Oklahoma’s late roster push wasn’t a whim. It was a calculated move, and general manager Jim Nagy made that clear Monday while explaining how the Sooners ended up adding four veteran players to the mix.
Arkansas defensive tackle Danny Saili, Boise State defensive tackle Braxton Fely, Wisconsin cornerback D’Yoni Hill and Stephen F. Austin linebacker Jaydon Southard all surfaced as targets after many players in the Class of 2022 received temporary restraining orders to gain an extra year of eligibility. Oklahoma saw a chance to strengthen the roster, and Nagy said the staff moved carefully before bringing any of them in.
“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.”
Nagy also said the Sooners already had open roster spots in place before they began pursuing the four additions, in case the Colorado ruling broke their way. Even if the timing made it look abrupt from the outside, he said Oklahoma did the homework to make sure the players fit not just on the field, but in the locker room as well.
The Sooners are done adding for now. With those spots filled, Nagy said there won’t be any more roster moves this season.
Two of the newcomers are already in the fold. Fely and Saili are on the roster, and Saili even saw snaps in Oklahoma’s 51-0 win over UTEP on Friday night. Hill and Southard are expected to be added in the coming days.
How much they’ll play is still up in the air, especially with Oklahoma heading to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a top-25 game against Michigan this week. For now, the focus is on getting them ready physically and teaching them the system.
“They’re going to have to learn and, more than anything, be physically ready,” he said. “But they’ve got a seven-day acclimation period here, during the week, so we’ll get them out there when they’re ready.”
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Nagy said the evaluation went beyond talent, with cultural fit part of the equation and the roster construction done with intent rather than impulse. The bigger question now is how quickly, or even whether, those newcomers will be pushed into action once they settle in with the Sooners. For a team that has been willing to be patient with its approach, the next step is seeing which of these late additions becomes more than just a name on the summer board. [Read more 🡒]