Trae Young's impact on Oklahoma men's basketball could be felt more in the future than the past now.
The Sooners currently have their best transfer portal class in five offseasons under Porter Moser. And Young, who was recently hired as assistant general manager, is the only obvious difference.
Multiple outlets rank Oklahoma's 2025 transfer portal class in top 15
Since the transfer portal opened, the Sooners have landed four players while retaining five, plus have an incoming recruiting class of four freshmen.
The Sooners' portal additions include Notre Dame forward Tae Davis, Miami guard Nijel Pack, Saint Joseph's guard Xzayvier Brown and Alabama forward Derrion Reid. Three of the of the four are ranked as top-50 prospects, according to 247Sports.
Multiple outlets have ranked the Sooners' portal class inside the top 15 in the country. According to 247Sports, which is the highest on the group, OU has the No. 9 transfer class in the nation and third-best in the SEC, behind Kentucky and Auburn.
Last year, 247Sports ranked OU's class at No. 75. It was No. 14 the year before and No. 13 in 2022.
On3 and Fansided's Busting Brackets both rank the Sooners' class at No. 15. On3 is a lot higher on other SEC schools, having OU at No. 6 in the conference, compared to second by 247Sports.
Busting Brackets essentially created a power rankings of transfer portal classes, which was topped by St. John's.
"How these players manage in the SEC and in Moser’s system obviously matters, but there’s significant talent heading to Norman and the Sooners should be excited," Joey Loose of Busting Brackets wrote. "They didn’t land the top players in the portal, but Oklahoma got some good pieces and should be in position for another trip to the NCAA Tournament if everything falls right. Moser’s job might depend on it."
Every commit the Sooners have landed came after Young was announced as assistant GM on March 31. Young also donated $1 million to the OU men's basketball program with the move, benefitting his own cause.
Young, from Norman, spent just one year with the Sooners before heading to the NBA and led the nation in scoring and assists as a freshman that season. He's now the Atlanta Hawks' franchise player while also serving in his new role with his alma mater.
There are no reports of how much Young is actually doing as assistant GM, but the results are certainly better. In the age of NIL, it's no secret his massive donation is also a major contributor.
Young can also recruit in his new role. No matter the money, a pitch from a 26-year-old four-time NBA All-Star is going to carry a lot more influence for a young recruit than from any old basketball coach.
The case of why the Sooners have experienced such an uptick of success in the transfer portal hasn't been solved, but the evidence is certainly there, and it has Trae Young's fingerprints all over the place.
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