Mekhi Ragland, the last holdout from Oklahoma State’s 2025-26 roster, is returning for his sophomore season, giving the Cowboys size and another familiar face in the frontcourt who already knows the system.
STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State basketball received a major boost Wednesday when freshman forward Mekhi Ragland announced he will return for his sophomore season in 2026-27.
The 6-foot-11, 330-pound bruiser from Lilburn, Georgia, was the final holdout from the 2025-26 roster still weighing his options in the transfer portal. With his decision, Ragland joins Kanye Clary, Benjamin Ahmed, and Ryan Crotty as the fourth player from last year’s group to stick around in Stillwater.
Ragland’s return provides continuity and size for head coach Steve Lutz as the Cowboys look to take the next step after another NIT appearance. In his limited freshman campaign, the big forward appeared in 14 games, averaging 5.7 minutes per contest. He posted modest but promising numbers with 1.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game while shooting 34.6 percent from the field.
Despite the small sample, Ragland flashed the physicality and soft touch that made him a high-upside recruit out of Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas. He missed his entire senior high school season with a foot injury but arrived in Stillwater as a three-star prospect who chose the Cowboys over offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, DePaul, and Georgia State.
Fans quickly fell in love with Ragland’s hustle. Among active players, he led the team in steals per 40 minutes at one point, and his energy off the bench became a bright spot during the postseason. In the NIT, he saw expanded minutes and spoke openly about how more time on the floor was building his confidence. “It’s just a time thing,” Ragland said earlier this spring. “The more time you put into something, the easier it gets.”
That growth will be tested immediately in 2026-27. With several key veterans out of eligibility or in the portal, Ragland is set for a significantly larger role in the frontcourt.
His continued development as a rebounding and defensive presence inside will be critical if the Cowboys hope to snap their NCAA Tournament drought and make a legitimate run under Lutz.
The 2026-27 roster is already taking shape around him. Returning guards Clary, Ahmed, and Crotty give Lutz experience and leadership. On the transfer front, Oklahoma State has added proven talent from the portal with 6-foot-6 wing Luka Bogavac from North Carolina (9.8 points per game last season), Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year Kashie Natt from Sam Houston, and guard Jacob Walker, who emerged as a reliable option for the Bearkats.
The incoming freshman class further strengthens the outlook. Lutz has assembled one of the stronger recruiting hauls in program history, headlined by McDonald’s All-American Latrell Allmond, a 6-foot-8 forward from Virginia. Local product Jalen Montonati, a 6-foot-7 scorer from nearby Owasso High School and two-time Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year, adds scoring punch. Four-star guard Parker Robinson (from Overtime Elite) and recent addition Anthony Felesi, a 6-foot-5 wing who decommitted from Pitt, round out a versatile and highly touted group ranked among the nation’s top classes.
For a program that has hovered on the NCAA bubble the past two seasons, Ragland’s return feels like a statement. The Cowboys now have a massive, battle-tested body in the paint who understands the system and the culture Lutz is building. If the 330-pound sophomore can expand his minutes, improve his efficiency, and anchor the interior alongside the new transfers and freshmen, Oklahoma State could finally punch its ticket back to March Madness.
Ragland’s story is still in its early chapters, but Wednesday’s announcement signals he’s all-in on helping turn the page in Stillwater. With his size, work ethic, and growing confidence, the big man from Georgia could become the anchor this Cowboy roster has been missing.