Oklahoma’s injury list is growing in a way that’s hard to ignore, and the timing could hardly be worse with the Red River Rivalry looming.
The Sooners opened Wednesday’s SEC availability report with 13 players somewhere between “probable” and “out,” a jump from the eight players they carried on their final report before facing Georgia just two weeks ago. That kind of number has become a pattern in Norman, too. Since the SEC started requiring these reports for conference games in 2024, Oklahoma has never had fewer players listed than its opponent.
Oklahoma has never had fewer players listed on the SEC injury/availability report than its SEC opponent.
The SEC began requiring these reports for conference football games in 2024. pic.twitter.com/iCI3W3qJKy
- kels (@ke1s) October 8, 2026
That trend is fueling a louder conversation around Brent Venables and the way his program is handling player health. Even some Oklahoma supporters are openly frustrated by the steady stream of names showing up on the report, with the sense growing that something has to change if the problem is ever going to ease up.
This is genuinely one of the worst injury reports we’ve ever had no? Just shear number of good players listed, can’t remember anything worse https://t.co/2BqBllvo0G pic.twitter.com/MBWZR58jVw
- Barstool Sooners (@OUBarstool) October 8, 2026
The comparison with Texas only sharpens the concern for the Sooners. The Longhorns had six players listed ahead of their Week 4 game against Tennessee, including four marked “out.” After Week 5 and a bye focused on health, Texas trimmed that number to four players on its first report for the Red River Rivalry in Week 6, with tight end Nick Townsend moving from “out” to “probable.”
We got more injured over a bye week? So did we literally lose the bye week?
Is this a joke? Is this some type of ploy?
What are we doing? https://t.co/5tEpNmzFjY
- Tierani (@tierani_kristen) October 8, 2026
Steve Sarkisian said earlier in the week that Texas was “healthier than we were a week ago at this time.”
Venables, meanwhile, has framed the issue differently. Before the Georgia game, he pointed to the physical nature of football and stressed the need for better practice habits.
"That's part of it too. Football's a violent, physical game.
That's gonna be part of it. But we gotta continue to push our guys to be great practice players.
Good football teams practice really good. There's, 'OK, take care of each other,' but, man, you gotta strike blocks and get off.
How are you gonna practice striking blocks and getting off in a violent way and just rely on game day to do that? You have to practice that," Venables said ahead of the Georgia game.
With both teams coming off a Week 5 bye, the availability reports moved in opposite directions. Texas got healthier.
Oklahoma did not. And for Venables, the issue now looks bigger than one rivalry week.
In Other News...
Texas Gets Encouraging Return But Faces New Depth Concern Vs Oklahoma
Texas heads into the Red River Rivalry with some welcome health news as the No. 1 Longhorns get safety Xavier Filsaime back for his season debut. Tight end Nick Townsend is also trending toward availability after dealing with a knee injury, and running back Hollywood Smothers has come off the injury report as the staff gets ready for one of the biggest games on the schedule.
The good news, though, comes with a bit of unease on the depth chart. Justus Terry and Jordan Coleman are expected to sit out because of injuries, leaving Texas to juggle its personnel again at a time when every healthy body matters against Oklahoma. With the Longhorns still unbeaten at 4-0, the latest injury updates add another layer to a matchup that already carries plenty of weight. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Landed A Rivalry Win Longhorn Fans Will Love
Right before the Red River Rivalry, Texas added a recruiting win that hits a little harder than most. Micah Rhodes, a four-star running back in the class of 2028 and a Texas native, switched his commitment from Oklahoma to Texas, giving the Longhorns another promising piece for the future and a name that already carries some weight around the program.
Rhodes is a legacy recruit with family ties to Texas, which only adds to the appeal for Longhorn fans who care as much about the uniform as the talent. He has already shown strong high school production, and his move to Austin gives Texas an early boost in building out its 2028 offensive class while also landing a prospect who chose the Longhorns over a rival in a way that is sure to resonate around the state. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Defense Is Hiding One Concern For No. 1 Longhorns
The Longhorns have had enough offensive hiccups to leave some room for concern, but their defense has been the real stabilizer in a perfect start. Under Will Muschamp, Texas has turned opponents away at an elite rate and has done so while carrying the burden of being the No. 1 team in the country, the kind of edge that can keep a team upright when the other side of the ball is still searching for rhythm.
What makes the run even more notable is the level of competition Texas has already seen, with the schedule asking for answers against Ohio State and Tennessee. For a team trying to protect its top ranking, the defensive performance has been the clearest reason the Longhorns have been able to keep moving forward, even as the offense has not always matched it snap for snap. [Read more 🡒]