Roger Denny hasn’t had much time to ease into the Oklahoma athletics director job, but the first six months have already packed in plenty. He arrived in Norman in February after being announced as Joe Castiglione’s successor in January, and since then the Sooners have stacked up two national championships: women’s gymnastics, which won its eighth title in 13 years under K.J. Kindler, and baseball, which finished its run to Omaha with the program’s first College World Series crown since 1994.
That kind of start can make any new AD feel like he’s riding a wave, and Denny knows it. “I'm truly born on third base,” Denny said Thursday, jokingly.
“Just really lucky not to get thrown out at home. To get two titles in the first five months just speaks to what this job is and what the expectations are around here.”
There’s been more than trophy photos, too. Denny helped break ground on the new arena that is slated to open in the 2028-29 season and will eventually house men’s and women’s basketball games along with women’s gymnastics meets. He also handled a pair of important contract extensions, including new deals for football coach Brent Venables and football general manager Jim Nagy, locking in the program’s leadership for the years ahead.
But the job won’t stay this straightforward. Denny is also stepping into a college sports landscape filled with bigger, messier issues, and he knows there isn’t a simple fix for any of them. He said at times he wishes he had a “magic wand,” but that’s not how this business works.
On Thursday, Denny spent about 90 minutes with a small group of local reporters and about 50 minutes answering questions in the Q&A portion of the conversation. The discussion touched on the department’s first six months under his watch and the road ahead, including the Protect College Sports Act, his approach to coaching contracts, the possibility of collective bargaining and how he thinks about fan and donor engagement.
In Other News...
Oklahoma's QB2 Battle Just Got More Serious Than Fans Expected
The backup quarterback race behind John Mateer has become one of the more interesting camps stories around Oklahoma, and it is not just because the Sooners are looking for depth. Bowe Bentley, a 2026 recruit, and Whitt Newbauer, a third-year transfer from Mercer, have both kept themselves in the conversation, with Newbauer drawing attention for the kind of offseason growth that tends to matter once the pads come on and the reps get real.
Newbauer has reportedly taken a significant step forward in confidence and chemistry with his teammates, while the room around him has stayed healthy in the sense that everyone involved seems to understand what is at stake. Mateer, Bentley and Newbauer have all spoken in terms of mutual respect and learning from one another as Oklahoma works through the lead-up to the season, and that only adds to the sense that this competition is going to be worth watching long after the practice headlines fade. [Read more 🡒]
R Mason Thomas Is Giving Oklahoma Fans Another Reason To Watch
Former Oklahoma edge rusher R Mason Thomas is already making his presence felt in Kansas Citys preseason work, turning in a pass breakup and a quarterback pressure in the Chiefs loss to Tampa Bay. For Sooners fans, it was another reminder that the pipeline from Norman to the NFL is still very much alive, with Thomas flashing the kind of disruptive ability that made him worth watching in the first place.
He was hardly the only former Oklahoma standout showing up in preseason action, either. Robert Spears-Jennings, Kendal Daniels, Damonic Williams, Deion Burks, Febechi Nwaiwu, Nik Bonitto and Tony Jefferson all had notable moments in various games, while Baker Mayfield, Caleb Williams, Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray were part of the Week 2 quarterback buzz, giving Oklahoma followers plenty of familiar names to track as camps move deeper into August. [Read more 🡒]
Reggie Powers Is Forcing His Way Into A Huge Sooners Role
Reggie Powers has spent the offseason turning himself from a promising piece into a player Oklahoma can count on, and fall camp has only strengthened that case. Entering his third season with the program, he has drawn steady praise from coaches and teammates for the way his physicality, speed and overall progress have shown up on the field, a sign that he is no longer just part of the rotation but a real factor in what the Sooners want to do defensively.
With Kendal Daniels now in the NFL, Powers is in line to step into the cheetah role and handle a much bigger weekly workload. That makes this season a meaningful one for both Oklahoma and Powers himself, since the chance to contribute consistently in a featured spot could go a long way toward shaping his NFL draft outlook. [Read more 🡒]