Tate Sandell went from college football’s most reliable leg to a question mark Oklahoma can’t ignore anymore.
Less than a year after a breakout season that made him the Lou Groza Award winner and SEC Special Teams Player of the Year, Sandell is now splitting field-goal work in practice as Brent Venables tries to find out whether the Sooners have a better answer on the roster. That was the message from Venables on his weekly coach’s show ahead of Saturday’s game against South Carolina.
“He likes it. He’s a very competitive guy. He doesn’t want it any other way," Venables said.
The change in tone around Sandell is hard to miss. Last season, after transferring from UTSA, he was as automatic as it gets: 24-of-27 on field goals, an 89% clip, and he made a program- and SEC-record 24 straight. For Oklahoma, he was essentially a guaranteed three points once the Sooners crossed midfield.
That version has not shown up in 2026.
Sandell’s season has been uneven from the start, and the low point came last week against Mississippi State, when he missed half of his six field-goal tries. Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle pointed out afterward that some of those attempts should have been PATs instead, but that doesn’t change the bigger issue: Oklahoma needs its kicker to finish drives when the offense doesn’t.
The one bright moment still stands out. Sandell buried a game-winning 47-yard field goal as time expired to knock off No.
1 Texas and become a Red River Rivalry hero. Since then, it’s been a rough slide.
Through seven games, Sandell is 10-for-16 on field goals and has missed at least one attempt in four of them. Venables has continued to back him publicly, but he also acknowledged that Oklahoma has other options if the struggles continue.
“Tate will be fine. I know that’s perplexing, but he’ll be fine.
I feel like we kicked 30 of them and missed all 30," Venables said Saturday. "But yeah, Tate’s got a great body of work.
He’s one of the most talented kickers in college football. He’s been a dude, and he’s got a great resume both in-game and at practice.
Sandell is a tough guy. He’s not a fragile-minded guy.
So keep faith in him.
"And we’ve got other guys that can kick too, but Tate’s been our guy. He won the Groza last year, and for a kicker, it doesn’t take much to be off, I guess. But he’ll be alright.”
The alternatives are Liam Evans and Trace Rudd. Evans, a junior, has appeared in one game and made a PAT. Rudd has not made his college debut yet, though Kohl’s Kicking listed him as a five-star prospect in the 2026 class.
Kicker is a different animal from quarterback; a coach can evaluate those guys plenty in practice before giving them a chance in a game. Still, neither Evans nor Rudd can prove anything on Saturdays until Oklahoma gives one of them the ball.
Sandell has earned the benefit of the doubt, but that only stretches so far in a season like this. If the slump keeps rolling and he misses again against South Carolina, the Sooners may be forced to find out what the next option can do. Oklahoma needs points now, not the version Sandell gave them last year.
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Broken Arrow brings a dangerous offense led by quarterback Shamar Banner, a University of Tulsa commit, while Bixby answers with a roster that includes several Division I commitments of its own. For the Spartans, this is a chance to protect their No. 1 spot and add another statement win to a season that has rolled along without a blemish, but Broken Arrow has every reason to believe it belongs on the same stage. [Read more 🡒]