OU head coach Porter Moser will return for 2026-27 season, says athletic director Roger Denny

Just hours after the OU basketball run in the SEC Tournament came to an end, we’ve learned the answer to one of the biggest questions.

Head coach Porter Moser will return for next season, said athletic director Roger Denny on social media.

Per an initial report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Saturday morning, Moser and first-year athletic director Roger Denny met this morning and spoke about building the program for next season, including increased resources throughout the program, and specifically, NIL for players.

OU is still waiting to hear what its fate will be on Selection Sunday, but the late-season surge is enough to keep Moser around for a sixth season.

The Sooners were, at one point, 11-12 overall, 1-9 in the SEC and had a nine-game losing streak. OU flipped the script the final month of the season, going 6-2 to close out the regular season to earn the No. 11 seed in the SEC Tournament.

OU took down No. 14 South Carolina, No. 6 Texas A&M in Nashville before falling 82-79 to No. 3 Arkansas on Friday night.

Nijel Pack had a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer in the final seconds but could not convert.

In Moser’s corner? Arkansas head coach John Calipari.

“He is one of the good guys in our profession,” Calipari said. “You all know his career, what he’s done. I say when you have a guy like him, then the administration’s got to do their thing and put it around him. I always say coaches win games. Administrations win championships. I’ve said that for as long as I’ve coached.

“We can do our thing, but they are going to win a championship because they choose to. They choose to invest in it. They choose to do all the things that a championship team has to have and needs to have. He’s a championship coach. I mean, he is. He is a terrific guy.”

The Sooners are now 19-15 overall and the epitome of a Bubble team. Next 24-36 hours will be intense.

Nobody knew how Denny might address the situation. Officially in as the athletic director Feb. 15, Denny arrived during the nine-game skid and took over as the Sooners found their groove.

But he has been there through this run. He was in Norman for the Senior Night victory against Missouri. Went to Austin for the dramatic overtime win at rival Texas. And, obviously, was in Nashville for the two emphatic victories over the Gamecocks and Aggies.

“At Oklahoma, we’ve had a long history of embodying an underdog spirit,” said Denny in a social media post Saturday. “And in men’s basketball, that mentality has often led to us outperforming our resources. It’s on Coach Moser to make sure that our team’s performance continues to meet and exceed our resources for the program. 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.

“On top of how we resource our program, it’s critical our fans show out for our team. 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. Oklahoma Men’s Basketball is a proud program. We’re going to restore that pride, together. Boomer Sooner.”

OU increased its NIL significantly for this past season, but it’s all relative. Relative because it still placed OU No. 15 of 16 programs in the SEC for men’s basketball.

There might be a jolt with Trae Young being the assistant general manager. And Moser loaded the schedule with NIL opportunities, only reason why you would go to Washington to play Gonzaga or South Dakota to play Nebraska.

You can’t defend the nine-game losing streak, clearly. But for Denny to see what Moser, what the Sooners can do here down the stretch was obviously a massive sign that something is still there.

Add in the Rock Creek Entertainment District finally officially being approved with the new arena, this is what Moser has envisioned. This is his path.

He’s hoping the path takes this team back to the NCAA Tournament, but at least it is set that Moser’s path for 2026-27 remains in Norman.