Oklahoma Guard Dayton Forsythe Embraces Leadership Role in Sophomore Season

Porter Moser stood at the podium during SEC Media Day in Birmingham and proudly declared that he embraced the transfer portal. This was a far cry from the man who, when he was hired in 2021, said he wanted to build his program through retention and development.

For the 2025-26 season, Moser helped bring in veteran players like Nijel Pack, Xzayvier Brown and Tae Davis into the fold. Each brings veteran experience and skills that fit nicely within Oklahoma's system on paper.

But Moser is still leaning on his credentials as a developmental coach. Sophomore guard Dayton Forsythe represents that tenet.

"All he did was come to practice and made me say, 'I gotta play Dayton," Moser said during media day. "I would tell any young player on a roster right now on any level ... make your coach say, 'I have to play him.' He’s bringing value. That is what Dayton Forsythe did last year."

Oklahoma Sooners Dayton Forsythe — Oklahoma guard Dayton Forsythe | John E. Hoover / Sooners On SI

Moser wil brag continuously about Forsythe's energy and attitude, traits that helped him "be in the top 10-12 for freshmen minutes last year," while "making winning plays." The Sooners are counting on Forsythe to take another step and build on what he accomplished last year in key moments.

"Last year was a really good experience, getting my feet wet and playing a good amount of minutes as a freshman," Forsythe said at media day. "I feel like just expanding and doing more and taking on more responsibility, being more vocal, a better leader, and really trying to do whatever I can to help this team as best as I can."

Those are typically the words you'll hear a sophomore focusing on as they look towards their second year of play. During his freshman campaign, Forsythe averaged 4.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in just over 12.1 minutes of action — he shot 45 percent from the field, 45 percent from 3.

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Forsythe’s drive to be more vocal and grow as a leader isn’t just adrenaline — it stems from learning what works, understanding his place on the team and recognizing the maturity required to meet the group’s needs.

"Finding my role for this team is going to be different than last year," Forsythe said. "Finding that and maximizing that is what I've been focusing on."

As Oklahoma prepares itself for perhaps Moser's strongest team on paper, experienced players in the program will be leaned on for the crucible that is SEC basketball. The hope is that the injection of talent via the portal will mesh well with established talent like Forsythe.

"What you hope for is that everyone’s blending and ... you hope that that’s strong enough to handle adversity of the season," Moser said. "The new guys are blending with the old guys. I feel that strongly, and you just hope that you build it so tightly that it withstands the adversity of the season.”

"The SEC has some incredible teams and players," Forsythe said. "There will be games where you don't have your best game and you may get beat up a little bit. Just being able to bounce back and forget about it and move on because there's more games and more of the season left to play.

"You'll get beat up and lose a game or two. It's all about how you respond to the adversity you'll face."