As Oklahoma’s fall camp starts to fade into the rearview, the pressure is shifting from evaluation to execution. That matters most for the Sooners’ EDGE battle, where Adepoju Adebawore and Danny Okoye are still fighting for the chance to fill the void left by R Mason Thomas, who was taken in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Both players arrived with plenty of buzz out of high school, but neither has yet made a major impact. Last season, each was mostly a supporting piece, though Adebawore had the larger role coming off the bench.
Former Oklahoma All-American Gabe Ikard pointed to Adebawore as one of the key names he was watching entering camp, and he believes the answer there has been encouraging.
"He's one of those guys who I think is going to have a lot of opportunities because a lot of offenses are going to pay a lot of attention to Stone and Wein," Ikard said on the 'Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman.'" Those guys are extremely disruptive players...
That should give PJ a lot of one-on-one opportunities. Whether that's in the run game or rushing the passer."
That’s the path for Adebawore right now. Oklahoma has enough juice up front that offenses can’t simply zero in on him. Stone is coming off a strong year at defensive tackle, and Wein has already carved out a spot as one of the Sooners’ top EDGE threats.
If that attention keeps flowing toward Stone and Wein, Adebawore should see more clean one-on-one chances. Those are the kinds of snaps that can change a season if he starts cashing them in. Win those matchups consistently, and Oklahoma has a real shot at getting close to the production Thomas gave it a year ago.
So the opportunity is there. With camp nearly wrapped, the only question left is whether Adebawore can turn that opportunity into production. If Ikard is right and he has taken that next step, Oklahoma may have another dangerous weapon in a defensive line already expected to be among the nation’s best.
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Oklahoma Suddenly Has An Early Offensive Line Question To Solve
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For now, the Sooners are sorting through options behind him, with Caleb Nitta and freshman Noah Best emerging as the main candidates if the staff needs to pivot. It adds another layer to a preseason picture already shaped by the attention on lineman Michael Fasusi and running back Xavier Robinson, two players expected to factor heavily into how this offense takes shape. [Read more 🡒]
Deland McCullough Is Raising The Bar For Oklahomas RB Room
Deland McCullough arrived at Oklahoma in February with a rsum that already carried plenty of weight, having coached running backs at Notre Dame, Indiana and USC while also working with NFL teams. Now he is settling into a Sooners backfield that needs both polish and depth, with Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock providing experience and junior Andy Bass working his way back from ACL injuries.
For Oklahoma, the appeal is as much about McCulloughs track record as it is about what he can do with the room over time. The offensive coordinator and quarterback have both voiced confidence in his ability to elevate the run game, and that belief makes his early work around the program even more important as the Sooners look toward the 2026 season. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Hatton Jr. Is Giving Oklahoma Fans Freshman Phenom Hope
Jonathan Hatton Jr. is already making a strong impression in Oklahomas backfield before he has even settled into college football. The freshman running back has drawn praise from teammate Xavier Robinson for his speed, reportedly getting as fast as 21.7 mph in full pads, and the buzz around him starts with the rare combination of size and burst that made him such a decorated high school runner.
For Sooners fans, the appeal is obvious because the program has seen this kind of freshman hype turn into something much bigger before. Hatton is being mentioned in the same breath as Oklahoma freshmen running backs like Adrian Peterson and Marcus Dupree, which is about as lofty a standard as there is in Norman, even if the real answer still has to come on the field. [Read more 🡒]