Oklahoma men’s basketball is rolling into Monday’s season opener against East Texas A&M with a roster built to look a whole lot different - and a lot deeper - than the one that just missed the tournament for the fourth time in five seasons.
Coach Porter Moser and the Sooners leaned hard into continuity where they could keep it, then dipped into the transfer portal for proven production and older bodies. The result is a group that includes five players with 100 or more career games and four players who have topped 1,000 points in their careers.
That mix gives OU a roster with veteran weight at the top and plenty of intrigue underneath it. Here’s a closer look at the 2026-27 Sooners:
Duke Brennan gives the front line immediate credibility. The 6-10 forward signed with OU five days before classes began, a reminder of how strange eligibility matters can get these days. Brennan is coming off a career season at Villanova, where he put up a double-double average and earned third-team All-Big East honors.
The backcourt centerpiece remains Xzayvier Brown, whose return was a major win for the Sooners. The senior guard has appeared in 104 career games and averages better than 15 points. Just as important for Moser, Brown gives OU a second straight year with its starting point guard intact, something that has been rare during the coach’s tenure.
Tae Davis is another key return after a productive year in Norman. The 6-9 forward started and scored in double figures for OU a season ago, then officially rejoined the program a week before the season. He had already been enrolled and taking classes at OU since the beginning of the fall semester while pursuing a fifth year of eligibility.
B.J. Edwards brings defense and experience.
The fifth-year guard has played in 110 college games and is regarded as one of the nation’s best defensive guards. He is a two-time All-ACC defensive team selection and has been practicing with the Sooners while still working through his fifth year of eligibility.
Dayton Forsythe, the Dale product, returns for his third season at OU after offseason ankle surgery that repaired two torn ligaments and a broken piece of bone. Known as “sparky” for the way he energizes the bench, the junior guard is expected to be available for the opener.
There’s also shooting in the mix with Tyler Hendricks, a fifth-year guard who spent three seasons at UCF and one at Utah Valley. The 6-6 guard, who is the twin brother of Memphis Grizzlies forward Taylor Hendricks, has been a career 42.5% 3-point shooter.
Pop Isaacs arrives with major scoring mileage already on the board. The fifth-year guard has 100 games on his résumé and 1,277 career points. His path to Norman has run through Texas Tech, Creighton and Texas A&M.
OU also has several developmental pieces and younger talent in the fold. Finley Keeffe, a sophomore walk-on forward, used his first year with the program to add strength and also finished in the top 10 in the Elite Prep Basketball League in rebounds, blocks and assists at The Skill Factory Prep in Atlanta.
Gage Mayfield, a freshman forward, is viewed as one of the best athletes on the team. He’ll need time to adjust to the college game and clean up foul trouble, but the upside is obvious: he’s a hard-charging rebounder with potential as a high-level scorer.
Ben Moser, the coach’s son, joined the team as a walk-on this offseason. The senior guard helped lead Norman North to the Class 6A state tournament in 2023, when he averaged 15 points.
Derrion Reid returns after starting all 37 games last season. The junior forward averaged nearly 12 points and shot better than 50% from the field, piling up 27 double-figure scoring performances. Along with Brown, he gives Moser rare continuity from one season to the next.
Kai Rogers is another returning piece up front. The sophomore forward/center played in 23 games off the bench last season, improved as the year went on and is expected to take a step forward behind Brennan.
Khani Rooths comes in from Louisville after two seasons and 66 games there. The junior forward was a top-35 national recruit and brings mobility for his size along with the competitive edge Moser likes.
Quincy Wadley adds another highly regarded young guard. The freshman is a top-65 national high school recruit and ranks as OU’s second-highest rated high school signee since Trae Young, behind Jeremiah Fears. Wadley averaged 11.8 points as a senior at AZ Compass Prep, the same school Fears played for in his final year of high school.
At center, Yaak Yaak gives the Sooners a 7-footer with Division I experience. The senior has played 40 career games across Oregon State, Colorado Mesa and New Mexico State. He’s from Adelaide, Australia, and spent two years as a scholarship player at the NBA Global Academy.
In Other News...
Two Former Sooners Are Already Turning Heads In The NFL
Two former Sooners are already making an early impression in the NFL, and both have landed on a list that tends to get attention around the league. Through the first seven weeks of the 2026 season, Pro Football Focus ranked Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kendal Daniels fifth among the top 15 highest-graded rookies, while Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings checked in seventh.
Daniels has climbed back into the mix after returning from injury, and his 77.7 overall grade shows how quickly he has settled in once healthy. Spears-Jennings has been steady enough to stay in that conversation as well, with his grades in each game consistently landing above 60.0, a sign that both rookies are already giving their new teams something to build on. [Read more 🡒]
B.J. Edwards Gives Oklahoma A Huge Opener Boost Amid Ongoing Fight
B.J. Edwards gave Oklahoma an important lift before the season even tipped off, after a Cleveland County judge granted him a temporary restraining order that makes him eligible for the Sooners opener. The guard had been sidelined by a legal dispute over the NCAAs Five-for-Five Rule, but the ruling clears the way for him to take part as Oklahoma gets its first look at the new season.
Edwards is also part of a broader challenge to the NCAAs policy, joining other athletes as plaintiffs in a case centered on players from the high school graduating class of 2022. For Oklahoma, the immediate impact is simple: a veteran guard is back in the mix for opening night, even as the larger fight over eligibility continues to play out in court. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Faces New Week 9 Concern South Carolina Can Exploit
Oklahoma heads into Week 9 with its injury report carrying real weight, especially up front. The Sooners are already down offensive linemen Eddy Pierre-Louis and Ryan Fodje, while center Jake Maikkula is listed as questionable, leaving the staff to sort through replacement options before facing South Carolina.
The concern does not stop there. Defensive back Eli Bowen is doubtful, and Peyton Bowen is probable to suit up, but the bigger issue is how the offensive line situation could affect Oklahomas ability to handle pressure and stay on schedule. Against a South Carolina defense looking for any opening, that uncertainty is the kind of development the Sooners would rather not be managing this late in the week. [Read more 🡒]