Oklahoma got a much cleaner injury picture on Thursday night than it had going into the week, and that matters a lot with the Red River Rivalry sitting on the doorstep.
The Sooners are still walking into Saturday’s game against No. 1 Texas in Dallas short-handed, but the latest SEC availability report offered real relief. Of the 13 OU players listed on the first report, four moved in the right direction by Thursday evening.
Jer'Michael Carter, Cole Sullivan, Michael Boganowski, and Jack Van Dorselaer all went from questionable to probable. In availability-report language, that means each of them now has a 75% chance of playing this week.
That shift leaves starting left guard Eddy Pierre-Louis as the only Sooners player still listed as questionable. He was already in that spot on Wednesday after popping up as a surprise addition coming out of the bye week, and now he’s the lone OU player sitting in the middle ground at a 50% chance to go.
The only player who moved the wrong way was offensive lineman Fred Hinton, who was ruled out. He joins linebacker Taylor Heim, wide receiver Trell Harris, running back Xavier Robinson and cornerback Jacobe Johnson, all of whom will not play against Texas.
The biggest concern remains at left tackle, where Michael Fasusi was again listed as doubtful. Tight end Trynae Washington also carried a doubtful tag, though his absence would matter less if Van Dorselaer is able to suit up.
Fasusi is the name to watch most closely. Fans probably shouldn’t count on him playing, and if he sits, it would be the fourth straight game he has missed since hurting his shoulder in the first quarter of the season opener. That would be a serious issue for Oklahoma against Texas’ top-5 pass rush, especially with edge rusher Colin Simmons coming after quarterback John Mateer.
The encouraging part for Oklahoma is on defense, where the Sooners appear set to get two important pieces back. Boganowski is expected to return at safety after missing the last two games, and Sullivan is listed as the starter at SAM linebacker when OU goes with larger personnel.
That’s a key development against Texas’ run game and the challenge of forcing Arch Manning to win from the pocket. Sullivan, too, has missed the past two games.
For an Oklahoma defense that already gives the Sooners a shot in just about any matchup, getting closer to full strength matters even more here. This one shapes up as the kind of game where both defenses can take over while the offenses try to find answers.
The offensive side is still the bigger question mark, especially if Fasusi and Pierre-Louis both end up unavailable. Oklahoma will get one more update Friday evening, which should provide the clearest picture yet of how much the Sooners have up front when they meet Texas.
In Other News...
Oklahoma's Red River Upset Bid Comes Down To One Familiar Problem
The Sooners head into the Red River showdown with Texas carrying the kind of matchup questions that can swing a rivalry game in a hurry. Left tackle Ryan Fodje will be one of the first lines of defense against edge rusher Colin Simmons, while quarterback John Mateer remains the player who most shapes Oklahomas ceiling. If the Sooners are going to make this a live upset attempt, they need their protection to hold up and their passing game to find a rhythm.
Mateers turnover history has already shown how quickly Oklahomas offense can tilt one way or the other, and that looms especially large against a Texas team built to punish mistakes. Isaiah Sategna offers the kind of speed and playmaking that could stress the Longhorns secondary, but Oklahomas chances still seem tied to whether its quarterback can keep the ball out of harms way long enough for that threat to matter. The prediction work around this game points back to the same familiar issue for the Sooners, one that has a habit of deciding their biggest nights. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma's Brent Venables Debate Comes With A Massive Catch
Brent Venables remains a central talking point in Norman as Oklahoma works through a 2-2 start to the 2026 season, and the conversation is shaped as much by his contract as by the record. Venables signed a six-year extension in August 2026 that keeps him under contract through the 2031 season, with an annual salary of $10.5 million, a deal that underscores how heavily the Sooners are invested in the direction of the program.
Venables is now 34-22 overall at Oklahoma, a run that includes two losing seasons and two 10-win seasons, which helps explain why the debate around his future can feel so complicated. The real catch is financial: his buyout is believed to sit somewhere in the $55 million to $60 million range, though the exact figure is not clear, making any serious discussion about change a much bigger decision than a simple football judgment. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Upset Hopes Rest On One Brutal Red River Reality
Oklahoma heads into the Red River showdown with Texas carrying the kind of offensive profile that can make even a strong defense feel like it's living on a razor's edge. John Mateer's turnovers have been a recurring issue, and the Sooners' rushing attack has not given him much relief, leaving the offense too dependent on a cleaner passing day than it's shown it can always deliver. Against the top-ranked Longhorns, that kind of inconsistency looms especially large.
The good news for Oklahoma is that the defense has been good enough to keep the Sooners in games and give them a fighting chance if the offense can simply avoid self-inflicted mistakes. The question is whether that support holds up against a Texas team that can punish slow starts and wasted possessions, especially if player availability tilts the matchup further in either direction. For Oklahoma, the path to an upset is there in theory, but it depends on overcoming one brutal reality it has struggled with all season. [Read more 🡒]