The Oklahoma Sooners are heading into 2026 with a roster that looks deeper, older, and a lot more complete than the one they rolled out a year ago.
That’s the simple answer to the question hanging over Norman as the Sooners get set to open the season in one week against UTEP on Friday night. The more interesting answer is that Oklahoma has real arguments at just about every spot on the field, even if a couple of groups still need to prove they can hold up once the games start counting.
At quarterback, the answer is basically the same player with a better outlook. John Mateer is back, and after playing through less-than-ideal grip strength for seven games following midseason thumb surgery, the expectation is that he’ll be better in 2026 than he was last year. Before the injury, he was great.
The backfield also looks sturdier. Oklahoma is in a much better place at running back than it was last season, when the Sooners were down to just two healthy backs and DeMarco Murray was having to take turns in the drills. This year, aside from Tory Blaylock, the group is mostly healthy, and Xavier Robinson, Lloyd Avant, Jonathan Hatton, DeZephen Walker, and Andy Bass are all set for Week 1 with something to prove.
Wide receiver should be better, too. Isaiah Sategna and Deion Burks helped drive a productive season at the position, and the return of Sategna and JerMichael Carter gives Oklahoma a stronger base. Add in Trell Harris, Parker Livingstone, and Mackenzie Alleyne, plus the rise of Elijah Thomas and Manny Choice, and the Sooners are in a much better spot than they were when the depth chart carried more questions than answers.
The same goes for tight end, where Oklahoma is bigger and deeper than it was a year ago. Jaren Kanak gave the Sooners value as a receiver, but his blocking limitations showed because he was undersized for the position.
That issue looks addressed now with Hayden Hansen, Rocky Beers, and Jack VanDorselaer in the mix. Former four-star Carl Albert product Trynae Washington has also turned heads in camp.
Up front, there’s a strong case that Oklahoma’s offensive line could be the best of the Brent Venables era. The difference is partly physical growth and partly experience.
Michael Fasusi, Ryan Fodje, and Jake Maikkula all had to learn on the fly against SEC competition last season, but now they’ve had more time in Oklahoma’s strength and conditioning program and more time together. Maikkula has had a full year.
Noah Best, a true freshman, has even forced his way into a spot on the line.
The defensive front is where the biggest unknown lives. Taylor Wein, David Stone, and Jayden Jackson are back, but Oklahoma lost a lot when Gracen Halton, Damonic Williams, R Mason Thomas, and Marvin Jones Jr. moved on.
Todd Bates and Miguel Chavis have done plenty of good work recruiting and developing, and there’s no shortage of names with upside - Adepoju Adebawore, Danny Okoye, Nigel Smith, Trent Wilson, Tank Carrington, Jake Kreul, and others. Still, the line has to show it on a week-to-week basis.
That’s really the theme there: the talent is not the issue. Readiness is.
At linebacker, the Sooners look better. Kip Lewis, Owen Heinecke, and Reggie Powers III form a stronger trio than the group Oklahoma had a year ago, and Cole Sullivan is an upgrade in the depth chart behind them.
Cornerback also projects as a clear step forward. Courtland Guillory is no longer a true freshman being thrown into SEC matchups for the first time.
He’s now a corner with more than 640 collegiate snaps, second on the team in 2025, and that experience matters. Pair him with Eli Bowen, and Oklahoma has one of the better cornerback tandems around.
Jacobe Johnson gives them reliable veteran depth, while Trystan Haynes continues to emerge.
Safety is a little less settled. Last year, Peyton Bowen, Robert Spears-Jennings, and Michael Boganowski formed the primary trio, and Spears-Jennings brought the veteran presence.
This season, that role shifts to Bowen, with Omarion Robinson stepping into those third-safety snaps. The ceiling is high.
Bowen is one of the best in the nation, Boganowski is the kind of player who can deliver old-school football highlights, and Robinson is a playmaker on the back end. But Boganowski is getting his first chance to start, and Robinson is taking on his biggest workload yet.
The Sooners should be ready, though. Brandon Hall will have them prepared.
Special teams returns much of the same core from a unit that was especially strong during Oklahoma’s November stretch. The one notable boost comes in the return game, where Lloyd Avant joins in on kick returns. Oklahoma may not return more than the two kicks it did last year, but when the chance comes, Avant should make those opportunities count.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Just Rewarded Five Under-The-Radar Sooners Before The Opener
Oklahoma made a quiet but meaningful move ahead of the 2026 opener, rewarding five walk-on players with scholarships as the Sooners settled into the final stretch of preseason preparations. Offensive linemen Sean Hutton and Kenneth Wermy, defensive back Casen Calmus, wide receiver Trey Brown and kicker Liam Evans all earned the kind of recognition that reflects more than just depth-chart status, even if a few of them were already listed on the initial two-deep.
For a program always balancing immediate expectations with long-term roster building, these decisions matter because they speak to the culture inside the locker room as much as the lineup itself. The Sooners did not just hand out scholarships to fill space, and the timing before the opener gives the group a little extra visibility as Oklahoma moves toward the season with some of its less-heralded contributors now carrying a bigger reward along with bigger responsibilities. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Is Still Pressing For A Defensive Recruit Texas Tech Thought It Had
Gideon Gash may be committed to Texas Tech, but the recruiting picture around the four-star 2027 athlete is not nearly settled. Oklahoma has stayed involved, keeping pressure on a prospect out of Detroit Catholic Central who has drawn attention on both sides of the ball as a cornerback and receiver.
For the Sooners, the appeal is obvious: Gash is the kind of high-end athlete programs keep chasing even after a pledge is on the books. Texas Tech may have the early commitment, but Oklahomas continued push suggests this recruitment still has room to change as the cycle moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Jason Witten Is Already Changing More Than Oklahomas Tight Ends
Jason Wittens first college coaching stop has already given Oklahoma a different kind of offseason story line. After replacing Joe Jon Finley, the longtime NFL tight end has settled in as the Sooners tight ends coach, and the early reviews from offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and the players have centered as much on his experience and presence as on any technical teaching point. It has been a smooth introduction to a new level for Witten, one that has quickly become part of the programs daily rhythm.
What stands out, though, is how far his influence has reached beyond a single position room. Players around the roster have taken notice as Oklahoma readies itself for UTEP, with Wittens arrival seemingly adding something to the teams broader culture as well as to the tight ends group. For a coach making his collegiate debut, that kind of impact comes quickly, and it gives the Sooners another layer to monitor as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]