The Oklahoma Sooners will look to win their second straight game on Saturday, as they’ll visit the Missouri Tigers. OU defeated Maine last week, with several true freshmen getting plenty of snaps in a blowout win over an FCS foe.
This week, it’s back to the SEC grind for Brent Venables’ squad, as Oklahoma looks to reach bowl eligibility. With plenty of injuries still hampering the Sooners, it could be another opportunity for some young players to step into the spotlight on the road.
Here are three freshmen to keep your eye on when Oklahoma takes on Missouri.
1. Xavier Robinson, RB
Running back Xavier Robinson was impressive last week against the Black Bears. He was playing in mop-up duty against lesser competition, but his physicality and burst has some clamoring to see what he can do at the highest level.
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Robinson is a local talent from Carl Albert High School in Oklahoma, and he’s been buried on the depth chart behind Jovantae Barnes, Taylor Tatum, and others. No one is saying he should surpass Barnes or Tatum, but it’d be interesting to see what he can do if given the chance to get more work.
2. Reggie Powers III, DB
Each of the past two weeks, I’ve included one of OU’s freshmen trio of defensive backs in this piece. This week, Reggie Powers III gets the nod. He, along with Jaydan Hardy and Michael Boganowski make up an exciting future at safety for Oklahoma’s defense. They’re all playing more and more as the season moves along.
Powers had a beautiful interception in the fourth quarter last week that was wiped off the board due to a roughing the passer penalty. He’s been solid on special teams, and could certainly see more snaps as the Sooners try to cover up some of their deficiencies at cornerback.
3. Ivan Carreon, WR
We’ll go a little out of the box for this third one. Everyone knows about OU’s wide receiver injuries in 2024. And everyone knows about the various levels of impact true freshmen wideouts like Jacob Jordan, Zion Kearney, and Zion Ragins have had in their place.
But another guy who has gotten a bit of playing time is Ivan Carreon. He’s got the most size of the group at 6-foot-6, and is a good blocker on the outside. He’s caught a couple of passes this season, but could be in line for some more targets if the Sooners have bad injury luck at wideout again this week. He followed Emmett Jones from Texas Tech, decommitting from the Red Raiders to come to Norman.
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Oklahoma vs. Missouri will kick off on SEC Network at 6:45 p.m. from Columbia, Missouri.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.
As we approach the halfway point in the girls’ high school basketball season, we’ve decided to post 20 of the top high school girls basketball players in the state of Oklahoma and let the fans decide who their top player is.
The Sooner State is loaded up with some of the top talent in the country. This list is packed with Division I talent, four- and five-star recruits, and others having fantastic seasons for their respective programs. Many fantastic players didn’t make the list. See if your favorite player did, read about each one and cast your vote.
You may vote as many times as you’d like between now and when the poll closes on Jan. 31, at 11:59:59 p.m. E.T.
Other top high school sports news:
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Decision by No. 1 recruit Aaliyah Chavez has finalists searching for answers
Top Arkansas Razorbacks recruit Jordan Martin has Missouri buzzing
Nation’s No. 1 girls high school basketball recruit Aaliyah Chavez scores 124 points in Caprock Texas Classic
Top Missouri girls high school basketball program extends five-year winning streak
The standout junior scored 15 points in an 81-48 victory over Meade County (KY) on Dec. 20 and has helped the Trojans to a 7-1 start in 2024. As a sophomore, she played a key role in helping Douglass reach its first state tournament since 1992. She is currently weighing offers from Oklahoma State and Nebraska-Omaha, respectively.
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The sophomore guard averaged 18 points per game as a freshman at Idabel – leading the Warriors to the Class 3A championship – before transferring to Broken Bow. So far, the Lady Savages are 1-1 so far in 2024, coming off a 70-37 win at Heavener on Dec. 19. She has an offer from Abilene Christian.
Donley scored a game-high 24 points and added 11 rebounds, three steals and three blocks in a 52-33 win over Harding Charter Prep on Dec. 20. The reigning Class 4A state finals MVP, Donley helped lead Bethany to back-to-back state titles and a 4-2 mark in 2024.
A 5-foot-9 guard who averaged 19 points per game last season at Classen SAS, Durley moved to Edmond North where she has helped the Huskies to a 4-4 mark so far. Durley holds offers from Marquette, Oral Roberts, Nevada and others.
Scored 28 points to surpass 1,000 career points during a loss to Norman on Dec. 20. As a junior she averaged 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two points per game.
A 6-foot wing, Herrod is a 4-star recruit by ESPN. She’s ranked No. 59 overall in the nation on the ESPN Hoopgurlz 100 and ranked No. 42 overall in the nation by 247 Sports. She averaged 13 points, five rebounds and two steals per game at Millwood last season before transferring to Putnam North.
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The 6-1 all-state guard and 4-star recruit entered this season ranked No. 49 on the ESPNw Top 100. She surpassed 1,000 career points last season while averaging 16 points, five rebounds and two steals. The Huskies are 4-4 this seasons.
After averaging 20 points per game in 2023-24, Johnson entered the 2024-25 season rated the sixth-best recruit in Oklahoma and 41st overall in the nation on the ESPNW HoopGurlz 100. She earned the 38th overall ranking in the nation by 247Sports and earned a 4-star rating by ESPN.
Originally committed to Nebraska before reopening her recruitment and committing to Michigan, in six games this season, Mathurin – 5-10 shooting guard – is averaging 21.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.5 blocks. She is an ESPN 4-star recruit.
One of the most talented underclassmen in the state, Minor is rated a 4-star recruit by ESPN. The 6-foot guard averaged 14 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals as a freshman. She is reportedly receiving interest from many Division I programs.
The 5-11 forward won a Class 2A state championship in softball at Dale and added back-to-back trips to the Class 2A finals in basketball. She helped the Pirates go 30-2 last season on the court. They are currently ranked No. 1 in Oklahoma Class 2A and are currently 11-1 this season.
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A multi-sport athlete, Parker – the 2023-24 Gatorade National High School Softball Player of the Year – averaged 29.3 points per game on the court while leading Pocola to the 2A state tournament last season. She’s helped her team to a 4-0 start so far.
An ESPN 5-star recruit and one of the tops in the country, Parks committed with the Jayhawks after scoring 26.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.6 steals and 2.9 assists as a junior – helping lead Norman to the Class 6A championship along the way.
An ESPN 4-star recruit, Richardson garnered a lot of college buzz before committing to SMU. She averaged 24 points as a freshman.
One of the top uncommitted underclassmen in the state, Stewart is believed to be holding offers from Missouri, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas A&M, Wake Forest and Nebraska after helping lead Lincoln Christian to back-to-back Class 4A state championships.
A Bethel transfer, Megehee averaged 24.9 points per game last season.
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One of the top 2025 recruits in the state, Williams averaged 16.2 points last year for the state power. She is an ESPN 4-star recruit.
A Class 3A all-state selection, Gaddy averaged 20.9 points as a junior for Alva – where she also excels in cross country and track and field. Gaddy scored 25 points in a 45-39 victory over Owasso at the Mustang Holiday Classic on Dec. 27.
Committed to Oklahoma at the start of her sophomore season on Sept. 4, 2022, after considering offers from Kentucky, Ohio State, Florida State and Michigan. Holds a 5-star composite rating by 247Sports. She averaged 18 points as a sophomore and led Bethany to the Class 4A state championship. The 6-1 guard has the Bronchos off to a 4-2 start in 2024-25.
Alston reportedly has six Division I offers. A guard/forward combo, Alston averaged 12.4 points as a sophomore and has helped lead Mustang to a 7-3 mark to open this season.
Imagine being in the room with three people who are spending billions on an ongoing transformation of Oklahoma City that ranges from entertainment, hospitality and sports to biotech and industry to downtown housing.
Now imagine getting to ask questions about what’s next and how Dick Tanenbaum, Mark Beffort and Christian Kanady have gone about forming partnerships that sometimes include each other, and at other times have drawn big names like NBA star Russell Westbrook.
All three are working together on Convergence, a mixed-use development that will include a hotel, bio-tech lab space and offices. The development at NE 8 facing Interstate 235 will include a biomanufacturing workforce training center, event hall, conference rooms, workspace, lounge and café.
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Beffort and Tanenbaum are already partners in the development of OKC 577, a sprawling industrial campus at Eastern Avenue and Interstate 240 that will open with a new Locke Supply headquarters.
Kanady and Beffort are teamed up to develop an entertainment and hospitality district adjacent to the MAPS 4 multi-use stadium. Kanady bought the Energy FC last year and has plans to not just resume play but to also launch a women’s soccer team.
Kanady is also the financial backer of Prairie Surf Studios, which is about to lose its home at the old Cox Convention Center as it is to be torn down to make way for a new arena.
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Tanenbaum, who started renovating older downtown office buildings into housing is wrapping up similar conversions of the former BancFirst headquarters and Medical Arts building into The Harlow apartments. His next project is the renovation of the Robinson Renaissance into apartments while keeping the building’s three-level retail mall.
Beffort, meanwhile, continues to oversee leasing of downtown’s premier office towers and is also a partner in both the Colcord and Skirvin Hilton hotels.
I will be moderating this OKC Central In-Depth panel discussion on Jan. 21 and I’ll be eager to find out what’s next for Prairie Surf Studios, programing at the future stadium, what the stadium district might look like, prospects for more conversions of downtown offices into housing, and what’s next for Convergence and OKC 577. I will also be asking questions submitted by those in attendance.
2025 OKC Central In Depth: An Evening on Downtown Development
When: Jan. 21
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Time: Light hors d’oeuvres and complimentary beverages, including beer and wine, will begin at 5:30 p.m. The panel discussion will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive
For tickets: Go to https://tinyurl.com/2025-OKC-Central
OKLAHOMA CITY (KSWO) – An Oklahoma lawmaker wants to break down some of the barriers for former inmates working to reenter society.
Sen. Micheal Bergstrom (R-Adair) introduced a series of bills that would restructure drivers license restoration.
One bill would let people whose licenses expired while in prison to apply for a temporary provisional license without needing to pay any outstanding fines or fees for a six-month period.
The second bill is similar but allows for license holders who can make payments to begin paying fees immediately. The third bill would grant people a 90-day grace period where their expired license would be valid, during which time they could get a new license.
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The Department of Corrections would also be tasked with giving inmates the needed documents to get a provisional license.
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