Michael Fasusi was the name echoing through Oklahoma’s media day on Tuesday, and it’s easy to see why. Just two days before the Sooners begin fall camp, the sophomore left tackle was the player multiple coaches and teammates kept circling when asked who they’re most eager to watch in 2026.
That kind of buzz would be notable for any player. For Fasusi, it feels like the next step in a rise that has been building since he arrived as the headliner of Oklahoma’s 2025 signing class.
He came out of Lewisville High School at 6-foot-5 and 295 pounds, ranked as the consensus top offensive tackle in the class and the No. 5 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite. The expectation was immediate impact, then eventually a first-round future.
So far, he’s tracking exactly that way.
Fasusi became Oklahoma’s starting left tackle in Week 5 last season as a freshman and went on to start eight games in 2025 for a College Football Playoff contender. He held up in SEC trenches, and On3 named him a Freshman All-American. Now he returns as one of four starters back on the Sooners’ offensive line, with the added benefit of a full season of experience under his belt.
That experience, Fasusi said, changed everything.
"A blessing, man," Fasusi told media when asked about getting thrown into the fire as a freshman. "To be able to have that experience, to be able to see what the game is like, what the speed of the game is like, what the physicality is like -- really just everything it takes to, you know, just to be great."
That’s the part that has people around Oklahoma even more intrigued now. Fasusi already had the raw tools that made him such a coveted recruit. What he has added is the kind of understanding that only comes from being out there, snap after snap, against high-level competition.
The praise on Tuesday didn’t come from outsiders projecting off highlight reels. It came from people who see him every day.
SoonerScoop’s George Stoia asked coaches and players who they’re most excited to watch next season, especially someone outside their own position group, and Fasusi kept coming up. New tight ends coach Jason Witten, defensive tackle Jayden Jackson and tight end Hayden Hansen all named him.
Witten’s endorsement carried extra weight. During his time with the Dallas Cowboys, he lined up alongside eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith, so he knows what elite play looks like on the edge. His view of Fasusi was simple and direct.
"I think the easy answer to that is Mike Fasusi," Witten said. "I just can't say enough about his approach every single day."
Hansen is the one working next to Fasusi now, while Jackson faces him in practice every day. Their answers only added to the sense that Oklahoma sees something special in its left tackle.
The hype around Fasusi was already loud when he signed. After a freshman season that confirmed a lot of what made him so coveted in the first place, it’s only gotten louder. And around Oklahoma’s media day, the feeling was clear: the stock is still climbing.
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