2026 Five-Star Forward Jalen Montonati Visiting Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State is hosting the top prospect in the state.

On Saturday, the Cowboys are set for a Big 12 battle against Utah at Gallagher-Iba Arena, but their most important portion of the day could be happening off the court. According to a report from Sam Kayser, the Cowboys are hosting Jalen Montonati, the No. 1 player in Oklahoma in the class of 2026.

Montonati is a star for Owasso and has helped the Rams establish themselves as one of the top high school teams in the country this season. OSU is one of many teams hoping to earn a commitment from Montonati, with the young star also receiving offers from schools such as Kansas, Oklahoma, Houston and Alabama. 

This is far from the first time OSU has been in the mix for one of the top players in the country, getting Cade Cunningham to come to Stillwater in 2020. However, this will be the first time OSU courts a player to Stillwater under Steve Lutz.

As Lutz looks to rebuild the Cowboys program into a Big 12 contender over the next few years, securing players like Montonati could go a long way. In this era of college basketball where there is so much change from year to year, potential one-and-dones are as valuable as ever if a team can put the right pieces around those stars.

Lutz has already shown an ability to build a solid team through the transfer portal during his time at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Western Kentucky. Assuming he sticks around in Stillwater, Lutz will have an opportunity to build for the long term in a way he was unable to at his previous stops.

Lutz has already been busy on the recruiting trail since arriving in Stillwater, but none of his current commitments would be as big for the program as grabbing the top player in the state. Of course, OSU is one of many schools going after the services of Montonati but could benefit from simply being in his home state.