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Big 12 Winners and Losers from 2025 Spring Transfer Portal Window

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Big 12 Winners and Losers from 2025 Spring Transfer Portal Window

The spring transfer portal window officially closes today, meaning we’re in the final hours for players to submit their paperwork and transfer.

Over the last 10 days, we’ve seen over 1,000 players enter the portal in hopes of landing a new opportunity. The Big 12 has had several teams active in making additions, but also had several teams see some unexpected or undesired entries of their own.

Let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from the final portal cycle before the 2025 season.

 

Winner: Oklahoma State Defense

You’d be hard-pressed to find a team in the Big 12 that’s been more active than Oklahoma State over the last 10 days, as they’ve added seven commitments since the portal opened last Wednesday.

The Pokes’ most recent addition, Terrill Davis, is the reigning NCAA receiving champion with 1,609 yards and 15 touchdowns on 109 receptions a season ago.

Aside from Davis, however, Oklahoma State focused on making improvements to the defensive side of the ball, with its other six additions coming on that side. Five of those six additions come from Power Four programs, and several of them were starters or heavy contributors prior to heading to Stillwater. DeAndre Boykins (UNC), Darius Thomas (Louisville), De’Marion Thomas (Vanderbilt), Taje McCoy (Colorado), and Wendell Gregory (South Carolina) should all step in and immediately help improve what was one of the worst units in the Big 12.

Winner: Texas Tech NIL

Texas Tech went ballistic in the winter transfer portal cycle, and there’s not a team in America that can claim they’ve added more talent than the Red Raiders through the portal in this cycle. That’s thanks to one of the top NIL operations in the country.

The Red Raiders did most of their damage in the winter cycle, although an early April commitment from Davi Bailey and Thursday’s addition of Cash Cleveland certainly help even more. Where Texas Tech really won, though, was their ability to retain all of the top-teir talent that they landed a few months back.

With this being the last window for players to leave before 2025, some programs are having to deal with players looking to squeeze every last dollar they can out of negotiations. You didn’t see that in Lubbock, though, as the Red Raiders didn’t lose any of their major additions in this cycle. Instead they added a couple more pieces, are on the verge of getting Micah Hudson back in the fold.

 

Loser: Houston’s Secondary

With some key additions on the offensive side of the ball, it appeared that Houston was setting up for great chance to surprise some folks in the Big 12 next season. One of the biggest reasons for that optimism was that the Coogs produced defensive production last season that seemed well ahead of schedule.

If Willie Fritz could get just a touch better on offense, the Cougars could have enough balance to win more 50/50 games. Unfortunately, after their spring game, Houston received news that is detrimental to that hope.

Two of their best defenders, and both key returners to their secondary, have since entered the transfer portal. Safety AJ Haulcy and cornerback Jeremiah Wilson were both expected to be All-Big 12 level talents for UH in 2025, but now they’re headed for greener pastures. Does it spell doom for the 2025 season? No, but it certainly doesn’t help their chances.

Winner: TCU Horned Frogs

There’s not a single position in sports that is more important than quarterback, and when you have a good one, you do anything necessary to hang on to them.

When negotiations between Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee went sideways, the Volunteers immediately started putting feelers out to see if they could lure a top-end quarterback to Knoxville. One of their first, and most leaked attempts, was TCU quarterback Josh Hoover.

According to The Athletic, the Vols contacted Hoover to gauge his interest in transferring to Knoxville for the upcoming season. Additionally, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says that this offer was incentivized with a $1 million raise over what he is making with the Horned Frogs.

Luckily for Sonny Dykes and Co., Hoover is “locked in” with TCU for the upcoming season after ranking among the best quarterbacks in the country last season in passing yards, yards per attempt, completion percentage, and touchdowns passes.

Loser: Big 12 Walk-ons

With the House vs. NCAA settlement looming, several Big 12 programs took the initiative to start trimming their rosters down to the new 105-man limit. Until now, schools have been permitted to have 85 scholarship players and then fill their roster out with as many walk-ons as they see fit.

However, this new settlement threatens to limit those walk-ons, and so programs like Kansas State and West Virginia got ahead of the curve and made the roster cuts necessary to abide by the coming rules.

Unfortunately, those cuts might’ve been unnecessary, as the judge overseeing this new settlement has put the agreement on hold over the roster constraints that are being suggested.

On Wednesday, a California judge announced that she won’t be approving the settlement unless there are changes made to the roster limits. Instead, she proposed that players that are currently at risk of losing their spots because of the sweeping change be grandfathered in.

So, does that mean dozens of athletes just uprooted their lives for no reason? C’mon NCAA. We’ve got to do better by the athletes than this.

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College Basketball Rankings: Coaches Poll Top 25 updated after Week 8

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The USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll Top 25 has been refreshed following the eighth week of the season. It was a bit of a light week due to Christmas, but some showdowns still took place amid the holiday celebrations, resulting in some movement throughout the Top 25.

With conference play picking up this coming weekend, we’re getting into the nitty-gritty of the season, where the rankings will fluctuate week-in and week-out. While this past week was packed with tune-up games and not a ton of riveting action, that won’t be the case from now until April.

Regardless, the Coaches Poll Top 25 is certain to see plenty of movement. For now, here’s how things stack up after Week 8. This week’s updated rankings are below.

Michigan enjoyed a full week off and enters the week undefeated at 11–0. The Wolverines return to action with home games against McNeese State on Monday and USC on Friday.

Senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg has been the engine, stuffing the stat sheet with 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Michigan will look to stay perfect as conference play looms.

Arizona
Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Arizona rolled past Bethune 107–71 last Monday to improve to 12–0 on the season. The Wildcats host South Dakota State before traveling to Utah for a road test on Saturday.

Freshman guard Brayden Burries has emerged as a steady scorer, averaging 14.0 points per game. Arizona’s depth and tempo continue to overwhelm opponents early in the season.

Iowa State remained perfect at 12–0 after an off week. The Cyclones host Houston Christian on Monday and West Virginia on Friday.

Junior forward Milan Momcilovic leads the team at 18.3 points per game. Iowa State’s balance continues to separate it from most of the field.

UConn had the week off and remains one of the nation’s most complete teams at 12–1. The Huskies head to Xavier on Wednesday before hosting Marquette on Sunday.

Junior guard Solo Ball leads the backcourt with 15.4 points per game. This week offers a strong measuring stick against Big East competition.

Purdue
Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Purdue stayed idle last week but remains firmly entrenched near the top of the Coaches Poll with an 11–1 record. The Boilermakers face a tricky week with a home matchup against Kent State on Monday before heading to Wisconsin on Saturday.

Senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn continues to anchor the frontcourt, averaging a double-double at 13.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Purdue’s ability to maintain consistency through a two-game week will be closely watched.

Duke remained idle last week and sits at 11–1 entering a two-game stretch. The Blue Devils host Georgia Tech on Wednesday before traveling to Florida State on Saturday.

Freshman phenom Cameron Boozer has been dominant, averaging 23.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Duke will be tested defensively as ACC play intensifies.

Gonzaga extended its winning streak with a victory over Pepperdine on Sunday and sits at 13–1. The Bulldogs play three times this week, traveling to San Diego before hosting Seattle U and LMU.

Junior forward Braden Huff leads the way with 19.1 points per game. Gonzaga’s depth will be tested during the busy stretch.

Houston
John Jones-Imagn Images

Houston enters the week at 11–1 after a quiet stretch. The Cougars host Middle Tennessee State on Monday before heading to Cincinnati on Saturday.

Senior guard Emanuel Sharp continues to pace the offense with 17.9 points per game. Houston’s defensive pressure remains its calling card heading into conference play.

Michigan State enjoyed a week off and sits at 11–1 on the season. The Spartans host Cornell on Monday before traveling to Nebraska on Friday.

Senior forward Jaxon Kohler has been a force inside, averaging 13.9 points and 10.3 rebounds. Michigan State will look to sharpen its execution away from home.

BYU cruised past Eastern Washington 109–81 last Monday to improve to 12–1. The Cougars face a lone test this week with a road trip to Kansas State on Saturday.

Freshman star AJ Dybantsa has lived up to the hype, averaging 23.1 points per game. BYU’s offense remains one of the most explosive in the country.

11. Vanderbilt
12. North Carolina
13-T. Nebraska
13-T.
Louisville (+1)
15. Alabama
16. Texas Tech
17. Kansas
18. Arkansas
19. Illinois
20. Tennessee
21. Virginia
22. Florida
23. Iowa
24. Georgia
25. St. John’s

Dropped Out: No. 25 USC

Others Receiving Votes: Kentucky 35; USC 25; Utah State 14; Auburn 7; Saint Louis 6; Clemson 6; Seton Hall 5; Oklahoma State 5; Yale 4; UCLA 4; Saint Mary’s 4; LSU 3; California 2; Villanova 1; Miami (OH) 1; Indiana 1



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Petrino’s Friend Found a Workaround to Pay Taylen Green That’s Now Prohibited by NCAA

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Petrino’s Friend Found a Workaround to Pay Taylen Green That’s Now Prohibited by NCAA
photo credit: Craven Whitlow

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When Bobby Petrino returned to Arkansas after the 2023 season, his first task was finding a new quarterback.

In this era of college football, that also meant funding a new quarterback. For that, the former head coach leaned on his old friend Frank Fletcher.

The Little Rock-based businessman stepped up and footed a large chunk of the bill for Taylen Green, the talented signal caller Petrino identified to run his offense for the Razorbacks.

It hasn’t only been a transactional relationship, though. Over the last two years, Fletcher has been mindful of Green’s life after sports. Rather than simply handing the star quarterback a boatload of cash, he offered something few college athletes receive: personal relationship and mentorship.

“I had a wonderful two years with Taylen Green,” Fletcher said during Monday’s edition of Morning Mayhem on 103.7 The Buzz. “I was lucky that I happened to back a player that was that nice a kid and [had] great parents. I’ve learned a lot from him. I’m teaching him everything I know, and he wants to learn.”

Fletcher helped Green navigate the financial market by giving the QB1 homework, making him chart a series of stocks over a few months – something that could prove even more important after his subpar finish to the 2025 season likely impacted his pro prospects.