David Oke is back in the mix for Arkansas, and the fifth-year defensive tackle sounds like a player who has been waiting a long time to get this shot right.
After missing nine games in 2025 because of multiple injuries, Oke is trying to carve out a bigger role on a Razorback defensive line that has a new voice in coordinator Ron Roberts and a lot more competition around him. The 6-2, 298-pound transfer from Abilene Christian opened camp with a clear edge, and he knows the road back has not been simple.
Oke missed Arkansas’ first two games of 2025, both wins, against Alabama A&M and Arkansas State because of a knee injury. He returned in Week 3 at Ole Miss, a 41-35 loss, then played again in the 32-31 loss at Memphis in Week 4 and in the 56-13 home loss to Notre Dame in Week 5.
After that, an undisclosed injury shut him down for the rest of the regular season. He finished with one solo tackle, three assists and one tackle for loss.
“When I transferred here and I saw I was the only D-tackle that was out of the portal, I guess inside I was like, 'Okay maybe it's good they brought me in. I'm ready to go,'” Oke said on Tuesday.
“Seeing that when I got hurt, it was back to square one for them. It really sucked for me because I wanted to be out there with the guys and I felt bad.
“I felt my responsibility to be out there and perform to the high expectations. Seeing that the coaches, the new staff, we've gone in and honed into recruitment.
They went and got guys like [junior Carlon Jones ] from USC and [junior Xadavien Sims ] from Oregon and [sophomore Trajen Odom ] from Ohio State is remarkable. They're definitely excited for the defensive line we're going to have.”
Oke’s track record at Abilene Christian shows why Arkansas wanted him in the first place. He played in 31 games and made 18 starts there, including 14 games and 13 starts in 2025.
In 2024, he posted 64 tackles, with 21 solo stops and 43 assists, along with 9.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups. Across his ACU career, he totaled 84 tackles, 28 solo tackles, 56 assists, 10.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups.
“I was excited coming to the SEC, coming from ACU,” Oke said. “Loved ACU.
For me to transfer here, the coaches really got me excited in coming here. I got hurt in fall camp, and it kind of sucked for me because I wanted to perform out there and at the time I was starting.
“Then when it happened to me, I really just had to like lean back and focus on my craft and watching film and getting academics right. I would say since then, kind of I took myself on a spiritual journey with myself to get closer to God. Because at the time I definitely knew it kind of was later in timing.
“When I got hurt, I got closer with God. Through the whole winter till now, I'm definitely performing to the way I wanted to perform.”
So far in camp, Oke has been working at both defensive tackle and nose tackle, and that flexibility is exactly what Arkansas wants from its front. Defensive line coach Kynjee Cotton said the staff is trying to create as much usable depth as possible.
“We're trying to build depth,” Cotton said on Tuesday. “So those guys that can swing, we will swing.
Just trying to find more guys we can have out there on Saturday. So the more the merrier.
Just trying to find that right combination of guys. That's what we continue to work and continue to grow with that.”
Arkansas wrapped up Day 6 of camp on Tuesday, will take Wednesday off and return for Day 7 on Thursday. The regular season opens against North Alabama on September 5 at 3:15 p.m. (CDT) in Razorback Stadium.
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