Think of all the possibilities for Oklahoma sports in 2025.
The Thunder could win the NBA title, OU softball could five-peat as national champs and another Holliday could go atop the MLB Draft.
We could have a major college football head coaching search (or two) and the downtown Oklahoma City sports landscape is literally about to change.
Without further ado, here are the 25 Oklahoma sports figures who are sure to shape Oklahoma sports in 2025:
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: He’s well on his way to another All-Star and first-team All-NBA appearance. And after back-to-back top-five MVP finishes, this might be the year SGA wins it. But forget about the individual awards. If the Thunder is to win the West and make the NBA Finals, it will be on SGA’s shoulders. He, more than anyone, will decide if there’s a championship parade in downtown Oklahoma City this summer.
Chet Holmgren: The Thunder is off to its best start in team history, and oh yeah, OKC is missing its second-best player. The Thunder’s destiny this season could hinge on Holmgren’s health. OKC is good enough to win the West without Holmgren. But to go all the way? The Thunder needs Holmgren to look like himself once he returns from his hip injury.
Jalen Williams: J-Dub shrunk in the Western Conference semifinals against Dallas. Not entirely surprising for a second-year player getting his first taste of the playoffs. The Thunder needs Williams to play like a true co-star this time around. Williams’ efficiency is down this season, but not to an alarming degree. He’s taking on a much bigger burden, especially with Holmgren sidelined.
Mark Daigneault: The reigning NBA Coach of the Year has the Thunder well-positioned for a deep playoff run in 2025. He’s only coached in two playoff series, but aside from that lack of experience, there’s no reason to doubt Daigneault’s coaching chops.
Sam Presti: Will the Thunder general manager make a big move leading up to the February trade deadline? Seems highly unlikely. Presti did his shopping in the offseason, acquiring Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency and trading for Alex Caruso. Presti also drafted a second-rounder in Ajay Mitchell who, as a two-way contract player, has made a significant contribution.
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Brent Venables: He’s 22-17 as OU’s head coach, he’s under .500 in conference play and he’s 0-3 in bowl games. Venables heads into a now-or-never Year 4 with two new coordinators and a new quarterback. How much longer will he occupy the highest-profile job in the state? The next 12 months will tell us a lot.
Ben Arbuckle: Can Arbuckle jumpstart a stalled OU offense? The 29-year-old coordinator could decide the fate of many, including his boss.
John Mateer: These are all connected, right? If Mateer plays well, then Arbuckle looks good, then Venables looks good. In Mateer, OU arguably signed the best quarterback available in the transfer portal. Mateer was a dual-threat star at Washington State.
Patty Gasso: Can she and the Sooners pull off a five-peat? This figures to be a “rebuilding” year for OU softball, but bet against Gasso at your own risk.
Jeremiah Fears: How far can the freshman phenom take OU basketball? The Sooners are starved for an NCAA Tournament appearance, and Fears might be the guy to lead OU back to the Big Dance.
Porter Moser: The Sooner men are off to a brilliant start in Moser’s fourth season as coach. But they have to avoid another late-season collapse. Moser led Loyola Chicago to a Final Four and Sweet 16, but he’s yet to take the Sooners to the tournament.
Raegan Beers: The 6-foot-4 transfer center from Oregon State leads the Sooner women in points, rebounds and blocks. She’s shooting a staggering 71.5% from inside the arc. Beers is averaging more points this season (17.9) than she did last season (17.7) — and she’s doing it while playing six fewer minutes per game. Beers is good enough to be the cornerstone of a Final Four run.
Jennie Baranczyk: After three consecutive second-round exits, this is the year Baranczyk leads the Sooners to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Baranczyk, now in her fourth season, has done a fabulous job of reinvigorating the OU women’s basketball program.
Joe Castiglione: The longtime Sooner athletic director has as much influence on the Oklahoma sports landscape as anybody. Having hired Bob Stoops in 1999 and promoting Lincoln Riley as Stoops’ successor — two moves that worked out brilliantly — Castiglione could face a tough decision with Venables.
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Mike Gundy: What version of Mike Gundy will we see in 2025? One who received the wake-up call of almost losing his job, or one who digs his heels in and refuses to change? Seems like the former given that Gundy brought in an entirely new coaching staff after a winless Big 12 season. Different situations to be sure, but you have to think Gundy, like Venables, is on the hot seat entering 2025.
David Taylor: The David Taylor of OSU wrestling is off to a roaring start. The Cowboys are undefeated and ranked No. 3 under the first-year coach.
Todd Grantham: Does Grantham or Arbuckle have the tougher job? For as bad as OU’s offense has been, the answer is probably Grantham. The veteran coordinator is taking over a Cowboys defense that ranked 125th and 133rd in total defense the last two seasons under Bryan Nardo, whom Grantham will replace.
Doug Meacham: Gundy hired Meacham as OSU’s new offensive coordinator. Meacham, who had been at TCU, will be joined in Stillwater by former Horned Frogs quarterback Hauss Hejny. There’s now a four-man battle at quarterback.
Chad Weiberg: In 2024, the OSU athletic director had to hire a new men’s basketball coach, had to replace legendary wrestling coach John Smith and had to navigate the Gundy situation. Surely he’s in for a calmer 2025. At least, he hopes.
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Keeley Parks: Parks, The Oklahoman’s reigning Super 5 girls basketball player of the year, is the top-ranked prospect amid a stacked 2025 Oklahoma class. Parks, the star Norman High School guard and Kansas signee, is ranked 29th nationally in the 2025 recruiting class. Broken Arrow’s McKenzie Mathurin, Tulsa Booker T. Washington’s Marcayla Johnson, Edmond Memorial’s Avery Hjelmstad and Bethany’s Keziah Lofton are all ranked in the top 50 nationally.
Jalen Montonati: The Owasso forward is the 22nd-best prospect in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports composite. He’s the highest-ranked Oklahoma boy’s basketball recruit since Bryce Thompson (Tulsa Booker T. Washington) in 2020. Can Montonati lead Owasso to another state title? How will his recruitment shake out? His dad played at OSU, but the Cowboys will have stiff competition to land Jalen.
Ethan Holliday: Stillwater’s Ethan Holliday is MLB.com’s No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2025 draft class. Ethan could be the No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft three years after his brother, Jackson, was taken first overall by the Orioles. If the Nationals, which own the No. 1 pick, select Ethan, the two Holliday boys could be playing just 40 miles away from each other.
Bill Blankenship: The Tulsa-area high school football coaching carousel took quite the spin. Tulsa Union coach Kirk Fridrich resigned. Antonio Graham, a Union alum who coached Owasso to the state title game, was hired to replace Fridrich. Meanwhile, Owasso brought Blankenship out of a brief retirement. Blankenship, the former Tulsa University coach, won two state championships as Owasso’s coach from 2017-23. He returned after just one season away.
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Christian Kanady: The local investor and CEO of Echo is the majority owner of Oklahoma City’s professional soccer club, formerly known as Energy FC. Kanady donated the land on which Oklahoma City’s new soccer stadium and surrounding entertainment district will be built. Kanady’s next moves will be worth watching in 2025.
David Manica: He’s the architect designing the Thunder’s new downtown arena. Expect to see renderings of the new arena sometime in 2025. Demolition of Prairie Surf Studios, formerly the Cox Convention Center, will also begin this year.
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
