Former Cowboys Grace The Athletic's List of Top 100 Transfers

A couple of former OSU stars will look to make an impact elsewhere next season.

Oklahoma State Cowboys wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling (1) scores a touchdown during a college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma State is hoping to have a bounce-back season, but it will be reminded of the players it lost over the offseason.

Over the past few months, the Cowboys have made some significant changes in hopes of avoiding another three-win season. After going 3-9 in 2024, the Cowboys saw most of their impact players depart.

While many simply ran out of eligibility and a handful of others headed to the NFL, the Cowboys also lost some key players to the transfer portal. While many of OSU’s departures won’t have a significant impact at their new stop, some might break out as stars on their new squad.

In The Athletic’s ranking of the top 100 players who transferred this offseason, OSU had no incoming players on the list, but a couple of departures made the cut.

De’Zhaun Stribling (Ole Miss)

In The Athletic’s list, Stribling was ranked No. 85 among transfers throughout the country, and his impact at OSU made it a well-deserved selection. Stribling was one of the most reliable weapons for whoever OSU’s quarterback was last season, and he will still be playing alongside Maealiuaki Smith, who also transferred to Ole Miss.

Although an injury kept him out for most of the 2023 season, Stribling returned with a chip on his shoulder in 2024. In his only full season with the Pokes, he racked up 52 catches for 882 yards and six touchdowns.

While Stribling is quite unlikely to actually get any throws from Smith in games, he will be a key weapon for the Rebels’ passing attack. As Lane Kiffin looks to shock the SEC and get Ole Miss its first College Football Playoff appearance, there’s a chance that Stribling could be the difference next season.

Kendal Daniels (Oklahoma)

Daniels earned the No. 97 spot in the ranking, narrowly making it into the top 100. Although his production wasn’t always the most eye-catching at OSU, the linebacker has a chance to be a difference-maker for Brent Venables in Norman.

Oklahoma State's Kendal Daniels (5) celebrates an Oklahoma State fumble in the first half of the college football game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys and the Brigham Young Cougars at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

The highly touted prospect never quite panned out as planned for the Pokes, with fans even questioning his effort at points last season. Of course, after seemingly everything went wrong for the Cowboys last season, it would be nearly impossible to tune out the noise as one of the only healthy stars on a depleted defense.

Daniels still managed to have 64 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season, and he should be able to bring some momentum into next season as he gets a fresh start with the Sooners.

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