Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s Transfer Players Reviews Are In — ‘This is a Real Team, Real Brotherhood’
NORMAN — The transfer portal has given players a clearer view of what truly separates programs.
Even better, it lets outsiders like us — beyond the fortified walls of the sport’s football factories — gain real insight when players leave one school for another.
When players transfer away, you hope they have nothing but nice things to say following their exits. The last thing you want to hear is that the grass was in fact greener on the other side.
With Oklahoma’s new faces, the reviews thus far have been golden.
“This is the first time I’ve been in a tight end room where it’s straight family,” Hayden Hansen said on Thursday. “It’s a straight brotherhood in there. We all care about each other.”
It would be naive to hear Hansen say that and assume his three seasons at Florida were miserable. Yes, he chose to enter the transfer portal and leave the Gators — and yes, he’s thriving as a Sooner so far. Sometimes, things don’t work out.
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That doesn’t mean Florida was inherently worse, just that Hansen’s found a better fit for what makes him thrive in Norman.
But it does stoke the fire of Brent Venables’ program. A head coach whose passion burns bright is building an organization that self-sustains, and gives a true sense of belonging to a generation of players more geared to the lifestyle of the wanderer.
For Hansen, he became enticed with Oklahoma while the Sooners played their way into the College Football Playoff last season.
As he sat on the couch following the end of Florida’s season, he looked at OU and thought something most players would think — why are they there and we aren’t? He found his answer quickly upon arriving in Norman.
“And in probably about one week (after arriving) it was clear to me why they were there and we weren’t,” Hansen said. “This is a real team, a real brotherhood in the locker room. These guys go out there, and they die for each other.
All these guys, they hang out outside the game, they learn together, they suffer together—it’s a true brotherhood,” Hansen added.
Cole Sullivan can attest to the locker room vibe under Venables.
Coming from a blue-blood power himself, Sullivan already knew the aura of Owen Field from the opposite side. During Michigan’s 24-13 loss last season, Sullivan understood the Big House wasn’t the only football cathedral in college football.
“It’s a great atmosphere to be here, I love it here, but when you’re playing, for me at least, it’s just put the ball down and play,” Sullivan said on Thursday. “It could be in the parking lot, it could be here in one of the greatest stadiums in the country, but for me it’s just all about zoning in and locking into ball.”
It doesn’t hurt to have great first impressions. Nor is it a negative to be proud of building something that people feel connected to. So far, even with two bad seasons under his belt, Venables has slowly built Oklahoma as a place that attracts players from across the country.
Both from the high school ranks and from the blue bloods.
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
Iowa State wrestling’s first commitment of the Brent Metcalf era will be a transfer portal addition.
The Cyclones added Oklahoma State transfer Brayden Thompson, who announced his commitment on April 18 via Instagram. Thompson is a one-time NCAA qualifier at the 2024 NCAA Championships, doing so as a true freshman. He redshirted in 2024-25, but competed in open tournaments at 184 pounds and was 9-0. He did not wrestle a match in 2025-26 and will have at least two years of eligibility remaining.
Out of high school, Thompson was ranked the No. 3 pound-for-pound wrestler and No. 1 at 182 pounds in the 2023 recruiting class by Flowrestling. He also won Powerade and Ironman titles, two of the more prestigious high school tournaments in the nation. Assuming Thompson returns to 184 pounds where he last wrestled, he should fill in nicely as a potential replacement for Isaac Dean after his graduation.
Thompson is Iowa State’s first transfer portal addition after several departures, including Anthony Echemendia and Christian Castillo, who also entered the portal.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
NORMAN — The Oklahoma Sooners liked their wide receiver room a year ago. They want 2026 to be even better.
Isaiah Sategna’s return helps that desire. Earning experienced pass catchers Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone via the transfer portal gives you added play makers. But after the Sooners Spring Game on Saturday, an unlikely hero emerged.
When Jahsiear Rogers flipped from Penn State to Oklahoma last December, he drew the usual excitement that comes with a new commitment. But few expected him to climb the depth chart this quickly, even with the injuries that hit Emmett Jones’ room.
Rogers did just that and more on Saturday. He led all pass catchers with five receptions for 70 yards in Oklahoma’s annual Red/White game.
“I knew it was time to showcase,” Rogers said after the game. “It was amazing to see the fans and get used to the OU way. I’m a playmaker. They really want to put the ball in playmakers hands. I pretty much knew I had to lead the white team.”
Rogers got the ball rolling early. On the second offensive play for the white team, backup quarterback Whitt Newbauer rolled to his right wide, then stopped and looked towards the middle of the field where he saw Rogers running open. Newbauer connected with Rogers for a 39-yard gain.
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With Rogers on the white team, he is running against (most of) Oklahoma’s starting defense. As fate would have it, on that 39-yard reception, Rogers beat his favorite teammate to compete against — Reggie Powers.
“He is just a leader, good guy,” Rogers said of Powers. “Me and him go after it every day in practice. Reggie is strong. When I come at him, I have to really come at him.”
Rogers’ big play over Powers was the second-longest catch of the spring game — Sategna’s 50-yard reception that appeared to be a touchdown before coaches pulled it back to set up a red-zone rep. The other four catches weren’t flashy, but they were important in their own way, and Rogers looked like he belonged on the field.
“I love it. As long as I can get the ball, I can be me. I love it,” Rogers said. “When I am on the field, I am ready to go. I am ready to be a playmaker.”
The season is still months away, and Rogers hasn’t earned a spot high on the depth chart yet. A strong spring and an encouraging Red/White Game can only lead to early playing time if he carries that momentum into summer and fall camp.
More experienced players will return from injury and receivers who’ve been in the program for a few years will have an extra leg-up.
But Rogers is taking everything in stride and leaving no stone unturned in his development.
“Just learning from the older guys,” Rogers said. “Manny Choice, Isaiah Sategna, Trell Harris, Mackenzie Alleyne. Really all of them. We lean on each other, learn from each other. That is kind of how our room is.”
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The Oklahoma baseball team is back in the mix and trending upward.
After a rough few weeks in Southeastern Conference play, the 14th-ranked Sooners have won three of their last four games to get to .500 at just beyond the halfway point of the league slate. Friday’s 9-6 win over Missouri allowed Oklahoma to move to 8-8, tied with three other teams for eighth in the standings.
Friday’s win wasn’t truly that close, even. OU took a 9-3 lead into the ninth before Mizzou made it somewhat interesting with three runs in the frame. Two of them came with two outs, though, and Mason Bixby induced a groundout with the bases empty to hold on.
The large edge came via a home run-happy night. The Sooners popped four over the wall at Kimrey Family Stadium, including three in a four-run seventh inning that gave OU a four-run lead.
Jason Walk, who hit one of the four homers, had the best day at the plate. He went 2 for 5 with the shot, three RBIs and a run. Camden Johnson, who also homered, went 2 for 3 with a walk, a double and two runs, and Dasan Harris went 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBIs, and three runs. Trey Gambill hit the Sooners’ other jack.
Oklahoma jumped out to a four-run lead in the second behind four hits and a walk. Missouri helped the Sooners out with an error that resulted in a bases-loaded situation and three unearned runs registered to Tigers starter Josh McDevitt.
The runs were more than enough for Oklahoma’s LJ Mercurius, who pitched six strong innings, giving up three runs on six hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.
Game 2 in the series is set for 4 p.m. Saturday and the finale will be played Sunday at 2 p.m., weather permitting.
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