Oklahoma’s turn at SEC Media Days arrives July 20 in Tampa, and Brent Venables should have no shortage of choices when it comes to the three players who join him.
The easy call is John Mateer. The quarterback is back for his second year, and he wasted little time becoming one of the most recognizable voices in the locker room.
Mateer handled offensive duties at last year’s event in Atlanta, and his upbeat personality made him one of the more memorable Sooners on the stage. After a season that was largely derailed by a thumb injury, it would be a major surprise if he were left off the trip to Tampa.
Last year, Oklahoma brought two defensive players, R Mason Thomas and Robert Spears-Jennings, along with Mateer. Venables could go that route again, though the Sooners also have a few offensive options who would make sense if they want to lean that way.
Center Jake Maikkula has stepped into a leadership role on the offensive line, while left tackle Michael Fasusi brings both personality and the kind of physical tools that earned him a starting job as a true freshman. Receiver Isaiah Sategna is coming off a strong season, even if he tends to let his play do the talking. Transfer tight end Hayden Hansen would also fit as a voice for the improvement Oklahoma wants to show in the run game.
On defense, Venables could choose from a deep group of returning starters. Linebackers Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke would both be natural representatives of the unit.
Up front, David Stone, Taylor Wein and Jayden Jackson all have the kind of presence that would play well in Tampa. Safety Peyton Bowen, now heading into his senior year, has seen the defense’s turnaround up close, and both Bowen brothers are well-spoken.
The most intriguing option might be sophomore cornerback Courtland Guillory. Confident and backed up by his play, Guillory followed Eli Bowen’s lead from 2024 and put together a Freshman All-American-caliber season at cornerback. There’s every reason to think he’ll be even better in 2026.
In the Big 12 days, when schools often brought more players, returning Lou Groza Award winner Tate Sandell could have been in the mix too. But taking a kicker to SEC Media Days would still be a surprise.
However Venables fills out the group, Oklahoma has plenty of strong candidates for the stage in Tampa.
In Other News...
ESPN Just Reinforced Oklahoma's Place Among College Football's True Bluebloods
ESPNs latest jersey-number exercise ended up sounding a lot like an Oklahoma football roll call. In a ranking of the best college players ever to wear each number, the Sooners landed four times at the top, with Baker Mayfield, Caleb Williams, Tommy McDonald and Ricky Dixon each chosen as the standard-bearer for their respective jerseys. It was the kind of list that doubles as a reminder of how often Oklahoma has produced the kind of stars who still define eras.
The deeper cut was almost as telling, because Oklahoma had 12 more former players turn up as first runners-up. Names like Kyler Murray, Adrian Peterson and Lee Roy Selmon only sharpen the point: this is a program with enough history, and enough elite talent, to crowd the conversation at nearly every number. ESPNs breakdown did not just flatter the Sooners, it reinforced the idea that their place in the sports blueblood class still rests on a long line of players who left a mark that is hard to top. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Suddenly Have Real Buzz In Massive Defensive Line Battle
Kellan Hall is already looking like one of the marquee defensive line names in the 2028 class, and Oklahoma has put itself squarely in the mix early. The Christian Academy of Louisville standout has picked up more than 25 offers and has drawn attention from a national group that includes Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Miami and Kentucky, a sign that his recruitment is going to be anything but quiet.
For the Sooners, the appeal is obvious. Hall has been in Norman multiple times, and those visits have helped keep Oklahoma in a strong position as the race develops. He is expected to trim his list with a top 10 in August before laying out his next round of visit dates, which should give the Sooners a better sense of where they stand in a battle that is only just starting to heat up. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Fans Have Every Reason To Watch Keldrid Ben Right Now
Keldrid Ben has been one of Oklahomas more important recruiting wins since he committed in December, and now the four-star prospect is back in the spotlight for a different reason. With Florida and Oregon still lingering in the picture, the Sooners have had to keep an eye on a recruitment that has stayed active even after his pledge, which is why his next move is drawing so much attention.
Ben is set to make a new announcement about his recruitment, and the setting points to something more celebratory than dramatic. The expectation is that the moment will play out with his local community in Montgomery, Texas, giving Oklahoma fans another reason to watch closely as one of their top commitments steps back into the public eye. [Read more 🡒]