Although many Oklahoma fans were disappointed with the immediate results of John Mateer last season as the top quarterback out of the transfer portal, he's still far from being one of the Sooners' biggest portal busts. Mateer also still has another year to prove his value.
It's an overall great list of players that came to Oklahoma from somewhere else throughout the NIL and transfer era, but there were definitely times the Sooners swung for a home run, only to hit a bloop single or even strike out. And in the day of NIL, players need to live up to their value when getting a massive payday.
Dasan McCullough, LB
Dasan McCullough wasn’t a catastrophic bust, but as far as bang for the Sooners’ buck, they got a firecracker when they paid for an artillery shell. He was a Freshman All-American at Indiana in 2022 before entering the transfer portal. Oklahoma then threw a reported $300,000 at McCullough in hopes he would become a staple in Brent Venables’ defense at cheetah.
Injuries can be blamed for some shortcomings, but McCullough appeared in 17 games in two seasons with eight starts, including just one in 2024. He had less total tackles between two seasons with the Sooners (47) than he did in one at Indiana (49).
McCullough ultimately left Oklahoma after the 2024 season for rival Nebraska after never fully becoming what the Sooners went out to get.
Jaydn Ott, RB
Jaydn Ott is the poster child of this list. He was the top running back in the transfer portal last year after three seasons at Cal. Although already stacked at running back, general manager Jim Nagy liked Ott so much that OU still spent big to get him.
With the expectation to immediately take over as the Sooners’ lead back and take the SEC by storm, Ott ultimately ended up being fourth on the depth chart. He appeared in less than half of the Sooners’ games in 2025 and got only 21 carries for 68 yards.
No matter what Nagy accomplishes on the recruiting trail, Ott is the reason why many fans still have trust issues in the GM and question big-time transfer additions. He’s the biggest transfer bust in OU history, and hopefully it stays that way.
Read more: Jaydn Ott says the quiet part out loud after Oklahoma disappointment
Austin Stogner, TE (Round 2)
Austin Stogner started his career in Oklahoma, and as a sophomore in 2020, caught 26 passes for 422 yards and three TDs before a severe knee injury ended his season. He was obviously not the same in 2021 as his injury had some setbacks. He caught just 14 passes for 166 yards and three scores. He then followed Shane Beamer to South Carolina looking for a reset.
Although after one year with the Gamecocks it was clear Stogner still wasn't the same player he was in that sophomore breakout, the Sooners still brought him back to pair with Dillon Gabriel 2023. He started every game, but had only 196 receiving yards and a TD.
That injury or tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley could be blamed for Stogner's disappointing return, but it was clear in back-to-back seasons that there was no need for the Sooners to bring him back. You have to wonder how much Kaden Helms, when healthy, would have benefitted from being the guy that season.
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