Should Oklahoma State be Concerned About Players Transferring to SEC?
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Oklahoma State is supposed to be a power in the new-look Big 12, but a bad season and recent moves have put that in question.
In 2023, OSU made the Big 12 Championship, won 10 games and was among the 12 teams staying in the conference as Oklahoma and Texas bolted for the SEC. While the conference welcomed in four teams from the Pac-12, OSU was expected to be among the best in the Big 12 moving forward.
Instead of competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff, the Cowboys earned a spot on the list of teams without a conference win. As the only Big 12 team to finish 0-9 in conference play, changes began to pile up throughout the offseason.
Along with overhauling the coaching staff under Mike Gundy and saying goodbye to numerous seniors, the Cowboys also began to see players exit Stillwater via the transfer portal. While the Cowboys have been forced to bolster their 2025 roster with players from the FCS, Division II and group of five teams, their departures have made their way mostly to power conferences.
With players such as Jason Brooks Jr. and Lyrik Rawls set to stay in the Big 12 at Houston and Kansas, respectively, others have set their sights on a higher level. Over the past few days, OSU transfers De’Zhaun Stribling and Isaia Glass have committed to squads in the SEC.
While Glass’ move to Vanderbilt is not necessarily a significant step up, Stribling’s move to Ole Miss might represent a larger problem for the Pokes.
Ole Miss is set to be an annual playoff contender as long as Lane Kiffin is there, and it is one of many SEC teams in that category. The SEC earned three spots in the playoff this season while the Big 12 had only one spot, thanks mostly to the top five conference champions getting an automatic bid.
After going 3-9, it is difficult to sell recruits on coming to OSU to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff. That becomes even more difficult when the conference can’t seem to get more than one team in the playoff.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.