The Oklahoma Sooners have two rising freshmen, but that does not equate to a bright future for the men's basketball program, especially in today's college basketball.
Ten years ago if the Sooners had two freshmen already making an impact on the court, there would be anticipation oozing for the next three seasons. But that would be wasted hope in 2025.
Jeremiah Fears has been one of the best freshmen in the country this season after reclassifying and getting to college a year early. Fellow freshman Dayton Forsythe has just recently emerged as a playmaker for the Sooners.
In a loss to No. 1 Auburn on Tuesday night, Forsythe came off the bench and led the Sooners with 13 points. Fears put up 10 in the outing.
Fears is averaging 15.9 points a game this season, while Forsythe has just recently gotten more opportunity and averages only 3.3 after back-to-back double-digit performances.
Despite the blowout, a pair of freshmen stepping up in a hostile environment against the best team in the nation should leave Sooner Nation with promise. But there is no longer hope in the future in college basketball.
College basketball was already ahead of other sports in getting instant results from top talent, no matter how young. The transfer portal has only intensified that as players bounce from program to program that cannot only benefit them the quickest, but also that team and its coach.
OU coach Porter Moser is already desperate for success in 2025. The Sooners have missed the NCAA Tournament three seasons in a row under his direction. If OU is home again this March, Moser will likely be unemployed.
Fears will likely leave no matter what happens. He's a projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Even if he does get a poor enough draft grade to stay in college another year, the reality of college basketball today is, especially if there's a coaching change, that Fears looks to grow somewhere new.
Forsythe is a good bet to stay in Norman as a Dale, Oklahoma, native. He could become a fan favorite over the next four years, but Forsythe does not have the ability to carry a dominant team like Fears could.
Yes, this seems doom and gloom. But it's just reality.
The Sooners will lose at least nine players after this season because of eligibility. Then there's Fears moving on to the NBA and certainly plenty more that will enter the transfer portal, especially if there's a coaching change.
This will happen everywhere, too, not just Oklahoma. Every coach will be flipping a roster with very few pieces from the last platoon.
This means the Sooners need the most from their young stars now. Time is no longer of the essence in college sports.