So many deadlines but they can all be checked off when it comes to the transfer portal and being immediate eligible for the 2022-23 season in fall and winter sports.

The last day to file the paperwork was Sunday, but then schools had 48 hours to process everything as well, which is why so many portal additions were announced Tuesday.

What does that mean for Oklahoma football and basketball? There were some notable defections as first-year football coach Brent Venables completed his first spring and Porter Moser wrapped up his first full year running the basketball program.

Venables has done a tremendous job of raising the spirits of a program that absolutely could have been in shambles just five months ago. The football portal hit since spring ended hasn’t been too much as it’s clear what he’s doing is working.

For Moser, who has been all about instilling a culture, it’s been hit-and-miss. More returners than what he had at this point last season, but some unexpected departures, too.

Basketball has three open scholarship spots heading into this week.

A quick examination of the departing Sooners in both sports.

(Listed in alphabetical order)

Basketball

G Umoja Gibson

The story: Blindsided might be too strong of a word, but OU definitely felt like Gibson was set to return for one more season. Sources have said Gibson wants to play point guard more, so we’ll see if that actually happens for him. He played a lot more with the ball in his hands down the stretch, and it looked like a glimpse into the 2022-23 season. Turns out it wasn’t.

Impact: Maximum. Of all the guys leaving in either sport, Gibson is the biggest setback. It felt like he was turning a corner with his all-around game because of the way Moser was using him. Gibson deciding to opt for the portal last week was a massive surprise, and OU is trying to make sure it doesn’t turn into a massive blow.

G/F Elijah Harkless (UNLV)

The story: Harkless injured his knee toward the end of the season and missed the stretch run. But he remained adamant about returning to OU for the upcoming season. Moser explained last week, though, that Harkless was pretty upfront with everything. One major component was Harkless, a California native, getting back closer to home. UNLV also reunites him with former OU assistant Kevin Kruger, now the Rebels head coach.

Impact: Medium. Harkless brought grit and toughness and not being scared of the moment, but the Sooners need more shooting and scoring. Harkless absolutely would have played meaningful minutes in 2022-23, but maybe not what he did last season. His role was going to be diminished, and Moser seemed very at peace with Harkless and how Harkless handled the situation.

C Rick Issanza

The story: Issanza was in the transfer portal last spring, but Issanza and Moser decided to give it another whirl last season. He started the season looking like a different player, but things trailed off and Issanza didn’t play meaningful minutes once the conference season came around.

Impact: Minimal. It just wasn’t working for Issanza at OU. He gave it a shot. Moser gave him an opportunity. Hey, it happens. It became readily apparent midway through the season that Issanza wouldn’t be with OU next season.

G Alston Mason (Missouri State)

The story: Mason will always be the answer to the trivia question of who was Moser’s first commitment. And he has tremendous speed, no question about it. His lack of strength started to show up more as the season kept going, and his minutes decreased considerably down the stretch.

Impact: Minimal. Point guard was going to work itself out, based on the roster and based on the recruiting class. Once you got toward the stretch run, you could see the minutes diminish. It’s hard to see those minutes improving if OU’s 2022 recruiting class ends up as good as it hopes.

F AK Mawein (Sacramento State)

The story: There was hope for Mawein. Think everybody knew he was going to need a year to adjust and find his footing in the Big 12. His size and length proved helpful for OU, at times, but his relationship with David Patrick made this pretty easy to know what’s what.

Impact: Minimal. Mawein was always going to be a project, and you knew about his ties to former assistant David Patrick back when both were connected with Arkansas. Once Patrick took the Sacramento State head coaching spot, just a matter of when Mawein would follow.

Coach says…

“My take on that is the portal, all that, you can be… I could sit here and complain about it all done. But at the end of the day, I’m going to find people that want to wear this OU jersey proudly. They want to be in this program. I’m going to keep searching and keep finding. And if someone doesn’t want to be in that program, then they’re not in that program. I’m going to find people that have both feet in because I’m blessed to wear a hell of an OU right there (pointing at the logo on his shirt).” – Porter Moser

Football

DL Noah Arinze

The story: Arinze always looked the part for the 2020 class, but it never came together. There was nothing out there saying he was a bad teammate or had a bad attitude, but nothing out there, either, that said he was about to break out and become a name.

Impact: Minimal. The previous defensive staff went all-in with Arinze even when he didn’t have the offers that screamed he was at that level. His two years at OU hadn’t produced anything of note. Nothing wrong with Arinze looking for a new start and a chance to see the field a lot more.

WR Cody Jackson

The story: A blow here as some were hoping he’d become like fellow Richmond (Texas) Foster alum, CeeDee Lamb, and succeed. He played early in 2021 before a medical issue sidelined him for a good portion of the year. He returned and has attempted to put the weight back on. He even caught three passes in the spring game but has decided it’s time to call somewhere else home.

Impact: Medium. It’s just a spot where it felt like things were there for Jackson. OU doesn’t have a lot of depth at receiver, and Jackson could have been that guy. Still, when there are massive coaching changes, it’s hard to be bitter about a move. Stuck it out for spring and ready to move on.

DL Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge

The story: A guy who was recruited by former defensive assistant Jamar Cain. A guy whose very first visit to OU was when he was moving in for good in 2021. He put a lot of blind faith in the move, and you can understand if it just didn’t pan out. Again, doesn’t sound like any hard feelings, just time to see what else is out there and maybe get closer to home (originally from Oregon).

Impact: Medium. Maybe a better answer is incomplete? We’ll just never know what Rawlins-Kibonge could have been as a Sooner. What we do know is he has loads of potential in football and basketball, wherever he goes.

Coach says…

“There's going to be lots of portal movement. Whether or not Oklahoma's involved, we'll find out. I've had almost 80, I think 80 exit interviews, give or take, so I'm just about finished. We're blowing and going. So it's been a lot of fun. It's really cool for me. One, it's an opportunity for me to hug their neck and let 'em know how much I appreciate them.

“So many of them are proud of the improvement that they've made in the different areas, maybe it's academically, maybe it's emotionally, just maturing. It's a fun time for me to be able to sit back reflect the four and a half months, maybe some of our first conversations to where we're at now and again, just the maturation that's taken place and to get their thoughts and get a ton of feedback.” – Brent Venables