After the Transfer Portal gave and gave to the Oklahoma Sooners on Monday, it finally took.
Late Monday night, Chris Hummer of 247Sports reported that OU sophomore wide receiver Zion Kearney will enter the Transfer Portal with two years of eligibility left. Kearney was OU's only departure on a day the Sooners picked up six commitments from the portal, including former Virginia wide receiver Trell Harris.
Sooners WR Zion Kearney entering Transfer Portal
The loss of Kearney won't immediately seem detrimental, but it could be one of those that haunts the Sooners further down the road as a promising player who got limited opportunity that he'll now get elsewhere.
Kearney, listed at 6-foot-1, got to Oklahoma in 2024 as a consensus four-star recruit out of Hightower High School in Texas. ESPN had him ranked as high as the No. 14 wide receiver in the 2024 class.
When injuries decimated OU's receiving group, Kearney immediately saw action as a freshman in 11 games. He had eight receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown. He caught a 56-yard TD in the Armed Forces Bowl, which at the time seemed like a preview of what was to come for Kearney in crimson and cream.
This season, though, Kearney appeared in just five games as offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle rotated minimally at receiver. Kearney caught two passes for 31 yards Week 3 against Temple, and those were ultimately the only stats he recorded all season after a promising offseason leading up to 2025.
The Sooners are still waiting for confirmation on if No. 1 receiver Isaiah Sategna III will return in 2026. Sategna is who was listed above Kearney on the depth chart throughout the season, so Kearney's departure could point to Sategna's return.
OU also lost Deion Burks to graduation and two other reserve receivers to the portal so far. With the recent addition of Harris, the Sooners aren't really desperate for more help at receiver, especially if Sategna is back, but they will still likely bring in more talent from the portal to bolster what has been an underwhelming position group the past two seasons.