NEWS: Oussama El Bouchayby Enters Transfer Portal

The Stride Report has confirmed that Angelo State superstar Oussama El Bouchayby has entered the transfer portal as a standard transfer. According to TFRRS, he will hold three years of eligibility in both outdoor track and indoor track at the end of the 2023 spring season. The Division Two standout has no history of cross country performances.

Oussama El Bouchayby has rapidly come on to the NCAA scene with monstrous performances since February. At the Boston University Last Chance meet, the Moroccan rookie ran 1:47 for 800 meters in what was a stunning breakout effort, breaking the D2 indoor collegiate record in the process.

Then, at the D2 indoor national meet, El Bouchayby dropped an incredible time of 1:46.78 for 800 meters, taking down Wes Ferguson for NCAA gold and further lowering his D2 indoor collegiate record.

And just when you thought that El Bouchayby couldn't get any better, the Angelo State freshman posted an insane time of 1:45.31 for the half-mile distance as the Texas Relays. That mark sits just 0.07 seconds out from the D2 collegiate record in that event.

In that race, El Bouchayby took down an incredibly loaded field which included Olympian Bryce Hoppel, recent D1 indoor national champion Yusuf Bizimana and numerous upper-tier collegiate stars.

At the Bryan Clay Invitational, El Bouchayby ran 1:45 for 800 meters yet again, this time defeating a very deep (but largely different) field of star-caliber collegiates. He also ran 3:45 for 1500 meters a week before that.

It is abundantly clear that this still-young middle distance megastar has outgrown the Division Two level within the matter of a few months. Naturally, it makes sense that he would look elsewhere. And in doing so, the door will have swung wide-open during the 2023-2024 academic calendar for guys like Wes Ferguson and Reece Sharman-Newell as they continue to fight for national titles at the 800 meter distance.

The biggest question, however, is...where will this Moroccan runner venture to?

Angelo State is a university located in Texas, making schools like the University of Texas and Texas A&M potentially perfect fits for Oussama El Bouchayby.

The Texas Longhorns have had the most success as of late over 800 meters, producing elite firepower and incredible depth via the likes of Bizimana, Crayton Carrozza, Jonathan Jones and more. However, the Texas A&M Aggies have a greater history when it comes to developing all-time stars of El Bouchayby's level. Former collegiate stars to don silver and maroon include Devin Dixon, Donovan Brazier and Brandon Miller (to name a few).

But what about Oklahoma State? Regionally, they aren't all that far from the state of Texas and Coach Dave Smith has added a handful of talented Moroccans to his roster as of late.

Iowa State, of course, is a program known for their prestige over 800 meters. They have been unafraid to utilize the transfer portal and have been willing to recruit non-D1 prospects to join their middle distance group in the past.

It's admittedly hard to know exactly when we'll hear more or where Oussama El Bouchayby will land. But wherever he goes, he'll likely end up in the conversation to win NCAA gold over 800 meters at the Division One level.