The Oklahoma Sooners are already staring at a familiar offseason problem before the 2026 season even gets rolling: who might be gone when it’s over.
Nobody is saying these departures are locked in. But based on how the roster is set up, there are five players who already look like transfer candidates if their situations don’t change by December. And if that sounds premature, last year’s version of this exercise was pretty sharp - four of the five names on that list eventually hit the portal after the season.
Daniel Akinkunmi is one of the clearest cases. He redshirted in 2024 and played in just six games last season, mostly on special teams. He could see a slightly larger role as a depth option this year, but it still looks like backup duty, and that doesn’t appear likely to change in a meaningful way anytime soon.
The path gets even tighter from there. Three starting sophomores on the offensive line already got more run than Akinkunmi did as freshmen, and by the time they’re gone, he’ll be a senior at the earliest.
On top of that, Bill Bedenbaugh has a loaded 2027 class coming together, including a pair of five-star prospects expected to contribute right away. Oklahoma’s about to be crowded up front, and Akinkunmi looks like someone who could decide he’d rather find a starting job somewhere else than spend his career as a reserve in Norman.
Ivan Carreon is another name that fits the profile. He was in the transfer portal this past offseason before reversing course and signing a new deal to stay at Oklahoma.
Even so, the outlook hasn’t really changed. He has only 12 catches in two years with the Sooners, and just two of those came in 2025 during his first season in Ben Arbuckle’s system.
If Carreon does leave, it would also line up with how Emmett Jones’ receiver room has played out. He’s the last receiver remaining from OU’s 2024 signing class, and the first player Jones recruited out of high school to stick around more than two years, other than Jacob Jordan, who arrived as a walk-on. At this point, it would be more surprising if Carreon stayed than if he moved on.
Quarterback Whitt Newbauer also has the look of a player who could be squeezed out by the numbers. He began his college career as a freshman at Mercer in 2024, then came to Oklahoma late in the spring last year when the Sooners needed depth at quarterback. In 2025, he appeared in three games - against Kent State when Michael Hawkins Jr. was starting for the injured John Mateer, and twice more while Oklahoma was trying to preserve Hawkins’ redshirt late in the season.
Newbauer was never going to be the long-term answer in Norman, and his role could be even smaller in 2026. Freshman Bowe Bentley appears to be the next man up, and the new 5-in-5 rule means Oklahoma doesn’t have to worry about burning a redshirt, which opens the door for Bentley to back up and learn.
Then in 2027, the Sooners likely turn to commit Jamison Roberts behind him. If Newbauer wants real snaps, he may need to find them elsewhere.
Elijah Thomas might be the most painful potential loss of the group. He signed with Oklahoma in the 2025 class as a four-star receiver from Checotah High School, and there was plenty of buzz around him last offseason.
Emmett Jones even compared him to New York Giants star Malik Nabers. But the production never followed the hype.
Thomas mostly worked on special teams and finished with just one five-yard catch last season.
There is still a chance he breaks out in 2026, but the receiver room is crowded in front of him. Isaiah Sategna III is back as the No. 1 option, while Oklahoma added Trell Harris, Parker Livingstone and Mackenzie Alleyne through the portal.
Jer’Michael Carter also returns, and freshman Jahsiear Rogers was already getting early playing time in the spring as Arbuckle seems likely to lean on the players he brought in. Thomas has the talent to matter, but if the Sooners don’t give him a real chance, he could be gone before that potential ever shows up.
DeZephen Walker rounds out the list, and his situation has its own warning signs. He has said he trusts Oklahoma as a program, but he signed with the Sooners because of his relationship with former running backs coach DeMarco Murray, who left for the Kansas City Chiefs right before Walker arrived on campus as a 2026 addition.
That alone puts Walker in a tricky spot. If Jonathan Hatton Jr. breaks out this season, and with Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock already ahead of him, plus top-10 recruit Keldrid Ben coming in next year, there are plenty of reasons Walker could decide he needs a fresh start somewhere else.
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The depth chart around him has only made his importance grow. Oklahoma has lost Kendal Daniels, Kobie McKinzie and Sammy Omosigho, while Taylor Heims injury has further squeezed the group behind the top options, leaving little margin for error at linebacker. Sullivans versatility gives the staff some flexibility, but it also puts him squarely in the middle of a situation that could keep shifting as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]