Oklahoma has spent plenty of time on SEC availability reports since joining the league, and the numbers back up what fans have seen this season.
Through the first two full weeks and again in the initial report before Saturday’s game against No. 15 Kentucky, offensive linemen Michael Fasusi, Heath Ozaeta and Eddy Pierre-Louis all showed up on the Sooners’ list. Last week brought another late twist when cornerback Eli Bowen was added with a late-week injury, and that move ultimately kept him out of Oklahoma’s Red River Rivalry win over Texas.
Put together, those issues have fueled a simple question: is Oklahoma dealing with more injuries than the rest of the SEC?
At least by the availability reports, the answer tilts yes - or at minimum, the Sooners are reporting more thoroughly than everyone else. Since the start of last season, Oklahoma has listed an average of 10.5 players per game during the week, the most in the conference. Kentucky ranks second at 10.08.
After those two, only Florida at 9.0 and Arkansas at 8.18 were above eight. Texas A&M sat at the other end of the scale with just 3.3 players listed per game.
Brent Venables said earlier this week he doesn’t spend much time comparing Oklahoma to anyone else.
“I don’t track what we do compared to other people,” Venables said. “Certainly, you’re always aware that injuries are part of the game, and it’s a physical, violent game.”
He said the Sooners have tried to be smart about reducing injury risk without backing off the contact level needed to play real football.
“We don’t tackle to the ground and we feel like really good football teams practice really good, and so you’ve got to take care of each other, but you’ve got to go good on good,” Venables said, noting that the Sooners starters and second team regularly went head-to-head during practice. “... We go against the scouts and all that, but for you to improve and get better, you need some good on good work.”
Venables also said the approach changes as the season wears on.
“We actually taper our practices back as the season goes along,” Venables said. “But it does tae what it takes.”
The subject of practice physicality has followed Oklahoma before. During the Lincoln Riley era, people regularly wondered whether the Sooners were tough enough in practice, but that question has not come up as much under Venables, especially with the defense taking a noticeable step forward.
“If you want to play physical and play tough, you have to practice that way,” Venables said.
He pointed to 2024 as an example of how injuries can shape everything from availability to workload. Oklahoma’s wide receiver room was hit hard that year, and that affected how the team operated.
“There’s always a fine line, we gotta keep a healthy team, but we’re very mindful of the time we put on the field, wear our GPS stuff, we look at all those types of things as well.” Venables said.
“A couple years ago we had a roster that was really banged up on one side of the ball, so we practiced a lot less because those guys were just unavailable. We look at it all.”
In Other News...
Oklahoma Just Sent A Strong Message About Brent Venables Future
Brent Venables place at Oklahoma just got a lot clearer, and a lot more expensive for anyone thinking about making a change. The Sooners coach now has an extension that was approved by the Board of Regents after he led Oklahoma back to the College Football Playoff, a move that signals the program is ready to keep building around him rather than treat last season as a one-off breakthrough.
The financial terms leave little doubt about how strongly Oklahoma is tying itself to Venables, with a buyout that would cost $51.67 million if he were terminated after the 2026 season and then drops each year through 2031. Athletic director Roger Denny, who took over in February, helped guide the contract process, and the structure suggests the Sooners wanted stability, not a short-term reset, as they look ahead under Venables. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Heads Into Kentucky With A Protection Concern Fans Cant Ignore
Oklahomas offensive front is walking into the Kentucky game with more uncertainty than it would like this late in the week. Eddy Pierre-Louis and Parker Livingstone have both been downgraded to doubtful, while Michael Fasusi and Eli Bowen remain questionable, leaving the Sooners to juggle protection concerns at a time when every healthy body up front matters.
Several other players are already ruled out, so the margin for error is thin before kickoff. Kentucky is dealing with its own injury questions, including Tyler Thomas being out and running back CJ Baxter listed as questionable, but the spotlight for Oklahoma stays on how well it can hold up in the trenches if those availability issues linger into game day. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Has A Chance To Change Its Season Again Vs Kentucky
Oklahomas season has already lived through a few different versions of itself, and now comes another fork in the road with No. 15 Kentucky coming to town. The Sooners are unranked but favored by 6.5 points, which says plenty about how this matchup is being framed: not as a rescue mission, but as a chance to turn a good win into something bigger. John Mateer and Lloyd Avant are central to that equation, because Oklahoma will need enough production on offense to make Kentuckys defense feel the weight of the night.
A win here would not just add another quality result to the rsum. It could push Oklahoma back into the national conversation and make the College Football Playoff picture a little more realistic than it looked not long ago. Kentucky has already shown enough on defense to make this more than a simple home favorite spot, and that is what gives the game its edge for the Sooners. They have an opening to change the story again, but only if they take advantage of it against a ranked opponent that will make them earn every bit of it. [Read more 🡒]