Moser returning to OU with player NIL upgrade

NASHVILLE — Oklahoma men’s basketball coach Porter Moser will return for the 2026-27 season, athletic director Roger Denny told ESPN on Saturday.

Moser’s return will come with added investments to the program, Denny said, including an upgrade in NIL money available for players.

In one of Denny’s first significant decisions since being hired at Oklahoma in January, he made it clear that Oklahoma’s resources need to match the program’s expectations.

“It’s on coach Moser to make sure that our team’s performance continues to meet and exceed our resources for the program,” Denny said in a statement. “He’s done that and I’m confident he will continue to. But an underdog spirit will only take us so far. It’s my job to ensure that our resources match our expectations. We haven’t held up our end of that bargain. From NIL to staffing and beyond, we’re going to fix that.”

Moser has been a Division I college head coach for 22 seasons, including stops at Little Rock, Illinois State and Loyola-Chicago. He led Loyola to the Final Four in 2018.

At Oklahoma, Moser is in his fifth season and has a 93-74 record. The Sooners reached the NCAA tournament last year and are on the bubble of this year’s tournament.

Chatter about Moser’s status had been quieted some in recent weeks, as OU ripped off winning eight of 10 games before falling to Arkansas in the SEC tournament Friday night.

That flourish at the end of the season put the Sooners squarely in the crosshairs of the NCAA tournament committee this weekend, as they finished 19-15. Most projections predicted they would be in the tournament if they had beaten Arkansas, and that loss will leave them anxious on Selection Sunday.

Moser pled his case to the NCAA tournament committee late on Friday night in Nashville.

“In the greatest tournament in the world,” he said, “you want to see a team playing hot. This team is playing its best basketball. I don’t think teams want to see us in the tournament.”

With Oklahoma’s home-court environment being viewed as one of the least intimidating in the SEC, Denny’s statement in bringing back Moser also included a plea to fans. He asked for support to match the financial buy-in.

“On top of how we resource our program, it’s critical our fans show out for our team,” he said. “I’ve seen firsthand the difference community support of college basketball can make. A bigger and louder crowd, a true home-court advantage, and a zealous fan base are all essential to our success.”