Oklahoma’s roster has changed a lot over the last few weeks, and the biggest ripple effect has come on defense. General manager Jim Nagy and head coach Brent Venables have added four fifth-year players through the new “five-for-five” ruling, and all four are now on the official roster heading into Saturday’s game against Michigan.
The newcomers are defensive linemen Danny Saili and Braxton Fely, linebacker Jaydon Southard and defensive back D’Yoni Hill. Each of them was granted a temporary restraining order that allows him to play out a final season of eligibility with the Sooners, and none signed a pro contract. OU said that was a line it would not cross.
Nagy also made clear that the additions did not force anyone off the roster, and he said the Sooners were in constant contact with the SEC throughout the process.
"We did everything by the book, so constant contact with the SEC, the administration," Nagy said. "We weren’t going to cut any players, I’ll say that.
That was never a consideration, just looking to upgrade the team. It’s a violent sport, it’s a long season, and we are happy about what we did."
The four additions push Oklahoma’s roster to 114 players, but the real question is what kind of help they can provide once they settle in. That’s where the timing matters. These were late moves, well past the usual point in the college football calendar, but OU clearly identified spots where extra depth could matter.
Defensive tackle was one of those areas. Oklahoma lost Damonic Williams and Gracen Halton from last year’s room, and Markus Strong, Siolaa Lolohea and David Rowaiye are also gone. Jayden Jackson and David Stone give the Sooners two strong starters inside, but the staff wanted more behind them with Bishop Thomas, Trent Wilson, Nigel Smith II and James Carrington in the mix.
That kind of depth matters in a defense that leans so heavily on the interior line. If the middle holds, the rest of the front can do its job. Oklahoma already likes what it has at defensive end with Taylor Wein, Adepoju Adebawore, Danny Okoye, Wyatt Gilmore, Kenny Ozowalu and Jake Kreul, and the hope is that the whole front can look sturdier again this season.
Saili is the first of the two tackles to have already seen the field. He debuted in Week 1 against UTEP and had one tackle on seven snaps. He brings SEC experience from two seasons at Arkansas, and Venables has been impressed with how quickly he has picked things up since arriving in Norman in August.
Fely, meanwhile, comes in with a longer résumé. He spent four years at Boise State, started for three seasons and earned two all-conference selections. He has not played for Oklahoma yet after arriving later than Saili, but he could end up being the player from this group who helps the Sooners most in 2026.
Southard gives Oklahoma another experienced body at linebacker after the departures of Kendal Daniels, Kobie McKinzie and Sammy Omosigho. Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke are the starters on the inside, and Southard adds veteran depth to a group that also includes Cole Sullivan, James Nesta and Dane Bathurst. The position took another hit in the spring when Taylor Heim was injured, so Southard’s arrival matters even more.
He also adds some flexibility at Cheetah. Sullivan and Nesta are the bigger options there, alongside starter Reggie Powers III and backups Jeremiah Newcombe and Lebron Bauer, both of whom come from the defensive back group. Southard’s presence gives Venables another piece to work with at the second level, and it opens things up a little more for the rest of that room.
Southard has not yet made his OU debut, since he came in after the UTEP game. He arrives after becoming a star at FCS Stephen F. Austin and earning first-team all-conference honors in 2025.
Hill’s role is the most straightforward of the four: help at cornerback. Oklahoma lost Gentry Williams, Devon Jordan, Maliek Hawkins and Kendel Dolby from the 2025 team, so the Sooners were looking for another veteran in a room they already feel good about. Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory are the top two corners, with Jacobe Johnson, Trystan Haynes and Dakoda Fields also in the mix.
Hill gives OU a Power Four player with starting experience after he opened last season at Wisconsin. Oklahoma likes to rotate at corner, and that makes a veteran addition like Hill especially useful for a secondary that also features a strong safety group of Peyton Bowen, Michael Boganowski, Omarion Robinson, Markel Ford, Niko Jandreau and Reed DeQuasie.
Hill has also not yet debuted for Oklahoma, arriving after the UTEP game like Southard.
Eligibility talk has been one of the defining offseason themes in college football, and Oklahoma clearly decided to move when the class of 2022 players became part of the “five-for-five” conversation. Nagy said he and Venables planned for the possibility, and Venables said the Sooners thoroughly vetted each player before making the move.
The result is a roster that looks deeper in several key spots on defense. How much Saili, Fely, Southard and Hill ultimately play is still to be determined, but Oklahoma used the opportunity to add experienced pieces where it felt the need most.
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