Which Oklahoma Athletes Might Benefit from Recent Eligibility Ruling?

Every day, it seems there’s a new college sports eligibility rule change.

And the most recent one is massive.

On Friday, a ruling from the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted student-athletes from the high school class of 2022 one more year of eligibility. This ruling follows the NCAA’s new policy, implemented in June, that says student-athletes will have five years to play five seasons in their respective sports.

Here’s how Friday’s ruling could affect Oklahoma:

Football

The Sooners saw seven players taken in the 2026 NFL Draft, while four others — defensive tackle Damonic Williams, defensive end Marvin Jones Jr., running back Jaydn Ott and wide receiver Keontez Lewis — signed undrafted free agent deals.

Williams seems like a strong candidate for a return to Oklahoma.

The defensive tackle, who spent two years in Norman after transferring in from TCU, signed with the Arizona Cardinals after going undrafted. Arizona’s defensive line is loaded with veteran talent, meaning it will be difficult for him to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. OU has its starting defensive line set with David Stone and Jayden Jackson, but the Sooners could definitely benefit from having Williams to back them up.

Jones is also another candidate for a return. The Seattle Seahawks signed Jones after his lone season in Norman, but the franchise is fairly loaded on the edges. Taylor Wein has one of the defensive end spots locked up, while either Adepoju Adebawore or Danny Okoye will hold down the other one — but Jones, like Williams, could give more depth at an already-strong position.

Another one-year Sooner, Lewis’ production dipped after he suffered an injury against Kent State. He’s competing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at training camp, but it seems unlikely that he’ll make the roster. Oklahoma has plenty of depth at wide receiver with Isaiah Sategna, Parker Livingstone and Trell Harris, so the Sooners might not need him back.

As for Ott? That’s not going to happen. Ott rushed for only 68 yards during his only season at OU.

Basketball

On the men’s side, Tae Davis is someone who didn’t go pro but could make a comeback.

Davis, who transferred to OU from Notre Dame before the 2025-26 season, averaged 13 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last year. He’s the only player from the roster that graduated high school in 2022.

The Sooners reloaded the roster after missing the tournament in March, so it’s hard to pinpoint where he’d fit in with the 2026-27 team. But given his production, it’s something OU coach Porter Moser could consider.

From the women’s team, the door appears open for star center Raegan Beers to return.

Beers averaged a double-double — 15.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game — during her senior year, helping the Sooners reach the Sweet 16. Though she went unselected in the 2026 WNBA Draft, she signed with the Connecticut Sun and has appeared in 24 games for the franchise already.

The center could opt to stay at the professional level, but a return to Norman would be monumental for OU’s chances of hoping to make it back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in 2027.

Softball

Infielder Ailana Agbayani and outfielder Abby Dayton could end up being the softball team’s biggest beneficiaries.

Agbayani played for the Chicago Bandits during the 2026 AUSL season after playing four seasons without a redshirt. She spent the first two years of her college career at BYU before transferring to Oklahoma, where she became the Sooners’ everyday second baseman.

Dayton, on the other hand, did not jump to the professional level after the 2026 season. She played her last two seasons of college at OU after starting at Utah.

Pitchers Sydney Berzon and Kierston Deal will also be eligible for another year.

The Sooners landed several players from the transfer portal after the season, and coach Patty Gasso and her staff will have to dissect the roster to see where — if at all — these players can fit.

Baseball

Two of OU’s starters from its College World Series run — infielder Dayton Tockey and outfielder Trey Gambill — went unselected in the 2026 MLB Draft and could make it back to Norman.

Tockey, of course, hit the 10th-inning walk-off home run against Georgia Tech to send the Sooners to the Super Regionals. Tockey was one of OU’s best hitters throughout the postseason, batting .383 with six home runs in the NCAA Tournament.

Gambill, who started his college career at Salt Lake Community College, batted .285 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs during his senior year.

The Sooners lost the majority of their offensive output to the MLB Draft after the season, but if they could get Tockey and Gambill back, they might be even better suited to defend their national title in 2027.

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