The bye week gives Oklahoma a chance to take stock, and the picture isn’t pretty. At 2-2, the Sooners are dealing with injuries, inconsistency and a roster that looks thinner than it should in a few key spots. That makes the offseason exits look even more painful.
There’s no way to know whether any one transfer would have solved Oklahoma’s problems outright. But four former Sooners are already producing elsewhere, and each one fills a need the current team could use right now.
Start up front, where Oklahoma’s tackle situation has been strained for weeks. Luke Baklenko spent one season in Norman after coming over from Stanford with center Jake Maikkula, then moved on to Arizona State when another starting job didn’t look likely. He appeared in 12 games last season as a useful depth option and posted a 78.1 pass-blocking grade, the 10th-best mark among SEC tackles.
Now he’s starting every game for the Sun Devils. Oklahoma, meanwhile, has been without left tackle Michael Fasusi since the first quarter of the season opener, which has forced a reshuffle across the line.
Ryan Fodje has been filling in at left tackle, while Arkansas transfer E'Marion Harris has struggled at right tackle. According to PFF, OU has allowed more pressure this season than any other unit in the SEC.
Baklenko wouldn’t erase all of that, but he would at least give the Sooners another option.
The same kind of “what if” follows quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. After John Mateer turned the ball over three times in three straight possessions in the blowout loss to Georgia, the benching talk got loud enough that Brent Venables and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said they discussed it. But there isn’t a clean answer behind Mateer now that Hawkins has transferred to West Virginia.
Hawkins has been a weapon in Morgantown. He’s piled up 425 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, and he’s remained efficient as a passer when called upon, completing 60% of his throws for 609 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Oklahoma already saw Hawkins struggle in Norman when he was asked to replace Mateer and Jackson Arnold, but he would still be the kind of backup the Sooners could use right now just to try to spark something.
Linebacker Cole Sullivan is another transfer exit that looks rough in hindsight. Oklahoma brought him in from Michigan, and Sammy Omosigho responded by heading to UCLA in search of more playing time and maybe a starting role. He’s gotten both with the Bruins, where he’s started every game and leads the team with 40 tackles.
The Sooners have also been without Sullivan for the last two games, leaving them short at linebacker. Omosigho would be one of the better backup options in college football if Oklahoma had kept him, especially since Sullivan hasn’t even clearly upgraded the room.
Then there’s wide receiver Zion Ragins, who never got a real chance to matter at Oklahoma before leaving for Mississippi State. As a sophomore, he didn’t even get on the field last season. Now he’s become a key target for Heisman Trophy contender Kamario Taylor.
Ragins has 10 catches for 173 yards in four games, and he’s already showing the deep-threat ability the Sooners expected when they signed him. He also opened the season by catching a touchdown in each of the first three games. Oklahoma could use that kind of speed and playmaking badly with Trell Harris possibly out for the rest of the season and no clear second option emerging behind Isaiah Sategna.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Fans Have A New Reason To Watch Michael Fasusi Closely
Michael Fasusis shoulder injury has lingered long enough to become one more concern in a season where Oklahomas offense has needed every healthy body it can get. Brent Venables said recent scans showed improvement, a small but meaningful step for the offensive tackle, who has not played since the season opener.
No timetable was offered for Fasusis return, so the update is more encouraging than conclusive. Still, it gives Sooners fans a fresh reason to keep an eye on the injury report, especially with the offense searching for stability and depth up front. [Read more 🡒]
Baker Mayfield Just Added To Oklahoma Fans Miserable Football Season
Baker Mayfields latest setback landed at an especially frustrating time for Oklahoma fans already watching a rough football season unfold. The former Sooners star and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback hurt his throwing thumb in the game against the Minnesota Vikings, and head coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield will be sidelined for at least three weeks. Bowles also confirmed the injury does not require surgery, but the timing only adds to an already difficult start for Mayfield and the Bucs.
For Oklahoma followers, Mayfield has always been one of the programs most visible pro links, so news like this tends to hit harder than an ordinary NFL injury update. Tampa Bay is off to an 0-3 start, and now it will have to navigate the next stretch without its quarterback, leaving Mayfield to recover while a season that already felt shaky gets even more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma May Be Losing A 5-Star Target For One Troubling Reason
A recent visit gave Kellan Hall a fresh look at both Oklahoma and Georgia, but it also gave the five-star 2028 defensive tackle a new lens on where each program stands. Hall has been working through his recruitment preferences after seeing the Sooners up close, and the timing of Oklahomas loss to Georgia clearly mattered in how he viewed the two schools.
Recruiting analysts have since shifted their predictions, and Kentucky is now being viewed as the favorite over Oklahoma for Halls commitment. Hall has already indicated that Georgias performance helped its standing in his evaluation, while Oklahomas struggles have worked against it, leaving the Sooners trying to regain ground in a race that has become more complicated than it looked just a short time ago. [Read more 🡒]