Report: Former OSU Safety/Linebacker Kendal Daniels to Transfer to OU

TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER

Kendal Daniels is staying in his home state to close out his college career, but he’ll cross Bedlam borders to do so.

Transferring from Oklahoma State, Daniels committed to Oklahoma, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett. Listed at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds for the Cowboys this past season, Daniels had been with the Cowboys since 2021, turning in 240 career tackles to go with 24 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, five interceptions, 13 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Daniels started his career as a safety before moving up to linebacker in 2024. In his first year primarily playing linebacker, Daniels made 64 tackles, including career-highs in tackles for loss (11), sacks (5.5) and pass breakups (seven).

Coming out of Beggs High School, Daniels was a highly regarded prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. He was the No. 42 player in the country, according to 247Sports. Daniels initially signed with Texas A&M over offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, Georgia, Florida State, Oregon, LSU, Notre Dame and others. But something fell through ahead of him joining the Aggies, and Daniels found a new home closer to home in Stillwater.

After playing in two games and redshirting during OSU’s Fiesta Bowl-winning 2021 season, Daniels was the Big 12’s Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2022, a season in which he had 71 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three interceptions. That season also saw Daniels make a few Freshman All-America teams and earn an All-Big 12 Second Team selection.

As a redshirt sophomore in 2023, Daniels was one of three Cowboys to eclipse 100 tackles for the season, taking down a career-high 105 ball carriers to go with six tackles for loss and the first two sacks of his career. He also made two more interceptions and recovered a pair of fumbles.

Daniels isn’t the first player to switch Bedlam schools, and given the current landscape of the sport, he likely won’t be the last. In football alone in recent years the state has seen Trace Ford go from OSU to OU, Gavin Freeman go from OU to OSU and even earlier this offseason, running back Kalib Hicks committed to OSU after spending time with the Sooners.