Oklahoma State football adds transfer running back, Tulsa Union product AJ Green

STILLWATER — Arkansas transfer running back A.J. Green was excited to know he would be returning to his home state when he committed to the University of Tulsa back in December.

But while his future destination changed, his return to Oklahoma did not.

The former Tulsa Union High School standout announced his commitment to Oklahoma State on Wednesday, two days after he posted on social media that he had decommitted from Tulsa.

His message on Wednesday was simple.

“Still headed back home,” he wrote, adding a smiley face emoji wearing a cowboy hat.

Green was among the top recruits in the state when he came out of Union in the 2021 class. He played in 12 games as a true freshman at Arkansas and 37 over his three-year career with the Razorbacks.

He steps into an interesting but important role with Oklahoma State, which returns Doak Walker Award-winning running back Ollie Gordon II.

Gordon got nearly every carry once he became the featured back in the fourth game of the Cowboys’ 10-4 season. The Cowboys lost two of his backups, Elijah Collins to graduation and Jaden Nixon to the transfer portal.

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That left the Cowboys with only freshmen behind Gordon — redshirt freshman Sesi Vailahi, who appeared in three games this past season and recent signees Rodney Fields Jr. and Jaden Allen-Hendrix.

So the Pokes scoured the transfer portal for an experienced backup, but it wasn’t an easy sell. Because of Gordon’s heavy volume of carries, any offer of playing time was minimal. Yet Green, who has 201 career carries for a Southeastern Conference team, was willing to fill the role.

Green rushed for 951 yards and six touchdowns in his three Arkansas seasons, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. In 2023, he led Arkansas running backs in rush yardage with 312 yards on 67 carries.

The coming season will be Green’s final year of eligibility, barring a need to redshirt. He is expected to enroll and begin classes at OSU next week, so he can take part in spring practices.

More: The Oklahoman’s Super 30: Versatility carried Arkansas commit AJ Green to stardom at Tulsa Union

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football adds Arkansas transfer running back AJ Green