Oklahoma Sooners head coach Skip Johnson gives a minor update on what everyone’s been wondering since November
The Sooners have a talented young player in Alec Blair.
In November, the Oklahoma Sooners’ men’s basketball program had a big surprise that really hurt them. Two-sport athlete Alec Blair, a true freshman who was a top player in both basketball and baseball, decided to focus on the latter. Blair’s decision created an unexpected gap in the basketball rotation, affecting the team’s depth.
This left baseball head coach Skip Johnson in a good position, where his counterpart, men’s basketball head coach Porter Moser, was left in a bad position. There was a prior agreement made that Blair would do both. That didn’t last long. Now, Johnson is finally giving a somewhat updated look at what Blair is like after making the full-time switch to baseball.
“He’s dynamic,” Johnson recently said. “He can do a lot of things on a baseball field. Me and Porter (Moser) and I talked…It was just one of those deals where he thought he was going to be better prepared; he wants to be a first-rounder. He’s got the talent to do that.”
According to Joe Doyle, Blair was considered a first-round prospect in the 2025 MLB Draft but went undrafted due to signability concerns. Blair was a Top 100 basketball recruit for OU and is on scholarship, but now he’s choosing baseball.
In their season opener, the Oklahoma Sooners won, but Blair only played three minutes, registering one point and one rebound. In a game where the Sooners won by nearly 40, you’d think Blair would play more. Blair is excelling in baseball, and the Sooners’ basketball team just barely beat out Vanderbilt to avoid losing their tenth game in a row.
“Skip and his staff are first class and just high-energy, very hard-working, thorough, and we’re gonna make it work,” Moser said earlier in the offseason regarding Blair.
Blair could have a pretty decent role in his first season with the baseball team. I talked with A to Z Sports’ analyst Adam Holt about what the Sooners could look like and be in 2026.
Sooners 2026 baseball squad could be great
Oklahoma baseball is one of the most intriguing groups in the SEC for me this season. Projected Friday night starter Cam Johnson has electric stuff that I want to see if Skip Johnson can mold into a true ace. He was ranked the 11th-best player in the country in the class of 2023. Meanwhile, the bullpen figures to be the biggest question mark, but they don’t lack notable options there, either. Jaden Barfield is a young player who I think takes another step forward this season. Reid Hensley will jockey for a weekend starting spot, but he’s got the floor to provide a lot of innings in whatever role works out best for him.
The upside and pure athleticism of the lineup are the two factors that may be most overlooked for the Sooners. Kyle Branch is expected to start at 2B, and he’s a top-of-the-lineup budding star. He’s a great base runner with a knack for putting the ball in play, no matter the pitcher he’s facing. He, alongside Jaxon Willits, should be a huge pain for opposing squads to face at the start of a game.
Keep an eye on Mississippi State transfer Nolan Stevens, too. He battled for playing time with the Bulldogs but could secure a corner outfield spot at OU. He’s got legit pop from the left side and also can play a role as a relief pitcher if necessary. His stuff won’t shock anyone on the mound, but eating up innings is important in the SEC.
The Sooners are poised to contend in the SEC’s top tiers and should remain in the top 25 most of the season.
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