Trying to Make Sense of This as Two More Oklahoma State Players Go Portal
STILLWATER – Two more Oklahoma State players have entered the transfer portal, the second and third in two days.
Sophomore receiver Bryson Green and red-shirt senior defensive tackle Samuela Tuihalamaka are the latest Cowboys to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, joining receiver John Paul Richardson, who entered into the portal on Tuesday.
The Richardson entry into the transfer portal was a shock. The youngest player to be voted captain in recent and even distant memory, Richardson was off to a great career, but according to our sources wanted more and wasn’t sure he could get that at Oklahoma State. Now another productive receiver has gone in the portal.
Green, a 6-1 sophomore out of Allen (TX) HS played a huge role in the Cowboys’ offense until an injury against Oklahoma in the second-to-last game of the regular season. In 11 games, Green hauled in 36 catches for 584 yards and five touchdowns. He recorded three 100+ yard games, including a career-high 133 yards and one touchdown in the 41-34 win over Texas on Homecoming.
He also posted 115 yards and one touchdown in the 41-31 win over Texas Tech and 105 yards in the 37-16 loss to Kansas.
Green was a key member of the 2021 class and played in 12 games this past season as a true freshman, starting in six. He hauled in 12 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
The best game of his freshman season came in the season opener against Missouri State, in which he recorded three receptions for 41 yards.
We’ve tried to learn more about why Green decided to go in the portal, and his brother Blaine, who missed all of the 2022 season with injury did not.
The explanations we received were sketchy but were told it had more to do with playing time and targets than NIL or any other facet of the program.
Tuihalamaka has one season to play, and he has his degree from Oklahoma State meaning he has potentially good options other than football. The 6-1, 304-pound defensive tackle from Mater Dei High School in Riverside, Calf. has a COVID season available but has exhausted the traditional four seasons in five-years of eligibility. After posting an unassisted and assisted tackle in the bowl loss to Wisconsin, he has 51 total tackles (27 unassisted and 24 assisted) in his Oklahoma State career playing in 34 games.
This past season was his best year statistically with 23 tackles (10 unassisted and 13 assisted). He also had four tackles-for-loss and one sack. The sack came against Texas Tech as did a tackle-for-loss. He had 1.5 tackles-for-loss in the opener against Central Michigan.
His freshman season Tuihalamaka had 20 total tackles with a sack at West Virginia and he shared in a tackle-for-loss against Tulsa and Texas.
One source told us that Tuihalamaka was disappointed he didn’t play more in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl with over 40 family members and friends there to see him play.
Green and Tuihalamaka mark the (14th and 15th) former Cowboy players to enter into the portal, joining Spencer Sanders (QB), John Paul Richardson (WR), Braylin Presley (WR), Eli Russ (OL), Langston Anderson (WR), Dominic Richardson (RB), Jabbar Muhammad (CB), Mason Cobb (LB), Kanion Williams (S/ST), Thomas Harper (DB), Demarco Jones (DB/ST), Trace Ford (DE) and Na’Drian Dizadare.
Coming into the program out of the portal is Washington State wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, with OSU having sent out multiple other portal offers as well. Out of the 2023 signing class, OSU added WR/Ath Camron Heard out of Furr HS in Houston, TX.
As you can see, receiver is a position that is in the most transition. One speculation is that the departure of veteran quarterback Spencer Sanders and no established quarterback on the roster, either in waiting or coming from the portal, might have receivers concerned. The offense struggled some with freshman Garret Rangel and red-shirt freshman Gunnar Gundy filling in. Rangel had solid numbers in his first two starts (Kansas and West Virginia) but struggled in the bowl game in part to the struggles of the run game. There is no doubt the offense will be overhauled in the offseason.
Another potential issue is NIL. Oklahoma State is participating and doing it within the boundaries of the NCAA rules. The rumors are rampant that others are not following the rules and that some Oklahoma State players are being tampered with. It is very hard to discover any hard-core facts on that.
Natural speculation would be about the state of the program and that is for head coach Mike Gundy to determine. One thing is certain, the Cowboys, who have brought in good talent from the portal are again back running at a deficit with these three most recent losses and must work on compensating and if quarterback is a problem, find a way to get a veteran quarterback on the roster to stall the panic and the departures.