Oklahoma

Sooner Legend Tries to Sway Blue-Chip In-State Prospect to Oklahoma

Published

3 weeks ago

May 25, 2026

Sooner Legend Tries to Sway Blue-Chip In-State Prospect to Oklahoma

Gerald McCoy hasn’t played at Oklahoma in nearly two decades, but he’s doing his part in helping the Sooners stay atop the college football world.

McCoy, a two-time All-American defensive lineman at OU who later played 10 seasons in the NFL, posted an encouraging message to Class of 2027 4-star defensive back prospect Gabriel Osborne Jr. on X (formerly Twitter).

“A little birdie told me that the next possible Sooner great is right at home in Oklahoma,” McCoy said in his post. “You want historic and legacy? You want a chance to compete for championships? You want a chance to play at the next level at a high level? You know what to do youngin’.”

Osborne is graded as a 4-star recruit by all major recruiting services. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 25 overall player and the No. 2 player from Oklahoma in the 2027 class.

During his junior season at Mustang High School, Osborne registered 65 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.

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Parker Thune of Rivals reported last week that Osborne had narrowed his list of schools down to five: OU, Alabama, Miami, Michigan and Ohio State.

Now, he is being persuaded by one of the most dominant defensive Sooners in recent memory. McCoy was a two-time First Team All-Big 12 pick and later made six Pro Bowl appearances while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Time will tell if McCoy’s recruiting pitch leads Osborne to Norman. But a message from a Sooner legend certainly can’t hurt.

Sooners offer another 2028 QB

Oklahoma has now offered several quarterbacks from the Class of 2028, as Trey Wright announced an offer from the Sooners on Saturday.

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Oklahoma

OU baseball prediction for College World Series game vs Georgia

Published

6 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Press Room

OU baseball prediction for College World Series game vs Georgia

OMAHA, NE — Oklahoma baseball continues its stay at the College World Series in the winners’ bracket on Monday.

Fresh off their blowout win over Alabama to open the CWS, the Sooners (39-22) will face No. 3 seed Georgia (52-12), which crushed Texas in its opening game.

Both teams enter the matchup scorching hot as the Bulldogs have won nine consecutive games, while the Sooners are riding a six-game win streak. The SEC foes didn’t play in the regular season.

OU will start right-hander Xander Mercurius, who owns a 5.82 ERA in three starts this season. Mercurius will try to replicate fellow freshman Cord Rager’s CWS performance after he struck out eight Crimson Tide batters in seven innings on Saturday.

The Sooners’ offense has yet to cool off as Dayton Tockey has hit five home runs in eight postseason games and all 16 of Deiten Lachance’s home runs have come in his last 29 games.

Georgia was one of the best offensive teams all season with a .326 team batting average (fourth nationally) and its 9.4 runs per game (second nationally).

Here’s everything to know about the matchup:

Battle of Branch brothers

OU second baseman Kyle Branch is set to face his brother, Bulldogs shortstop Kolby Branch, on Monday.

The brothers’ parents, Kari and Rusty Branch, bounced back and forth between Athens, Georgia, and Atlanta and Lawrence, Kansas, during regional and super regional play in order to watch both sons play. They also made it to Lovejoy High School in Texas, where their younger son Carson Branch won a state championship.

Kolby Branch is hitting .286 with 19 home runs and 58 RBIs. Kyle Branch, an All-SEC Freshman Team selection last season, is batting .225 with three home runs and 21 RBIs.

Xander Mercurius looks to keep up hot postseason

Xander Mercurius is coming off two impressive postseason outings.

In the Sooners’ loss to Georgia Tech, Mercurius struck out eight Yellowjackets in 5 2/3 innings. During OU’s CWS-clinching win over Kansas, Mercurius struck out six Jayhawks, allowing only one run in four innings across two days after a weather delay.

Sooners coach Skip Johnson has all the confidence in the world in his freshman flamethrower.

“If we get beat with a freshman, the sun’s going to come up tomorrow,” Johnson said.

How to watch Oklahoma vs Georgia: Time, TV channel, live stream

Oklahoma vs Georgia airs on ESPN at 6 p.m. Monday. Streaming options for the game include Fubo.

Oklahoma vs Georgia score prediction

Georgia 9, Oklahoma 7: Mercurius tosses another gem, but the Bulldogs’ offense gets to the Sooners’ bullpen late.

Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

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Plans for Oklahoma City’s Legends Tower still alive, but developer says demand is biggest hurdle

Published

16 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Press Room

OKLAHOMA CITY –

Plans for Oklahoma City’s proposed Legends Tower are still alive, but the developer says the biggest challenge may not be federal approval, it’s whether there’s enough demand to fill it.

Developer Scot Matteson told News 9 that while discussions with the Federal Aviation Administration are ongoing, his primary concern has shifted to the market.

“We’re excited to get going,” Matteson said.

The Boardwalk at Bricktown project has been years in the making, with progress slowed in part by uncertainty surrounding its centerpiece, a proposed 1,907-foot tower that would rank among the tallest buildings in the country.
In a 2024 report, the FAA called the massive structure a potential “hazard to air navigation.”

Matteson pushed back on those concerns, saying the site is outside protected airspace zones.

“We are not in the flight pattern,” he said. “We’re outside of that zone, just like Devon Tower is.”

Still, he said the tower’s future may ultimately depend less on federal approval and more on market realities.

“It does have a lot of residential units in it, for sale and for rent,” Matteson said. “We’ll just see how the market plays out before we start construction on that.”

For now, developers are moving forward with Phase 1 of the project, which does not include the tower. That phase is expected to feature an underground parking garage, approximately 150,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, apartments, and a dual-branded Hyatt hotel. All planned buildings in the first phase would stand under 500 feet tall. He’s hopeful for a phase 2.

“We just felt that there was market demand when we looked at it and we think that demand will keep growing,” he said. “The city, population and job growth are all trending in the right direction.”

Matteson said surrounding developments could help drive demand for the project, from the future Thunder arena and MAPS 4 soccer stadium to the convention center and Riversport facilities.

“I think it’s more of a sports and entertainment district now than it was before. We believe we’ll be able to have a lot of synergies within that district.”

Groundbreaking for phase 1 is expected later this summer. Matteson said the project could eventually get a new name as developers look at rebranding.

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Boom News! | ’27 WR Malahn Green Commits to Oklahoma! | The Football Brainiacs

Published

1 day ago

June 14, 2026

Press Room

Boom News! | ’27 WR Malahn Green Commits to Oklahoma! | The Football Brainiacs

Boom News! | ’27 WR Malahn Green Commits to Oklahoma!
By: TFB
Posted on: June 14, 2026

The Sooners pick up a commitment from ’27 WR Malahn Green, as we have been expecting.

Malahn Green’s recruitment to Oklahoma happened in a hurry, but it is a good example of how quickly things can move when both sides feel the fit is right. The Sooners identified the St. Louis product as a priority target after evaluating him closely this spring and summer, extended an offer, got him back on campus, and quickly moved him to the top of the board following a pair of wide receiver departures in the 2027 class. Within days, Green went from a prospect with a growing offer list to a Sooners commitment.

Part of the reason Green remains somewhat under the radar nationally is because he did not play during his junior high school season. Missing that year limited his exposure on the camp and evaluation circuit and slowed down his recruiting momentum. As more schools were able to evaluate him in person this offseason, however, his stock began to rise.

At roughly 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, he is an explosive athlete with legitimate home-run speed. He is dangerous with the ball in his hands, can create after the catch, and has the type of sudden acceleration that allows him to turn short touches into long gains. Green projects as a player who can be moved around the formation, utilized on screens, jet sweeps, and manufactured touches while also stretching defenses vertically.

His biggest strengths are his burst, change of direction, and ability to make defenders miss in space. He is the kind of player who can flip field position with one touch and gives offensive coordinators flexibility in how they deploy him.

The areas for development are fairly typical for a player with his background. Because he missed his junior season, there is less game film available than many of his peers, and he will need continued refinement as a route runner. His smaller frame also means he will have to prove he can consistently win against bigger, more physical defensive backs and handle contested-catch situations. Improving the finer details of route pacing, releases against press coverage, and overall polish as a complete receiver will be important as he progresses toward college.

For Oklahoma, though, the upside is easy to see. Green brings a dimension of explosiveness to the Sooners’ receiver room, and his quick commitment gives Emmett Jones another prospect with nice upside as OU reloads the wide receiver position in the 2027 class following a couple of decommitments.