A landmark judicial ruling could return some familiar Sooners star power to Norman, offering veterans like Tae Davis and Raegan Beers a surprising chance to bypass the pros for another season
A recent court ruling out of Colorado has opened the door for a bunch of college athletes to potentially return for another season, and Oklahoma has several names that could theoretically be affected.
Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction requiring the NCAA to declare eligible all high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted their four seasons of eligibility this past spring.
For the football program, a handful of familiar names jump out. EDGE R Mason Thomas, DL Gracen Halton, DL Damonic Williams, TE Jaren Kanak, DE Marvin Jones Jr., S Robert Spears-Jennings, RB Jaydn Ott, and WR Deion Burks could all technically come back if this ruling fully stands.
These are guys who used up their four seasons and would normally be done with college football.
That said, there’s a big question mark still hanging over this. It’s unclear whether the ruling would allow players who have already signed with professional teams or been paid by them to return. Most of those football players are currently competing for NFL roster spots after being drafted or signing as free agents.
The odds of any of them coming back to Norman right now feel pretty low. Once you’ve started down the pro path, it’s hard to reverse course, especially with training camps underway and roster battles heating up.
On the men’s basketball side, forward Tae Davis is one name that stands out. He started for the Sooners last season and would now be eligible to return under this ruling. Oklahoma currently has three roster spots available, so there’s room if both sides wanted to make it happen.
Bringing Davis back would give Porter Moser some experienced depth and a known quantity in the frontcourt. Whether that actually happens remains to be seen, but the door is open. Davis has not announced his plans yet for his basketball future, and has been exploring his options since graduating from the University of Oklahoma in the spring.
For women’s basketball, All-American center Raegan Beers is also now eligible. Beers is currently playing in the WNBA for the Connecticut Sun, where she’s averaging 3.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game this season.
Adding a player of her caliber back would be a massive boost for Jennie Baranczyk’s team, but again, the same uncertainty applies. It’s not clear if athletes already playing professionally would be allowed to return under this injunction. For now, it seems more theoretical than realistic.
Those programs are always looking for experienced depth, and having extra eligibility available for key contributors would be a big help if the ruling holds up long-term.
This whole situation is still developing. Preliminary injunctions can be challenged, appealed, or modified, so nothing is set in stone yet. The NCAA will almost certainly fight this, and we could see more clarity in the coming weeks or months.
For Oklahoma, the immediate impact on football feels limited because so many of those players are already chasing NFL careers. Basketball and the spring sports might have more realistic opportunities depending on how the professional status question gets sorted out.
At the end of the day, any extra eligibility for proven contributors is worth watching. Whether it actually leads to players returning to Norman is another story. For now, it’s an interesting development that could give some familiar faces one more chance to put on the crimson and cream if the legal process goes their way.
