‘American Terror’: New documentary revisits tragic Oklahoma City bombing 30 years later
HAYDEN
ALEXANDER NEWS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR
The sound of an elevator door and the flash of a handheld camera capture the day-to-day life of the men and women working at the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City.
As the footage rolls, people smile into the camera and wave, laughing as they say “Hi, mom,” into the lens. It’s a routine Wednesday for many. An employee makes her usual morning calls, a reporter gets ready for her first day anchoring, a doctor wraps up the night shift and a mother drops her son off at daycare.
Three minutes and thirty seconds later, an explosion changes everything.
At 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Building in downtown Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including 19 children, and injuring hundreds.
Thirty years later, in his new Netflix documentary “Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror,” director Greg Tillman tells the story of the people who lived through the deadliest domestic terrorist attack in U.S. history.
Tillman has been working in documentary film since his college days at the University of Southern California. He said meeting people and learning about their stories drives his work.
“It’s fascinating to me to do that, to constantly be allowed to enter into worlds that are completely foreign to me and to meet people that I otherwise wouldn’t have had a chance to meet,” Tillman said.
Tillman decided to take on the Oklahoma City bombing documentary after his work on Netflix’s “Waco: American Apocalypse” with producer Tiller Russell. After the documentary, Netflix asked Tillman if he would consider covering the Oklahoma City bombing.
“It’s an incredible story,” Tillman said. “I think every time you address it, you’re going to have a different take on it, and there are so many people that were affected by this. There’s so many different stories that came out of it, and there’s a real need to remember it.”
Tillman was in film school when the bombing took over the news in America and worldwide.
“It was the biggest story in the world when it happened,” Tillman said. “This is 9/11 before 9/11; it had that impact.”
See BOMBING on page 6A
Best songs performed at ‘The Boys From Oklahoma’ concerts
RAYNEE HOWELL
ASSISTANT NEWS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR @RAYNEEHOWELL
Nothing could be more perfect than Jason Boland walking out to “The Boys Are Back in Town.”
The walk-up song for Boland’s band at “The Boys From Oklahoma” concerts set the scene for the next six hours of performances. The songs that followed were some of the best created in the Red Dirt scene, and the boys indeed brought it back to the town where it all began.
The O’Colly attended the concert Sunday and narrowed the setlist into three best songs for each set. It was hard, but here it is:
Jason Boland & The Stragglers
The Harrah-native kicked off the festivities with a 30-minute set, but he caught the attention of the crowd once “Pearl Snaps” began. It painted a perfect picture of an old cowboy keeping it true to his roots
despite the changing world. The upbeat groove of the song and the catchy chorus kept the crowd engaged, and it showed the true spirit of a Boland record.
To slow it down, Boland performed “Proud Souls,” which was produced by Cross Canadian Ragweed. The lyrics gave a glimpse into the reality of drinking alone and realizing what you’ve lost.
The third song has to be “Blowing Through The Hills.” Is a song really true to Oklahoma if it’s not about extreme weather and tornadoes? The crowd was the rowdiest so far in the set with this one, most likely relating to letting the horses loose and running for the cellar.
The Great Divide The band walked out to “Mama, I’m Coming Home.” As one of the bands that laid the groundwork for bands like Ragweed and Turnpike Troubadours, it was only right that it would come home to a stage in Stillwater.
See SONGS on page 7A
‘Heaven Passing Through’: Red Dirt music fan honors late cousin during concert
BELLA CASEY STAFF REPORTER
@BELLACASEYYY
Evan Felker directed the crowd to pull out its flashlights — but Brittney Germany waved something else.
Teary eyed, she swayed to the tune of “Diamonds & Gasoline,” holding a sign featuring her late cousin Simone Novak’s photo surrounded by rainbow letters that said “One seat is empty, but your memory takes up the whole room.”
Sunday night, it filled a stadium.
Novak and her boyfriend died in a motorcycle accident in October, but she had already bought tickets to attend “The Boys From Oklahoma” concert with Germany and their boyfriends.
“When we bought these tickets, she really was like, ‘Man, I cannot wait to go,’ but I remember the last thing she posted on Facebook was the tickets,”
Germany said. Novak planned it all — she booked an Airbnb and reserved a hotel, scoped out places she wanted to eat and battled it out in the ticket queue to buy four Sunday tickets. It was a blend of her favorite things: making plans with her loved ones, food and music.
Novak’s sister, Ashton Wright, remembers their father playing “Tiny Dancer” on the guitar for them growing up, crediting him for fostering Novak’s appreciation for music. She loved it all — classic rock, country, rap, Christmas music.
“Music would be playing all the time, you know,” Wright said. “Cleaning, in the shower, on in the car. She always had music on, and I do as well.” Even on her Facebook posts. Novak’s post about the tickets was accompanied by Cross Canadian Ragweed’s song “Sick and Tired” in the caption. Now, it makes Germany emotional to hear it.
Connor Fuxa
On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Building, killing 168 people, including 19 children.
Courtesy Brittney Germany
Brittney Germany’s sign featuring her late cousin made it on the big screen during the Sunday concert.
Payton Little
Cody Canada (left) brought out Jason Boland for a performance of “17.”
NEWS
Tyler Bridges is the new superintendent of Stillwater Public Schools effective July 1.
Stillwater Board of Education votes to hire new superintendent
RAYNEE HOWELL
ASSISTANT NEWS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR
@RAYNEEHOWELL
The Stillwater Board of Education voted unanimously to hire a new district superintendent during a special meeting Tuesday.
Tyler Bridges, the current superintendent of Clinton Public Schools, will begin his new position at Stillwater Public Schools on July 1, a day after the current superintendent’s retirement. Superintendent Uwe Gordan announced in December his intention to retire on June 30 after spending several months on medical leave.
Bridges, who earned his bachelor’s in English education at the University of Central Oklahoma and a master’s in educational leadership at Southern Nazarene University, will bring years of superintendent experience to SPS.
Bridges worked at Agra Public Schools as a principal before working at Pleasant Grove Public Schools and CPS as superintendent.
During his time at CPS, there were capital improvement plans, increased
Editor-in-Chief
student achievement and additional grant funding, according to a press release. He hopes to bring the same kind of success to SPS.
“Stillwater is an incredible community,” Bridges said in a press release. “It’s truly one of the premier school districts in Oklahoma. The district has so many high-performing students and incredible staff members… I’m excited to bring my leadership experience to Stillwater and to help move things to new heights.”
The Board of Education partnered with the Oklahoma State School Boards Association for the search processes for the position. Roberta Douglas, Stillwater board president, said the board is pleased to welcome Bridges to Stillwater.
“Our goal was to identify a leader with a strong educational background, in-depth knowledge of district operations, a proven commitment to supporting students and teachers, and a solid understanding of school finance,” Douglas said in a press release. “Through the interview process, it became clear that Mr. Bridges not only met these expectations but exceeded them.”
Assistant Sports editors Kenzie Kraich, Calif Poncy, Sam Mitchell
Assistant Photo editor Connor Fuxa
Assistant Social Media editor
Jose Brito
Assistant Design editors Alexandra Guinn, Tobey Lunceford
Adviser
Brett Dawson brett.dawson@okstate.edu
Ask the Pokes
Should ‘The Boys From Oklahoma’ concert series be an annual event?
“I don’t think ‘(The) Boys From Oklahoma’ should be annual, especially if it’s going to be the same bands. Maybe if they turned it into a festival, but we already have Calf Fry.”
- Kenley Cordray, junior
“I liked the concert, (it’s) really good for NIL, so I hope they do it again because honestly (Boone Pickens Stadium) was a good concert venue.”
- John Allevato, senior
“I think it was really good for the economy, but I didn’t think it was productive for students that still had to go to class.”
-Lauryn Pilgrim, sophomore
The O’Colly Staff Newsroom
Sports reporters:
Daniel Allen
Dalton Arredondo
Baylor Bryant
Cayden Cox
Timothy Christensen
Gina Foster
Allyn Orndorff
Kaitlyn Robertson
Wyatt Tessier
Will Thorogood
Wyatt Watson
Weston Wertzberger
News & Lifestyle reporters:
Bella Casey
Sungjoo Chung
Luisa Clausen
Audie Martin
MJ Nyamdavaa
Richard Robertson
Megan Roy
Kareem Sawan
Kennedy Thomason
Alli Themer
Olivia Upton
Aliyah Young
Photographers & Designers:
Jose Brito
Maya Blanks
Mykalyn Daidone
Catherine Dzanski
Lilian Easter
Andon Freitas
Cody Garcia
Kaytlyn Hayes
Ethan Hilbert
Jonathan Jackson
Michael Jane‘t
Benjamin Perry
Bailey Schmitz
Bryson Thadhani
Courtesy Stillwater Public Schools
Group of 23 Oklahoma State alumni sends letter to The O’Colly opposing international students’ revoked visas
ASHTON SLAUGHTER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @ASHTON_SLOT
In the late 1960s, a group of students protested against Oklahoma State’s then-administration, social justice issues and the Vietnam War.
When the group met in 2017 for a 50-year reunion, an O’Colly article chronicled the OSU alumni reminiscing on their times standing up for what they believed in.
In 2025, some of them are still fighting for what they believe is right.
On Tuesday, The O’Colly received a letter to the editor from a group of 23 alumni in response to the U.S. government revoking eight students’ visas, which was reported last week. The reasons were political activity for one student and criminal activity for the other seven, caused by anything from a speeding ticket to a previous arrest.
“We, the undersigned former OSU students, express our anger at the fact that several OSU international students have had their visas revoked without due process. We urge the entire university community and board of regents to oppose this action and support these students,” the letter read.
Two of the alums, Ron Stevens and Anne Larason Schneider, met with The O’Colly via Zoom on Wednesday to discuss their reaction to the revoked visas and what they hope is to come.
“The reaction was twofold, really,” Stevens said. “I kind of hate to say this, but on one hand, not at all surprised… because it’s the (President Donald) Trump administration (that) is doing it. And that part is very much not surprising given other stuff that’s been going on. It was troubling on a more personal level, I guess, when it happened at OSU. Even when we were there, international students were a big thing at OSU. They have been for a very, very long time.”
Stevens, a former lawyer who worked in the United Way’s national office, had bitter feelings toward OSU for years after leaving because of the former university administration. He carried that with him until reunions like the one in 2017 happened. Now, he takes great
pride in his university, which is why the OSU visa news hit closer to home.
“When I hear something that’s happening to students at OSU that’s unfair, I feel a kinship to that from our days there,” Stevens said. “It’s different than hearing about it on other campuses, and we feel a connection, all of us do.”
Stevens said Larason Schneider was the “troublemaker” who started some of their pushback efforts in the ‘60s. She, too, wants OSU to do “the right thing” and even has a proposal for what the university could do.
“I wish they would maybe hook up with the other universities in the Big 12 (Conference), so you’re not hanging out there by yourself, get an alliance going that will stand up to Donald Trump,” Larason Schneider said. “Why not? I just like to see Oklahoma State do the right thing.”
Both alumni said the students should seek legal help, and they’re also both happy with how OSU is responding to the situation.
In an email obtained by The O’Colly, Randy Kluver, associate provost and dean of OSU Global, said OSU is “up to 13 students” with revoked visas, but that things have “slowed down,” with no students being affected since this past week. Kluver also shared news of a decision interim president Jim Hess and provost Jeanette Mendez have made for when the students are leaving OSU.
“Our provost and interim president have decided that we will not send the students home immediately, but they are welcome to stay until May 15, allowing them to finish the semester,” Kluver wrote.
“Hopefully, some action between now and then will allow students to stay beyond that.”
Kluver didn’t respond to The O’Colly’s email for further comment.
The group of alumni who sent the letter to The O’Colly is hoping, too, that something changes between now and then.
“This is not fair. It’s not fair what’s being done to these students,” Larason Schneider said. “And surely everyone — liberals, conservatives, Democrats, Republicans — will recognize the unfairness of denying the visas to these students. It’s just wrong.”
news.ed@ocolly.com
Signed by: Delmer Boyles, Craig Campbell, Sherry Caves, Wayne Cozart, Marcia Cozart Greenwood, Chic Dambach, Rev. Michael F. Eischen, Marcia W. Eischen, Sharon Gafford Furstenwerth, Jane Graham, Jim Gundlach, Hank Hankla, Keith McGlamery, Martha Nicholson, Gene Reid, Kathy Reid, Lynn Roney, Anne Larason Schneider, Judy Stevens, Ron Stevens, Bob Swaffar, Jim Troxel and Kay Weibel.
OSU organization brings awareness to sexual violence
ANNIE ROSS STAFF REPORTER
April is Sexual Assault Awareness month, and 1 is 2 Many, an Oklahoma State campus organization, advocates for victims of sexual assault by showcasing an exhibit of clothes that victims were wearing at the time of their assault, along with artwork created by students that represent experiences with sexual assault.
1 is 2 Many has created the exhibit, “What Were You Wearing,” in previous years, but this is the first time that the Orange Wall Art Gallery in the Student Union basement will be displaying it.
“This exhibit is made up of artwork that students have created that resonate with their experience or loved ones’ experiences with sexual assault,” said Claire Leffingwell, coordinator of 1 is 2 Many. “This gallery seeks to amplify voices, foster support and promote healing from creative expression.”
Women aged 18-24 are at risk of sexual violence, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, which provides sexual assault statistics. Male students are 78% more likely to be a victim of sexual assault or rape than non-students of the same age, according to rainn.com.
Members of the 1 is 2 Many organization believe it is not just the victim who is affected by sexual violence. Leffingwell said that this year’s motto “Support, Act & Heal” was picked to fully capture the experience of both the survivors and allies of sexual assault
“Art pieces that represented the importance of connections and explored themes of compassions could be categorized in Support,” Leffingwell said. “Artwork that influenced consumers into a call of action, empowerment and advocacy would be put into the Act section. ...Work that showed expressions of healing, struggle and resilience would be placed into the Heal section.”
While the organization’s motto may change every year, this exhibit is put
together with the same goal in mind each time.
“Through powerful artwork created by our students, we hope to move survivors, allies and even those who may not have a direct experience with sexual assault,” Leffingwell said.
“Survivors are reminded that they are not alone, allies are called to unite in prevention and advocacy and all members of the community are encouraged to engage in meaningful conversations that help end sexual violence.”
Leffingwell acknowledged the sensitivity and emotion that this exhibit can invoke while expressing her gratitude to the artists and viewers of the exhibit.
“This is heavy artwork to create and see, so we are grateful to our artists and those who chose to check out our exhibit,” Leffingwell said.
Izy Wilkerson, the Orange Wall Art Gallery student liason, said that this was the first time that the Orange Wall has showcased the exhibit for 1 is 2 Many.
“This is the first year the Orange Wall has had the honor of housing a ‘What Were You Wearing’ exhibit,” Wilkerson said. “Together we developed the student art exhibition in conjunction.”
The Orange Wall cycles through art at a monthly rate, while offering students, faculty and staff entry-level showcasing opportunities at OSU. Discussion and preparation for the current exhibit began last fall, Wilkerson said.
Many of the Orange Wall showcases are collections of student artwork curated by Wilkerson. Some of the Orange Wall’s biggest installations are in partnership with the Artist Society, an organization made by and for student artists, Wilkerson said.
The submission deadline has already passed for this year’s exhibit. However, Wilkerson said that students can visit the Orange Wall Art Gallery website and fill out the interest form to apply for a feature. Students can view the current gallery through the end of April.
news.ed@ocolly.com
Payton Little
Students left heartfelt notes for survivors viewing the “What Were You Wearing” exhibit.
LIFESTYLE
Turnpike Troubadours explore recovery, reflection on new album
how rare it is to be content.
Review
Turnpike Troubadours released “The Price of Admission” on Thursday night during its Night 1 set of the sold-out “The Boys from Oklahoma” concert in Stillwater at Boone Pickens Stadium.
The album marks the band’s second full-length release since reuniting in 2021, and it finds the group in familiar territory — leaning into stories of family, remembrance and life, all backed by a signature fiddle-driven sound.
While the instrumentation remains grounded in Red Dirt roots, each track carries its own tone and emotional weight. Evan Felker, the band’s lead vocalist and primary songwriter, became sober in 2020, and that clarity comes through in the album’s reflective, grounded writing
The album isn’t patient when it comes to the main thesis. A third of the way through the opening track “On The Red River,” Felker sings, “We learned pain was the price of admission, and you’re never done paying it down,” single-handedly sets the tone for the rest of the album.
This isn’t a comeback soaked in celebration. It’s about what it takes to show up again — buried, self aware and ready to face what’s next.
From there, the album expands outward. The opener is slow, sparse and heavy with memories. The instrumentation builds gradually, but never overwhelms. It’s a song about the unspoken wisdom passed between generations and the physical toll of living the life you were born into. The stripped-down sound matches the weight of the lyrics.
Other tracks lean into movement.
“Be Here” is breezy, rhythmic and sonically rich. It opens with a playful call-and-response: “I really don’t need to be here,” echoing like a muttered mantra. The track’s buoyant drums and layered fiddle give it a back-porch feel. It’s one of the most replayable tracks on this record — and maybe one of the least emotionally intense, which works in its favor.
Then there’s “Heaven Passing Through,” which might be the emotional centerpiece of the album. It’s gentle, reflective and soaked in gratitude. The lyrics trace moments across time — late-night drives, honkey-tonk dances, a father pointing out constellations to his child. The melody stays soft, but the fiddle acts like a highlighter, lifting key lines with subtle flourishes. Felker sings, “Hold on to the moment like it’s heaven passing through,” and he means it. The song isn’t about chasing something better; it’s about realizing
Not every track swings light. “The Devil Plies His Trade (Sn 6 Ep 3)” flips the tone. It’s dark and brooding, opening with a fierce fiddle line that feels like a deliberate nod to “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” The lyrics read like a sermon from the Devil himself. “Trade the water for wine,” Felker sings, pitching temptation as casually as a bartender. The title references a “Riverdale” episode where The Devil tempts people with twisted deals. The connection adds weight to the metaphor, offering a backstory to the bad decisions threaded throughout Felker’s life. If “Devil” is temptation, “A Lie Agreed Upon” is the aftermath. It plays upbeat but questions everything. The lyrics are about trying to trust someone again — and maybe not quite pulling it off. The music is honky-tonk fun: tambourines, short fiddle solos and boot-tapping drums. It’s light, but only if you’re not listening too hard.
Tracks like “Ruby Ann” and “What Was Advertised” carry that same duality. “Ruby Ann” is all fire and devotion, opening fast and full — a love song that doesn’t ask permission to be loud.
“What Was Advertised” plays it more sardonic. “Still I’ve yet to see what was advertised to me,” Felker sings, balancing a honky-tonk rhythm with a kind of tired disbelief. It’s a barroom shrug in the form of a song.
One of the album’s most poetic moments comes in “Leaving Town (Woody Guthrie Festival).” This is Turnpike at its storytelling best — specific, local and emotionally big. The lyrics namecheck water towers, porch swings and alleyway parties, but the real weight is in the line, “Here I am now, I’m torn and tattered. All mixed up in the local crowd.” It’s a return to the hometown that shaped you, only to realize how much you’ve changed — and maybe how much you miss it.
The album closes with “Nothing You Can Do,” a low-key groove that strings together vignettes about life, love, loss and regret. Musically, it’s funky and laid-back, more barroom sway than slow dance. The repeated line, “There’s nothing you can do,” isn’t defeatist, it’s mature and accepting. The song sounds like peace, or the closest thing to it.
“The Price of Admission” doesn’t reinvent Turnpike; it sharpens the band. There’s more maturity here, more restraint. The production doesn’t over-polish or overcrowd. It gives space for the band’s core strengths: storytelling, fiddle work and Felker’s weary, weathered voice. Whether they’re wrestling with the Devil or trying to make peace with an old love, they never sound unsure of who they are.
This isn’t an album about coming back. It’s about what it costs to stay.
news.ed@ocolly.com
‘The
Boys From Oklahoma’ brings back memories, iconic performances, surprise guests
ers, a performance worthy of an artist recently inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
Review
The light breeze and setting sun made it feel like game day in Boone Pickens Stadium, but it wasn’t the Cowboys the tasseled crowd roared for; it was “The Boys From Oklahoma.”
After three days of non-stop honky tonk Jason Boland, The Great Divide, Stoney LaRue, Turnpike Troubadours and Cross Canadian Ragweed hit the stage for their last show Sunday night in BPS.
The O’Colly attended Sunday’s concert surrounded by longtime fans and newcomers to the genre.
Jason Boland & The Stragglers were the first to perform, riling up the crowd with a rowdy entrance to “The Boys are Back in Town,” a fitting homecoming for the musicians who defined Red Dirt Music.
Boland’s upbeat performance got everyone in the right headspace with a mix of upbeat tunes and songs that encouraged concert-goers to show off their two-stepping skills. The night was full of shout-outs and dedications, including Boland’s to Jimmy LaFave, who was instrumental in the Red Dirt genre. Boland also played a song he produced with Cross Canadian Ragweed, “Proud Souls,” inspired by a trip Boland took with Cody Canada.
It wouldn’t be Oklahoma without a storm or two, and Boland whipped the crowd into a frenzy with “Blowing Through the Hills,” a song about Oklahoma’s infamous tornadoes.
Fans got into it as Boland sang the chorus, “Grab a Bible if you can, something wicked comes this way to tear apart the land,” coupled with a guitar solo that ripped through the stadium like a tornado in a trailer park.
Homecoming was the night’s theme, and The Great Divide crawled right out of the 90s to transport the crowd back to a time when life was simpler and evenings were spent waiting in line at Shortcakes cafe and listening to Red Dirt music in Daddy O’s music shop.
Lead guitarist Mike McClure honored Red Dirt legends Tom Skinner and Bob Childers. To complete its set, The Great Divide got the crowd going with a callback to the old Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons.
“The jet roller skates with a bad set of brakes,” McClure sang. “Such a high price to pay for just doing your thing, but you’re doing okay. You’re just an old coyote, but every dog has its day.”
The Great Divide had its day with one last song and a surprise as Wyatt Flores raced on stage to join in.
The first two groups set the stage as the sun dipped further behind the stadium, and anticipation grew as Stoney LaRue entered. Backed by the lyrics, “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma,” LaRue’s performance got fans on their feet in another bootstomping marathon.
LaRue put on a great show, with some help from the Red Dirt Rang-
As the sun finally dimmed and the stars came out, Turnpike made its entrance. The band’s set only added to the concert’s country music festival feeling. Turnpike broke out the stories and a harmonica to the crowd’s delight.
The band played a few songs before bringing out “Red Dirt’s chosen son,” Flores, to sing “7 & 7.” Together, Flores and Turnpike gave a memorable performance, ending their fourth go-around on a high note with a flashlight-lit version of “Every Girl.”
After four standout performances, Ragweed finally took the stage, entering to a song in a different shade of red: Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” This was an absolutely iconic moment for the newly reunited Cross Canadian Ragweed.
Before the set, a member of Ragweed did a quick mic check, yelling OSU fans’ favorite phrase, “Here comes Bullet!” While Bullet did not race across the field, Ragweed quickly struck a chord.
Lead singer Canada thanked fans and warned everyone that things were about to get emotional. After three nights of playing live, Canada and his bandmates were not ready to call it.
Ragweed performed for more than two hours, going over time; something the audience didn’t mind at all. The band was joined by guests including Canada’s kids, musicians themselves, and Parker McCollum.
As they closed out the night, Ragweed played “Boys From Oklahoma,” getting the crowd to sing along as every performer from the evening joined them on stage in a true Red Dirt reunion.
The night ended on a high note, and by all accounts, “The Boys From Oklahoma” was a success. The concert brought together fans, turned Stillwater into a hub of activity and reignited interest in the Red Dirt genre.
Similar to game days in BPS, the concert drew a vast crowd, with four sold-out shows, but still maintained a warm and inviting atmosphere. The Cowboy family met the Red Dirt family, often overlapping, to create a more connected and welcoming atmosphere. Fans sang together, laughed together and danced together to the music all weekend. Unlike other concerts, this one was personal, and every reference, story and memory gave people a glimpse into life in Stillwater and Oklahomans a heartfelt connection to the shows.
“The Boys From Oklahoma” made history in Stillwater, and hopefully, it’s not a one-time thing. While many students feared the large concert crowds, seeing Stillwater transform into a music hub, a love letter to Red Dirt, for four days was a worthwhile experience.
Ragweed got the band back together, and when Canada asked the crowd if they’d like to make the concert an annual event, their cheers were all he needed to hear to strike up another tune.
Payton Little
Lead Ragweed singer Cody Canada performed to a sold-out crowd four nights in a row.
HAYDEN ALEXANDER NEWS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR
NEWS
OSU parent offers free rides to discourage drunk driving at ‘The Boys From Oklahoma’
Several students found themselves drunk and in the backseat of a stranger’s car this past weekend.
But this particular stranger was protecting them from danger.
Elizabeth Fite Autry, a parent of an OSU junior, offered free rides to students traveling from “The Boys From Oklahoma,” concerts Thursday through Sunday. Her goal was to eliminate drunk driving accidents.
Fite Autry was inspired to start giving free rides after she lost a couple of her friends to drunk driving accidents. That, and her passion for helping college students, inspired her to create Cowboy Home Connection, a business dedicated to helping college students.
“A lot of young kids make bad choices when they’re in college,” Fite Autry said. “One bad choice when they’re really young shouldn’t have to kill someone else or ruin their whole life forever.”
Fite Autry has consistent clients who she cleans and runs errands for. She also picks them up from The Strip when needed, sparking her idea to post her free ride service on several community pages on Facebook for the weekend. She said her reasoning was not to bring exposure for her business, but to help as many students as she could.
One of Fite Audry’s concerns was the rising Uber and Lyft costs being unaffordable for students who spent money on alcohol and concert merch over the weekend. Her solution was to eliminate the price barrier. She said she drove almost 300 people home, roughly 75 people each day of the concert, for free.
Students who crammed into the back of Fite Autry’s car didn’t experience a silent ride. She said she loves to chat with students and become a listening ear for those who may need it.
“I usually ask where they’re from and what their majors are and what was their rose of the day and what was their thorn of the day,” Fite Autry said. “Cause some people complain that they’ve had a bad day or they have a phone conversation that I overhear while they’re in the car, and I just tell them if you’re out partying and you need a ride, please call me or if I can help in some way, let me know ‘cause sometimes I can help.”
Fite Autry’s one rule is a $300 charge if a student throws up in the car, and it’s only happened once this year. When the student told Fite Autry that she couldn’t pay because her parents would find out, Fite Autry offered her some advice.
“I said, ‘Honey, you have got to tell them that you go out and you do things, that you’re a normal person,’” Fite Audry said. “Instead of thinking that your child doesn’t do this and then feeling like they have to hide it, please pass my number along for your child and their friends so something bad doesn’t happen.”
Something bad happening is not uncommon when alcohol and driving are paired together, and Fite Audry is no stranger to that.
She lost her best friend in high school to a drunk driving accident and inherited a mutual friend through the grieving process. That friend lost her life when a drunk semi-truck driver hit and killed her three years ago.
Fite Autry said she couldn’t sit and be angry anymore. She had to do something. Cowboy Home Connection was that something.
Fite Audry said her goal with her business is to be there for people in the moments they need it most. During the weekend of “The Boys From Oklahoma,” she anticipated many would need assistance.
From the second she posted the advertisement, her phone began blowing up. She remembers picking up one father and daughter from the concert whose circumstances stuck with her.
The daughter had recently lost her husband to suicide. She was supposed to attend “The Boys From Oklahoma” concert with him.
Fite Autry being able to help them — even with something as simple as a free ride — meant the world to her. During the holiday season, she worries about the possibility of a similar situation happening among students who can’t return home.
“I don’t think any child should have to stay here during the holidays, but if they have to, they have to,” Fite Autry said. “But that doesn’t mean that I won’t call them and say, ‘Hey can you have dinner at my house?’ or take them something to eat.”
From a hot meal to a free ride, Fite Autry hopes to continue to help students in any way she can.
In the next couple of weeks, she will run another advertisement for free rides in hopes of preventing drunk driving accidents during the Calf Fry festival.
“I look at myself as a change that I want to see,” Fite Autry said. “Sometimes Stillwater residents aren’t very kind to college students… and I don’t think it has to be that way.”
Bryson Thadhani contributed to this report.
Red Dirt Reunion: Fans come together for concerts at Boone Pickens Stadium
“It’s a good excuse to come back,” Holt said. “It’s a great place to be and support people from Oklahoma.”
Thousands of fans descended to Stillwater this past weekend to catch their favorite artists, reunite with old friends and join the Red Dirt festivities at “The Boys From Oklahoma” concert series.
After 15 years, Cross Canadian Ragweed reunited and took the stage with Turnpike Troubadours, Stoney LaRue, The Great Divide and Jason Boland & The Stragglers. Many fans crossed state borders to witness history.
Alan and Nancy Bennett, while enjoying some live music before Saturday’s concert, remembered the first time they heard Stoney LaRue on the radio.
“We heard a Stoney LaRue song way back then and went to see him,” Nancy said.
After discovering LaRue, Nancy and Alan discovered other Red Dirt artists, expanding their love for the genre.
The Bennetts are from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and enjoy going to concerts together.
“We are retired, and this is our passion,” Alan said. “We go toward the good music.”
After 20 years of listening to the same music, Alan and Nancy are thankful they found each other.
“It’s really great when you find a person that has the same interest as you,” Alan said.
Alan and Nancy made the four-hour trip to Stillwater for the love of music, but others hit the road for the memories.
Addison Meziere and Jentry Holt are Oklahoma State graduates, and Sunday’s concert offered them the perfect reason to return to Stillwater.
Meziere’s love for the Red Dirt genre grew at OSU, and she was excited to see Turnpike. She said the crowds were similar to Cowboy football game days, but on “steroids.” Holt said it felt about the same.
“It’s the same vibe as far as finding parking and a place to eat, but that’s a good problem to have,” Holt said. A surge in customers, while hectic, was not a problem local businesses minded. Ava Chandler works at Eskimo Joe’s and worked during the weekend’s chaos. She carried a tray with a piece of paper taped on it that read: “Ask me about cheese fries.” Chandler said the weekend rivaled the hustle and bustle of game days in Stillwater.
“Usually, game days are crazy, but this has been a little bit crazier, especially having four straight days of it,” Chandler said.
Despite the crowded circumstances, Chandler said she hopes events like “The Boys From Oklahoma” happen more frequently.
“I think they should do it again,” Chandler said. “I think it brings a lot of business to Stillwater, and it brings a lot of people here.”
The concert brought people from all over, including those who prefer crimson and cream over orange and black. Holly Riley made the trip from Norman to Stillwater to listen to the local artists playing around the stadium, like White Lighters at the Midway Stage, and Ragweed in Boone Pickens. Riley said she is a University of Oklahoma fan all the way, but enjoyed her time in Stillwater.
“Boomer Sooner,” Riley said. “It’s actually been really lovely. Everyone’s been great.”
Cousin
She waited until nearly the end of the concert to hear it live, but she was exhausted from the trip from Stillwater to Houston and left early. She and her boyfriend trekked across campus to get back to their truck.
“We were on this sidewalk, and I was like, ‘Oh, they’re playing her song,’” Germany said. “And so we got to dance underneath a tree and listen to that song. And I think that was the perfect ending for that night.”
Germany saw Novak in other moments that weekend. She met a long-haired dachshund named Millie at a restaurant on the drive up. Novak owned a nearly identical dog, also named Millie, for 15 years.
As Germany and her boyfriend entered Oklahoma, they passed a billboard that read “444-4444.” Novak claimed the number “444” followed her. Fellow fans even gave Germany and her boyfriend pit tickets after hearing Novak’s story.
“I felt comfort and peace in those moments (at the concert) because I knew she was there, and those signs made me feel comforted and basically know that she was OK,” Germany said. Novak’s family sees signs of her in their daily lives, too. For Wright, it
could be a song they used to listen to together coming on in the car, or once when a butterfly continually landed on her hand. Novak’s father, Charlie Parker, said butterflies are a sign of Novak for him as well.
Other times, it’s Novak’s boys, Jameson, 10, and Bradley, 5, jamming out to a song Novak loved.
“She really, really, really loved her boys,” Wright said.
They were glued to Novak, Wright said. But a lot of people were drawn to her. Germany described her as the “it” girl everyone wanted to be, including herself.
Parker recalls family dinners at House of Pho, a pho restaurant Novak always took him to. After her death, the staff insisted they pay for one of his meals, though they recognized it couldn’t replace Novak.
“She pulled everybody together,” Parker said.
She did just that one last time Sunday night as Germany’s sign appeared on the big screen.
Germany wasn’t sure she wanted to attend without Novak, unable to get out of bed after her death. But she came back from the dark somehow. Or maybe it was heaven passing through.
Hayden Alexander
Alan and Nancy Bennett have been listening to Red Dirt music together for 20 years.
Payton Little Students attending the concerts could call Cowboy Home Connection for a free, safe ride.
Courtesy Brittney Germany
Brittney Germany (left) honored her late cousin Simone Novak at “The Boys From Oklahoma.”
Bombing
In his research, Tillman found personal stories of people going about their daily lives. He said it stuck out to him how people were going to school, going to work and dropping off their kids at daycare with no idea of the tragedy ahead.
“They were suddenly thrust into this moment where, over and over again, they’re discovering something inside themselves that I don’t think they ever knew they had until that moment happened,” he said.
The documentary edits together found footage and natural sound, opting to go without narration and allowing the people who lived those moments to tell the story.
To put together a documentary driven by interviews, Tillman and his crew took great care to give their interviewees the space and support they needed to talk about one of the worst days of their lives.
“I am asking people, some of them like Renee Moore, who really hasn’t told her story before, to trust me and to go back to that moment where she lost her child and to relive that,” Tillman said.
Tillman expressed his gratitude to his interviewees, like Moore, who lost her son, Antonio Cooper Jr., in the bombing. The crew talked with each person for at least half a day, learning everything it could.
“It’s a gift to be able to do that, and it’s a gift that those people are giving me as much as (they did),” Tillman said. “I really want to hear as much as possible in the short time that we have and try to give the audience a true sense of their experience.”
Tillman said building trust was essential.
“They have to be willing to go back and really sit with those moments that were the worst moments of their lives,” Tillman said. “It’s so brave for people to fly back to Oklahoma City or to meet me there, when I come out
there with a camera crew, and to sit down and talk to me.”
Tillman talked with many people he considered to be heroes. He said it was powerful how Oklahomans responded.
“It would have been very understandable for people, anybody, to run as far from the building when it explodes as possible,” he said, “and yet people all over Oklahoma City were headed right towards it, immediately.”
An interview with Carl Spengler, a third-year resident at the University of Oklahoma Emergency Medicine program, stuck out to Tillman. Spengler had just gotten off his shift and was eating breakfast when the explosion knocked him from his chair. Spengler ran toward the scene without hesitation.
“He turned and went right to the heart, went right down there to the building, and he was there, before first responders were there, before the fire trucks and the ambulances,” Tillman said. “He spent the next 20 hours just killing himself to save people.”
Tillman learned not only from the people he interviewed, but also the people he met while filming in Oklahoma City. Tillman said the Oklahoma Standard — a concept born out of the destruction from the bombing — was evident in every interaction.
“No matter where it was, I was usually getting into a conversation about where you were on that day and what was your experience with that,” Tillman said. “It constantly reinforced for me how important this story is.”
The documentary was filmed mostly in OKC, something Tillman knew he wanted to do. The response from Oklahomans surprised him.
“I was hearing stories like that over and over again and hearing people talk about their experience,” Tillman said. “It’s where the term ‘Oklahoma Standard’ came from, and it’s really inspiring and moving to meet people who’ve found that in themselves.”
There were hundreds of heroes that day, but there was also a villain.
Tilman used clips from McVeigh throughout the film. Tillman and his crew pulled the audio from more than 60 hours of tapes recorded by reporters from The Buffalo News. The clips offered insight into McVeigh’s thought process and emotionless reaction to the devastation. Tillman said he felt the clips were important, but he only used what he thought was necessary.
“We had to figure out, ‘How do we use those in a way that’s careful?’” Tillman said. “We’re not overdoing it. We’re not giving this guy a platform from the grave.”
To achieve this, the documentary only touches on the clips when the interviewees in the film mention or interact with McVeigh, giving the power back to the victims, reporters and law enforcement officers.
Tillman said he told the documentary’s producers, “Let’s start this show the way it started for everybody in the city, from the moment the bomb exploded, and try to tell as much as we can, a minute-byminute retelling of the bomb and the aftermath in the days afterwards and only bring in McVeigh’s voice once our characters begin to interact with him.”
Working on a heavy subject like the Oklahoma City bombing is not easy. Tillman said he was able to get through it because of the resilience of the men and women he spoke with.
“That’s how I get through it,” Tillman said. “I try to focus on the gift of being able to help them tell their story.”
Thirty years later, the impacts of the bombing are being felt everywhere. Tillman said the event is an example of hatred and divisiveness unchecked. He hopes people remember and that they continue to seek out this story.
“I worry about the time when people stop telling this story, because
that’s going to be when we’ve done so many other horrible things to each other that this no longer stands out,” Tillman. “We’re in a time right now in our country that no matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on there’s just a lot of demonization and a lot of screaming at the other side, a lot of discounting the humanity of the people that you don’t agree with, and I think this is a great example of what can happen when you let that kind of anger and hatred and divisiveness just go.”
Tillman’s biggest takeaway from the film was the people. It was the victims he spoke with and the people on the street who waved to him as he walked through Oklahoma City that inspired every frame of the story.
The attack shaped the city, Tillman said, but Oklahomans turned it into something good.
“I don’t think there’s any way to understand how much it’s affected the city, and I think mostly in good ways,” Tillman said. “People have come together in ways that I find really impressive.”
The emotional film takes you through every moment from the bombing to the verdict of McVeigh, capturing the emotions of the day and those that followed vividly, emphasizing the victims and heroes of April 19, 1995.
The Oklahoma Standard stands out in every frame of the documentary, showing the spirit of generosity and compassion of people faced with an impossible tragedy.
As the music slows, taking on a tone of remembrance, the photos of all 168 people killed appear on screen, fading to black as text appears on the screen, the final shot of the film, a dedication that reads:
“This film is dedicated to them, to all the people who tried to save them and to all the friends and family who miss them.”
Connor Fuxa
The documentary “Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror” follows the stories of the victims and heroes of the Oklahoma City bombing 30 years ago.
Lifestyle
Songs
Continued from 1
Mike McClure’s amazing songwriting skills stand out in “Break in the Storm.” The song — about finding a person who picks you up on the darkest days — couldn’t encapsulate the feeling of wanting to care for another in a better way. It easily made it into the top three with the lyrics “I know there’s been darkness in your life. I want to help you find the sun.”
“Wile E. Coyote,” based on a Looney Tunes character, seemed like a crowd favorite. Even if the connection between the song and the character may have been missing among the younger crowd, singing “You’re just an ole coyote, but every dog has his day,” made it worth it. As great as tearjerkers like “Break in the Storm” are, sometimes a fun one is just what the crowd needs.
A cover takes the final spot in the top three. “Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By)” is a song The Great Divide often covers. It’s a classic from the 1960s, but is infused with a Red Dirt sound. To make it even more special, Wyatt Flores came out and sang the first verse. It doesn’t get more boys from Oklahoma than that.
Stoney LaRue
A remix of classic Oklahoma songs including “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma” and “Oklahoma” (you know, where the wind comes
sweeping down the plains) introduced Stoney LaRue. He began his set with one of his most popular songs, “Oklahoma Breakdown.”
After the crowd sang the lyrics back to him, LaRue thanked Mike Hosty, the local musician who wrote the song originally. It was a special moment, and it didn’t end there.
After LaRue’s entire set, he ended the song with another verse from it. Clearly, the impact it had on his career easily puts the song in the top three.
A slow song in the middle of a rocking set will always be captivating.
“One Chord Song” had its moment on LaRue’s setlist for this reason. The guitar in this song is beautiful and simple. And LaRue ringing his guitar string is simply iconic.
“Idabel Blues” featuring The Red Dirt Rangers was another iconic moment. LaRue was amazing on the guitar and the fiddle was great, but the Rangers stole the show singing “Red River is my grave.”
Turnpike Troubadours
Choosing three songs from the Turnpike Troubadours’ set seems criminal. The boys from Tahlequah brought their best work to the Boone Pickens stage. Songs from albums “Diamonds & Gasoline” and “Goodbye Normal Street” brought the crowd back to life after the wait between sets.
Not putting “Good Lord Lorrie”
on the list is painful, as it’s one of the band’s most popular songs, but it was the perfect choice to hype up the crowd before Flores hopped back on stage for the song “7 & 7.”
The energy was up, and Felker and Flores together sang, “Well, I had no clue, I’d be the boy who your mama warned you about,” and Flores’ raspy voice truly brought it together. It surpassed “Good Lord Lorrie” based on energy alone.
Toward the end of the set, a sparkly filter on the screens surrounded Evan Felker as he started singing “Diamonds & Gasoline.” It made the top three immediately. The slow song mid-set will always get the tears flowing.
How does one recover from “If I can’t afford you darlin’ then I can’t afford to dream?” It’s heartbreaking and beautiful, and no one could do it like Felker.
The last song of the set, “Long Hot Summer Day” had the crowd stomping their boots and clapping their hands. It felt like a true Honky-Tonk experience and had many who had been sitting for most of the set on their feet.
Cross Canadian Ragweed
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift blasted through the speakers. The irony of Ragweed reuniting after 15 years immediately hit the audience.
One of the first songs played in
the two-hour and 15-minute set was “17.” Boland is said to have inspired the song after taking a trip with Cody Canada to his hometown. Canada invited Boland out to perform the song.
The audience was captivated as many of the original fans of Ragweed were around 17 when they discovered the band; it was a full-circle moment.
The next song in the top three is arguably one of the best Ragweed songs, but the guest appearance made the moment even more iconic. Canada wrote the song “Constantly” about his wife, and said he didn’t know how to feel bringing out such a handsome gentleman out to sing it with him. That handsome gentleman was Parker McCollum.
It was a shock to the crowd, and it was definitely not on The O’Colly’s bingo card.
The band’s children also made special appearances throughout the set. Dierks Canada, Canada’s son played guitar, and the lead singer of the band he’s a member of — Waves in April — sang “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent. They were amazing, but top three is reserved for Ragweed.
“Alabama” is the last song to make the top three for being one of the best Ragweed songs ever made. Another Flores appearance also helped its case, yet on its own, it was a good choice to end on as it had the crowd singing and swaying one last time.
news.ed@ocolly.com
OPEN YOUR HEART TO GOD!
“Open your heart and let him in. God will remove all your sorrow and sin. He may not pass this way again, so open your heart and let him come in.” These are words from an old hymn.
Many struggle so hard to take this step, not wanting to give up their independence; not wanting to humble themselves before God. In the Psalms, David said: “When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all the day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.”
(32:3-5 NLT)
It seems so simple, and it is! Yet, so many
struggle with honesty and humility. These qualities are of great importance with God. The truth is another has paid the penalty for your sins and mine. That is the good news! What we could not do (get rid of our sins), Jesus did by dying in our place. Therefore, “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven,whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Ro.4:7-8 NIV)
Again, blaming friends or relatives will not help; getting religious does not help, thinking you are among the “better” people does no good. Trust what God has done for you through Christ. Get honest and humble yourself before God. Confess your sinfulness, and God will freely forgive. You will be free of guilt and stand innocent before God. Then you can begin a lasting and fruitful relationship with this great and loving God.
Payton Little
Evan Felker, the lead singer of Turnpike Troubadours, performed “Diamonds & Gasoline” while the audience held up phone flashlights Sunday at Boone Pickens Stadium.
best photos from ‘the Boys from oklahoma’
TOP RIGHT: Fans sing along with Cross
MIDDLE LEFT: Mike McClure, lead singer of The Great Divide
MIDDLE: The Red Dirt Rangers and Stoney LaRue perform.
MIDDLE RIGHT: A stage crew member sets down The Golden Gnome.
BOTTOM LEFT: The Turnpike Troubadours performs. BOTTOM RIGHT: Jason Boland performs.
Photo editor Payton Little’s best photos from “The Boys from Oklahoma” concert series.
TOP LEFT: Cody Canada, lead singer of Cross Canadian Ragweed performs.
Canadian Ragweed.
performs.
Follow The Leadoff
BY ASHTON SLAUGHTER
Tallen Edwards doesn’t lose sleep over her play anymore. She loses sleep when Oklahoma State softball loses games or falls into rough patches, but when it comes to her play, nope. In a season in which the Cowgirls’ junior third baseman has batted in seven spots in the lineup — ranging anywhere from leadoff to ninth — Edwards’ mindset hasn’t wavered. It’s something she had to work on.
Not worrying about the missed at-bats.
Not worrying about what she can’t control. Not worrying about letting people in. And for a 22nd-ranked OSU (25-14, 6-7 Big 12) squad that’s trying to build momentum with just more than two weeks left in the regular season, Edwards’ leadoff hitting and mindset change make a compelling argument for having confidence in Kenny Gajewski’s team when the postseason comes around. Edwards has always wanted the spotlight and the pressure. Now she’s in the right headspace to bear those burdens.
Cowboy baseball looking to rebound after Bedlam loss
Oklahoma’s Jason Walk stood and awaited a pitch from Oklahoma State baseball southpaw Drew Blake. The
and grunts from OSU fans
Tuesday at O’Brate Stadium illustrated the calamitous effect the Bedlam contest had on the home crowd present for No. 18 Oklahoma’s 11-1 run-rule win. A nonexistent offense and selfinflicted wounds had contributed to a bad night for the Cowboys (16-18). But it would get worse.
“These past couple of years were hard for me with failing and trying to prove myself and just so many ups and downs for me, and I rode those downs often,” Edwards said. “… My mentality shift is relentless.”
‘This is her home’
When Edwards took a drop ball down the middle to make the count 0-1 in a walk-off opportunity, her mind let her have it once she passed up the pitch.
“My brain kinda went to, ‘Dang it. Why are you doing that?” Edwards said.
In their final Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational game Feb. 16, the Cowgirls trailed Alabama 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning. Rachel Hathoot was on second, and Tia Warsop was on first. Edwards, who was batting ninth in the lineup for the first time this season — she was in that lineup slot for 11 of the next 12 games — stepped back into the box for the next pitch, looked at the pitcher and said, “It’s just a game.”
on page 4B
After struggles at Arkansas, Jones
rekindles love for baseball at OSU
In the early part of July 2024, Kim Jones received a life-altering phone call.
An Oklahoma area code appeared on her phone. When she answered with her husband, Tim, beside her,
exhilaration ensued. This is Josh Holliday from Oklahoma State baseball. Is Jayson there? Kim’s son, Jayson Jones, was playing with the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cod summer baseball league in Massachusetts. While Jones wasn’t present, Kim said she felt “more than happy” to speak for her son to what could have potentially been his next head coach.
See JONES on page 5B
Mykalyn Daidone
OSU third baseman Tallen Edwards has batted anywhere from leadoff to nine-hole in the Cowgirls’ lineup. At the one-hole now, she has given OSU an offensive energy.
Davis Hicks
OSU baseball is 16-18 after starting the season ranked No. 17 in the Top 25.
Payton Little After hitting below .200 at Arkansas, Jones has been one of OSU’s best offensive players this season.
groans
in the top of the eighth inning
See EDWARDS
Gundy changes plans, announces spring game
Mike Gundy was a trendsetter in the spring game space.
In 2023 and 2024, Oklahoma State football abandoned the age-old tradition, citing stadium construction both years. But it also reduced the chances that players would hit the transfer portal.
Now, despite those concerns still existing, Gundy announced the Cowboys would indeed play an Orange and White spring game. It’s tentatively set for 1 p.m. on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Admission and parking are free.
“This team needs to play a game,” Gundy said. “I need to see them play a game. And I made that decision yesterday, and I haven’t shared it with the staff. In fact, this is the first time I mentioned it.”
The call for competitive action makes sense.
OSU is ushering in a new era of football. Gone are Ollie Gordon II, Brennan Presley, Collin Oliver, Nick Martin and others. Gundy needs candidates to reveal themselves if OSU has any chance of returning to the heights it reached just two seasons ago.
And what better place to do it than in front of his program’s most critical fans?
Gundy needs a quarterback to emerge alongside a replacement for the handful of OSU icons who moved on this past offseason.
He hasn’t given an edge to a quarterback in camp as a four-way battle has ensued between Hauss Hejny, Garret Rangel, Zane Flores and Maealiuaki Smith.
Whether at quarterback or any other unresolved position, Gundy needs a proving ground for players to separate themselves from the pack.
“I haven’t seen 32 of these guys play,” Gundy said. “And in my mind, just counting roughly 26 of the 32 guys that are here are going to be in a position to maybe contribute to help us next year. And I need to see them play in a game some because I’m trying to figure out whenever we have a personnel meeting on offense and defense, when they tell me what they think, I need to know if I agree with them or not.”
A spring game checks all the boxes. It makes sense for a program in the process of unveiling a largely new team.
Will it be a team-building exercise? Or will it turn into a reason for players to enter the spring transfer portal, which just so happens to be open during the scheduled window for OSU’s spring game?
“You worry about poaching, you worry about somebody getting (the) feeling like, ‘You established a depth chart and left me off the depth chart’ and you worry about getting somebody banged up,” Gundy said. “I get all that. And those are a concern of mine. You know, as a head coach, those things keep you up at night.”
Whatever concerns a spring game presents, Gundy is clearly comfortable with them.
With a slew of new players, a new staff on both sides of the ball and an open quarterback competition, a spring game always made sense. And now that Gundy is on board, the Orange and White Game is back in full swing.
“Practices are pretty intense. But it’s different when you go out and get ready, and you just stretch, you go play a game and people are watching you,” Gundy said. “Coaches are off the field, and you don’t have any help. You’re out there on your own. So that’s what I’m wanting to see. That’s why I think we need to play a game. And we’re healthy enough to play a game.”
Cowboy football adds trio of offensive difference makers from spring transfer portal
the winter portal, OSU has given the receiver room a serious overhaul.
Oklahoma State football has been busy in the transfer portal.
Coach Mike Gundy has attempted to replace offensive stars Brennan Presley, Ollie Gordon II and Rashod Owens through the portal. The Cowboys have added more than 30 new players this offseason, and with the spring portal opening, Gundy and his staff identified the holes remaining and filled them accordingly.
With the spring portal officially open, a look at OSU’s most recent offensive additions:
Cam Abshire, WR — Emory and Henry
Although his former stomping grounds may not be a nationallyrenowned powerhouse, Abshire is coming off a season at the Division II level in which he was named an All-Conference performer.
Standing 6-foot-4, Abshire’s 1,057 yards and 13 touchdowns got the attention of multiple Power Four conference programs, which led to him scheduling visits with OSU, Missouri and Colorado. Abshire’s first visit was to Stillwater, and the Cowboys secured a commitment before he went on his other two.
Leon Johnson III laid out Abshire’s blueprint for success two seasons ago.
Coming from George Fox, Johnson wasn’t brought in to be a surefire starter and NFL Draft prospect. By the end of his lone season at OSU, Johnson had played in 10 games and had more than 500 yards. He ended up spending time with the Los Angeles Chargers.
If Abshire can follow in Johnson’s footsteps, he could carve out a big role in an OSU offense that is replacing Presley, Owens and De’Zhaun Stribling and also dealing with a reported ACL tear to projected starter Talyn Shettron.
Christian Fitzpatrick, WR — Marshall Between these two commitments and the additions of Shamar Rigby, Sam Jackson and Jaylen Lloyd in
Fitzpatrick is coming off his most productive college season at Marshall. The then-fourth-year receiver racked up 576 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Thundering Herd. Now he brings his talents to Stillwater, where his 6-foot-4 frame will add to what is becoming a tall group of receivers.
Before breaking out at Marshall, Fitzpatrick spent three seasons at Michigan State, the most productive of which was in 2023, when he had 252 yards and a touchdown.
Fitzpatrick’s other offers weren’t reported, but he was ranked as 247Sports’ 12th-best uncommitted player when he announced his pledge to the Cowboys.
With the reported injury to Shettron, OSU needs all the help it can get out wide. Between Abshire and Fitzpatrick, it’s done a good job of finding pieces who have proven their value as difference-makers, albeit at a lower level.
Markell Samuel, OT — Appalachian State Widely considered to be the highest-rated of OSU’s spring commitments, Samuel is almost certain to come in and secure a starting spot. Coming into college, Samuel was a defensive lineman, but when he switched sides, the Mountaineers realized they found a gem. In his first season as a full-time starter, Samuel was named honorable mention AllSun Belt. He allowed 15 sacks, ranking second in the Sun Belt. He had an 85.4 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.
Samuel was reported to have visits scheduled to Kansas and UCF before he announced his commitment to the Cowboys on Tuesday night. OSU is losing five starting linemen from last season’s team. Gundy has been noncommittal to any set group of players during spring practice, leaving the door open for multiple scenarios.
With Samuel now a Cowboy, it’s hard to see any of those scenarios not involving 247Sports’ secondranked offensive tackle in the spring transfer portal.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
Courtesy OSU Athletics
Hauss Hejny is one of four quarterbacks competing for a starting spot entering the OSU spring game.
Payton Little
Mike Gundy has been the most active he’s ever been in the transfer portal.
2025.
D-line shaping up to be one of Cowboys’ best position groups
PARKER GERL SPORTS EDITOR @PARKER_GERL
Todd Grantham has shown a knack for putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Oklahoma State football’s first-year defensive coordinator coached Florida defenses in 2019 and 2020 that led the SEC in sacks. Now he’s looking to do that for the Cowboys in 2025. On the defensive line, Grantham and OSU have a bevy of collegiate football experience. As Grantham lays his new scheme, the defensive line has the talent to be one of his best position groups.
Justin Kirkland Kirkland gives the Cowboys strength up front.
Literally.
Last season, Kirkland told the media he could bench press “probably like 508 pounds” and that he could probably complete 51 reps of 225 pounds. That would break the all-time official NFL Combine record, held by Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea, who completed 49 reps in 2011.
Kirkland is heading into his third season at OSU as one of the Cowboys’ most experienced players. He played in 26 games over the past two seasons and recorded more than 50 total tackles.
In 2023, Kirkland was credited with 22 total tackles, 11 of which were solo, and made five tackles in OSU’s Big 12 Championship loss to Texas. Kirkland finished 2024 with 18 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack in 12 games.
Iman Oates
Oates is another returner for Grantham to use on the defensive line. He started all 12 games for OSU in 2024 and recorded 25 tackles, 13 of which were solo. Oates also made three tackles for loss and two sacks in his first season as a Cowboy. Oates’ path to OSU began in junior
college at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. There, he recorded 44 tackles as a sophomore and chose the Cowboys over reported offers from SMU, Western Kentuckty and Hawaii, among others.
Kyran Duhon
Duhon has the talent to become one of OSU’s best transfer portal pickups.
From Houston, Duhon spent 2024 at UTEP and heavily contributed as a true freshman. He earned secondteam All-Conference USA honors and was a second-team selection to The Athletic’s Freshman All-America team, cementing Duhon as one of the top rookies in college football last season.
Duhon finished second on the Miners and in Conference USA in sacks with seven and recorded 43 total tackles. He was tabbed as a four-star transfer by 247Sports and could be a top contributor for OSU with his size and athleticism on the edge.
Others Between returners and transfers, Grantham and OSU have other options that could heavily contribute in the trenches beyond Kirkland, Oates and Duhon.
DeSean Brown played in 11 of OSU’s 12 games as a sophomore last season and recorded 14 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. He’s played in more than 20 games as a Cowboy and offers experience for OSU’s defense.
The Cowboys also picked up Sitiveni Havili Kaufusi from UCLA and Malik Charles from West Georgia. Kaufusi played in 32 games for the Bruins, and Charles held reported offers from Texas Tech, Nebraska and Texas A&M when he entered the portal. OSU also added a commitment from former South Carolina defensive end Wendell Gregory on Thursday.
Like most positions on the Cowboys’ 2025 roster, it’s unclear how roles will be delegated on the defensive line. Nonetheless, OSU has a solid blend of experience and talent to mix and match up front.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
New-look secondary making waves at OSU spring practice
CALIF PONCY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @PONCYCALIF
Jaylin Davies has been a part of some talented secondaries.
During his time at Oregon and UCLA, the transfer cornerback has played with high-level players on multiple occasions. And Davies is adamant that this Oklahoma State football team has one of the most talented groups that he’s been a part of.
“It’s a unique room,” Davies said. “It’s one of the best rooms I’ve been a part of. Not stars-wise, hype or anything, but all of them can just really play. Everybody knows how to play the ball, get the ball, play man. It’s a really fun group, get a lot of picks. Everybody’s sure of each other. Everybody’s working, teaching each other, helping each other.”
Just a few months ago, the thought of OSU’s secondary being more than passable was outlandish. But with a new group featuring talented transfers learning to fit into a new system, the Cowboys have a chance to turn a weakness into a strength.
Davies highlights a room that’s also home to former LSU corner JK Johnson and former Charlotte defensive back Mordecai McDaniel. That trio joins a handful of JUCOand high-school products who are joining a group that was porous last season.
The Cowboys, bringing back a room with multiple defenders who had played at a high level, allowed 285.6 passing yards per game. Trey Rucker, Korie Black and Kendal Daniels — who moonlighted at safety while typically playing linebacker — were all fine players, but
together they produced one of the worst defenses in the country in 2024.
Black is off to the NFL, where he is likely to be selected in next week’s draft. Rucker exhausted his eligibility. Daniels took his talents to Norman, where he will suit up for Oklahoma next season.
In short, it’s a new room, and that’s a good thing.
“I think a big thing with the new staff coming in, they didn’t really want to focus on what happened last year,” safety Dylan Smith said. “It’s a new year; what happened, happened. We just put it behind us. Keep moving forward. We all have the same common goal. So just working towards that.”
Smith is one of the few returners expected to play a role in Todd Grantham’s reshaped defense. He’s joined by David Kabongo, who stepped into an important role down the stretch as a true freshman in 2024, and Landyn Cleveland, another second-year player who is expected to have an expanded role. Cam and Kale Smith are also likely to play larger roles.
Others could evolve in a new system and turn into contributors.
Coming off of one of the worst seasons in program history, OSU needed a lot of new to inspire hope in the fanbase. With the secondary in particular, new faces will have to contribute. And based on last season, that’s not a bad thing.
“There’s so many of ‘em playing that I had the roster up top, and a lot of ‘em changed numbers,” Gundy said. “They’re rotating in. I’m hoping in a week and a half that we can get a little more consistency with actually who’s out there playing, because they’re just rotating in right now, is what they’re doing.”
sports.ed@ocolly.com
Bryson Thadhani
Iman Oates started all 12 games in 2024 and will have a big role in
Payton Little
Kale Smith had 23 tackles last season and could be a key piece to OSU’s defense in 2025.
Edwards
Simple but effective. Edwards’ four words led her to hit a double in the gap, scoring one and putting runners on the corners in a game that eventually ended in a Rosie Davis walk-off single.
“That moment right there was the time that I was just like, ‘Dude, it really is just a game,’” Edwards said. “I’m not gonna succeed at this 10 out of 10; it’s not gonna happen for me. And it doesn’t happen for a lot of other people; we’re not perfect in this game.”
That also sparked Edwards’ post-Florida breakfast with Gajewski, when she told him about the ups and downs the past couple of seasons have brought and how “99 percent of the time” when she gets out it’s because she’s chasing a ball or a moment; nobody, in her eyes, has beaten her. Other than herself.
The breakfasts and the office visits with Gajewski have increased this year, too. The two have always been close. Roughly a month after Edwards signed with OSU and decided to forgo her senior year at Southmoore High School, her dad, Larry Edwards, died.
Since then, Edwards has been open about the void that left. Though nobody can replace her dad, Gajewski has assumed a father figure role of sorts for Edwards.
Her mom, Pam Edwards, believes her daughter’s newfound openness comes from her releasing the fear of losing someone else.
“I think she stayed kinda closed off because her dad did pass away, and it’s hard when somebody you loved so deeply passes, and then you really don’t wanna get as close to other people because if you lose them, then what?” Pam said. “… I think Tallen’s realized that Coach G’s not going anywhere and this is her home.
“She has always loved the girls and has loved everything about it, but I think she’s finally understanding that it’s OK to let people in.
“... “That’s what Tallen needs. Tallen needs that. Her being able to talk to him and sit down and go over some softball with him and life in general is really important because that father figure is not here for that.”
Reaching her heart
Pam has seen her daughter switch in the past 11 games as OSU’s leadoff batter.
“No matter where she’s at in the lineup, she could care less, but
when she moved back to one-hole, she felt like she was at home again,” Pam said. “I think she felt like Coach G was putting the pressure on her, saying, ‘OK, start it.’”
Gajewski putting pressure on Edwards isn’t new. Before last season, at the Cowgirls’ media day, he put the stamp on the then-sophomore.
“She can do so many things,” Gajewski said. “She’s the best player on this team. And now I need her to be the best leader when stuff goes haywire.
“She’s a dog, man. Like, she can set the tone single-handedly for this team.”
On a team with a top-three finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, Lexi Kilfoyl, a breakout freshman All-American in Karli Godwin and others, Edwards didn’t stick out and set the tone as easily as Gajewski might have envisioned preseason.
However, Edwards thinks her leadership, especially since she’s batting leadoff, is showing.
“Lord, do I love that leadoff spot,” Edwards said. “It helps me see the ball better, it helps me play for my team more, making sure that in my first couple of at-bats I’m gaining information. Just helps me stay locked into the game, so I think that him putting me there has really mentally shifted me into just being a more consistent hitter.”
Before Edwards went 2 of 3 with a two-run home run in the Cowgirls’ series finale against Iowa State this past weekend, she told Gajewski she was disappointed with how she had been held without a hit on the weekend.
“He looked at me and was like, ‘Just remember who you are,’” Edwards said of Gajewski. “’Just remember that you are really good at what you do.’”
“And it was just like, ‘Yeah, you right.’ But just those little things, I finally allowed those words to be true to myself, and I didn’t (think), ‘You’re just saying that because you’re my coach.’
“I finally allowed those words to truly reach my heart.”
Gajewski’s message hasn’t wavered in her time, but Edwards, who is well-rested and leading the Cowgirls, has altered her mindset.
And that’s why Gajewski’s 2024 preseason claim may be true in April 2025.
“He’s been the same throughout my three years; I changed,” Edwards said.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
Wiffle ball, snow cones sparked Oklahoma State softball; Cowgirls head to UCF coming off WSU win
their past six games, scoring four or fewer runs in each of the losses.
The snow cones appeared to give the Cowgirls the new energy they sought, though.
Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski let his players decide how to spend their off day.
Coming off the Cowgirls’ 2-1 series loss to Iowa State this past weekend, Gajewski decided not to have an official practice Monday, despite Cowgirl players preferring otherwise. Gajewski wanted to give them space.
“I told the staff, ‘You know, they need to be with themselves,’” Gajewski said. ‘They don’t need us. If they want to practice, we have managers. They can do anything they want to do.’”
Instead of hitting the batting cages or fielding ground balls, OSU players got creative. The Cowgirls met up at the stadium and played wiffle ball, then ended the day with snow cones — a decision the team felt helped it regroup before beating Wichita State 10-2 in run-rule fashion Tuesday night.
“(Playing wiffle ball) is just something we do from time to time,” OSU first baseman Karli Godwin said. “We did it last year when we were kind of in the same spot (struggling). ... It’s great to just take a step back and just relax and figure out how to have fun again and enjoy each other’s company.”
“The spot” Godwin is referring to is a string of losses and inconsistent play. When the Cowgirls decided to play wiffle ball, they had lost five of
OSU recorded 10 hits against the Shockers with two home runs and four doubles, and was the best its been at the plate with runners on base during the past seven games. And the Cowgirls’ pitching duo of RyLee Crandall and Katie Kutz limited Wichita State to three hits.
In the dugout, OSU once again had the rowdy energy it typically does — something it didn’t get to do during the string of losses. After the game, Gajewski told reporters, “This was Oklahoma State tonight” in reference to the Cowgirls’ energy, and credited the off day for the spark.
“I think it’s what this team really needed,” Gajewski said.
UCF Series
OSU got back into Big 12 Conference play Thursday on its trip to Orlando to face UCF. The Cowgirls opened the series with a 7-0 victory. OSU and UCF seemed poised for extra innings until the Cowgirls scored seven runs in the top of the seventh, which started with a Rosie Davis RBI single. Ace Ruby Meylan allowed one hit — a bunt — in the bottom of the sixth.
Game 2 is set for Friday at 6 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU. Saturday’s series finale has an 11 a.m. first pitch and can be streamed on ESPN+. OSU is looking to pick up its second Big 12 series win and climb back up the conference standings.
Seve Sanchez
OSU softball is looking to use its win over Wichita State as a momentum boost ahead of trip to UCF.
Connor Fuxa
Tallen Edwards said, in her eyes nobody has actually beaten her in the past; she has beaten herself.
Rebound
With the bases loaded and no outs, Blake threw a four-seam fastball in the upper outside corner of the strike zone, and Walk, the Sooners’ dynamic center fielder, made him pay.
Clank.
Walk flipped his bat high in the air and watched the ball sail into the dark Stillwater night sky. OSU fans swiftly left the orange seats adjacent to home plate.
Grand slam; 11-1 Sooners. And that was all OU (26-10) needed to cement an eight-inning run-rule victory.
“Not enough execution in any phase,” Cowboys coach Josh Holliday said. “Credit to OU, they played a nice ball game and put the bat on the ball early.
“We just weren’t efficient in any way that we needed to be to come out on top… I really don’t know one phase of the game where we were as competitive as necessary to win the game, pure and simple.”
Nothing came easy for the Cowboys, while all that could go in OU’s favor seemingly did.
The Sooners posted a five-run top of the first, courtesy of five hits and a couple of costly OSU errors. The Cowboys got feasible outings from junior lefty Brennan Phillips — who entered in the top of the second in relief of starter Ryan Ure — and freshman righty Noah Wech, but on the whole failed to establish any fluency on the mound.
Walk’s grand slam in the eighth inning merely put a ribbon on a dominant night for the Sooners.
“Moving forward, we’ve got to be able to stop the bleeding,” first baseman Colin Brueggemann said. “But obviously we weren’t able to do that tonight after that first inning.”
Offensively, a replica of recent weeks was on display. OU pitching kept OSU’s offense at bay, as the Cowboys posted only four hits. And on a night when offensive production was so sparse, even center fielder Brayden Smith’s 19-game hitting streak ended — OSU’s lone run of the game came via a solo blast from Brueggemann to lead off the bottom
of the fourth. Tuesday, Brueggemann said, felt like a perfect storm of bad. Since a three-game series sweep of then-No. 22 Kansas State two weeks ago, OSU is 1-4.
Inconsistencies have plagued the Cowboys throughout the season. And injuries have played a pivotal role.
As a result, Holliday’s hand has been forced. He’s pieced together an array of different lineups, but so far, none have sufficed — particularly not Tuesday.
“Other than (Brueggemann’s) big swing, we weren’t able to (generate much offensively),” Holliday said. “...We need some other guys to step in and continue to jump on this thing. We just couldn’t quite take it to the finish line there.”
Good pitching, which OSU has displayed in recent weekend contests, can only go so far. And with better pitching awaiting OSU’s hitters this season, Holliday said, the Cowboys can’t rely solely on their pitching staff to win them games.
The road ahead eases up. Houston and UCF — a combined 9-21 in Big 12 play — come to Stillwater before the regular season concludes. OSU also travels to Cincinnati and Baylor in that same span. The Cowboys have opportunities to string together wins to navigate a path back into the NCAA baseball tournament. But after a Bedlam loss, OSU’s opportunities for quality wins are dwindling.
Time is running out. And excuses of perfect storms or compiling injuries aren’t going to ease the pain for Holliday or his players.
As the old saying goes, “Winning cures everything.”
And if Lady Luck doesn’t shed good fortune in OSU’s way soon, Tuesday’s game will merely complement its season in full.
“There’s no excuses being made here,” Holliday said. “I’ve got to coach them better, inspire them to play better, and instill the confidence in them to do so.
“Just have to keep reinventing ourselves and pushing forward.”
Jones
Weeks prior, Jones entered the transfer portal after a grim tenure at Arkansas. The opportunity to disprove naysayers after a rocky two-year statistical stretch with the Razorbacks was on Jayson’s mind, and he went with his gut.
So far, it’s paid dividends. Through 34 games with the Cowboys (16-18, 5-8 Big 12), Jones is batting a career-best .229, to go with three home runs and a .682 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging). He’s established a role in the middle of OSU’s batting order and has been a bright spot in an otherwise-fluctuating Cowboys offense heading into a three-game series against Houston (20-17, 5-10 Big 12) at O’Brate Stadium, which starts Friday at 6 p.m.
He’s played in the outfield and at designated hitter and is currently manning third base with starter Aidan Meola out after a season-ending labrum surgery.
The most satisfying part for the Jones family? Watching their son display a love for baseball again.
“I think he’s in a good place as a person and as a baseball player right now,” Holliday said. “I think he likes his teammates. I think he’s very happy to be at Oklahoma State. Most importantly, I think he knows he’s a very important part of our team. He has a role that he can trust. Hopefully, all of those things creates a confidence from within him to allow him to play to his full potential, and I think all of that has sort of aligned for him so far.”
Baseball beginnings
The moment Kim became a mother, she said she wanted to mold a basketball player.
Two, actually.
Jones’ older brother, Jordan, was born two years prior. Kim, a former basketball player, profusely attempted to put basketball into their lives.
But baseball always held a special place for the Jones brothers. Kim largely credits that to Tim, who played for the Detroit Tigers.
Tim served as Jones’ personal hitting coach, emphasizing the fundamentals — fielding ground balls, catching fly balls and mastering base-running technique.
“They were naturally drawn to baseball,” Kim said. “Regardless of what we put them in or encouraged them to do, they gravitated toward baseball. “
Still, Kim had concerns.
Tim and Kim began dating in college at Texas-Pan American — now UT-Rio Grande Valley. Kim was a star on the women’s basketball team, while Tim dazzled with his pitching
In college, time management for the two was hard enough. It became more complex when the Tigers selected Tim in the 18th Round of the 1992 MLB Draft.
Kim’s father played college football at Texas Tech and professionally with the Baltimore Colts, so she was already accustomed to the rigorous lifestyle that can come with atheletics. It made her concern for the well-being of her sons even higher.
Until Tim eased her of it.
“Let them be,” Tim would tell her. “It’s their journey.”
By Jones’ eighth-grade year, Kim said, most of his focus was on baseball.
“At that point, I was like, ‘All right, let’s do this baseball thing,’” Kim said.
Jones swiftly excelled.
Camp invites came pouring in. OSU was one of the first to offer after Jones attended a camp during his early high school years. TCU came shortly after. Then came a flood of SEC offers.
By then, Jordan had already committed to play for Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Jones chose Arkansas after establishing a relationship with coach Dave Van Horn.
“Jayson just had a different IQ than everyone else,” Jordan said. “I think Arkansas saw that in him.”
Jones’ trek toward stardom was set. He envisioned his life getting better from that point on. But first, it would get worse.
A cloudy tenure
At Arkansas, he struggled offensively, hitting just .196 his freshman year, striking out 32.6% of his at-bats. And his power numbers weren’t any better, hitting only two home runs.
Jordan had frequent phone calls with his brother, during which Jordan said Jones relayed the grueling experience of failure at an SEC program — most notably, the lack of attention from the coaching staff amid his offensive woes.
“It’s different there,” Jordan said. “You go to the SEC — that’s like the big leagues for college baseball. Success leads you to heights that are unheard of anywhere else. But failure also leads to a lot of crap.”
Jones’ sophomore campaign didn’t get better. He hit .194 and struck out 36.1% of the time, which led to limited playing time despite being named a starter to begin the year.
So Jones entered the transfer portal in the offseason and found a fit at OSU.
“I think the biggest difference between now and where Jayson was at before is just the support staff in general,” Tim said. “I think something Josh Holliday emphasizes is that family culture, and Jayson didn’t really have that last year (at Arkansas).”
Jones said the opportunity to play for OSU feels “full circle.” As a high school recruit, he had narrowed his schools to OSU and Arkansas before choosing the Razorbacks. Now, he’s calling familiar confines home.
A fresh start
The path to a proper fit isn’t always linear. While the transfer portal has sparked chaos throughout college athletics, it also can allow a player to split from a bad pairing and find a better one.
Kim and Tim called it “a blessing.”
“I think he’s kind of been freed up by the fact that the coaches here trust him a lot more,” said OSU center fielder Brayden Smith, Jones’ roommate. “I think a lot of it’s been just letting him go eat. He doesn’t have to have that extra pressure of all the outside noise and surroundings like he did before.”
After a slow start, Jones has slowly but steadily found his footing at the plate. And despite subpar production from OSU’s offense in recent weeks, he’s been a bright spot.
“Having him behind me in the batting order is huge for us,” Cowboys’ right fielder Nolan Schubart said. “You get past the top of our lineup, and then you’ve got me and Jayson. It’s a scary thing for opposing teams to even think about, much less game plan for.” Kim said she’s happy to see her son express love for the game again. No longer is anxiety clouding his mental state. Nor is loneliness taking over him. For the first time in his college career, Jones said, he is at peace with himself and those around him.
A parallel version of the 18-year-old Kim sent off to college three years ago. All thanks to a fresh start.
“Jayson is really happy at Oklahoma State,” Kim said. “We’re just excited for him that he’s getting a new opportunity and can go compete somewhere where they truly value him.
“He always has a smile on his face. Everyone says he can really light up a room. Those are the things that we wanted back in him. Those are the things we didn’t see a year ago that we saw change a little bit and that we’re seeing in him again at OSU, and we couldn’t be happier for him.”
sports.ed@ocolly.com
(May 2-4)
(May 9-11)
Arizona State (May 15-17)
Davis Hicks
Josh Holliday’s Cowboys have struggled to find consistent offense this season.
Jose Brito
Since coming to OSU, Jayson Jones has improved his offensive production across the board.
SPORTS
How Little Caesars pizza helped OSU soccer land transfer Brown
CALIF PONCY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @PONCYCALIF
In the era of the transfer portal, several factors go into the decisions made by thousands of student-athletes swapping schools.
For Jazmin Brown, it came down to a few things.
The former Kansas State star wanted to go somewhere cooler than her suburban home of Gilbert, Arizona. She wanted to spend her final college season somewhere with good facilities and a winning culture. She wanted to play for a coach who made her feel appreciated.
Oh, and wherever she went also had to have a Little Caesars.
Fortunately for Oklahoma State soccer, there is one at 713 N Perkins Rd, less than two miles from Neal Patterson Stadium, which just so happened to check the other boxes on her list.
“(Pizza is) her big thing, especially Little Caesars,” OSU coach Colin Carmichael said. “(Dustin Stein) was quick to point out that we have a Little Caesars right down the street, and she was pretty fired up.”
As Carmichael described the specifics of Brown’s obsession with the chain, he looked across the room with a smile on his face, locking eyes with his new starting center back, looking for a reaction. Brown and Carmichael burst into laughter.
“You’d better not tell them any of the bad s**t,” Brown said with a smile as she retreated to the locker room.
“I’ve got a lot to say,” Carmichael said back. “... She’s great.”
It hasn’t taken long for Brown to come out of her shell, and her bubbly personality could be exactly what the Cowgirls need.
Coming off a season in which it made the NCAA Tournament and had one of the best defenses in the country, OSU is moving into a new era. Mollie Breiner, a three-year starter at defender — the same position Brown plays — is gone. So are leading goal-scorer Logan Heausler, goalkeeper Grace Gordon and wingback Alex Morris.
With their backline gone and a reshuffling in the attack on the horizon, Carmichael and his staff reeled in an impressive recruiting class that included three transfers, all of whom have significant starting experience. That said, there is a clear gem in that class, and that gem chose OSU, in part, due to its pizza selection.
At K-State, Brown started in 53 of 55 games, was named All-Big 12 Second Team in 2024 and was once named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week.
She never thought she would leave Manhattan, but once former Wildcats coach Mike Dibbini stepped down due to health concerns, she opened her mind to the possibility.
“We had the whole coaching change, and with it, I felt that it was just time to see what was out there,” Brown said. “I never really even thought about entering the transfer portal, and then I decided just (to) try it out.”
Her process went as one would expect when a member of the All-Big 12
and Academic All-Big 12 teams enters the portal.
“You enter the transfer portal and then you basically have three weeks because you have Thanksgiving as well and you can’t really go on visits during that time,” Brown said. “It’s a lot to deal with over the holidays. It’s a long process really condensed into a short period of time. So it is really stressful.”
Brown was in demand. She received texts and emails from coaches across the country. She thought about returning home and playing at a school close to her family, but then she remembered her dislike of the hot Arizona summers.
The clock was ticking for Brown to make a decision, and the schools that reached out and tried to plan faceto-face visits quickly rose up her list. Eventually, she settled on visits to OSU and Miami.
What Brown saw as personable Carmichael saw as an opportunity to make a first impression.
Following a practice, Brown and her K-State teammate Murphy Sheaff, who also transferred to OSU, made the drive from Manhattan to Stillwater. By the time they rolled in, it was after 9 p.m. Despite the delay, Brown and Sheaff found the entire OSU staff waiting for them.
During their conversations over Zoom, Carmichael knew he had a chance to land Brown, the perfect player to slot in and replace Breiner, but once he secured a visit, he knew he had cleared the most difficult hurdle.
“She’s been in Manhattan, Kansas,” Carmichael said. “Maybe she wanted a big city, the beach, things we don’t have. Right after talking to her, though, I knew we had a chance.”
After a day in Stillwater and a trip to the best pizza place it has to offer — perhaps controversially, Empire Slice House — Brown knew where she was going to spend her final season.
She committed to the Cowgirls before she left town.
“I just fell in love with Stillwater,” Brown said. “It’s like another small town, like Manhattan, (like) Kansas State. I mean, that’s a big reason why I went there in the first place, because I like that college feel.”
The rest is history. The Cowgirls have their short-term answer to their question mark at center back, and Brown has a new home, with a coaching staff she gets along with and a program that has a track record of putting people in the professional ranks.
With a spring and summer to adjust to her home, the newness will wear off. Carmichael said Brown is already falling into the vibrant version of herself that showed up in the lobby of Neal Patterson Stadium when she heard pizza mentioned.
A year from now, Brown hopes to be playing professionally somewhere, but for now, she is one of the biggest gets out of the transfer portal in OSU soccer history, and the Cowgirls have Little Caesars, in part, to thank for landing a potential star.
“Right off that bat, like a week and a half in, teammates are coming to me saying ‘That Jazmin girl is really good,’” Carmichael said.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
OSU men’s basketball set to steal attention from football this fall
winless in conference play, Gundy’s staff is revamped, and his roster is reworked.
Column
While four men’s basketball teams were in San Antonio fighting for a national championship a couple of weeks ago, Steve Lutz was hitting the transfer portal. Hard.
The Cowboys’ coach wasn’t able to do that last season. On April 1, 2024, he was hired as OSU’s coach.
At almost the same time this year, though, he added four guards — Kanye Clary from Mississippi State, Isaiah Coleman from Seton Hall, Anthony Roy from Green Bay and Vyctorius Miller from LSU.
OSU currently ranks No. 7 in On3’s team transfer portal rankings. The only Big 12 Conference school ahead of the Cowboys is Baylor (fifth); the closest teams after them are Iowa State (24th), Houston (26th) and Texas Tech (31st).
OSU? No. 7? The same program that former coach Mike Boynton said had serious name, image and likeness problems?
Not too shabby for Lutz after his first season in Stillwater.
Although some frontcourt additions are needed, Lutz’s Cowboys, on paper, seem like an NCAA Tournament team. Not only because of the four new players, but because of the coaching upgrade Lutz showed in his first season with lesser talent than Boynton had.
And with how the Cowboys who play in Boone Pickens Stadium look on paper, Lutz has a real opportunity to take OSU fans reeling from a disappointing football season and drop them into a Gallagher-Iba Arena with — dare I say — some excitement. Some hope.
More hope for legitimate postseason aspirations than Mike Gundy’s Cowboys is fair, though. After a 3-9 season that included finishing
Expectations and vibes are low. When Lutz’s Cowboys tip off in early November, OSU football may be on the brink — if not over the edge — of missing bowl season for the second straight season.
But even if the Cowboys make the Rate Bowl or the Lockheed Armed Forces Bowl, what’s a bigger win — Gundy, who has become synonymous with defying the odds and overperforming when expectations are low, leading his team to a probable 6-6 or 7-5 season, or Lutz, in his second season, leading OSU to the Big Dance? A bowl game is the floor expectation for Cowboy fans most seasons. But an NCAA Tournament appearance is the goal for men’s hoops.
Since Lutz got a head start on portal recruiting this offseason, he’s added players who can score and fit into the kind of up-tempo offense he wants to play. The exodus of players via the portal and exhausted eligibility means his team will be meshing together for the second straight season — only three scholarship players, Arturo Dean, Robert Jennings II and Andrija Vukovic are set to return — but the roster is undoubtedly more talented.
For Gundy, almost all 22 starters will be new faces. And, on paper, the roster is undoubtedly less talented. No Ollie Gordon II, Brennan Presley, Collin Oliver or Nick Martin type players seem to be hanging around. With the expectations low, though, Gundy and OSU could pull something off; that’s usually when the Cowboys do it.
However, it looks like men’s basketball can steal the thunder that football probably won’t have. Fans can bring their energy from BPS to GIA.
Lutz doesn’t need to be thinking about the Final Four yet, by any means, but the recruiting he did Final Four weekend has his Cowboys further along for next season than Gundy’s.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
Connor Fuxa
Steve Lutz brought in several guards from the portal to match his fast-paced offense.
OSU women’s tennis heading to Big 12 Tournament
GINA FOSTER STAFF REPORTER
Oklahoma State women’s tennis is gearing up for the Big 12 Tournament in Waco, Texas, as the No. 3 seed.
Play began Wednesday, but the Cowgirls will start their postseason trek Friday morning at the Hurd Tennis Center. The results of the eight previous matchups will determine OSU’s opponent, as the Cowgirls received a double bye into the quarterfinals.
Regular season matches concluded Sunday, as the Cowgirls swept Iowa State 4-0 on the road and secured a tie for their second consecutive regular season Big 12 title.
The Cowgirls (18-6, 12-1 Big 12) moved up to No. 17 in the Intercol -
legiate Tennis Association rankings after winning 11 straight.
As the team enters postseason play in Waco, it has the opportunity to make OSU history.
The Cowgirls have won three Big 12 Tournament titles, but a win this weekend would earn their first backto-back tournament titles and clinch a 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Cowgirls’ only loss in conference came March 2 at home against UCF. The Knights and Texas Tech tied OSU for the regular season conference title with matching 12-1 records, intensifying the stakes of the upcoming matchups.
Beyond OSU, 10 other Big 12 teams appear in the most recent ITA rankings: Texas Tech (15), Baylor (21), UCF (22), Arizona (30), Arizona State (35), Kansas (39), TCU (45), Iowa State (59), Kansas State (62) and BYU
(68).
Although the Cowgirls have improved as a team this season, one newcomer has stood out.
Freshman Rose Marie Nijkamp finished the conference season 10-0 in singles and 11-0 in doubles. She lost just two sets during her singles streak.
Nijkamp and her doubles partner, Anastasiya Komar, are ranked a season-best No. 5 in the national doubles poll. The duo is 19-2.
The Cowgirls are 12-2 in matches where Nijkamp wins both her singles and doubles matches, and her time at OSU is just beginning.
Coach Chris Young said winning the doubles point is great for the momentum of a match and the team’s confidence. It also allows OSU to have the upper hand in the singles battles.
No. 74 Komar has played on Courts
1 and 2 this season and is 13-2 on Court 2. The redshirt junior is 23-10 this season in singles.
Georgia transfer Gracie Epps is another newcomer who has settled into the program nicely. Epps is 9-0 on Court 5 this season with seven straight wins.
The team’s depth continues to stack as Young has recruited some of the nation’s top players to join the program, including Melisa Ercan, who made her Cowgirl debut in late February against Houston on Court 1.
The tournament will be broadcast on ESPN+ as part of Cracked Racquets’ CrossCourt Cast coverage. The live scoring link will also be available on Cowgirl tennis’ page on X, formerly Twitter.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
Camrynn Meadows
The duo of Rose Marie Nijkamp and Anastasiya Komar
Texas, for the Big 12 Tournament.
our best photos from bedlam baseball
Tuesday night at O’Brate
TOP LEFT: The OSU baseball team in its dugout.
TOP RIGHT: Jayson Jones attempts to tag an OU player.
MIDDLE LEFT: Kyle Branch slides into second base.
MIDDLE: Josh Holliday walks on the field during pregame warm-ups.
MIDDLE RIGHT: Brennan Phillips pitches the ball.
BOTTOM LEFT: Sam Christiansen slides at home plate.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Beau Sylvester celebrates after hitting a double.
