What Five-for-Five Rule Change Means for Stailee Heard, Audi Crooks and Other Key Cowgirls

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STILLWATER — Pretty much everything has come up in favor of the Cowgirls since the season ended.

​Get the consensus No. 1 player in the transfer portal (Audi Crooks), check.

​Put the No. 1 portal class in the country around her, check.

​Extend head coach Jacie Hoyt, check.

​Have national rules change granting all athletes the ability to play for five years instead of four so the best season in Cowgirl history can go down twice, check.

​“I love that rule because I get another year,” Stailee Heard said. “So I’m very grateful for that. And you know that just makes me want to enjoy this year more, just because you know I still look at this as my senior year, and I just want to make the best out of that, and don’t want to look too far ahead, and just want to have a great year, great season this year.”

​Heard is the only returning Cowgirl this season, and considering this week she joked about wishing she could be here for the entirety of Hoyt’s extension, it would be shocking to see Heard play anywhere else for her fifth year, barring changes at the top (which seem less likely following that extension).

“Stailee is one of those kids you just never want to stop coaching,” Hoyt said. “You don’t like to think about not getting to coach her. So, just the opportunities for us as coaches to continue to pour into kids and continue to build off of a relationship is great.”

Heard will almost certainly remain a huge piece of the puzzle for OSU this season despite the influx of newcomers, but that boost has the Cowgirls in the conversation for a serious run next March.

ESPN ranked the team 22nd in the site’s way-too-early rankings following the first month of the portal when the Cowgirls cleaned up. Currently, FanDuel has the Cowgirls in a three-way tie for the ninth-best odds to win the national championship this season, alongside Notre Dame and Vanderbilt.

When the class was initially announced, this was supposed to be one last hurrah for much of the roster, including Heard and Crooks. Now with the move across college athletics to a five-for-five model, OSU could get two bites at the apple if they can keep the group intact.

“For me, in my position, I love the rule because I have an opportunity to essentially run this whole roster back,” Hoyt said. “And of course, you can’t look at it that way. You don’t know how things are going to play out, but just knowing that we could have this team back, that I just love coaching right now, that’s really exciting.”

Here’s a brief look at the Cowgirls who suddenly have two years left instead of one following the rule change.

Stailee Heard (G) — 2025 Big 12 First Team, 2026 Second Team; averaged 11.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

Audi Crooks (C) — Iowa State transfer ranked as the consensus No. 1 player in the portal; Three-time Unanimous Big 12 First Team (2024-26); averaged 25.8 points (second nationally), 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

Ellie Brueggemann (G) — Lindenwood transfer ranked No. 36 by USA Today; two-time First Team All-OVC (2025 and 2026); averaged 14 points per game last season while shooting 44% beyond the arc (ranked seventh nationally).

Nene Ndiaye (G) — Rutgers transfer ranked No. 95 by USA Today; averaged 14.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 41.6% from three.

Talexa Weeter (G) — Fort Hays State transfer; Named D-II Player of the Year in 2026; averaged 27.5 points per game (tops among D-II and second across all NCAA) while also grabbing 8.9 rebounds per game to finish with 10 double-doubles in 2025-26.