Fall camp is rolling in Norman, and Oklahoma’s secondary is walking into 2026 with a lot more certainty than most rooms on the roster. The Sooners are less than two weeks from opening the regular season, and after last year’s 10-win run and College Football Playoff trip, this is the part of the roster that looks built to help push the program from good to great under Brent Venables.
The defensive backs are in the hands of cornerbacks coach LaMar Morgan, safeties coach Brandon Hall and assistant secondary coach Xavier Brewer, and the group brings back enough proven pieces to feel like a strength right away. There’s still depth to sort through, but the top of the depth chart is clear, and that matters.
At cornerback, OU gets both of its primary starters back in Eli Bowen and Guillory. They don’t win the same way, and they don’t look the same physically, but together they give Morgan a solid starting point as he settles into the room.
Jacobe Johnson is next in line and figures to handle the third corner role. He’s the veteran in that spot and has the kind of tools that should keep him on the field plenty in the SEC.
Behind him, the real fight is for the snaps that matter once the rotation starts turning. Haynes may have the edge for a two-deep spot, but Newcombe, Fields and Ijioma are all in the mix.
The overall standard in the room has climbed a long way from where it was a few years ago, and true freshmen Derrick Johnson II and Bauer will also be trying to force their way into the conversation if the opportunity comes.
Safety is anchored by Peyton Bowen, who returns as the leader of the entire secondary. He’ll be paired in the starting lineup with Boganowski, and Oklahoma has every reason to feel good about that pairing. Hall has helped build a strong tradition at the position, and the Sooners expect that to continue in 2026 even with one new starter in the mix.
Robinson is the third safety and a young player OU is high on. Powers starts at Cheetah, but he can slide to safety if Venables needs him there.
After that, the depth gets thinner. Oklahoma may have to lean on true freshmen Ford or Jandreau, or even DeQuasie if a veteran answer becomes necessary.
Even so, the room has plenty of appeal because of how young it still is.
The Cheetah spot gives Venables another layer to work with. Powers is the starter after backing up last season, and Newcombe is another defensive back option there.
From the linebacker group, Cole Sullivan is also expected to see a lot of time at Cheetah, especially after Taylor Heim’s spring ball injury. Sullivan brings the bigger, run-stopping profile, while Powers and Newcombe are more likely to be used in coverage.
That versatility is the point. Venables is going to use every option he has to maximize that role, and depending on the opponent, different players could rotate into Cheetah from week to week. That could shift the defensive back mix for a game, but it also gives Oklahoma the chance to move Powers and Newcombe around and keep the secondary flexible.
For a unit that has already shown it can rise, the next step is about holding that level with a slightly less experienced back end. The Sooners have good production back at the top, and with Venables, Morgan, Hall and Brewer steering the group, the secondary looks ready to be a major part of whether Oklahoma’s defense delivers on the expectations sitting in front of it.
In Other News...
OU Fans May Revisit Jackson Arnold After One Painful What If
Jackson Arnolds path has taken another turn, and Oklahoma fans who watched his first chapter in Norman may have reason to pay close attention again. After two seasons in the SEC, the former Sooners quarterback has transferred to Nevada-Las Vegas, a move that keeps his career moving while also extending the ripple effect of a conference that has shaped so many recent Oklahoma storylines.
Arnolds time in the SEC came with its share of challenges, and the article frames this latest move as part of that broader orbit rather than a clean break from it. For Oklahoma followers, it is the kind of development that can stir up a familiar mix of curiosity and regret, especially when a quarterbacks next stop offers another chance to see what might have been. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Fall Camp Shakeup Is Changing Two Key Offensive Battles
Fall camp has already reshaped a pair of important Oklahoma offensive battles, and the changes are showing up in places that usually take longer to settle. At running back, Lloyd Avant has moved into the front of the line for the starting job as Tory Blaylock has been slowed by injury and slipped down the depth chart. Elsewhere, the tight ends have taken noticeable steps forward under new coach Jason Witten, giving the Sooners another area of the offense that looks more competitive than it did going in.
The bigger concern is up front, where starting center Jake Maikkula went down with an MCL sprain and is expected to miss several weeks. That leaves Oklahoma sorting through protection and communication in the middle of camp, and freshman lineman Noah Best has taken advantage of the opening by drawing attention as a possible fill-in at center or even a candidate to start at right guard. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Freshmen Are Already Creating 2026 Position Battle Pressure
The early buzz around Oklahomas 2026 roster is already drifting well beyond summer hype, because several freshmen have arrived with the size, pedigree and traits to force real conversations down the line. Jonathan Hatton Jr., Noah Best, Jake Kreul and James Carrington all fit that mold in different ways, and the attention they are drawing from coaches and teammates is a reminder that the Sooners are not waiting long to think about how this class changes the two-deep.
Special teams could be one of the quickest paths for some of those newcomers to make an imprint, but the bigger pressure point may come on offense, where the quarterback room is already worth watching. Bowe Bentley and Whitt Newbauer are part of that picture, and the presence of young talent behind them gives Oklahoma a layered setup that could make 2026 a much more competitive spring and summer than it looks on paper right now. [Read more 🡒]