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Oklahoma football: Portal movement mutually beneficial for players, OU

By Timothy Bailey

Sep 11, 2021; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners safety Jordan Mukes (29) in action during the game against the Western Carolina Catamounts at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 11, 2021; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners safety Jordan Mukes (29) in action during the game against the Western Carolina Catamounts at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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There are currently 17 Oklahoma football players who have put their names in the transfer portal and intend to leave Norman.

They say the portal “giveth” and “taketh” away. However, at the end of the day, unless you’re losing a star player like Caleb Williams, the portal serves as a means for a new start for both the player and the institution. With the 85 scholarship limit and no longer a rule on a scholarship annual cap, coaches can flip their roster quickly.

Players that may not have been in a good position to play will leave and get an opportunity elsewhere. Meanwhile, it opens a spot so the staff can bring in a player that is more ideal for their principles. So don’t panic when you see the volume of players in the portal; it’s the natural order of things simply correcting itself.

The roster can turn over and be rebuilt quickly.

You can fill not only fill gaps in the portal, but you can get both younger players and one to two-year upperclassmen that can help you bridge. But let’s say you have in your 85 scholarship players, you only have 40-50 players that actually are in your two deep of guys you want to play at a time. Each year you’ll lose roughly a class, and then a class of redshirts will move up. That means there are roughly 35-45 players on your roster at a time who aren’t contributing, and roughly half of those guys are unlikely ever to do so.

Now that the NCAA has removed the annual scholarship limit for high school players, you can now open roughly 15-20 spots on your roster annually and fill them with both incoming freshman and portal players. This allows you to fill holes, create more depth, and cycle through players quickly. A guy who isn’t going to contribute for you can sometimes last on your roster for 4-5 seasons, end up with a dozen or more of those guys, and that’s a good chunk of your scholarships held up on young men who could benefit from a change of scenery and a team with roster gaps.

Nov 26, 2022; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) hands the ball to running back Eric Gray (0) against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2022; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) hands the ball to running back Eric Gray (0) against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Getting the players that fit the scheme and culture

While Brent most certainly inherited a good roster when he became the Oklahoma football head coach, not every player was an ideal scheme fit or cultural fit. That’s okay; the world is filled with different kinds of people with different backgrounds, moral values, and different styles of play. When you make moves in the portal, you have college film on them, and you have the understanding of how these young men did in school, how they were at their previous program, and more. Likewise, you know which guys on your roster do not fit and can help them find a place that does for them.

The Oklahoma staff is certainly looking for the players that fit, and yes, that is at the expense of the players that do not. This is why the portal is necessary and can help you find what you’re missing while also providing a new avenue for your current players to gain a better opportunity as well.

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