STILLWATER – I understand that many Oklahoma State fans and outsiders really didn’t consider any of the players from last season as needed building blocks for the Cowboys to return to success in the Big 12 and in college football. However, the transfer portal window shouldn’t be one step forward followed by one step back. It is becoming that way and on Tuesday night after a good day of portal signings that included Oklahoma product and one-time Texas Tech starting corner Maurion Horn and second-team All-MAC receiver Israel Polk. Here came the step back as the Cowboys “freaky” and athletically gifted receiver and kick returner Gavin Freeman entered the transfer portal.
He was the second portal entry in the past 24 hours as late Monday (Jan. 5) defensive tackle Armstrong Nnodim went into the portal. He was picked up midday signing with former Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell now at Penn State.
This past season Freeman led Oklahoma State in receiving despite an offense that was mostly anemic during the season. He had 53 receptions for 481-yards and four touchdowns. He carried the ball quite a bit on jet sweeps from the slot position as he totaled 12 carries for 53-yards. He also had 17 punt returns for 68-yards.
In his first season in Stillwater, Freeman played in four games and then sat out the rest of the season in order to keep a year of eligibility. He took his redshirt. In the four games, he had six catches for 45-yards. He had two punt returns for 31-yards and eight kickoff returns for 163-yards.
Jerod Hill/OSU Athletics
Freeman is crazy athletic and has shown it on numerous occasions
Freeman came to Oklahoma State as a transfer from the University of Oklahoma. His last season in Norman, Freeman was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection playing in 13 games with 95-yards and a touchdown on 19 receptions, but he had 122-yards on 18 punt returns. That total included a punt return for touchdown in the opener with Arkansas State, the first OU punt return touchdown since 2016. In his freshman season in 2022, he had a 46-yards touchdown run.
Freeman has quite the football heritage as his father Jason was a standout OU tight end. His grandfather, Ron, played linebacker at Oklahoma State in the late 1960s. He went on to be a Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame football coach at several schools including a long successful run at Muskogee.
Freeman is another of the players that Pokes Report knows the new staff wanted to keep. There are a number of them that have since gone into the portal like running back Rodney Fields Jr, linebacker Jacobi Oliphant Jr, center Austin Kawecki, linebacker Ike Esonwune, edge rusher Wendell Gregory, defensive end Kyron Duhon, corner Eric Fletcher, and young receiver Royal Capell.
