In what's inevitable in college football now, the Oklahoma Sooners will lose players to the Transfer Portal before the upcoming 2025 season even officially ends. Some will come as a surprise, but the possibility of others transferring can be anticipated even before the new season kicks off.
Sooners at risk of transferring after 2025 season
Michael Hawkins Jr., QB
Similar to Jackson Arnold, Brent Venables & Co. somewhat wasted Michael Hawkins Jr.'s freshman season last year. Hawkins replaced Arnold and started four games while making seven appearances in a situation no young QB could succeed in. With John Mateer now in Norman as QB1, if Hawkins again makes at least five appearances, he could enter the 2026 season with two years of eligibility already burnt and nothing to really show for it.
Mateer is an NFL Draft prospect, but he's further down the list of a stacked 2026 QB class. If Mateer decides to return to OU for his senior campaign next year, then that would leave Hawkins not getting a real opportunity with the Sooners until his senior year in 2027. If that's the case, Hawkins could, and should, look elsewhere for a real shot.
Logan Howland, OL
Logan Howland started six games at left tackle last year as a redshirt freshman, but he could lose that job before the 2025 season even kicks off. Behind Howland on the depth chart (for now) is Michael Fasusi, a consensus five-star recruit and top-10 prospect who was the gem of OU's 2025 signing class. On the right side, the Sooners also have two veterans who can still return after 2025.
Although it's a good problem for the Sooners to have, OU's depth at offensive tackle going forward could force Howland elsewhere to keep a starting role beyond 2025.
Zion Kearney, WR
Injuries forced last season's batch of freshman wide receivers to step up quickly, but of the group, Zion Kearney got the least amount of opportunity. He had eight catches for 128 yards and a TD in 11 games with no starts. If his sophomore production is similar, Kearney could look elsewhere for more balls thrown his way.
David Stone, DT
David Stone has already been in the Transfer Portal once before after some drama this spring and ultimately deciding to stay at OU for his sophomore season. He's a former consensus five-star recruit who appeared in every game as a freshman last year. However, he could be coming off the bench again in 2025, and somewhere else could soon call to offer Stone a lot more glory and money. And he's already shown he'll at least pick up the phone.
Taylor Tatum, RB
The Sooners have a loaded running back room that could have Taylor Tatum buried and even redshirting this year after a breakout freshman season. The group will thin out before next season, but even then, Tatum could still be behind fellow sophomore Xavier Robinson in the pecking order. If Robinson asserts himself as the Sooners' lead back in the future, then Tatum could be the No. 1 option somewhere else.
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