NORMAN - Oklahoma’s offense is set up to look a little different this season, and Ben Arbuckle didn’t exactly hide that on Monday.
“I think we’re definitely going to be more versatile,” Arbuckle said. “I think that comes with what we’ve alluded to a lot over the last eight months.”
That idea has been building for a while. Back in early March at Spring Media Day, general manager Jim Nagy pointed to the reshaped tight end room, the addition of former Texas receiver Parker Livingstone and the expectation that Isaiah Sategna and Trell Harris would fit together more smoothly.
The day before that, Brent Venables went on the Oklahoma Breakdown Podcast and pushed for the running game to take a step forward. Bringing in Deland McCullough to address that need looked like the obvious response.
None of that means Oklahoma is about to morph into something it isn’t. The Sooners are not becoming a heavy I-formation team.
They are not trying to recreate Iowa’s style, either. Arbuckle is still an air raid coach, and the offseason has been more about sharpening the details - improving the offensive line, getting better play at quarterback and hoping the health picture cooperates.
Still, the personnel changes point to a more varied attack.
The tight end room has been a big part of that. Hayden Hansen, Rocky Beers and Jack Van Dorselear all arrived in Norman with reputations as strong run-blockers from their previous stops. Beers brings more of a traditional receiving profile, but he’s also willing to get physical at the point of attack.
“I know I touched on (working on the running game) in the spring, it continued in Fall Camp,” Hansen said on Sunday. “I knew walking in these doors, that’s a big reason I was brought here.”
The group isn’t just about blocking, either. Hansen also pointed to young Trynae Washington, whom he called “one of the most solid route runners” he has ever seen. That gives Oklahoma more to work with if it wants to lean into multiple-tight-end looks.
And that’s the key shift: the Sooners have the personnel to live in more than just 11 personnel. Hansen even laid out the options - 11 personnel, 12 personnel and even 13 personnel.
In Arbuckle’s first season in Norman, Oklahoma was mostly in 11 personnel, and a lot of that came out of necessity. This offseason, the roster has started to give the staff more options. Along with the tight ends, the Sooners have added size at wide receiver with Elijah Thomas, Manny Choice and Livingstone, with Thomas starting against UTEP.
At running back, Lloyd Avant and Xavier Robinson fit the air raid’s desire for versatility and physicality, while freshman Jonathan Hatton Jr. brings another layer at 235 pounds.
Put all of that together, along with the buzz about Oklahoma going under center more often, and the picture gets clearer. Mateer could operate in a more traditional setup with Hansen and Beers on the field, Sategna, Harris or Thomas split wide, and Robinson behind him.
The goal is straightforward: make Mateer’s job easier, spread the workload across more of Oklahoma’s talent, and bring more physicality to an SEC schedule. That means less dependence on 11 personnel and more variety in how the Sooners attack. It also means more downhill runs from under center.
Or, as Arbuckle put it, it’s what they’ve “alluded to a lot over the last eight months.”
In Other News...
Oklahoma Fans Need To See OUs Friday Game Day Traffic Plan
With the Sooners set to open the season on a Friday, the University of Oklahoma and Norman Public Schools have already taken the unusual step of closing in-person classes that day because of the traffic load expected around campus and the stadium. It is the kind of early warning that tells fans this is not just another home game arrival, but a full game-day exercise with the city, the university and local police all trying to keep traffic moving.
OU has also rolled out a new driving map and traffic protocols for the opener, giving fans a fresh look at how to get in and out around the stadium. Along with ticket prices for Oklahomas game against UTEP and the full 2026 football schedule, the message is clear: anyone heading to Norman that day will want to plan ahead and study the route before setting out. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma May Have Finally Found A Way To Unleash CJ Nickson
Oklahomas updated 2026 roster offered one of the more interesting personnel notes heading into the season opener: CJ Nickson is now listed at tight end. The move was first reported by SoonerScoop and then confirmed when the Sooners released their latest roster, giving the staff a new look at a player who arrived as a versatile four-star recruit out of Weatherford High School and spent his time in Norman as a defensive end.
Nickson has long been the kind of athlete who could fit in several places, with a prep rsum built on playing both sides of the ball. Now Oklahoma is giving him a clearer offensive home, and the switch at tight end suggests the program sees a path to using his size and skill set in a different way. The real question is how quickly that transition can turn into a meaningful role once the games start. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma May Need Omarion Robinson Sooner Than Fans Expected
The Sooners open their 2026 college football season against UTEP, and one of the quieter names to watch is second-year safety Omarion Robinson. After working mostly on special teams a year ago, Robinson is slated for a bigger backup role this fall, giving Oklahoma another option in a defensive backfield that will need dependable depth from the start.
Brent Venables has pointed to Robinsons growth this offseason, especially the confidence and consistency that have made him more noticeable in camp. For Oklahoma, that matters because the safety rotation can change quickly once the season starts, and Robinson may be asked to do more than fans expected before the schedule even settles in. [Read more 🡒]