Oklahoma State’s transfer class has plenty to like, but Jordan Burks stands out as the piece that could matter most when the Cowboys try to take the next step in 2026-27.
That’s saying something for a program that has already added a pair of Top 40 recruits in shooting guard Anthony Felesi and power forward Latrell Allmond, plus a transfer group that includes 7-footer Julius Halaifonua from Georgetown and Kashie Natt, a 6-3 guard known for his defense and rebounding. Still, Burks brings the kind of proven scoring punch that can change the look of a frontcourt fast.
Steve Lutz enters his third season with Oklahoma State after back-to-back NIT appearances, and he has reason to believe a breakthrough is close. The Cowboys won 20 games last season even while tying for 13th in a loaded Big 12, a result that points to progress even if the finish line is still ahead.
The challenge now is replacing a lot of what made that team work. Leading scorers Anthony Roy and Parsa Fallah are gone after exhausting their eligibility, and Christian Coleman and Isaiah Coleman are among the other departures. The one major returning piece is Kanye Clary, the 5-11 point guard who scored in double figures and has one final season left.
Burks gives Oklahoma State a different kind of answer. The 6-9 forward from Decatur, Alabama, has already been through plenty, having played at three different high schools and now heading to his fourth college stop.
He was a reserve at Kentucky as a freshman, then became a more useful piece at Georgetown as a sophomore. Last season at UCF, everything started to come together.
As a full-time starter, Burks averaged 13.3 points and 4.8 rebounds, and he knocked down 37% of his 3-pointers. For a team losing major scoring production, that matters. He’s the best raw scorer coming in through the portal, and he arrives with the kind of veteran profile Oklahoma State needs in the frontcourt.
Lutz and his staff are hoping Burks can bring that same production to Stillwater as a senior. The Cowboys need all of their new pieces to hit, especially if they want to make the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in ten years. Burks may not be the only important addition, but he looks like the one most likely to give this roster a real scoring edge.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Is Still Alive For An In-State Recruit Fans Need
Recruiting in-state always matters in Stillwater, and Oklahoma State is still in the mix for one of the biggest names in the next wave. Kamieon Compton-Nero, the top-ranked athlete in the Class of 2028 and a standout from Owasso, is among the programs top 15 targets, a sign the Cowboys remain firmly in the conversation for a player who has already drawn attention on both sides of the ball.
Compton-Nero has put up eye-catching numbers as both a quarterback and a defensive player, which only adds to the intrigue around how he might be used at the next level. For Oklahoma State, the appeal goes beyond talent alone: the staff is tracking a local prospect who could become a major piece in the future, even with a quarterback room that already includes one 2027 commit and two true freshmen on campus. [Read more 🡒]
NCAA Twist Could Reopen Several Oklahoma State Careers
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For Oklahoma State, the decision touches three players and could reopen careers that looked finished at the end of the spring. The bigger picture for the Cowboys is obvious: roster planning, scholarship management and even offseason expectations can all shift when athletes who seemed out of eligibility may be able to return for another college season. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State May Have Found A Breakout Answer In The Secondary
Eric Morris has spent his first months reshaping Oklahoma State with an avalanche of transfers, nearly 90 in all, as he builds a roster that looks very different from the one he inherited. The group includes quarterback Drew Mestemaker and former UCLA linebacker Isaiah Chisom, but one of the quieter additions could end up mattering just as much on the defensive side: Vincent Holmes, a safety who arrived from Washington looking for a reset.
Holmes was once a four-star recruit, but his time in Seattle never really took off, leaving him with little game action and a lot to prove. In Stillwater, he is trying to turn that pedigree into production in Skyler Cassitys 4-2-5 defense, where the structure gives him a real chance to push for a starting safety role and carve out the kind of breakout opportunity that never came before. [Read more 🡒]