Oklahoma is heading to Tampa with a familiar face, a rising defensive standout and one of the more intriguing surprises on its SEC Media Days roster.
The Sooners announced Tuesday that head coach Brent Venables will be joined by quarterback John Mateer, defensive end Taylor Wein and offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis when the program takes the stage on July 20. Oklahoma will be part of the first day of SEC Media Days, which run from July 20-23.
Mateer was already part of Oklahoma’s traveling group for SEC Media Days last year in Atlanta, so his return comes as no surprise. Wein and Pierre-Louis, though, are making their first appearances at conference media days.
Wein’s rise was one of the bigger developments on Oklahoma’s defense last season. The redshirt sophomore finished with 39 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, seven sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. His impact mattered even more in November after R Mason Thomas went down with an injury during his fumble return for a touchdown against Tennessee.
That left Wein as the established name in Miguel Chavis’ defensive ends room, while Oklahoma continues looking for Danny Okoye or Adepoju Adebawore to step up on the other side.
Mateer’s spot on the list fits the way the Sooners view him: as the vocal leader of the offense and one of the team’s most important players. Last season, he completed 62.2% of his passes for 2,885 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
He also dealt with a thumb injury against Auburn in the fourth game of the season, and while he missed only one game, his play was affected the rest of the way. On the ground, he added 431 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns on 149 carries.
Pierre-Louis is the name that stands out most from the announcement. The Tampa native made six starts at left guard as a redshirt freshman last year, including each of Oklahoma’s final five games after getting the opener against Illinois State. He earned praise for adding a tougher edge to the offensive line late in the season, and the Sooners are counting on that same physical style to carry into 2026.
Oklahoma arrives in Tampa trying to keep the momentum it built last year. The Sooners finished 10-2 in the regular season, picked up road wins at Tennessee and Alabama, and earned a return trip to the College Football Playoff. They then fell to Alabama in the rematch, but Venables is aiming to push the program even further this fall.
In Other News...
Sooners Commit Cooper Hackett Is Suddenly At Center Of Recruiting Divide
Cooper Hacketts name is suddenly sitting at the center of a recruiting split, and for Oklahoma that makes him one of the more interesting commits in the 2027 class. Rivals kept the Fort Gibson offensive tackle in five-star territory, slotting him among the elite prospects in the country, while other services have taken a more cautious view as the offseason unfolds. For the Sooners, it is the kind of evaluation debate that can follow a high-upside lineman when the tape is still being weighed against long-term projection.
The tension around Hackett comes from how much his current standing is tied to what evaluators think he can become once he is fully healthy again. His talent and potential remain highly regarded, but the injury news has clearly influenced where he lands in the rankings conversation, and that leaves Oklahoma with a commitment whose ceiling is obvious even if the present-day picture is less settled. For a program building its future up front, the disagreement only adds to the intrigue. [Read more 🡒]
Jim Nagy Is Already Shaping Big Decisions At Oklahoma
Jim Nagys arrival as Oklahomas general manager has already given the Sooners a different kind of voice in the room, one shaped by years of NFL scouting and personnel work. After 17 seasons evaluating talent for pro teams and a run as executive director of the Senior Bowl from 2018 to 2025, Nagy brings a perspective the program can lean on as players sort through the next steps in their careers.
That kind of guidance matters most when a decision is not just about the draft, but about timing, development and fit. Wide receiver Isaiah Sategna is among the players who have already benefited from those conversations, and Oklahoma appears to be getting the kind of front-office help that can influence both the roster in the short term and the programs long-term NFL pipeline. [Read more 🡒]