In another step into the new era of college sports, the first player to go from the G League to college basketball will suit up for the Santa Clara Broncos this fall.

The school on Tuesday announced the commitment of Thierry Darlan, a 6-foot-8 guard originally from the Central African Republic. Darlan, 21, will have two years of eligibility after spending the past two seasons playing in the NBA’s professional developmental league.

A product of the NBA Africa Academy, Darlan initially opted for the G League over offers from Arizona, Kansas and Santa Clara.

He played in 29 games for the Ignite in 2023-24, averaging just under five points, and appeared in another 29 games this past season for the Delaware Blue Bats, where he played alongside former Bronco Jared Brownridge, averaging 11 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Darlan earned a paycheck in the G League and is believed to be the first such player to be ruled eligible by the NCAA. According to reports, the backdrop of college athletes being compensated by Name, Image and Likeness deals, as well as the influx of foreign players who previously played professionally overseas, influenced the decision.

He joins seven other newcomers on the Broncos’ roster and, given his pedigree and the level of turnover, is likely to play a significant role. Santa Clara must replace four of its five leading scorers from the team that finished fourth in the WCC and earned an NIT bid in 2024-25.

College football

Mike Gundy, one of college football’s most colorful coaches over the last two decades, was fired by Oklahoma State on Tuesday.

The 58-year-old Gundy had a career record of 170-90 at his alma mater, where he was a star quarterback in the late 1980s. He posted winning records every season from 2006 to 2023, but had losing records in his final two years. He entered the season ranked third among active coaches in victories at their current school, trailing only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.

In all, Gundy spent well over 30 years at Oklahoma State as a player, assistant coach and head coach. As a player, he was the undersized gunslinger who balanced the Cowboys’ offense when it featured star running backs Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders. He ended his career as the Big 8’s all-time leading passer, then had several assistant coaching roles at the school before reviving the program as head coach.

Gundy arrived as head coach in 2005, and the Oklahoma City native’s charm and sense of humor appealed to fans and recruits and helped the Cowboys compete with and often surpass better-funded schools. He led the Cowboys to five New Year’s Six bowl appearances and eight 10-win seasons.

For all his positives, Gundy came with quirks. He is known as much for his “I’m a man, I’m 40” rant that he made defending a player — a diatribe that remains a part of pop culture through a Consumer Cellular commercial — as for his success.

In 2020, he apologized for calling COVID-19 the “Chinese Virus, ” and again months later after he wore a T-shirt featuring the far-right One America News Network that created a disagreement with running back Chuba Hubbard.

All those things were forgiven as the team won. But the Cowboys lost their last nine games last season, the final defeat a 52-0 blowout at Colorado.

This season, Oklahoma State struggled out of the gate against FCS program Tennessee-Martin, winning 27-7 but raising eyebrows with its struggles after quarterback Hauss Hejny went down with a broken foot.

The next week, the Cowboys lost at Oregon 69-3. After a bye week, the Cowboys lost at home to Tulsa on Friday for the first time since 1951. The fans booed him during the loss, with some chanting “Fire Mike Gundy.”

Doug Meacham, one of several coaches Gundy brought in after last season, has been promoted from offensive coordinator to interim head coach. His first game will be Saturday when Oklahoma State hosts Baylor.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, one of the nation’s top players in the early weeks of the season, will have surgery to repair an injury to his throwing hand.

Mateer will have surgery on his right hand today. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said Mateer is expected to return this season.

The Southeastern Conference announced league matchups for the next four years, including designating three annual — not permanent — opponents for each of its 16 teams. The nine-game slates retain several traditional rivalries and renew some old ones.

The new format begins next year and runs through 2029, with the SEC having the option to tweak it every four years to maintain competitive balance.

Each team will play three opponents annually and rotate through the remaining 12. The setup ensures that rotating teams square off every other year and every team plays at every SEC venue at least once over a four-year span.

Fans are sure to gripe about the loss of some traditional series. Alabama-LSU (played every year since 1964) and Florida-LSU (played every year since 1971) will no longer be annual events. But those teams will meet every other year under the new format.

Geography and competitive fairness were factored into the decisions but not as prominently as maintaining long-standing rivalries like the Iron Bowl, the Egg Bowl, the Red River Rivalry, the Magnolia Bowl, the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, the Third Saturday in October and the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

The league also renewed rivalries that had been largely on hiatus since conference realignment.

The Lone Star Shootout featuring Texas and Texas A&M, a game held every year between 1915 and 2011, will now be played annually. So will the Missouri-Oklahoma series. which was played nearly every year between 1910 and 1995. Same for Arkansas-Texas, which ended in 1991 after a 60-year run.