Oklahoma’s 2026 breakout player could come from just about anywhere, but the Sooners on SI staff landed on a few names that stand out for different reasons.
Danny Okoye is at the top of that conversation on the edge. At 6-foot-3 and 257 pounds, the junior enters the season looking far more prepared to handle SEC football than he did as a freshman, when he played only nine defensive snaps across two games.
Last season, he moved into a more regular backup role and logged 107 snaps over 11 games. The production line was modest - six tackles - but there were flashes, including two sacks.
One of those came at Tennessee after R. Mason Thomas’ injury.
Brent Venables said Okoye has become “a more consistent player than at any point in time he was last year,” and with Oklahoma searching for an impact edge rusher opposite All-SEC junior Taylor Wein, his battle with senior P.J. Adebawore remains one to watch.
Michael Boganowski is another player with a clear path to a bigger role. Oklahoma fans already know him from the last two seasons, when he worked major rotational snaps in Brandon Hall’s safety room and built a reputation as a thumper.
Now the opportunity is there for him to prove he can do more than hit - he has a chance to show he’s a complete safety. That matters on a defense that already features Peyton Bowen, Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory, because Boganowski could be the final piece in a secondary loaded with talent.
James Nesta is in a similar spot at linebacker. The Sooners need someone to emerge behind Kip Lewis, Owen Heinecke and Cole Sullivan, and Nesta has the profile to do it.
The junior has played just 46 defensive snaps over his first two seasons, but Oklahoma has leaned on him on special teams, giving the 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker real game experience before asking for more on defense. Venables also said Nesta has taken practice snaps at the cheetah spot, the hybrid role that blends linebacker and defensive back responsibilities, which gives him a possible backup role behind Reggie Powers III as well.
Teammates and coaches have praised Nesta’s growth and maturity all offseason, and now it comes down to whether that carries over when the games count.
On offense, Zion Kearney is a name that keeps building buzz. He made only a negligible impact last season as a receiver, but he turned into a special teams standout with eight tackles.
He drew plenty of attention last offseason too, and that momentum has carried into this preseason camp. The difference now, according to the reporting, is that he looks much more physically and mentally ready to compete.
He joins Isaiah Sategna and Trell Harris in a trio that could give Oklahoma’s offense a very different look.
Then there’s Tory Blaylock, who brings the kind of talent that makes people start dreaming early. He fits the description of a player who looks the part and, in the view expressed here, is going to play it too.
The piece points to what DeMarco Murray did for Oklahoma as a coach and says that gift may be enjoyed now by new running back coach Deland McCullough. Blaylock has the power, speed and star potential to matter, and while he won’t start in September, the article notes that neither did Adrian Peterson when he was a freshman.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Freshmen Are Already Creating 2026 Position Battle Pressure
Oklahomas 2026 conversation is already starting to take shape before this falls roster even settles in, and a handful of freshmen are giving the staff reasons to look ahead. Jonathan Hatton Jr., Noah Best, Jake Kreul and James Carrington arrive with the kind of size, pedigree and early praise that can force a quicker timeline than expected, while a couple of others could find a path by helping on special teams. For a program that reloads as much as it develops, those first impressions matter, because they can turn a future plan into an immediate roster debate.
The most interesting part is how many different spots are already being nudged by this class. Some of the pressure is up front, some of it comes from the edge, and some of it reaches all the way to quarterback, where Bowe Bentley and Whitt Newbauer add another layer to an already crowded picture. None of that settles the depth chart in August, but it does mean Oklahoma is carrying a freshman class that looks capable of creating real competition sooner than later, and maybe forcing older players to defend jobs that once seemed safe. [Read more 🡒]
OU Offseason Changes Still Carry One Big Surprise For Sooners Fans
The Sooners spent the offseason making a few moves that already feel like they could shape more than just the depth chart. Jason Witten coming in to coach tight ends brings instant name recognition and a very different kind of football credibility to Norman, while the addition of former Texas receiver Parker Livingstone adds another layer to a Red River Rivalry that never really cools off. Even the quieter developments have mattered, with Oklahoma continuing to reshape the staff and roster in ways that hint at how the program wants to look going forward.
Owen Heineckes situation is another one worth watching as the calendar turns toward 2026. After winning a legal battle that gives him an extra season of eligibility, the linebacker has injected a bit of long-term intrigue into a defense that has already seen plenty of offseason movement. For Oklahoma fans, the surprise is not just that the Sooners kept busy, but that one of the most consequential storylines might still be unfolding well beyond the coming season. [Read more 🡒]
Blake Griffins Next Move Gives Sooners Fans A New Reason To Watch
Blake Griffin is adding another lane to a post-playing career that has already stretched well beyond the NBA floor. The former Sooners star announced he will launch a late-night sports talk show, The Stepback with Blake Griffin, set to debut Oct. 20 on Prime Video and roll out new episodes every Tuesday, with Griffin fronting the program himself in front of a live studio audience.
The setup is a little different from the usual sports talk format, too, since there will be no guests and Griffin will be carrying the conversation on basketball and other sports. He also co-founded the production company behind the show, another sign that he is leaning hard into entertainment after retiring from the NBA in 2024, and it gives Oklahoma fans another reason to keep an eye on what he does next. [Read more 🡒]