Oklahoma has finally filled its last roster spot, but the move comes with a familiar college football asterisk attached. Former Arkansas defensive lineman Danny Saili is now officially on the Sooners’ roster, though he is not eligible to play while his status works through the legal mess surrounding his fifth season.
Brent Venables confirmed Wednesday on the SEC teleconference call that Saili is with the team and practicing.
“He’s on the team,” Venables said. “He’s been added to the roster, and he’s currently practicing.”
Saili’s path to Norman has been tangled from the start. He entered the transfer portal after last season even though he was out of eligibility, hoping for a ruling that would open the door to one more year.
He got that when a judge in Colorado ruled that players who graduated high school in 2022 were eligible for a fifth season under the NCAA’s new “five-for-five” eligibility plan. But the Colorado 10th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed that ruling soon after, leaving Saili ineligible for now.
One wrinkle in his case: unlike some of the former pros recently trying to get back into college football, Saili never signed an NFL contract or took part in an NFL tryout or practice.
For Oklahoma, the timing still matters. Saili has been enrolled at OU and can take part in team activities, which means he can learn the defense and get practice reps even if he cannot suit up on Saturdays. Venables said the 6-foot-1, 280-pound lineman has already shown he can handle the position.
“He's done a good job. He knows how to play d-tackle,” Venables said.
“That jumped out at you right away ... His fundamentals, his precision, his quickness … he really picked things up well, remarkably well.
I was incredibly surprised.”
Saili spent two seasons at Hutchinson Community College before enrolling at BYU ahead of the 2024 season. He then entered the spring transfer portal window a few months after signing with the Cougars and ended up at Arkansas. Over the last two seasons with the Razorbacks, he appeared in 18 games, including 11 last season.
If he is eventually cleared, Saili would add another experienced body to a deep Oklahoma defensive tackle group that already includes Jayden Jackson, David Stone, Bishop Thomas, Trent Wilson, Nigel Smith II, and James Carrington.
For now, he gives the Sooners a full 111-man roster heading into the opener. Oklahoma starts the season Friday night at home against UTEP in Norman at 7 p.m.
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