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2025 NBA Draft: Jeremiah Fears Dominating For Oklahoma

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2025 NBA Draft: Jeremiah Fears Dominating For Oklahoma


The Oklahoma Sooners are off to an incredible start to the season, with 13 wins and zero losses thus. Oklahoma is one of three undefeated teams remaining in college basketball, with the other two teams being Tennessee and Florida — all three being members of the SEC. That elite conference also has ten ranked teams to this point in the season.

This is undoubtedly the best conference in college basketball, and it will be an absolute juggernaut for every game, with the teams going up against each other. Out of the three undefeated teams remaining, only one of them is led by a freshman.

Jeremiah Fears has been a star for the Sooners this season. 

Coming out of high school, he was a consensus four-star recruit, but he has played like a potential top-ten pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Fears is a 6-foot-4 point guard averaging 18.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He has absolutely stuffed the stat sheet and has played winning basketball the entire time.

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The talented lead guard just looks special with the ball in his hands. He consistently creates advantages off the dribble as he’s very quick and shifty with the ball in his hands. He is quite explosive, too, so it’s no surprise that he has scouts believing that he can be the guy for an NBA team if he is given the keys to the offense.

For him to come in and lead Oklahoma to an undefeated season during non-conference play has convinced a lot of scouts and NBA decision-makers that he’s worthy of a top-ten selection in this year’s draft. The decision-making and shooting concerns are quite valid for the young point guard, but he’s still very young and has a lot of responsibilities on a highly touted team.

Fears is just so dangerous off the dribble and might be the best advantage creator in the entire draft. His inside-the-arc scoring is really special. He’s able to finish around the basket with a ton of creativity, has a smooth mid-range pull-up jumper and has great touch on his floater. The touch is pretty good inside the arc which allows scouts to believe he can eventually be a consistent 3-point shooter as he continues to find his rhythm.

Fears begins conference play tomorrow in a tough road game versus No. 5 ranked Alabama. If the freshman point guard leads the Sooners to another win and keeps their undefeated streak alive, then we could really start to see Fears’ name reaching levels we haven’t seen before this year. Don’t be surprised if he jumps into the top-three conversations after this weekend.

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10 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners from the 2024 season per PFF

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10 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners from the 2024 season per PFF


The Oklahoma Sooners defense was the real bright spot from an otherwise dismal 2024 season for OU. The defense was one of the best in the SEC in 2024 and kept them in games when the Sooners offense struggled to get anything going.

So it’s not surprising that when you look at Pro Football Focus’ grades for the Oklahoma Sooners, it’s dominated at the top by the defensive side of the ball.

If looking at players who played at least 186 snaps this season, each of the top 10 highest-graded players came from the defensive side of the ball. The only players close were Xavier Robinson and Michael Tarquin. Robinson only played 134 snaps but was still one of the more dynamic players on the roster in the second half of the season.

Here’s a look at the top 10 players from the 2024 season according to Pro Football Focus player grades.

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1

Eli Bowen, CB

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

PFF Grade: 80.3

Snaps: 510

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Despite how the LSU game turned out, Eli Bowen was a revelation at cornerback in 2024. He was Oklahoma’s highest-graded defender, according to Pro Football Focus, and is one of the bright spots from this season.

2

Gracen Halton, DT

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

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PFF Grade: 79.1

Snaps: 403

Gracen Halton also experienced a breakout season this year, leading the Sooners defensive tackle group in total pressures with 29 and just six behind R Mason Thomas for the team lead. He also had five sacks, which were second on the team.

3

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Robert Spears-Jennings, S

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

PFF Grade: 78.7

Snaps: 599

Robert Spears-Jennings experienced a breakout season for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2024. He was third on the team in snaps and second in total tackles. Spears-Jennings led the team in forced fumbles and had 2.5 sacks this season.

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4

Danny Stutsman, LB

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PFF Grade: 77.1

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Snaps: 709

There hasn’t been a more important player to the Oklahoma Sooners than Danny Stutsman during the Brent Venables era. He just completed his third season with more than 100 tackles and was a consensus first-team All-American. He’ll be missed for his tenacity on the field and his leadership off of it.

5

Samuel Omosigho, LB

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Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

PFF Grade: 76.9

Snaps: 301

Samuel Omosigho began to see more action at Cheetah after the loss of Kendel Dolby and played well. Omosigho showed off his speed and athleticism throughout the season. He finished fifth in total tackles and sixth in tackles for loss in 2024 and looks primed for a breakout season in 2025.

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6

Ethan Downs, DE

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PFF Grade: 76.1

Snaps: 496

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Ethan Downs finished second on the team in tackles for loss and had three sacks. He was one of the most consistent players on the edge for the Sooners over the last three years. His leadership and production will be hard to replace.

7

Damonic Williams, DT

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PFF Grade: 74.3

Snaps: 416

Damonic Williams had another strong season for the Oklahoma Sooners, finishing with five tackles for loss and a sack. He had the second-lowest missed tackle rate among players, with more than 186 snaps during the season, according to PFF.

8

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Trace Ford, DE

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PFF Grade: 74.1

Snaps: 321

After transferring from Oklahoma State, Trace Ford played two impactful years for the Oklahoma Sooners. His versatility stood out as a standup edge rusher. He was fourth on the team in total pressures according to PFF.

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9

Dez Malone, CB

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PFF Grade: 73.7

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Snaps: 371

Dez Malone was a solid transfer portal addition last offseason and played a key role in coverage for the Sooners. He had the third-highest coverage grade for the Sooners in 2024.

10

R Mason Thomas, DE

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PFF Grade: 73.6

Snaps: 530

R Mason Thomas led the Oklahoma Sooners in sacks in 2024 with 9.5 on the season. It’s the first time a Sooners has had nine sacks or more in a season since Ogbonnia Okoronkwo in 2016.

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Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. Oklahoma State

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Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. Oklahoma State


West Virginia welcomes the Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-4, 0-1) Saturday afternoon for the Mountaineers (10-2. 1-0) Big 12 Conference home opener. Tip-off is set for noon EST and the action will broadcast on CBSSN.

Fresh off one of the biggest wins in program history, the Mountaineers come back home to what should be an energized crowd waiting for them. You always have to wonder about the focus of a team that is just days removed from an exhilarating win, but Darian DeVries appears to have his group locked in.

The fact that they were able to beat Kansas without Tucker DeVries and Amani Hansberry says a lot. Whether or not they play today is anyone’s guess, but I’m not sure it makes much of a difference. DeVries is pushing all the right buttons at the moment and knows how to play to the strengths of the guys he does have available.

Oklahoma State is built very similar to West Virginia in that they don’t overwhelm you with size in the frontcourt, but they make up for it with good overall length, specifically with bigger guards. The biggest differences between the two teams are three-point shooting and defense. The Cowboys are 190th in the country in points allowed per game, while WVU is 21st. OSU is 205th in three-point shooting, down over 100 spots from the Mountaineers, who shoot it at a 35% clip from deep.

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Give me West Virginia by ten.

Prediction record: 9-3

Oklahoma State head coach Steve Lutz quickly turned two programs around, winning three consecutive conference tournaments before turning his attention to Stillwater.

Lutz and the Cowboys have struggled in the early portion of the season and lack a marquee win. They are 2-0 in true road games, notching wins against Tulsa and Seton Hall – two programs that are under. 500. The Pokes have played two ranked opponents this season, with losses to rival Oklahoma and in their Big 12 home opener against No. 14 Houston Monday night, trailing by double digits at halftime in both contests.

Oklahoma States sixth-man, forward Marchelus Avery, leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.3 points per game.

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West Virginia notched another NCAA tournament resume building win in its Big 12 opener at Kansas Tuesday afternoon and did it despite missing forwards Tucker DeVries and Amani Hansberry.

Head coach Darian DeVries has exceeded expectations in his first year in Morgantown, and keeping the team focused after grabbing the program’s first win at Kansas will be another BIG test for this group.

Senior guard Javon Small, who transferred from Oklahoma State in the offseason, leads the league in scoring at 19.2 ppg.

Lutz and DeVries were together as assistants as part of Doug McDermott’s staff at Creighton. DeVries mentioned Lutz’s group will look to get out in transition, something the Mountaineers have been able to keep at bay this season, including the win over Kansas on Tuesday.

West Virginia has shown they can turn the page after an upset. At the Battle 4 Atlantis midseason tournament, the Mountaineers knocked off a third-ranked Gonzaga team in overtime, then the following day played well in an overtime loss to Louisville and bounced back the next day with an OT win against Arizona.

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DeVries has kept this group steady, and I suspect the Mountaineers will remain focused. West Virginia remains ahead of the Big 12 race with another gutty 75-65 win.

Prediction record: 8-4.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

Reinforcements On the Way? DeVries Hints at Possible Return of Three Key Players

ESPN BPI Heavily Favors West Virginia in Big 12 Home Opener vs. Oklahoma State

Spread & Over/Under Predictions for West Virginia vs. Oklahoma State

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West Virginia Expected to Hire Chuck Lillie as General Manager



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Oklahoma House Republicans Outline Priorities for Legislative Session

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Oklahoma House Republicans Outline Priorities for Legislative Session


Oklahoma House Republicans are laying the groundwork for their legislative agenda for the next year, focusing on key issues including education, mental health, workforce development, and economic growth.

House Republican leaders met this week to finalize their top priorities ahead of the session, emphasizing the opportunity to make significant progress with Republican majorities in both the state and U.S. Congress.

Key initiatives include making schools phone-free and establishing a Level 1 trauma facility in Tulsa. House Republicans are also introducing a new oversight process for legislation. Under the new system, bills will be reviewed by both a standard committee and an “oversight committee” before advancing to the House floor.

“We want to get more work done earlier, make sure we don’t bring any bad legislation forward,” said House Republican Caucus Chair Stan May, (R-Broken Arrow). “I mean, it should be hard to pass a bill. It shouldn’t be, you know, a one-and-done thing.”

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Republican lawmakers are also aiming to pass additional tax cuts, though May noted they are still building consensus and waiting for a clearer picture of the state budget.

House leaders plan to meet with Gov. Kevin Stitt and Senate leaders to align their goals once the session begins. State lawmakers will convene for Organizational Day on Tuesday, with the full legislative session set to start on Feb. 3.





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