Oklahoma’s trip to Puerto Rico offered an early look at what Porter Moser may have in freshman Gage Mayfield, and the first impression was loud.
The Sooners wrapped up their two-game stay in San Juan with a 2-0 record, facing two different Puerto Rican all-star teams put together by former NBA player Carlos Arroyo. Rising senior Xzayvier Brown led the way in Oklahoma’s first game on Monday, but it was Mayfield who took center stage in Wednesday’s second contest at Roberto Clemente Coliseum.
Mayfield scored 25 points in the Sooners’ win, hit three 3-pointers and delivered a handful of dunks that showed off exactly why he has people paying attention already.
2️⃣5️⃣ points and 3️⃣ triples for @Gagemayfield4 pic.twitter.com/TJPZ1OqP4W
- Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) August 5, 2026
At 6-foot-7 and 200 pounds, Mayfield arrives in Norman ranked No. 88 overall and No. 13 among power forwards in the 2026 recruiting class by 247Sports. That profile doesn’t scream instant centerpiece, but Oklahoma has reason to believe he can become an important piece quickly.
Moser has already shown he can bring freshmen along the right way. Jeremiah Fears was the latest example, going from Oklahoma freshman to the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Mayfield doesn’t need to follow that exact path for the Sooners to benefit, but another productive first-year player would go a long way.
That matters because Oklahoma’s path through the SEC is going to be unforgiving. The Sooners will need more than one or two reliable names if they want to hold up over the course of the conference season.
The roster does have veteran help on the way, with Pop Isaacs, Tyler Hendricks, Yaak Yaak, Akoldah Gak and Khani Rooths joining returnees Brown, Derrion Reid and Dayton Forsythe. That group should form the core of the rotation, but a freshman who can give real minutes and real scoring punch changes the equation.
Mayfield’s showing in Puerto Rico is only a start, and the SEC will be a much tougher test than anything Oklahoma saw there. Arkansas, Florida and Texas are among the teams expected to sit near the top of the national picture, and each features multiple players who could be first-round picks in the 2027 draft.
Still, if Mayfield carries this momentum into the non-conference schedule, Oklahoma may have found a freshman ready to matter right away.
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It also makes the work of freshmen like Manny Choice and Elijah Thomas even more relevant, since both embraced special teams responsibilities under the previous setup. For Oklahoma, that kind of buy-in matters because special teams is often where young players first prove they can help in a real way. The new rule does not just alter roster math, it opens more paths for depth and growth, and the Sooners are already looking at how to use it. [Read more 🡒]