in weight and Landon Robideau holding down 157, Swiderski might be on the move up to compete for the 165-pound spot in the lineup.

He ended up taking fifth in what was one of the more loaded brackets of the event.

Swiderski beat Ohio State’s e’Than Birden 4-1. Birden went 18-8 at 165 for Ohio State this past season, primarily wrestling in opens, but he did have six dual appearances. Swiderski also beat Penn’s Paul Ognissanti 9-0 in the fifth-place match. Ognissanti went 6-4 at 165 this past season.

Swiderski’s first loss came in the semis to Arizona State’s Nicco Ruiz, with the Sun Devil winning 5-4. Ruiz took fourth at NCAAs at 165 this past season and also beat Dee Lockett in the Big 12 final. Swiderski was up late in that bout, but Ruiz scored a takedown in the final seconds to win it. So, he was right there, in freestyle, with the Big 12 champ.

His second loss was a 12-5 defeat to Virginia Tech’s Noah Nininger.

The physicality of the upper weight didn’t seem to be much of an issue for Swiderski, who himself wrestles an ultra physical style, but we’ll have to wait and see just how possible it is for Swiderski to compete for that spot in OSU’s lineup.

Cutter Sheets also had a nice tournament in the 70 kg bracket. Son of Mike and brother of Wyatt, Cutter finished sixth with two of his losses coming to North Dakota State’s Gavin Drexler, who has qualified for NCAAs the past two seasons and was an All-American in 2025.

Meanwhile, Sheets had a win against Michigan’s Sergio Lemley, who made it to the blood round at NCAAs in 2025.

Finishes:

Bennett Berge (86 kg) — 7-0, 1st
Troy Spratley (57 kg) — 7-0, 1st
Casey Swiderski (74 kg) — 6-2, 5th
Cutter Sheets (70 kg) — 7-3, 6th
Kolter Burton (70 kg) — 6-2, DNP
Ishmael Guerrero (74 kg) — 5-2, DNP
Beau Hickman (70 kg) — 4-2, DNP
Jake Hamiti (61 kg) — 3-2, DNP
Austin Johnson (92 kg) — 3-2, DNP
JJ McComas (61 kg) — 0-2, DNP

OSU Bullets

At least the Cowboys are still alive.

•  OSU survived a dicey one against Alabama State to move to the winner’s bracket of the Tuscaloosa Regional. [PFB]

• The Pokes will face USC Upstate in the winner’s bracket at 2 p.m. Sunday.

#OkState coach Josh Holliday’s opening statement after his team’s 11-inning win over Alabama State pic.twitter.com/sWvSBM5qxt

— Will Thorogood (@thorogood_will) May 30, 2026

• Steve Lutz’s next team is on campus.

Welcome home, Cowboys 🤠 pic.twitter.com/JTj0EAl12s

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) May 31, 2026

• The Pokes are T-7 after Round 2 of the NCAA Men’s Championships. 

Bounced back in a big way! #GoPokes | #golfschool pic.twitter.com/Bvori5OUpo

— OSU Cowboy Golf (@OSUCowboyGolf) May 31, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Elsewhere in the league: More details out on the Brendan Sorsby investigation. [Heartland Sports]

• On why we need constraints. [Big Think]

Oklahoma State beat Alabama State 8-7 in 11 innings in the Tuscaloosa Regional’s 0-1 game.

The Cowboys’ season was 90 feet from being over in the bottom of the 10th. The bases were loaded with two outs after Mario Pesca walked in a game-tying run. It was one of four walks (one intentional) Pesca issued in the inning. That was the scene before Pesca struck out Devin Chandler looking to extend the game.

That’s when the Cowboys’ star put his fingerprints on the regional. Kollin Ritchie crushed the second pitch to the inning over the fence in left. It was his first hit in Tuscaloosa and came when OSU needed it most.

It was also his 30th home run of the season, which ties him with Lamont Evans (1999) and Monty Fariss (1988) for second in a season in program history.

Clutch Ritchie 🚀#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/4RfD4TqANH

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) May 30, 2026

That was the Cowboys’ fifth and final hit of the game, a contest they somehow won despite being outhit 11-5.

OSU still needed to get through the bottom of the inning, which wasn’t without its own challenges. Pesca stayed in, as the Cowboys need to use as few arms as possible should they want to continue to advance this weekend. Pesca plunked the first batter he faced in the frame, putting a runner on.

He then forced two straight ground balls, but neither could elicit a double-play, with the runner legging it out at first each time. That’s when Trey Callaway extended the game with a single to left before Pesca ended the game with a full-count strike out.

Sealed it with a K#GoPokes | @mariopesca_ pic.twitter.com/CLbadjW7dv

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) May 30, 2026

The game was crazy to even get to that extra-innings rollercoaster.

The Cowboys were up 6-0 in the top of the sixth after plating four in the fourth off a Colin Brueggemann grand slam.

Bruegge with the no doubter

Pokes on top#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/8Vs3AWdSeq

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) May 30, 2026

Then the top of the sixth saw Brueggemann score on an error.

The Hornets clawed two back in the sixth with a Niguel Jenkins homer. Then they added another with a sacrifice fly in the seventh and three more with an RBI single and a two-run home run in the eighth to tie it. It was madness.

Brennan Phillips got the start on the bump, going 5 2/3 innings where he allowed the first two runs on three hits while walking two and striking out seven.

Kai Fyke and Noah Wech combined to throw 1 2/3 innings with 23 combined pitches, with Wech being responsible for the next two runs.

Pesca had the extended work. He entered in the eighth, where he gave up that two-run homer to his first batter, before closing the game out.

OSU advances to play the loser of Alabama and USC-Upstate (two teams that play Saturday evening) at 2 p.m. (Central) Sunday. Should the Cowboys win that game, they’d play again at 7 p.m. Sunday.

OSU Bullets

• Cowboys Landon Robideau and Dreshaun Ross (incoming freshman) won that the U20 World Team Trials on Friday to earn a trip to Slovakia. [PFB]

• With all the 24-team playoff chatter, Tyler went back and looked at what an expanded field would mean for the Big 12 and OSU. [PFB]

• The OSU baseball team dropped its Regional Opener against USC-Upstate. The Cowboys play Alabama State at 1 p.m. Saturday in a do-or-die game. [PFB]

#OKState coach Josh Holliday after the 8-5 loss to USC-Upstate: “We had multiple shots throughout the game to turn the board but didn’t deliver when we needed to.”

The Cowboys will face the loser of Alabama-Alabama State tomorrow.

Here’s what Holliday said about Aidan Meola: pic.twitter.com/N3pPlERfhs

— McClain (@McclainBaxley) May 29, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Game 7 is tonight and I’m nervous. ESPN had 14 of its insiders pick the game, and they split 7-7. [ESPN]

• There’s a 6-foot-9 high school pitcher who throws 101. [CBS Sports]

Landon Robideau and Drershaun Ross won the U20 World Team Trials on Friday in Geneva, Ohio to earn the right to represent their country at the 2026 U20 World Championships in August in Slovakia.

Robideau, the reigning 157-pound NCAA champ, was able to sit out to the final best-of-three series in the 70 kg bracket after winning the U20 U.S. Open.

Melvin Miller, the No. 1 prospect in the 2027 class, emerged from the bracket to face Robideau in the best-of-three series. Robideau won two matches to none, beating Miller by a combined score of 17-0.

PURE DOMINANCE 💪#GoPokes | @LandonRobideau pic.twitter.com/jD0BkOzxlw

— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) May 29, 2026

The path wasn’t so simple for Ross — an incoming freshman who will likely start for the Cowboys at heavyweight next season.

Ross lost to Coby Merrill (younger brother of Cowboy wrestler Cody Merrill) in the final at the U.S. Open, meaning Merrill was able to sit out to the best-of-three series.

Ross had to win two bouts to get to Merrill, who will be at Iowa State next season. Ross pinned Dean Bechtold before teching Michael Mocco, son of Steve Mocco, 11-0.

In their U.S. Open final, Merrill was able to get the better of Ross by forcing him off the mat, with a step-out being worth one point in freestyle. By the looks of it, Ross has probably had David Taylor and Wyatt Hendrickson pushing on him the past couple of weeks because Ross was able to hold his ground much better this time around.

But that didn’t mean it was easy.

Merrill won the first match via an 11-0 tech, scoring a takedown that he turned into a leg lace. Merrill used his strength to twist Ross over and over, ending it early.

But Ross rebounded in the second bout, winning 9-2. The two were gassed late in the final minute of the bout, and both attempted a shot at the same time. Ross got the better of the exchange, scoring the match’s first takedown.

They were the only series to go to three matches, meaning they just took a 20-minute break and went back at it for Match 3. Ross won it 7-1.

He shot Merrill off the mat thrice to take a 3-0 lead into intermission. Needing some offense, Merrill got aggressive late, but Ross was able to come out on top of the exchanges, scoring on a big double-leg and then a slick takedown on the edge of the mat while somehow avoiding a step-out.

Ross let out a thunderous yell at the final whistle before giving David Taylor a big hug while stepping off the mat.

LET ‘EM KNOW DRE 🗣️#GoPokes | @TheDreshaunRoss pic.twitter.com/V0uU9HDtlp

— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) May 29, 2026

How Everyone Else Did

Dee Lockett stormed through his bracket and made the best-of-three final but fell to Penn State’s Jayden James two matches to none. Lockett was leading both of those matches late before James would find a way to get his hand raised in both bouts.

To get to that series, Lockett won his opening two matches of the bracket by a combined score of 19-0. Then he met teammate Kody Routledge in the bracket final, where Lockett won 4-1.

Despite that loss, it was a pretty successful day of wrestling for Routledge. He took out Will Denny 8-7 in the quarters. Denny started at NC State last season and made it to the blood round at the NCAA Championships.

Down at 57 kg (about 125 pounds), Ronnie Ramirez had an impressive run Friday before dropping his bout in the bracket finals ahead of the best-of-three series.

He won four matches on his way to the bracket final, a run that included a win against Dom Munaretto, a Top 20 recruit in the 2026 class who is headed to Ohio State, and a win against Hayden Schwab, a Top 25 prospect in the 2027 class who is committed to Northern Iowa.

Ramirez’s loss came to Grey Burnett, the No. 6 wrestler in the 2027 recruiting class who is committed to Penn State, with the future Nittany Lion winning 3-2.

Also of note in the 57 kg bracket, incoming OSU freshman Rocklin Zinkin didn’t compete despite reportedly registering. So, we didn’t get a Cowboy vs. Cowboy bout at that weight.

Incoming freshman Mikey White took fourth in the bracket at 86 kg. Both of his losses were to Jarrett Wadsen, who was a freshman at South Dakota State last season. Fun fact: Wadsen was a classmate of Robideau’s at St. Michael-Albertville in Minnesota.

Then David Taylor had two 2027 commits in the 92 kg bracket, with Tanner Hodgins going 1-2 and Ladd Holman going 0-2. They didn’t wrestle each other.

U23s Get Going Saturday

More Cowboys will wrestle in Geneva on Saturday as part of U23 Nationals. Here’s a list of Cowboys expected to scrap:

57 kg — Troy Spratley
61 kg — JJ McComas
61 kg — Jake Hamiti
70 kg — Beau Hickman
70 kg — Kolter Burton
70 kg — Cutter Sheets
74 kg — Casey Swiderski
74 kg — Ishmael Guerrero
86 kg — Bennett Berge (incoming South Dakota State transfer)
92 kg — Austin Johnson

Oklahoma State dropped its Regional opener to USC-Upstate 8-5 on Friday, pushing the Pokes to the loser’s bracket in Tuscaloosa.

OSU had a chance late, loading the bases in the bottom of the ninth with one out before back-to-back looking strikeouts ended the game. That was one of three times the Cowboys left them loaded, with 13 Cowboys being stranded overall.

Ethan Lund has probably been the most consistent piece of the Cowboys’ pitching staff this season, but he didn’t have his best stuff Friday.

The Spartans had two runs before even putting a ball in play. Lund walked the first four batters he faced, a stretch that included runners scoring on a wild pitch and then a passed ball.

Lund then forced a double-play, but another run scored in that process to make it 3-0 in the top of the first. Then a wild pitch with a runner on third in the top of the second gave Upstate a 4-0 lead.

The Cowboy offense would respond. The Pokes plated four in the bottom of the second.

The first run came via an Evan Saunders single to left that scored Campbell Smithwick. Saunders got the start at third base because, as the broadcast noted, Aidan Meola suffered a hand/wrist injury in practice leading up to the Regional. Meola is one of the Cowboys’ best players but has dealt with a ridiculous amount of injuries in his college career.

After Saunders’ single, freshman Remo Indomencio sent the first pitch he saw over the fence in right. It was a three-run shot that tied the ballgame at 4.

That’s Amore@RemoIndomenico with the no-doubter#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/fBBFSgPKLK

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) May 29, 2026

But Lund’s rough day would continue as he gave up a single and hit a batter in the second, which ended his day. The Cowboys brought Stormy Rhodes out of the bullpen with two down in the top of the third, but he gave up an RBI single on his third pitch, giving Upstate the lead back at 5-4.

That run counted on Lund’s stat line, as he finished his outing giving up five runs on four hits while walking three and hitting another in 2 2/3 innings.

The Spartans made it 6-4 in the fourth before the Cowboys got back on the board in the bottom of the fifth off a Garrett Shull double.

But then Upstate got some insurance in the eighth with a two-RBI single to left.

Rhodes did good to get through the game, as the Cowboys will need all the fresh arms they can get with now a longer road to Supers because of the loss. He threw 6 1/3, giving up three runs on four hits while hitting one and striking out six.

The Cowboys will play the loser of Alabama and Alabama State at 1 p.m. (Central) on Saturday in a do-or-die game.

Whether college football gets there or if that kind of expansion is even good for the sport remains heavily debated.

It might be surprising, but that kind of expansion makes a lot of sense for the conference (more on Oklahoma State specifically in a bit).

Here’s what a 24-team playoff would have looked like the last two seasons broken down by conference:
SEC — 14 (9 top 12 seeds)
Big Ten — 11 (7)
Big 12 — 9 (3)
ACC — 7 (2)
G6 — 5 (1)
Notre Dame — 2 (2)

From an overall representation standpoint, the Big 12 is somewhat surprisingly close to the Big Ten given the gap in resources. That gap makes itself more widely known when looking at which teams would receive a top 12 seed, and in theory be favored to advance to round two in most formats.

Importantly for the conference, the Big 12 holds a slight edge on the ACC in both overall teams and in top seeds. So the current lineup can currently claim third place on the shrinking mountain top of power conference football.

So that could explain why the coaches voted the way they did, but would this move actually help Oklahoma State more than other schools?

That depends largely on if you think Eric Morris can get the Pokes back on track to the level they were playing at before things derailed in 2024.

It’s true that playoff expansion will help almost every team make the playoffs more, but history says few programs benefit like OSU.

Sporting News mapped out how many playoff appearances every team would have if the 24-team playoff started when the four-team format began back in 2014. From there we can calculate that 10 teams would have cracked the field an additional four-plus times, including Oklahoma State.

Note: All the numbers below pretend that the 12-team format began in 2014. For example, we know Oklahoma State didn’t go to the playoffs when they finished ninth in 2021, but since the chart is trying to show who benefits more from 24 compared to the current system, it pretends OSU has one CFP appearance.

The Cowboys also finished inside the top 19 of the BCS rankings, but outside the top 12 during four of the last six years of that system (2008-13), so it seems safe to say the Pokes would have likely made the field each of those seasons as well as 2011 when they finished third.

Although the format of a 24-team playoff remains undecided, the Big Ten started this conversation and is proposing a model which grants the top eight seeds a bye while seeds 9-16 would host the first round. Then the top eight would host the second round.

While this look in the rearview mirror doesn’t mean anything to Oklahoma State in 2026, it does potentially highlight what Morris could build in Stillwater. In this alternate universe the Cowboys would have hosted seven times between 2008 and 2023 with the second-round pairing in 2011 being especially sweet for OSU fans.

Here’s a look at what Oklahoma State’s 11 playoff games might have looked like dating back to 2008 starting with the most recent.

2023
No. 20 Oklahoma State (9-4) at No. 13 LSU (9-3)
Winner gets: No. 4 Alabama (12-1)

2021
No. 9 Oklahoma State (11-2) hosting No. 24 San Diego State (11-2)
Winner gets: No. 8 Ole Miss (10-2)

2020
No. 21 Oklahoma State (7-3) at No. 12 Coastal Carolina (11-0)
Winner gets: No. 5 Texas A&M (8-1)

2016
No. 12 Oklahoma State (9-3) hosting No. 21 Tennessee (8-4)
Winner gets: No. 5 Penn State (11-2)

2015
No. 16 Oklahoma State (10-2) hosting No. 18 Houston (12-1) [avoids rematch with No. 17 Baylor]
Winner gets: No. 1 Clemson (13-0)

2013
No. 13 Oklahoma State (10-2) hosting No. 20 Fresno State (11-1)
Winner gets: No. 4 Michigan State (12-1)

2011
Second round: No. 3 Oklahoma State (11-1) hosting winner of
No. 14 Oklahoma (9-3) vs No. 19 Houston (12-1)

2010
No. 14 Oklahoma State (10-2) hosting No. 19 Utah (10-2)
Winner gets: No. 3 TCU (12-0)

2009
No. 19 Oklahoma State (9-3) at No. 14 BYU (10-2)
Winner gets: No. 3 Cincinnati (12-0)

2008
No. 13 Oklahoma State (9-3) hosting No. 20 Pittsburgh (9-3)
Winner gets: No. 4 Alabama (12-1)

OSU Bullets

• The Tuscaloosa Regional starts today. Oklahoma State plays USC-Update at 1 p.m. (Central) on ESPN+. Scott Wright wrote this excellent piece on Josh Holliday to preview the Regional. [The Oklahoman]

• And the Cowboy golf team starts its journey to repeat as national champs. The Golf Channel is releasing a cool video today where the 2025 Cowboys duke it out with OSU’s 2018 national title-winning team in match play. [PFB]

• With the WCWS starting Thursday, Bill Haisten provided an update on OSU’s softball facility. In short, a plan for a new facility remains in tact, but in the modern landscape of needing money for everything, it won’t be easy. [Tulsa World]

“There is no timeline on anything yet, but we still plan to do something for softball. As always, funding is the key piece.” — Chad Weiberg to the Tulsa World

Non-OSU Bullets

• I don’t want to talk about last night’s game, so here are some of Steven Adams’ top career plays to provide good vibes for Game 7.

• Texas Tech is apparently willing to buyout its Week 1 game against Abilene Christian and Texas’ Week 1 game against Texas State to play the Longhorns to start the season. This comes after Texas coach Steve Sarkisian made comment that his twos and threes could go undefeated with Tech’s schedule. [ESPN]

Isaiah Coleman announced where he’s headed on Thursday, meaning all of the Cowboys’ outgoing transfers from this past season have found new homes.

Of the Cowboys’ six outgoing transfers, half ended up at high-major programs (Power Four + Big East), and just about all of them headed east. Here’s a quick breakdown of where each guy ended up.

Jaylen Curry ➡️ Virginia Tech

There were games this past season where Curry was the Cowboys’ best player, and after one year in the Big 12, he’ll try his hand in the ACC.

Curry averaged 10.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game during his season in Stillwater. He dropped 30 on Nicholls State early in the year and scored in double figures in seven of his final eight games as a Poke.

The Hokies went 19-13 this past season. Next season will be Virginia Tech’s eighth under Mike Young. He’s led the Hokies to the NCAA Tournament twice, most recently in 2022.

Robert Jennings ➡️ Maryland

A lingering hip injury ended Jennings’ season just about before it started.

One of the few holdovers from Steve Lutz’s first OSU team, Jennings played in just three games this past season where he averaged 3.7 points and four rebounds a contest. For a team that struggled with defense as much as the Cowboys did, Jennings’ absence was big.

Maryland went 12-21 this past season, Buzz Williams’ first as the Terrapins’ coach. Jennings is part of what looks to be a strong portal class for Maryland, joining Arkansas transfer DJ Wagner and Tennessee transfer Bishop Boswell.

Vyctorius Miller ➡️ Georgetown

Miller scored at least 20 points in four games as a Cowboy this past season, including dropping a season-high 30 against Prairie View. Only a sophomore last season, the start to Miller’s year was stronger than his close, scoring in double figures once in his final eight games.

This transfer acts as a quasi trade, as the Cowboys are also adding Julius Halaifonua from Georgetown.

The Hoyas went 16-18 last season, Ed Cooley’s third year with the program. Miller joins a strong portal class headed to the nation’s capital, adding to Kansas transfer Elmarko Jackson and Kentucky transfer Jaland Lowe.

Isaiah Coleman ➡️ UTSA

The latest former Poke to announce his new threads, Coleman didn’t have the season many expected in Stillwater.

After dropping 30 on Auburn in that exhibition game, Coleman closed the year having averaged 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds a game after averaging 15.6 points the season before at Seton Hall. He still had his moments in Stillwater, though, like when he had 13 points and nine rebounds in a big win against Texas A&M.

UTSA went just 5-25 last season, the program’s second year under Austin Claunch, who previously led Nicholls State to two Southland titles.

Andrija Vukovic ➡️ George Washington

Vukovic and Miller will be on different campuses in Washington D.C.

A late arrival and an early injury set Vukovic’s first season in Stillwater back quite a ways, but he took steps forward in Year 2, finishing the year averaging 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds a game. According to Lutz, he was playing on a torn meniscus late in the year before they finally shut him down.

The Revolutionaries went 19-16 this past season, the program’s third under Chris Caputo.

Daniel Guetta ➡️ Bnei Herzliya (Israel)

After a year in the states, Guetta is headed back to Israel, having already returned to action with Bnei Herzliya in Israel’s Basketball Premier League.

Guetta took part in 11 games as a Cowboy, averaging two points a game. He played a big role in the Cowboys’ NIT win against Davidson. Playing a season-high 21 minutes, Guetta scored 11 points and added two rebounds, an assist and a steal.

The Golf Channel is releasing a video at 4 p.m. Friday on its YouTube channel that pins the two national title-winning squads against each other in match play at Oak Tree National.

Can the “old” guard keep up with the young guns in the Battle of the Cowboys? Tune in to find out!

⛳️ — Golf Channel’s YouTube page

📆 — Friday, May 29

🕚 — 4 p.m. (CST).#GoPokes | #golfschool pic.twitter.com/MFnRV3Qyae

— OSU Cowboy Golf (@OSUCowboyGolf) May 28, 2026

Viktor Hovland, Matthew Wolff, Austin Eckroat, Sam Stevens, Kristoffer Ventura and Zach Bauchou will represent the 2018 squad.

Preston Stout, Ethan Fang, Eric Lee, Gaven Lane, Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson and John Wild will represent the 2025 team.

That 2018 squad was looked at as an all-time group while it was dominating the college scene, but time has made that group look all the more impressive.

The group has combined for 17 professional wins, and only two of those guys are older than 30. Four of those six are in the Top 200 of the World Golf Ranking. You know it’s a crazy good team when the guy ranked lowest in the OWGR (Wolff) won an individual national title in college.

Hovland is the group’s star to this point in their professional careers, having won seven times on the PGA Tour, including the 2023 Tour Championship.

But these current Cowboys are nothing to sneeze at.

In their title-winning 2024-25 school year, the Pokes won seven tournaments as a team, closing that season by winning the Haskins Award Invitational, the Mountaineer Invitational, the Big 12 Championship, the NCAA Urbana Regional and the NCAA Championships back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back. On top of that, OSU has won four tournaments this school year.

Stout has won three straight individual Big 12 titles to start his college career after winning again at Prairie Dunes last month. He became the first player to ever win three Big 12 individual titles.

This video dropping comes on the day that the NCAA Championships start at the Omni La Costa North Course. The tournament will go on until Wednesday where we’ll find out if the 2025 Cowboys can do something that the 2018 Cowboys couldn’t — go back-to-back.

OSU Bullets

• The Big 12 announced kick times for Oklahoma State’s nonconference games. The Cowboys and Ducks will kick early in Week 2. [PFB]

 

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• Could the Protect College Sports Act bring back Bedlam? [PFB]

• David Taylor is taking a big group of wrestlers to Ohio this weekend, including some guys shifting weights. [PFB]

• OSU officially announced the addition of UCF transfer stretch forward Jordan Burks. [okstate.com]

“Jordan gives us another experienced, versatile piece with size, athleticism and scoring ability. He can play multiple spots, stretch the floor and make shots in big moments. You can see the growth in his game from year to year, and we’re excited about the way he fits with how we want to play.” — Steve Lutz

Non-OSU Bullets

• The Thunder has a chance at a closeout tonight. Here’s how they took Game 5. [ESPN]

• This is super longform, so maybe pop a headphone in while you’re doing something. But, I thought this was an interesting interview with comedian Nate Bargatze.

And the truth is I have no idea.

For starters, the bill, or at least how it’s understood, seems likely to change. I’m no lawyer, but the current wording seemed pretty questionable where rivalry games are concerned. So instead of explaining what the bill says must happen regarding traditional rivalries like Bedlam, it probably makes more sense to explain how the bill defines a rivalry and what the bill seems to want to happen.

But first, it’s important to know that the bill allows schools and conferences to opt into a shared pool pertaining to media rights. If 75% of current FBS schools choose to do so, then media companies like ESPN and Fox will have to negotiate for a piece of one giant college football package instead of doing a bunch of smaller deals.

In theory, it sounds like a more level playing field for everyone so why would the Power Conferences care? Doing so grants them increased legal protection but one of the “costs” is the protection of rivalries.

Finally, we can talk about Bedlam.

The bill defines “traditional rivalry” as one between two teams who:

1. Opt into the agreement outlined in the bill
2. Compete in different conferences
3. Rank amongst each other’s top 10 all-time opponents in games played

Oklahoma State’s No. 1 opponent all time is the Sooners with 118 games played. It was hard to confirm where the Cowboys rank on OU’s list, but Texas’ top all-time opponent is also the Sooners (120 games), so it’s almost a certainty that the Cowboys are well inside the top 5, likely even second overall.

Assuming the Big 12 and the SEC opt into this agreement, which is no guarantee the way the “just means more” conference is talking lately, then both schools would check every box for “traditional rivalry.”

Oklahoma State’s top 1011 rivalries by games played:

Also it’s worth noting that Texas just missed the list at 38 games played.

Although Tulsa’s all-time records also weren’t listed in available media guides online, Oklahoma State did rank inside the top 10 for all the other non-conference schools including the Longhorns.

The Cowboys ranked seventh on Missouri’s list, eighth for Texas, ninth for Nebraska and 10th for Arkansas.

There’s some confusing language surrounding whether any of those teams and the Cowboys would have a legal obligation to play. The bill uses the word “opponents” without any seeming clear definition.

If “opponents” requires those teams to have played a game on the football field (my initial interpretation), then based on my understanding of the legislation, those clauses wouldn’t kick in for Bedlam since the rivalry is currently dormant (but again, I’m not a lawyer or a politician).

However, if opponents just mean other schools competing for resources, essentially everyone, then Oklahoma State would be required to face one of OU or Tulsa each season should all three schools opt into the agreement outlined by the bill which discusses playing traditional rivals twice in a four-year span with one game against a top-five all-time rival each year.

It’s a bit hectic keeping up with non-conference schedules these days, but the Cowboys are actually ahead of the curve here. The annual series against TU runs through 2031, and the Pokes have three more games against the Razorbacks coming up in 2027, 2032 and 2033. A home-and-home with Nebraska is currently scheduled for 2034 and 2035.

The bill also requires conference opponents who fall inside each other’s top 10 to “preserve, to the maximum extent practicable,” games against all current conference opponents. That would definitely qualify for Oklahoma State and would seemingly make it difficult for those teams to change conferences, effectively keeping the band together.

The bill proposes several other things including:

• A one-time transfer rule without sitting out unless certain conditions are met, (graduate school, coaching departures, etc.)
• Prevents head coaches and key personnel from leaving until season concludes (apparently known as the “Lane Kiffin rule”)
• Oversight on agents and a cap on their fees at 5%
• More legal limitation and enforcement on NIL

The Big 12 released kickoff times for the first three games of Oklahoma State’s season:

at Tulsa — 2:45 p.m. Sept. 5 on ESPNU
vs. Oregon — 11 a.m. Sept. 12 on ESPN
vs. Murray State — 6 p.m. Sept. 19 on ESPN+

The league also announced that OSU’s Big 12 opener against West Virginia will be televised on either FOX or FS1 on Sept. 26 in Morgantown.

Although many of the players and coaches have changed on the OSU side, the Cowboys will be looking for revenge against Tulsa to start the year after the Golden Hurricane went to Stillwater and beat the Cowboys 19-12 last season. Tulsa coach Tre Lamb fueled that fire a little more earlier this offseason, telling a TU basketball crowd, “We’ll beat their ass again,” in reference to the Cowboys.

Oregon absolutely smacked the Cowboys in Eugene last season, winning 69-3. The Ducks would go on to finish 13-2 and played three games in the College Football Playoff. Oregon will be good again in 2026, so this will be a solid measuring stick for the Pokes as it pertains to the new era. If you’re an OSU fan, you’re probably not too mad that this game kicks at what would be 9 a.m. local time for the Ducks.

An FCS squad, Murray State went 1-11 last season, including a 1-7 record in the Missouri Valley. OSU is 32-0 against FCS opponents all time.

The United States U20 World Team Trials and U23 Nationals take place this weekend. By our count, there are 19 wrestlers who are either on OSU’s roster or committed to be Cowboys who are registered to compete this weekend.

The different age divisions sort of mean different things. On the U20 side of things, there will be a bracket wrestled at each weight with the winner of that bracket wrestling a best-of-three series against the winner from the U.S. Open. So, for instance, Landon Robideau will sit until the best-of-three final after winning at the U.S. Open. The rest of the Cowboy U20s will have to get through the bracket and the person sitting out. The winners of those best-of-three series will represent the U.S. at the U20 World Championships in August in Slovakia.

The U23 World Team process is a little more complex. The winner of the massive U23 national brackets won’t necessarily earn a spot on the U23 World Team, as the first rights to those spots go to those involved on the Senior National Team. It’ll take some figuring out even after these brackets are wrestled.

Let’s start by taking a look at those registered with ties to OSU before getting into some potential storylines.

U20

57 kg — Ronnie Ramirez
57 kg — Rocklin Zinkin (incoming freshman)
70 kg — Landon Robideau
74 kg — Dee Lockett
74 kg — Kody Routledge
86 kg — Michael White (incoming freshman)
92 kg — Ladd Holman (2027 commit)
92 kg — Tanner Hodgins (2027 commit)
125 kg — Dreshaun Ross (incoming freshman)

U23

57 kg — Troy Spratley
61 kg — JJ McComas
61 kg — Jake Hamiti
70 kg — Beau Hickman
70 kg — Kolter Burton
70 kg — Cutter Sheets
74 kg — Casey Swiderski
74 kg — Ishmael Guerrero
86 kg — Bennett Berge (South Dakota State transfer)
92 kg — Austin Johnson

Ramirez at 57 kg

After wrestling at 61 kg at the U.S. Open, it appears Ronnie Ramirez is on the descent, a move that makes a lot of sense.

Ramirez wrestled at 133 pounds for the Cowboys during the college season but redshirted with the midseason addition of Jax Forrest. With Forrest and the Raney twins on OSU’s roster, Ramirez’s best shot at a spot in the lineup over the next few seasons is likely down at 125. For reference, 57 kg is 125.7 pounds.

But the 125-pound spot in OSU’s lineup isn’t just there for the taking either. Troy Spratley will make his return to the freestyle stage this weekend at U23s. He’s been an All-American for the Cowboys at 125 the past two seasons, including his second-place finish in 2025. Then Rocklin Zinkin is also in that U20 bracket. Zinkin was the No. 8 pound-for-pound wrestler on MatScouts’ final rankings for the 2026 class. If those two meet up, it could be a preview for a roster spot battle to come.

Swiderski Moves Up

An All-American last season, Casey Swiderski appears to be in a similar boat to Ramirez.

Swiderski wrestled at 149 pounds for OSU in 2026, but jumps up to 74 kg —  about 163 pounds — for U23 Nationals. Swiderski was sandwiched between two freshmen national champions in OSU’s lineup last season in Sergio Vega and Landon Robideau, but there has been chatter about Vega needing to go up to 149. That would suggest that Swiderski’s best chance at a spot in the lineup could be all the way up at 165 pounds. He wrestles a physical style, and it’ll be interesting to see how he handles the extra weight.

Ross Seeks Rematch with Merrill

It looks like incoming freshman Dreshaun Ross will be the Cowboys’ heavyweight starter next season, and he’ll wrestle for a chance to get another shot at who has become his biggest rival — Coby Merrill.

Ross has, for the most part, gotten the better of Merrill over recent years, but Merrill, the younger brother of OSU wrestler Cody Merrill, beat Ross at the U.S. Open to earn the right to sit out to the final this weekend.

Merrill is a tank, winning that match with a lot of step-out points by essentially shoving Ross off the mat. Ross started to get some takedowns late in that match but ran out of time. We’ll see if those adjustments he made still work in Geneva.

Merrill will wrestle at Iowa State, so this is a rivalry that could just be getting started.

First Look at Cowboy Bennett Berge

David Taylor took just two transfers out of the portal this offseason, and one will wrestle this weekend.

Berge finished fourth at NCAAs in 2024 at 184 pounds. He was a national qualifier this past season up at 197 and will wrestle at 86 kg (about 190 pounds) this weekend.

It seems the most likely that Berge will compete for the Cowboys’ 184-pound spot in the lineup come the season.

Where to Watch

The action gets started at 9 a.m. Friday and will be streamed on Flo.

OSU Bullets

• Had fun writing this piece on Kollin Ritchie about him heading into this NCAA Regional after breakout during last season’s NCAA Regional. [PFB]

• Sad news — former OSU athletic director Terry Don Phillips passed away. [PFB]

“Terry Don’s vision for our athletic department inspired a new and greater belief in what we could be. He played a significant role in moving Oklahoma State Athletics forward and we will be forever grateful.” — Chad Weiberg

• The Cowgirl golf squad fell in the first round of match play at the NCAA Championships.

The start of something special in Stillwater 🧡

The Cowgirls’ historic season comes to a close in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals. We’ll be back and better soon!#golfschool | #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/GoTn7zG5oa

— OSU Cowgirl Golf (@OSUcowgirlgolf) May 26, 2026

• And the Cowboys are headed that way (in style).

The defending champs are en route. See you soon, Carlsbad! #GoPokes | #golfschool pic.twitter.com/qmvGb2KGVG

— OSU Cowboy Golf (@OSUCowboyGolf) May 26, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• OKC gets it done in Game 5.

SGA fades away for two 👌

Create separation.
Step back.
Score.

He’s got 13 PTS as the Thunder lead by 9 in Q2 of Game 5! pic.twitter.com/sdjrTcAHWv

— NBA (@NBA) May 27, 2026

• The NCAA denied Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s reinstatement. There’s still plenty of legal mumbo jumbo to get through before we find out if he plays or not. [ESPN]

Phillips served as Oklahoma State’s AD from 1994 to 2002. He was hired in October of 1994 but got to OSU in August of ’95 after completing his second year of law school at Arkansas.

Some of his OSU legacy includes leading the way for a fund-raising campaign that resulted in Gallagher-Iba Arena being renovated, plans for updates to Lewis Field, the construction of Cowgirl Stadium and starting OSU’s equestrian program. Phillips hired Les Miles in 2001, which started to turn the fortunes of the football program.

“Terry Don’s vision for our athletic department inspired a new and greater belief in what we could be,” current OSU AD Chad Weiberg said. “He played a significant role in moving Oklahoma State Athletics forward and we will be forever grateful.”

Ten OSU student-athletes earned individual national titles under Phillips’ leadership — a tenure that also saw the men’s basketball team make the Final Four in 1995 and the Elite Eight in 2000 and the men’s golf team win national titles in 1995 and 2000.

Phillips was a football player at Arkansas in the 1960s and didn’t immediately get into the administrative side of things. He was a graduate assistant at Arkansas before being the defensive line coach and defensive front coordinator at Virginia Tech.

He got his first AD job at Liberty in 1980 before moving to Southwestern Louisiana in 1983. He returned to his alma mater as the senior associate AD in 1988 before taking the job in Stillwater.

He left Oklahoma State in 2002 for a job at Clemson. He’d spend 10 years running the athletic department at Clemson, where he promoted Dabo Swinney to the program’s coach, who would go on to lead the Tigers to a pair of national titles. Phillips retired in 2012.

“He had the vision to know what we needed to do before we did,” said OSU senior associate athletic director Larry Reece. “He showed us through the renovation of Gallagher-Iba Arena that we could do big things here. Terry Don is the reason we all wear orange. Before his arrival, we seem to wear every color but orange. His message was ‘next time I’ll wear orange.’”

STILLWATER — Kollin Ritchie had a solid sophomore season in 2025, but the end of it was a prelude of what was to come.

Ritchie stepped into the spotlight at the Athens Regional last season, hitting .538 with 10 RBIs, six runs scored and five home runs across four games, leading the Cowboys to the brink of a Super Regional appearance.

“It was good to finally get in some good positions and show myself that I can get in those positions a lot,” said Ritchie of last season’s Regional. “Helped the team out quite a bit late last year, so it kind of gave me some confidence going into this year that I can be one of those guys, especially last year we were gonna lose Shooby (Nolan Schubart). So, just being able to realize that I can help the team out and be a player like he can helped me out a little bit.”

“I think everybody kind of has that belief in themselves that they can be that guy, when they can help the team out in any way, but I guess definitely getting out there and doing it helps.”

A year removed from that breakout weekend, Ritchie will head to another SEC school for an NCAA Regional, as Oklahoma State will take part in the Tuscaloosa Regional with Alabama, USC-Upstate and Alabama State. But this year, Ritchie is already hanging out in the spotlight.

He is hitting .335 as a junior this season, leading the Cowboys in runs scored (75), home runs (29), RBIs (73) and slugging percentage (.828). That home run total is good for third nationally, while his runs scored tally is tied for eighth and his RBIs are tied for 13th.

“He’s uniquely strong — that’s real strong,” said Holliday back on May 1 after a game Ritchie went 4-for-4 with three home runs. “He was like that when he got here. He got like that his senior year of high school. He became a man two years before most kids. A lot of guys, by the time they’re sophomores, they start to get man strength. His senior year (of high school), he was man strong. …

“As time has gone on, he has gained a greater working knowledge of the art of hitting. He’s now become a two-sided hitter. He can hit both to the left and right, you saw that on display tonight. He’s also become a multispeed hitter. He can now hit both hard and soft pitches, and he’s learned how to be a focal point, meaning people are really trying to keep him from beating them and yet he’s still finding ways to not miss the pitch he gets. And he might only get one an at-bat. So, it’s a lot of things — it’s all of those things together.”

Holliday went and got Ritchie out of Atoka. For those unfamiliar with Oklahoma geography, that’s a town of about 3,000 in the southeast portion of the state. In his senior year as a Wampus Cat, a mascot that is a nod to Cherokee mythology, Ritchie hit .531 with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs.

When recalling Ritchie’s recruitment, Holliday noted that not a lot of people knew about him, but the attention started to tick up a bit late. The Baltimore Orioles ended up taking him in the 19th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, but Ritchie elected to stick with his college commitment.

He had a strong freshman season, playing in 53 games and making 37 starts in 2024. He hit .271 with seven home runs before taking a step forward during his sophomore season ahead of his big breakout at last year’s Athens Regional.

“If you go try to get that guy out of California, you’re gonna fight UCLA and USC for him,” said Holliday on April 3 after a game Ritchie hit a three-run home run in. “If you go try to get that guy out of Texas, you’re fight Texas and Texas A&M for him. If you go try to get him out of the south, you’re gonna fight the entire SEC for him. What I’m trying to say is when you try to get physically gifted players who can do something like boom, one pitch, boom, 440-foot home run, you either one, have to go get them, which they’re hard to get. Or, two, you have to build them, which means you better be patient, and nobody in the world even knows what the word patience is anymore.

“You get those guys when you can, right? Ritchie, he’s a find. That’s a 6-foot-1, 225-pound country strong, tough, powerful dude who is becoming a hell of a baseball player. But, it took a little time, and now we’re getting to enjoy watching, I think, a fabulous baseball player.”

Ritchie has started to creep up in an OSU record book that is tough to climb given some of the baseball giants who have played at Oklahoma State.

His 29 home runs this season tie for the fourth-most in a season in program history alongside Pete Incaviglia’s 1984 season. Ritchie is one homer away from tying Lamont Matthews (1999) and Monty Fariss (1988) for second all-time. He’s already six home runs ahead of any player Josh Holliday has coached in his 14 seasons leading the Cowboys.

“When you play baseball at OSU, to do anything that’s the most of anything, you gotta be pretty good because the dudes before us set a standard I’m not sure anyone will ever touch,” Holliday said. “Whether it’s what Pete did, or what Robin (Ventura) did, or what the guys on this wall did, or what many, many others did, that’s our history. We cherish it. So, we celebrate when somebody does something special.”

Oklahoma State’s season and Meylan’s career came to an end this weekend with the Cowgirls going 0-2 in the Lincoln Super Regional. Meylan, a two-time All-American in two seasons in Stillwater, will go down as an all-time Cowgirl.

She shared this message via her X account on Sunday:

“I don’t really know what to say other than thank you,” Meylan wrote. “Thank you to Oklahoma State University. Thank you to Coach G (Gajewski), Carrie (Eberle Parker), (Vanessa) Shippy and Bergy (Greg Bergeron). Thank you to my teammates. Thank you to our fans. Thank you to Stillwater.

“I could not be more thankful for my two years spent here. The best two years of my life. I made the most incredible memories, found my best friends, and met the love of my life. All while doing what I love.

“I’m overwhelmed with so much joy and so much sadness. I never wanted this career of mine to come to an end, but I can proudly say I gave this program everything I have. The tank is emptied.”

Despite being in orange and black for only two seasons after transferring from Washington, Meylan’s name is littered throughout the Cowgirl record book.

Here’s a look at some of the major lists she’s on.

Pitching Appearances (Season): T4th

Meylan stepped in the circle 45 times this past season, more than any Cowgirl since 2014 (Simone Freeman), meaning no Gajewksi Era pitcher has more appearances in a single season.

After making 43 appearances last season, Meylan joins Jessica Hoppock (2004 and 2006) and Kat Espinosa (2013 and 2011) as the only three Cowgirls with two seasons in the top 10 of OSU’s season pitching appearances list.

Pitching Wins (Season): 2nd

Meylan went 29-9 in 2026. The only OSU pitcher with more wins in a season was Melanie Roche (32) back in 1992.

That means this season saw Meylan win more games than all-time OSU arms Lexi Kilfoyl, Carrie Eberle, Lauren Bay, Michelle Smith, Sam Show and Kelly Maxwell ever did across one season.

Innings Pitched (Season): 6th

It was rare Gajewski would get out of a news conference this season without fielding a question of Meylan’s workload, and here’s why.

The 244 2/3 innings Meylan pitched this season are the most a Cowgirl has thrown in one campaign since Freeman threw 249 in 2014.

The 209 innings Meylan threw last season now rank 17th in program history. The next-closest Gajewski Era pitcher on that list is Show throwing 200 1/3 innings in 2019.

Winning Percentage (Career): 11th

Meylan finishes her OSU career with a record of 50-19. That .725 winning percentage ranks 11th all-time (among pitchers with at least 25 decisions) and puts her right among some of the all-time greats of the Gajewski Era:

1. Eberle (.878)
3. Kilfoyl (.808)
9. Maxwell (.763)
11. Meylan (.725)
14. Show (.688)

Strikeouts (Career): 10th

Again, only two seasons and Meylan is in the Top 10 in terms of career strikeouts.

She struck out 458 batters in her two years in orange, which is the second-most among Gajewski Era pitchers, trailing only Maxwell (746).

OSU Bullets

• The Cowboys are headed to the Tuscaloosa Regional alongside Alabama (duh), Alabama State and USC-Upstate. [PFB]

The Cowboys are headed to Tuscaloosa. pic.twitter.com/U0quVcFl8Q

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) May 25, 2026

• The Cowgirl Golf team is headed into Tuesday’s match play, where they’ll square off against Arkansas.

Took care of business!

For the first time since 2021, the Cowgirls are headed to match play at the NCAA Championship 🤠#golfschool | #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/srwzG2tfMH

— OSU Cowgirl Golf (@OSUcowgirlgolf) May 26, 2026

• Tyler looked at the football schedule through the lens of betting odds. [PFB]

• Carson and Colby reacted to diamond sports postseasons and the ESPN article detailing Eric Morris’ rebuild. [PFB]

Non-OSU Bullets

• Finals basketball will be back in Madison Square Garden for the first time since the turn of the century. I, personally, hope the Thunder join the Knicks in the Finals.

NEW YORK STAND UP 🔥

THE KNICKS ARE BACK IN THE NBA FINALS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ’99 ‼️ pic.twitter.com/tSL95djozl

— ESPN (@espn) May 26, 2026

• Arsenal won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years. [ESPN]

Oklahoma State earned the 2 seed in the Tuscaloosa Regional, it was announced Monday. The Cowboys will open the tournament against USC-Upstate at 1 p.m. Friday, with those two teams joining Alabama and Alabama State in the Regional.

Let’s get to know the Regional participants.

Alabama

Record: 37-19
Conference (SEC) Regular Season Finish: 4
Team Batting Average: .253
Team ERA: 4.28

The Crimson Tide went one-and-done at the SEC Tournament, but they enter this Regional having not lost back-to-back games since April 24. Since, Alabama swept Vanderbilt and South Carolina before taking two of three off Ole Miss.

Alabama has three pitchers (Myles Upchurch, Zane Adams and Tyler Fay) who have thrown at least 64 innings this season and all have an ERA of 4.70 or better.

Neal Brady leads the way at the dish, hitting a team-best .328 with eight home runs and 43 RBIs.

Oklahoma State

Record: 37-20
Conference (Big 12) Regular Season Finish: 5
Team Batting Average: .280
Team ERA: 6.24

Battling through various injuries around the diamond throughout the year, the Cowboys have been coming into their own of late. They’ve won 13 of their past 17 entering this regional.

The Cowboys clobber baseballs, entering the NCAA Tournament second nationally in home runs with 137. Kollin Ritchie is the star man in that aspect with 29 homers on the year, which puts him third nationally.

OSU leadoff man Alex Conover has also had a fantastic year, entering the Regional hitting a team-best .383 with 14 homers and 36 RBIs.

The Cowboys’ pitching staff has had its ups and downs this season — with some of that being the fault of the aforementioned injuries. How that group can piece together a weekend will be big for the Cowboys’ hopes of advancing to Supers.

USC-Upstate

Record: 33-28
Conference (Big South) Regular Season Finish: 5
Team Batting Average: .291
Team ERA: 5.89

Upstate finished fifth in the Big South before winning the conference tournament, shutting out top-seeded High Point in that process.

The Spartans have played some good teams close — even going so far to beat Clemson 6-3 earlier this month. They also have a 7-2 loss to Clemson on their resume along with a 4-2 loss to Tennessee, three losses to Texas and a loss to Georgia.

Driving in runs has been a group effort for Upstate this season, as five players have at least 50 RBIs.

Henry Zenor leads the squad with a .346 batting average to go along with eight homers and 51 RBIs. Wylie Waters and Johnny Sweeney are tied for the team lead with a dozen home runs apiece.

Alabama State

Record: 34-21
Conference (SWAC) Regular Season Finish: 4
Team Batting Average: .281
Team ERA: 6.05

The Hornets enter this tournament on an eight-game winning streak with their last loss coming on May 9.

Finishing 20-10 in SWAC play earned Alabama State the 4 seed in the conference tournament, where the Hornets went on a run of four straight wins to book a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Alabama State has played host to Alabama twice this season, losing 2-1 in February and 13-4 in March.

Miguel Oropeza leads the way for the squad at the plate. Having started all 55 of Alabama State’s games this season, Oropeza is hitting .366 with 78 hits, 19 doubles, 11 homers and 65 RBIs.

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It feels like genuine optimism surrounds the football program headed into the summer months. Of course that should be the minimum expectation when change is made at the top, especially considering Oklahoma State’s struggles in football during the last two seasons.

FanDuel Sports has something of a mixed message for OSU fans given the odds listed online.

The Sportsbook has the Cowboys win total wager set to 5.5 wins this fall with the OVER listed as a decent favorite (-178, as in it would cost $178 to make $100 profit). That is partly influenced by the Pokes’ first home opponent of the season, Oregon, which is favored to win in Stillwater by 17.5 points.

Of course, considering FanDuel has Oregon fifth overall in national championships odds (+800, as in a $100 bet would pay out $800), it’s hard to view that line as being super disrespectful.

The sportsbook has the Cowboys ninth to win the Big 12 (+2,500), behind favorites Texas Tech, of course (+110). That placement and the odds say a lot about what the sportsbook thinks of OSU as a dark horse candidate likely to attract bettors.

Tenth-place Kansas sits at +3,000 and five teams have odds of +4,000 or longer, culminating in the conference’s longest of longshots Cincinnati and Colorado which boast odds of +10,000.

Avoiding the Big 12’s basement for the third-consecutive season would be a nice change of pace for the Pokes. To that end, the sportsbook has the Cowboys facing the conference’s 11th toughest strength of schedule based on win totals.

Oklahoma State’s nine conference opponents win totals add up to 59.5. For context, the easiest possible schedule in the league would add up to 50.5 while the toughest would equal 70.5.

Here’s a look at Oklahoma State’s week-by-week Big 12 schedule in 2026 with win totals included for context:
Sept. 26 at West Virginia (5.5)
BYE
Oct. 10 vs UCF (5.5)
Oct. 17 at Houston (7.5)
Oct. 24 vs Colorado (4.5)
Oct. 31 at Iowa State (5.5)
Nov. 7 at Kansas State (8.5)
Nov. 14 vs Texas Tech (10.5)
Nov. 21 at Arizona State (6.5)
Nov. 28 vs Kansas (5.5)

If the Cowboys are going to make some noise in the conference and push for a bowl game, they probably need to win at least three of their first five Big 12 games, though the schedule seems well set up to start the conference slate 4-1 with an overall record of 6-2 should Oklahoma State get a favorable bounce and start hot under the new coaches.

Road trips to Kansas State and recent Big 12 champion Arizona State sandwich a home date against the conference’s heavy favorite in Texas Tech. It’s a low bar to clear, but that game should be much more competitive than last year’s blowout in Lubbock.

Regardless of how things go in that difficult stretch, Oklahoma State has a great chance to wrap up the regular season on a high note with a home game against the Jalon Daniels-less Jayhawks, who happen to be one of the conference’s softer 5.5-win teams according to FanDuel.

Coach Eric Morris proved just last year that he’s more than capable of shocking the nation by exceeding modest expectations. So it’s possible Oklahoma State could far shatter this win total and record a few all-time signature wins in 2026, not to mention beat Kansas.

Still, given everything the program has been through in the last two seasons, the mood around town would be much better if Oklahoma State could secure bowl eligibility before setting out on that final four-game stretch.

Big 12 win totals (strength of Big 12 schedule):
10.5 wins: Texas Tech (15th, they can’t play themselves so that makes some sense)
8.5 wins: Utah (15th); BYU (T13th); Kansas State (16th, easiest draw)
7.5 wins: Houston (T9th); Arizona (3rd)
6.5 wins: TCU (1st, tied for hardest draw); Arizona State (T5th); Baylor (T9th)
5.5 wins: Oklahoma State (11th); UCF (T13th); West Virginia (T5th); Kansas (T7th); Iowa State (T7th); Cincinnati (1st, tied for hardest draw)
4.5 wins: Colorado (4th)

OSU Bullets

• After OSU’s season ended, ace Ruby Meylan sent out this message to Cowgirls Nation. 

🧡 @cowgirlsb @theAUSLofficial pic.twitter.com/kLL4Rohe7y

— Ruby Meylan (@rubymeylan) May 24, 2026

• Kenny G on two of his other stars.

Tony Lindsay took the reigns as QB for @CowboyFB as a freshman in 1997 showcasing his athleticism. He led the Pokes to their first 6-0 start in 52 yrs including a win over Texas that is still one of the most exciting in program history and the first bowl game since 1988 #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/QtXWAH2dB1

— Dustin J (@405pokefan) May 24, 2026

• The Cowboys are projected as 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament by multiple outlets. It’s quite the accomplishment that involved OSU to finish the regular season on a 19-8 run. The selection show kicks off Monday at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.  

• Nearly 30 years ago, and I feel so old. 

Tony Lindsay took the reigns as QB for @CowboyFB as a freshman in 1997 showcasing his athleticism. He led the Pokes to their first 6-0 start in 52 yrs including a win over Texas that is still one of the most exciting in program history and the first bowl game since 1988 #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/QtXWAH2dB1

— Dustin J (@405pokefan) May 24, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• On how the Thunder have become the most hated team in hoops. [Vox]

• Earth is weird. 

JOHNNY MANZIEL JUST FINISHED BOB MENERY IN ROUND 1 😭 #BrandRisk14 pic.twitter.com/cq9DtK8C9T

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 24, 2026

OSU Bullets

•  Ruby Meylan saw pitches get knocked around the field yesterday, while the Cowgirls saw a great season end with a 9-1 loss to a quality Huskers team (PFB)

• Steve Lutz filled a hole in the middle of his lineup with a solid, in-conference transfer yesterday – a 6’9″ forward with a penchant for scoring (PFB)

• Eric Morris added what appears to be a really solid in-state defensive back yesterday – check out this offer list Broken Arrow player Bryson Brown had:

(Brown) picked OSU over offers from Arkansas, Kansas, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State and others. [PFB]

• The Pokes lost to the eventual Big 12 champ on Friday – but it was closer than the score showed it to be:

Don’t let the final score of this game fool you, for the first six innings, this was just a two-run game with Kansas leading 3-1. But in the eighth inning, that’s where things started to turn quite a bit.

Oklahoma State put a run on the board at the top of that inning to pull within one. However, the Cowboys would need much more than that because the Jayhawks went on a scoring spree. [HCS]

• Cowboys are still projected as two-seed after losing in the Big 12 semifinals:

#OkState still projected as a 2-seed in Florida State’s regional, per @d1baseball’s latest projections. The super regional pairing might be more noteworthy. https://t.co/sIoft0ffTb pic.twitter.com/g3Ans2fYuc

— Daniel Allen (@bydanielallen25) May 23, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• The African lake turning animals into stone • Stop keeping score (faith-based) Thunder blue glasses are stuck on my face but this was so nice to hear:

Chuck has had enough with this Wemby narrative 😆 pic.twitter.com/Lh1yIBlVsk

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 24, 2026

Unfortunately for the Cowgirls that will officially mark her goodbye to the program following the team’s 9-1 loss in five innings to Nebraska in the Lincoln Super Regionals.

She left the circle in the middle of the fifth inning after the Cornhuskers loaded the bases following a home run which gave Nebraska what was then a 3-1 lead. Oklahoma State had two outs at the time and had given up a solo homer followed by two hits and one walk before Oklahoma State pulled its ace.

Meylan’s final entry for the Cowgirls was hardly reflective of her tenure as she gave up seven hits, six earned runs and two walks while striking out two of 24 batters faced.

RyLee Crandall replaced Meylan. She hit the first batter, then gave up a 2-RBI single before giving up a home run which put the game in run-rule territory.

Senior Audrey Schneidmiller recorded her lone hit in the bottom of the inning to give OSU some hope, but Nebraska pitcher Jordy Frahm (formerly Bahl) struck out Aubrey Jones and Karli Godwin to end the game.

Rosie Davis scored Oklahoma State’s lone run of the game in the first inning after an RBI single from senior Lexi McDonald. Fellow senior Amanda Hasler was responsible for the Cowgirls only other hit in a game that saw Nebraska record nine strikeouts.

Speaking of which, Meylan started the game with her 800th career strikeout, a mark that would rank third-all-time among Cowgirls if they all came during her Oklahoma State career. Still, in two seasons Meylan struck out 389 batters to rank 13th all-time in program history.

Meylan ended her career with 392 innings pitched for the Cowgirls which would rank 16th in program history.

Broken Arrow defensive back Bryson “BB” Brown announced his commitment to Oklahoma State on Saturday. He joins Pryor receiver Cooper Hooker as in-state pledges to pick the Pokes this week, and both join Iowa Colony (TX) quarterback Carson White as the Cowboys’ three commitments.

Listed at 6-feet, 186 pounds, Brown is the No. 731 player in the Rivals Industry ranking, which tabs him as the No. 80 safety in the 2027 class and the No. 13 player from the state of Oklahoma. He picked OSU over offers from Arkansas, Kansas, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State and others.

MaxPreps had stats for eight of Brown’s games during his junior season, where he had 31 tackles and a tackle for loss playing at a more traditional safety spot and some work at nickel.

Brown will also bring track speed with him to Stillwater. Athletic.net credited Brown with a 10.90 100 meters at his regional track meet earlier this month, and he has a 10.8 time on his X profile.

The OSU staff prioritized Brown early. Eric Morris was posing for a photo with Brown at his school on Jan. 21, not too long after Morris got the job. Brown announced in early March will take an official visit to Stillwater from June 4 to June 6. Two days after he made that announcement, he was posing with OSU defensive backs coaches Jordan Malone and Julian Wilson for a photo. Then earlier this week Malone, Wilson and defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity visited Brown at his home.

So, the Cowboys’ class sits at three, but will only continue to grow over the coming months as official visits get rolling. The Cowboys’ staff seems to be after another Broken Arrow DB in Noah Gillespie, who this week also shared a photo of Cassity, Wilson and Malone visiting him. On top of that, four-star athlete Hunter Haug included OSU in his Top 5 earlier this week.

The Cowboys have added a second transfer from within in the Big 12.

UCF transfer forward Jordan Burks announced his commitment to Oklahoma State on Saturday. Listed at 6-foot-9, 205 pounds, Burks played at UCF this past season, where he averaged 13.3 points and 4.8 boards a game while shooting 37% from 3 on nearly five attempts a contest. He joins Andrija Grbovic (Arizona State) as Big 12 transfers.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jordan Burks (JB) (@jbxrks)

“Jordan gives us another experienced, versatile piece with size, athleticism and scoring ability,” Steve Lutz said in OSU’s release. “He can play multiple spots, stretch the floor and make shots in big moments. You can see the growth in his game from year to year, and we’re excited about the way he fits with how we want to play.”

247Sporst considers Burks the No. 85 player in the portal and a four-star portal prospect.

Burks started his college career at Kentucky, appearing in 20 games as a freshman where he averaged 1.9 points and 1.7 boards in about seven minutes a game.

Then he spent the 2024-25 season at Georgetown alongside fellow OSU portal commit Julius Halaifonua, though Halaifonua was injured most of that year. With the Hoyas, Burks played in 34 games, making 11 starts, where he averaged 5.7 points and 3.4 boards a game before getting more shots in Orlando this past season.

He scored in double figures 23 times this past season. He scored a season-high 24 against BYU in February, a game he went 4-for-7 from 3 in. That was one of five 20-point performances Burks had this past season.

The analytics like what Burks brings on the offensive end of the floor in particular. His Offensive Rating/Possession Usage (tracked via KenPom) ranks in the top 320 players nationally, a stat he ranked fifth in Big East play in during his year with the Hoyas.

From Decatur, Alabama, Burks was a three-star prospect coming out of the Overtime Elite league, but his recruitment took a sharp upturn late. He had initially signed with Ole Miss before a coaching change saw him reopen his recruitment. Kentucky then scooped him up in the summer going into his freshman year of college.

Burks becomes the sixth portal pickup Steve Lutz and Co. have made this offseason, and he fills OSU’s second-to-last roster spot. Thus far, the Cowboys’ portal haul is Burks, 6-6 combo guard Luke Bogavac (North Carolina), C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Kashie Natt (Sam Houston), promising young point guard Jacob Walker (Sam Houston) and stretch forward Andrija Grbovic (Arizona State).

Three Thoughts

• Tough loss for the Cowgirls, dropping 8-1 to the host Nebraska squad – Cowgirls have to win back-to-back to advance to the college world series (PFB)

• In a similar spot, the Pokes lost in the semifinals of the Big 12 baseball tournament, 9-2 against the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks (OKState.com)

• CBS picked the Pokes in the middle of the Big 12 this fall with one key phrase: 

 The Cowboys finished in the Big 12 basement last season, and jumping eight spots may not even be enough…The Cowboys were also aggressive in the transfer portal, adding numerous linemen with Power Four pedigree. [CBS Sports]

Two Quotes

• Spencer Sanders’ DC Defenders squad dropped a close one last night> 

AIRING IT OUT 🎯

Sanders ➡️ Coutee 🔥 pic.twitter.com/oE80m4adNW

— DC Defenders (@UFLDefenders) May 23, 2026

• Cowgirls are in shooting distance at the golf championships through day one: 

Strong start for the Cowgirls 💪

OSU grabs a podium spot after the NCAA Championship’s opening 18 holes. Back to work tomorrow ‼#golfschool | #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/7OsHRPLGnO

— OSU Cowgirl Golf (@OSUcowgirlgolf) May 23, 2026

One Question

• What’s more likely to happen – do the Cowboys make it to a super regional or do the Cowgirls get to the WCWS?

Non-OSU Bullets

• Extravagant football recruiting trips may be ending • Great Thunder v. Spurs article from The Ringer before last night’s game

Plan your future in detail. Imagine it. Break it into goals. Make them tangible. Write them out. Now, pick the 3 most important goals and break them into timelines: 10 years, 1 year, 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day. Every night, look at what progress you made toward these 3 goals and write down the one thing you can do tomorrow to make progress toward each. Repeat. Goals set direction, but only execution moves you closer. [FS]

Nebraska won the first game 8-1 on Friday in a game that felt mostly decided after three innings.

The Cornhuskers roughed up Ruby Meylan, scoring three runs in the first and another four in the third before she was pulled. She didn’t get an out in that third, meaning her final line was two innings pitched where she gave up seven runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out two.

The game resumed in the bottom of the first inning with a runner on first. A single on the restart put two on before Jesse Farrell sent a three-run home run to left-center.

Even in the second where the Cowgirls didn’t allow a run, Meylan got in some trouble, giving up back-to-back singles to start the frame before getting out of the jam with three straight outs.

She had no such Houdini act in the third. She issued a walk before Ava Kuszak doubled, putting two runners in scoring position for Farrell, who sent the first pitch of her at-bat back up the middle to score both. Another Nebraska double ended Meylan’s day, as RyLee Crandall came in and forced two RBI groundouts and a fly out to finally end the inning. It was 7-0, Nebraska.

The bright spot about this getting a bit out of hand early was that the Cowgirls could sit Meylan, who they’ll need in Game 2 if they want to fight back.

With Meylan in the dugout, OSU gave Nebraska all sorts of looks. Crandall threw two scoreless innings (the RBI groundouts went on Meylan’s stat line). Then freshman Makala Smith made her collegiate debut, throwing 1 1/3 where she gave up a run on four hits while walking two. Then freshman Preslee Downing came in and got the final two outs.

The Cowgirls scored their run in the sixth when Karli Godwin hit a solo home run to the left. Godwin is on a hot streak, having homered in four of her past six games.

HR No. 🔟 on the year for Karli 🚀

📺 ESPN2 #GoPokes | @karligodwin2 https://t.co/vbX8gaFFXI pic.twitter.com/9VcsWgRwkX

— OSU Cowgirl Softball (@cowgirlsb) May 22, 2026

So, it’s do or die for the Cowgirls on Saturday. Game 2 of the series will get rolling at 4 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2. With Game 1 getting pushed from Thursday to Friday, there aren’t yet details available on a would-be Game 3.