Cole Sullivan is heading back into Michigan Stadium on Saturday, and this one comes with a little extra texture.
The Oklahoma linebacker started his college career at Michigan, where he was a valuable piece for the Wolverines in 2025 before transferring to OU in January. Now he’s settled into Brent Venables’ cheetah linebacker role, and when the Sooners and Wolverines kick off at noon in The Big House, Sullivan will be lining up against the same program where he once lived and worked.
His former teammates are making clear they’ll be watching closely - and rooting for him, just not too much.
“It hurts my heart,” safety Rod Moore said with a playful pained grin. “No, I can’t wait to see Cole. He’s probably gonna ball out, but I can’t wait to see Cole.”
“Oh yeah, Cole Sullivan - that was one of my roommates,” said offensive lineman Jake Guarnera. “So, excited to go against him and excited to see him.”
“Oh, I’m excited,” said running back Jordan Marshall. “Great kid.
Great person. Love the kid.
You guys have got the chance to talk to him. There’s really nothing else to say.
He’s a great guy. He’s gonna go out there and play as hard as he can.
He loves the guys here still. Great person, great family.
And I’m excited.”
Elsewhere in the Sooners notebook, junior defensive tackle David Stone landed on the watch list for the 10th annual Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year on Thursday. He’s one of 89 FBS players nominated for the honor, which recognizes leadership, courage, integrity and sportsmanship on and off the field.
The selection process moves next to 20 semifinalists, who will be announced on Oct. 13. Three finalists will then be revealed on Monday, December 14, with the winner set to be announced at the award ceremony in Spring of 2027.
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez won the award last year.
“It is an incredible honor to announce this group of young men as the watch list for the Collegiate Man of the Year,” Witten said in a press release. “These student-athletes have all demonstrated exceptional leadership, often in the face of adversity, and are perfect examples of what the sport of college football is all about.”
The winner will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school’s athletic scholarship fun from Witten’s SCORE Foundation.
And there’s more Oklahoma history getting some well-earned recognition. Former Sooners defensive back Sonny Brown will be inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame as part of the 2026 class, joining former Miami DB Kenny Calhoun and former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.
Brown built his case across three straight Orange Bowl appearances, piling up five interceptions while anchoring Oklahoma’s defense.
His first came in the Sooners’ 28-17 loss to Washington in 1985, when he made six tackles and recorded his first postgame interception.
A year later, Brown had two interceptions in Oklahoma’s 25-10 win over Penn State on Jan. 1, 1986, a game that helped Barry Switzer’s Sooners capture their sixth national championship.
Then in 1987, Brown added two tackles and two interceptions in a 42-8 rout of Arkansas.
Those numbers have secured Brown a place among the Orange Bowl’s 142 honorees, and the 2026 class will be recognized on the field during the 2027 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Jan. 14, 2027, at Hard Rock Stadium.
In Other News...
Sooners Protection Plan Just Changed Ahead Of Michigan
A week after opening the season with some shuffling up front, Oklahoma is set to get a little healthier where it matters most against Michigan. Jake Maikkula and Ryan Fodje are expected to be available after sitting out the opener, giving the Sooners more options on the offensive line as they prepare for a far stiffer test in Week 2.
Michael Fasusi, though, will reportedly be unavailable after re-aggravating a shoulder injury, leaving one more question mark in a group that already needed sorting out. There is also some good news elsewhere on the depth chart, with defensive end Danny Okoye expected back and wide receiver Parker Livingstone cleared through concussion protocol, but the line news is the part Oklahoma will be watching most closely heading into the matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Fans Have A Bittersweet Tress Way Story To Process
Tress Ways NFL run has entered its final chapter, with the longtime Washington Commanders punter saying he expects to retire after the upcoming season. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Way has spent his entire pro career with Washington since 2014 and built a rsum that includes multiple franchise punting records, making him one of the more durable and recognizable specialists of his era.
For Sooners fans, it is the kind of update that lands with a little extra weight because Way has been part of that familiar Oklahoma pipeline to the league. He was also just named a team captain for the season alongside Jeremy Reaves, a sign that Washington still values what he brings even as the end of the road comes into view. The only real question now is how one more year in Washington will unfold before the goodbye arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Sooner Nation Could Take Over More Of Michigan Than Expected
Less than 24 hours before kickoff in Ann Arbor, the market for Oklahoma-Michigan tickets has turned surprisingly soft, with some seats available in the $44 to $60 range. What had looked like one of the weekends pricier Big Ten-SEC matchups earlier in the summer has become a much easier entry point for Sooners fans who are still trying to make the trip north.
That drop has only added to the sense that Oklahoma could be backed by more than the usual traveling crowd. With Michigan fans cooling on the game after their recent performance, the balance in the stadium may lean more heavily toward crimson than many expected when the matchup was first circled. For a road team in a setting like this, that kind of noise shift can matter almost as much as anything that happens on the field. [Read more 🡒]