Oklahoma’s 2026 season could produce a lot of answers, but the biggest one might come from a familiar name at the top of the defense: Peyton Bowen.
Bowen is now a senior and has already spent three seasons carving out a real role at safety, starting 20 games along the way. The numbers tell part of the story - 39 career games, 117 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions last season, 12 passes defensed, one forced fumble and three blocked kicks.
One of those blocks even helped earn him the Jim Thorpe Award National DB of the Week honor in 2025. But the bigger value is the one that shows up in how Brent Venables leans on him.
Bowen has become one of the most trusted players on an elite defense, and with a sharp football IQ and a growing leadership voice, he gives Oklahoma a steady presence in the back end. If opponents try to challenge the Sooners’ secondary, Bowen is the kind of player who can make them regret it and flip the ball back to OU’s offense at the right time.
There’s also a strong case to be made for Kip Lewis, who has turned into one of the most important pieces on the defense without getting nearly enough national attention. The fifth-year linebacker has not missed a game over the past three seasons after appearing in only five games as a true freshman in 2022.
His 2025 season was his best so far: 76 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and four pass breakups. Lewis has been described as Oklahoma’s vocal leader on defense, and keeping him in the fold during the offseason was a major win for the Sooners.
If this defense reaches the level it showed last year, Lewis should be right in the middle of it.
Up front, Oklahoma has another candidate in defensive tackle Stone, and the upside there is obvious. The Del City product is being talked about as a potential first-rounder, and this could be the year he turns that promise into a full-blown breakout.
The Sooners have not had an interior defensive lineman with this kind of ceiling in a long time, and the expectation is that Stone takes a major step forward and becomes a star. His stat line may not jump off the page, but the impact could be huge.
If he delivers the most dominant season for an OU defensive tackle since Gerald McCoy, Brent Venables’ defense should stay among the best in college football.
Oklahoma’s offensive line also has a critical piece in Ryan Fodje, even if he won’t draw the same headlines as Michael Fasusi or center Jake Maikkula. Fodje is expected to step in for Maikkula against UTEP and could also be needed against Michigan and Georgia depending on Maikkula’s return.
That’s a massive assignment with one of the toughest schedules in the country and two brutal road environments in the mix. When Maikkula comes back, Fodje can move to right guard, and he also serves as the emergency option at offensive tackle for either Fasusi or E’Marion Harris.
Given Oklahoma’s recent injury issues up front, his ability to hold down multiple spots could be one of the keys to keeping John Mateer protected and the offense on schedule in 2026.
And then there’s Mateer himself, because the Sooners’ season ultimately runs through him. The defense should be strong again, but that only goes so far when the schedule is this unforgiving.
If Oklahoma is going to get through Michigan, Georgia and Texas, Mateer has to turn an offseason of criticism and work into production. Those road games give him a chance to show he can do far more than he did in 2025, and his performance with either the arm or the legs will shape how far the Sooners can go.
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What makes the depth chart worth watching is how much of it still reflects development rather than finality. Several spots have been shaped by camp battles and steady improvement, and the Sooners are still sorting out which players are ready for larger roles when the season begins. For now, the rotation seems to be taking shape, even if the official answers are still waiting on game week. [Read more 🡒]
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Brooks Austins criticism adds a tougher layer to the conversation because the hesitation he pointed to was not limited to the injury stretch. For Oklahoma, the issue is less about whether Mateer has the arm talent or the tools and more about whether he can get back to the aggressive, quick-trigger version that made the offense hum early, because that is what could determine how high this group can climb. [Read more 🡒]
These 5 True Freshmen Could Shape Oklahoma Faster Than Expected
Oklahomas recent history suggests true freshmen do not always spend much time waiting their turn, and this group could fit that same mold. Noah Best, Jonathan Hatton, Tank Carrington, Jashiear Rogers and Jake Kreul are all being talked about as players who may matter sooner rather than later, with spring work and fall camp already giving the staff a clearer sense of where each one stands. Some are being watched as possible starters, others as players who could find significant snaps quickly, but the common thread is that none of them looks like a long-term project.
Jake Kreuls arrival, along with the early buzz around the others, has only sharpened the question of how fast Oklahoma can fold this class into real roles. The Sooners have shown before that true freshmen can move up the depth chart in a hurry, and this group seems to have the kind of athletic upside that could force decisions well before the 2026 season settles in. The only thing left to learn is how much of that promise turns into immediate playing time once the games start mattering. [Read more 🡒]