Sometimes the biggest jump a college player makes has nothing to do with a new skill set. It’s just about finally getting on the field enough to show it.
That’s the case for several Oklahoma players heading into 2026, a group that could turn more snaps into real production. The Sooners have already seen that formula work recently with players like Taylor Wein and Isaiah Sategna III.
The talent was there. The opportunity finally caught up.
Sophomore wide receiver Elijah Thomas might be the clearest example of that idea. He was present in every game as a freshman last season, but most of his work came on special teams, leaving fans wanting far more.
That frustration makes sense. Thomas arrived as a four-star recruit out of Checotah High School in the 2025 class, and the buzz around him started long before he signed.
The preseason hype got loud enough that wide receivers coach Emmett Jones even compared him to NFL star Malik Nabers.
"We put a lot of pressure on him to see how he will respond," Jones said then. "He's responding well.
I try to break him on the field, try to break him in the classroom. I can't break him at all.
He's got natural ball skills. Like I said, he's so explosive.
His catch range and his radius is ridiculous, man."
For Thomas, the path to a breakout looks pretty straightforward: give him a real role and let the athleticism do the rest.
On the defensive side, Adepoju Adebawore has been waiting longer than most for a true chance to cash in on his recruiting pedigree. A former consensus five-star in the 2023 class, he has played in 36 career games over three seasons, but he has never locked down a starting job or consistently seen major snaps because of the depth in front of him.
That changes now. With R Mason Thomas in the NFL, Adebawore will be in the mix with Danny Okoye for the starting edge spot opposite Taylor Wein.
Even if Okoye wins the job, Adebawore should still see more action than he has in the past. If the recruiting rankings were right, this is the kind of opening that should finally let him show it.
Okoye is in the same fight, and his 2026 outlook is tied to that edge competition as well. He and Adebawore will battle in fall camp for the starting role, but both are positioned to benefit from how Brent Venables uses his defensive linemen. In 11 games last season as a redshirt freshman, Okoye had six tackles, two TFL and two sacks.
At safety, Michael Boganowski looks ready to step into Robert Spears-Jenning's role and could quickly become a favorite once fans get a longer look at him. Venables made his view of Boganowski pretty clear last month on SEC Network.
"Mike Boganowski, another safety to line there with Peyton (Bowen), that's a guy that will run right through your soul," Venables told SEC Network last month.
Boganowski, a junior, opened last season as a starter in the season opener before appearing in all 13 games as a backup. He finished with 31 tackles, 2.5 TFL and a sack, and he also showed strong coverage ability in the secondary. With a full-time starting job in sight, those numbers could climb fast in 2026, and he could be pushing toward All-SEC status by the end of his first season in that role.
In Other News...
ESPN Just Reinforced Oklahoma's Place Among College Football's True Bluebloods
ESPNs latest jersey-number exercise ended up sounding a lot like an Oklahoma football roll call. In a ranking of the best college players ever to wear each number, the Sooners landed four times at the top, with Baker Mayfield, Caleb Williams, Tommy McDonald and Ricky Dixon each chosen as the standard-bearer for their respective jerseys. It was the kind of list that doubles as a reminder of how often Oklahoma has produced the kind of stars who still define eras.
The deeper cut was almost as telling, because Oklahoma had 12 more former players turn up as first runners-up. Names like Kyler Murray, Adrian Peterson and Lee Roy Selmon only sharpen the point: this is a program with enough history, and enough elite talent, to crowd the conversation at nearly every number. ESPNs breakdown did not just flatter the Sooners, it reinforced the idea that their place in the sports blueblood class still rests on a long line of players who left a mark that is hard to top. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Suddenly Have Real Buzz In Massive Defensive Line Battle
Kellan Hall is already looking like one of the marquee defensive line names in the 2028 class, and Oklahoma has put itself squarely in the mix early. The Christian Academy of Louisville standout has picked up more than 25 offers and has drawn attention from a national group that includes Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Miami and Kentucky, a sign that his recruitment is going to be anything but quiet.
For the Sooners, the appeal is obvious. Hall has been in Norman multiple times, and those visits have helped keep Oklahoma in a strong position as the race develops. He is expected to trim his list with a top 10 in August before laying out his next round of visit dates, which should give the Sooners a better sense of where they stand in a battle that is only just starting to heat up. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Fans Have Every Reason To Watch Keldrid Ben Right Now
Keldrid Ben has been one of Oklahomas more important recruiting wins since he committed in December, and now the four-star prospect is back in the spotlight for a different reason. With Florida and Oregon still lingering in the picture, the Sooners have had to keep an eye on a recruitment that has stayed active even after his pledge, which is why his next move is drawing so much attention.
Ben is set to make a new announcement about his recruitment, and the setting points to something more celebratory than dramatic. The expectation is that the moment will play out with his local community in Montgomery, Texas, giving Oklahoma fans another reason to watch closely as one of their top commitments steps back into the public eye. [Read more 🡒]