Fall camp is almost here for Oklahoma, and the Sooners are heading into Year 5 under Brent Venables with their specialists carrying real weight.
That’s not just hype, either. When the preseason All-SEC teams came out at SEC Media Days last month, Oklahoma landed 10 selections, the third-most in the league. A big reason the specialists were so prominent: kicker Tate Sandell, long snapper Ben Anderson, punter Grayson Miller and return specialist Isaiah Sategna all got recognized.
Sandell, the reigning Lou Groza Award winner, was a first-team pick. Anderson joined him there after serving as a steady piece of OU’s kicking operation for the last three seasons. Miller earned second-team honors, and Sategna was also tabbed on the second team as a return specialist.
The respect makes sense when you look at what Oklahoma brings back in Year 3 under special teams coordinator Doug Deakin. The Sooners finished last season 33rd in special teams SP+, but that number climbed to 21st by the end of the regular season. That’s a major step up from the 2023 season, when Oklahoma sat 127th in special teams efficiency and 94th in special teams SP+ before Deakin arrived.
Here’s how the unit shapes up entering 2026:
Departed: Austin Welch (graduated).
Returning starters: Tate Sandell, redshirt senior; Grayson Miller, redshirt senior; Ben Anderson, redshirt senior; Isaiah Sategna, redshirt senior; Peyton Bowen, senior.
Other returning players: Liam Evans, redshirt freshman; Jacob Ulrich, redshirt junior; Seth Freeman, redshirt freshman.
Offseason additions: Trace Rudd, freshman; Lloyd Avant, junior.
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 🡒]