The Sooners are close enough to fall camp that the conversation in Norman is shifting from offseason movement to real depth-chart decisions. With SEC Media Days coming next week and Week 1 against UTEP not far behind, Oklahoma still has several spots that need sorting out before the pads come on.
A few jobs look settled. A few others do not. And even where the starters seem obvious, there are still questions about who backs them up and who forces the issue once camp gets rolling.
The most obvious battles are the ones that could shape both the two-deep and the season beyond it. At defensive end, tight end, punter, and backup quarterback, Oklahoma still has real decisions to make.
At defensive end, Taylor Wein has one side locked down. The other spot is where things get interesting.
Redshirt sophomore Danny Okoye and senior Adepoju Adebawore are the main names in the mix. Okoye flashed like a player ready to break out during spring, while Adebawore spent that stretch dealing with an injury.
Still, Adebawore brings veteran experience and more time in the system, which gives him a path to keep the job. And if neither of them runs away with it, there are other names that could push into the picture, including Kenny Ozoawlu, Jake Kreul, Wyatt Gilmore, and Alex Shieldnight.
Tight end is another spot where Oklahoma has options, but not a clear answer yet. The room should be better this season, and multiple players are expected to matter. The question is who gets the first snap.
Florida transfer Hayden Hansen and Colorado State transfer Rocky Beers are the two veterans battling for that role. Hansen is more of a blocker, which lines up with what the Sooners want from the position.
Beers brings more as a receiver and as a red-zone target, which also fits a need. Jack Van Dorselaer, a Tennessee transfer, will get work this year too, but he is viewed as the future at the position.
Punter is a little different, but it matters just the same. Jacob Ulrich won the job last fall camp, only for Grayson Miller to take over by the end of Week 2 and hold the spot the rest of the year.
Oklahoma can reopen that competition this time around, and the staff will simply want the player who gives them the best chance to win. Ulrich’s injury situation loomed large last year, and Miller ended up being a welcome surprise.
Now it comes down to which way the Sooners lean for Week 1.
Then there’s backup quarterback, the kind of job nobody wants to matter until it suddenly does. Redshirt sophomore Whitt Newbauer has the edge in experience and could be the safer answer if John Mateer were ever unavailable.
But true freshman Bowe Bentley is the one who looks like Mateer’s heir-apparent, with the kind of upside that has him viewed as the future starting point for 2027. Ideally, Oklahoma won’t need to make that call for a while, and the Sooners would prefer to wait until this time next year to sort through Bentley, Newbauer, and incoming four-star freshman Jamison Roberts.
Beyond those four headline battles, there are still plenty of spots worth watching as camp approaches.
At running back, Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock are back to handle most of the carries, but the depth chart behind them is still up for grabs with Lloyd Avant, Jonathan Hatton Jr., and DeZephen Walker all trying to carve out more snaps.
At wide receiver, the top three of Isaiah Sategna III, Trell Harris, and Parker Livingstone looks set, but there’s a long list of players trying to break through behind them: Jer'Michael Carter, Ivan Carreon, Jacob Jordan, Mackenzie Alleyne, Manny Choice, Elijah Thomas, Jayden Petit, and Jahsiear Rogers.
The right side of the offensive line also remains unsettled. Michael Fasusi is set at tackle on the left side, Eddy Pierre-Louis is in place at guard, and Jake Maikkula gives Oklahoma confidence at center.
On the right side, though, the Sooners still have choices to make. Ryan Fodje can play guard or tackle, so the question is whether he lines up inside next to E'Marion Harris or outside next to Heath Ozaeta.
Ozaeta and Harris could also win both spots outright, while Caleb Nitta and Peyton Joseph may be needed as well once the season starts.
There’s also the cheetah rotation, where Reggie Powers III appears ready for a bigger role. Taylor Heim’s injury means Jeremiah Newcombe and Cole Sullivan should see more work there, but Oklahoma is not as deep on defense as it was a year ago. If injuries hit inside linebacker, cornerback, or safety, that could change the shape of the position.
Safety depth is another area to monitor. The Sooners like the starting pairing of Peyton Bowen and Michael Boganowski, but behind them the room is thin aside from Omarion Robinson. Powers could slide back from cheetah if needed, and Oklahoma may also have to lean on true freshman Niko Jandreau sooner than expected.
Kick returner is still open too. Sategna is already established as a punt returner, but Oklahoma wants more production on kickoff returns after getting almost nothing there last season. Avant is the leading candidate to get the first shot, with Blaylock and Rogers also in the mix.
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Where Oklahoma Stands In The SEC Enrollment Size Debate
The SECs enrollment conversation has become another way to measure the conferences reach, and the latest fall 2024 figures show just how wide the range can be. Texas A&M sits at the top with 60,710 undergraduates, while Vanderbilt is at the other end at 7,221, a spread that helps explain why school size can matter well beyond the classroom.
For Oklahoma, the interest is in where it lands inside that mix as the Sooners settle deeper into the league. Enrollment does not decide games, but it can shape student sections, ticket demand and the size of the alumni base that follows a program into the 2026 college football season, which is why this ranking has become more than a curiosity for SEC fans. [Read more 🡒]
Phil Steeles Oklahoma List Says Plenty About National Respect
The preseason respect keeps piling up for Oklahoma as the Sooners head into 2026 off their first College Football Playoff run as an SEC member. Phil Steeles preseason All-America teams included five Sooners, a sign that the national conversation has already started to catch up to what Brent Venables roster looks like on paper. Defensive tackle David Stone and linebacker Kip Lewis landed on the first team, while longsnapper Ben Anderson earned first-team honors and kicker Tate Sandell was placed on the second team.
Still, the list also shows there is plenty left for Oklahoma to prove once the games begin. The Sooners did not put an offensive lineman on Steeles preseason All-America teams despite returning four starters, a reminder that the front still has room to turn reputation into recognition. For a team trying to build on last seasons breakthrough, the early accolades are nice, but the deeper test will come from whether the rest of the roster can match the billing. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Could Be Sitting On A Late Summer Roster Opportunity
The late-summer roster market may not be done shifting just yet, and Oklahoma is one of the programs positioned to benefit if it does. The NCAAs new five-seasons-in-five-years rule is being challenged in court, and while the policy is not retroactive for now, the legal fight has already produced temporary injunctions in some cases, keeping the door cracked for former players to regain eligibility and re-enter the transfer portal.
For the Sooners, the timing matters because they still have one open roster spot and enough flexibility to create room for another if needed. If the court battles continue to tilt in that direction, Oklahoma could have a chance to take advantage of a late wave of available talent without having to scramble to make the numbers work. [Read more 🡒]