Friday’s federal court ruling in Colorado has put Oklahoma in a spot it didn’t exactly plan for. The decision, which gave the high school class of 2022 an extra year of eligibility under the NCAA’s new 5-for-5 rule, has opened the door for programs to add players as fall camps begin.
For the Sooners, that means a familiar kind of offseason question has popped up fast: should Brent Venables try to bring back some depth pieces?
Names like former interior lineman Damonic Williams, edge rusher Marvin Jones Jr. and receiver Keontez Lewis have all been floated. Even Jadyn Ott’s name has come up in the conversation. That’s where the sport is right now - a strange mix of roster-building and legal maneuvering.
The bigger issue isn’t whether Oklahoma could use help. It’s whether the help is worth the ripple effect.
Williams and Jones Jr. would make Oklahoma better right now. If they were able to return and settle back in quickly, the Sooners would be in a stronger position for the obstacles of 2026. That fits with Venables’ goal of “improve the middle part of the roster,” a point he made at SEC Media Days in Tampa.
But every added body has a cost. Bringing back a player like Williams would likely squeeze out snaps for younger defensive linemen such as Nigel Smith II, who has logged 14 snaps in two seasons, and Trent Wilson, who played 29 snaps in 2025. The players behind them would be pushed even further down the depth chart.
That matters because it changes the shape of the defensive line in 2027. Instead of a group with more proven experience, Oklahoma could be looking at a room that drops back toward the kind of uncertainty Venables had in his first season as head coach. That’s not a clean tradeoff.
Williams is the tougher call. Last season, he posted a 56.1 overall defensive grade from Pro Football Focus. His pass-rush grade, 58.0, was a touch better than his 55.5 mark against the run.
Among the four defensive linemen Oklahoma used last year, Williams graded lowest in every major category mentioned here: overall, rush defense, tackling and pass rush. Some of those gaps were significant, and he still played the third-most snaps of the group. Jayden Jackson, meanwhile, reached 308 snaps because of nagging injuries late in the season.
Gracen Halton is gone after finishing first in all but one category, per PFF. That leaves the load on David Stone and Jackson, and Oklahoma appears comfortable with that arrangement.
So the question becomes whether Smith and Wilson should be asked to pass Williams on the depth chart now, or whether it makes more sense to let that happen later. Todd Bates and Venables will eventually have to make that demand anyway. The only real issue is timing: 2026 behind Stone and Jackson, or 2027 as the expected starters after another year of limited work if Williams returns.
Jones Jr. feels different.
He was steady on the edge last season and, as the source reporting put it, “routinely made winning football plays.” Nothing flashy, just dependable football. And in Oklahoma’s edge room, there’s more room to fit him in without blocking the path for players the Sooners may need down the line.
Taylor Wein is lined up for another strong season, while Danny Okoye and PJ Adebawore are competing for the other side. Both impressed this offseason and played well last year when R Mason Thomas went down in November.
Wein could be in his final season in Crimson and Cream if he puts together another big year, while Okoye and Adebawore may both still be around in 2027. Adebawore, specifically, could benefit from the new 5-for-5 rule.
Adding Jones Jr. wouldn’t take snaps from players Oklahoma is counting on heavily in 2027. Wyatt Gilmore and Jake Kreul are still raw and have time on their side. Jones Jr. would strengthen the room without boxing out the future.
In another version of this whole thing, if Gracen Halton weren’t drafted and could come back to Norman, his value would be clear enough to justify pushing younger players further down the order. That’s the bar.
Williams brings up a real debate. Jones Jr. looks more like an easy fit. Either way, this is Venables’ call - and, if he wants it, his luxury.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Tight End Battle Is Suddenly One Of OUs Biggest Questions
With Jaren Kanak gone after leading Oklahoma in receiving in 2025, the Sooners are reworking one of the more interesting spots on the offense. Jason Witten, in his first season coaching the tight ends, now has a room built around two veteran transfers in redshirt seniors Rocky Beers and Hayden Hansen, each bringing prior college experience into a position that suddenly needs a new identity.
Spring practices suggested there is at least some traction to work with, but the job is still wide open and the Sooners are treating it as an honest competition rather than a settled depth chart. For a team that has leaned on the tight end in key moments, the next few months will determine whether this becomes a quiet strength or another question mark heading into the season. [Read more 🡒]
New NCAA Ruling Opens A Wild Return Possibility For Former Sooners
A new NCAA eligibility ruling has created a quirky late-summer possibility for a handful of former Oklahoma players, even if the odds of seeing any of them back in college are slim. The change centers on the NCAAs new 5-for-5 rule, which trims athletes to five years of eligibility and removes the old redshirt cushion, while a federal judge also ordered the NCAA to let all Class of 2022 players who used up four seasons this spring remain eligible.
For Oklahoma fans, the practical impact is more novelty than expectation, since most of the Sooners who could theoretically benefit are already in the NFL or tied up by professional contracts. Still, the ruling opens the door just enough to make for an odd little watch item around the program, with several former Sooners at least falling into the category of players who could, in theory, come back for another college football run. [Read more 🡒]
Parker Livingstone Could Change What Oklahoma's Offense Looks Like
Oklahoma added Parker Livingstone from the transfer portal to give its offense another outside weapon, and the fit makes immediate sense. The former Texas receiver is expected to work on the perimeter, where the Sooners have been looking for more punch as they reshape the passing game around a deeper receiver room and a new look under center.
Livingstones arrival also matters beyond just this season, because his role could help define how Oklahoma wants to attack with John Mateer now and with Bowe Bentley down the road. If he settles in the way the staff hopes, he could become more than just another addition to the rotation and instead a player who helps change the way the Sooners deploy their offense going forward. [Read more 🡒]