Oklahoma State Lands Oral Roberts Transfer Tyla Heard

The Cowgirls will have a sister connection next season.

Mar 22, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; Oklahoma State Cowgirls head coach Jacie Hoyt watches from the sideline as they take on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Cowgirls will have a special duo next season.

On Friday night, Oral Roberts transfer Tyla Heard announced her commitment to Oklahoma State. The younger sister of OSU star Stailee Heard, Tyla Heard could help replenish some of the veteran talent the Cowgirls are losing this offseason.

My next Chapter! #AGTG @StaileeHeard32 @OSUWBB @CoachJacie pic.twitter.com/GhoGwk2UTK

— Tyla Heard (@HeardTyla) March 29, 2025

As a freshman at ORU last season, Heard struggled to carve out a role for the Golden Eagles. She averaged 2.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists while playing 14.3 minutes per game. 

Heard still played in all but one game for ORU, which finished 24-9 to place second in the Summit League. 

While she was unable to find a high-usage role for ORU, Heard showed her ability to contribute to a winning team, which is something the Cowgirls clearly value. Although she played a somewhat consistent bench role throughout the season, her struggles offensively still raise some concerns as she comes to OSU.

Heard shot only 30.8% from the field and 20.5% from deep last season. Add in a turnover per game, and she has some things to clean up on that end. Still, getting to play for one of the Big 12’s rising programs alongside her sister should be something that helps Heard develop going into 2025-26.

After making the NCAA Tournament for the second time in her three years at OSU, Jacie Hoyt is already building her roster for year four. As the talent trickles into Stillwater, Hoyt has already shown her ability to get the most out of her players, which is reason for optimism despite the key departures.

Heard becomes the second transfer OSU has landed this offseason, with BYU’s Amari Whiting committing to the Cowgirls just before the NCAA Tournament. With Whiting and Heard on their way into Stillwater, OSU has begun to replace some of the top talent in the backcourt that graduated this year, most notably Anna Gret Asi.

OSU was a surprise team in the Big 12 in 2025 and finished third after many projected the Cowgirls to miss the tournament. With more expectations moving forward under Hoyt, continuing to add talent through the transfer portal will be a must.

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