TAMPA — Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables spoke one of the great truths of college football during his appearance at SEC Media Days: “This is a line of scrimmage league, make no mistake about it.”
That truth allowed the Sooners win 10 games and make an appearance in the College Football Playoff. It also cost them dearly, especially against Texas and in a CFP loss to Alabama.
In 2025, Oklahoma had the sixth-best defense in the nation, including being third nationally against the run. They were 90th in total offense, including 114th in rushing offense. The inability to run the football last year remains a bitter memory for Venables.
“For us to be who we want to be, the vision that we have, we have to run the ball a hell of a lot better than we have the last couple of years,” he said.
One reason Venables and the Sooners staff believe they can improve a frequently inept offense in 2025 is the fact they finally have some continuity on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback John Mateer, who started the season playing well but had everything fall apart after suffering a broken thumb, returns fully healthy. He’ll also have a lot of familiar faces surrounding.
“A year ago on offense, we had nine first-year starters. This year we’ve got several returning starters, give or take, seven or eight guys coming back,” Venables said. “Up front we’ve got four returning starters. We have one of
the most experienced portal tackles in the country in E’Marion Harris to add to that group … I think there’s going to be a better version of all those guys. I think they’re stronger, more confident, there’s more chemistry, cohesion.”
Venables said he believed OU had improved itself at the skill positions, where three transfers — receivers Parker Livingstone (Texas) and Trell Harris (Virginia) and tight end Hayden Hansen (Florida) are likely starters. The Sooners, Venables said, has more capable depth than it has in recent years.
“We’ve transformed really the wide receiver and the tight end room. We have five really good backs. Up front we probably have nine guys that can play winning football for us right now,” he said.
But turnover is inevitable in college football, and, in the case of Oklahoma, the biggest losses were on defense.
“We lost four really good players up front, two at defensive end and two at defensive tackle,” Venables said, noting the absences of defensive ends R Mason Thomas and Marvin Jones Jr. and defensive tackles Grason Halton Damonic Willliams. But the Sooners are relying on their homegrown talent to replace their losses, with defensive tackle David Stone and defensive end Taylor Wein being counted to lead the front. The secondary remains potent, returning brothers Peyton and Eli Bowen, who were both 2025 All-SEC selections at safety and cornerback, respectively.
“You see a program that’s a developmental program (in OU),” Venables said. “I think we had nine starters on defense that were all high school guys that were here for us a year ago, guys that were homegrown and developed.”
The Sooners will have to come out of the gate strong on both lines, because the schedule does them no favors. In their first five games, Oklahoma will travel to Michigan and Georgia and play Texas in Dallas. Late in the season, they will face Texas A&M in a regular season game for the first time since 2011.
“It’s exciting (to play A&M again). Another one of the long teams that talks about the depth of the SEC,” Venables said. “Mike and his staff have done a wonderful job at building the roster, taking over a really good roster when Jimbo left, continued that tradition of building in the trenches. If they’ve done something really well, they’ve done that well.
It’s oing to be a great, great challenge. Going to be in Norman, thankfully for us. One of many good teams that man we have to show up with our A game and have a chance to compete.”
Oklahoma 2026 schedule
Sept. 4: UTEP
Sept. 12: @Michigan
Sept 19: New Mexico
Sept. 26: @Georgia
Oct. 10: Texas (in Dallas)
Oct. 17: Kentucky
Oct. 24: @Mississippi State
Oct. 31: South Carolina
Nov. 7: @Florida
Nov 14: Ole Miss
Nov. 21: TEXAS A&M
Nov. 28: @Missouri
Projected two-Deep
Quarterback
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 10 | John Mateer | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6-1/225 |
| 16 | Whitt Newbauer | Jr.-TR. | 6-6/237 |
Running back
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 24 | Xavier Robinson | Jr. | 6/235 |
| 6 | Tory Blaylock | So. | 5-11/212 |
Tight end
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 89 | Hayden Hansen | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6-8/270 |
| 81 | Rocky Beers | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6-5/240 |
X receiver
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 11 | Trell Harris | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6/200 |
| 14 | Elijah Thomas | So. | 6-1/200 |
Z receiver
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 3 | Parker Livingstone | RS-So.-TR. | 6-3/200 |
| 5 | Jer’Michael Carter | RS-Jr.-TR. | 6-2/212 |
H receiver
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 1 | Isaiah Sategna | RS-Sr.-TR. | 5-10/185 |
| 17 | Mackenzie Alleyne | RS-So.-TR. | 5-11/184 |
Left tackle
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 56 | Michael Fasusi | So. | 6-5/320 |
| 72 | Fred Hinton | Jr.-TR. | 6-4/315 |
Left guard
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 55 | Eddy Pierre-Louis | RS-So. | 6-3/319 |
| 75 | Daniel Akinkumi | RS-So. | 6-6/325 |
Center
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 69 | Jake Maikkula | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6-6/305 |
| 60 | Caleb Nitta | RS-Jr.-TR. | 6-2/305 |
Right guard
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 70 | Ryan Fodje | So. | 6-5/327 |
| 77 | Heath Ozaeta | RS-Jr.-TR. | 6-5/315 |
Right tackle
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 76 | E’Marion Harris | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6-6/318 |
| 71 | Peyton Joseph | So.-TR | 6-4/330 |
Left defensive end
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 44 | Taylor Wein | RS-Jr. | 6-4/270 |
| 93 | Kenny Ozowalu | RS-So.-TR. | 6-3/283 |
Nose tackle
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 65 | Jayden Jackson | Jr. | 6-2/310 |
| 90 | Trent Wilson | RS-Fr. | 6-3/305 |
Defensive tackle
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 0 | David Stone | Jr. | 6-3/312 |
| 8 | Bishop Thomas | RS-Sr. | 6-1/300 |
Right defensive end
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 34 | Adepoju Adebawore | Sr. | 6-4/265 |
| 16 | Danny Okoye | RS-So. | 6-3/260 |
WILL
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 38 | Owen Heinecke | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6-1/226 |
| 7 | Taylor Heim | RS-Jr. | 6-5/225 |
MIKE
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 10 | Kip Lewis | RS-Sr. | 6-1/226 |
| 18 | Cole Sullivan | RS-So.-TR. | 6-4/230 |
CHEETAH
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 3 | Reggie Powers | Jr. | 6/212 |
| 21 | Jeremiah Newcombe | RS-So. | 5-9/198 |
Left cornerback
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 4 | Courtland Guillory | So. | 6/188 |
| 24 | Jacobe Johnson | Sr. | 6-2/210 |
Strong safety
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 22 | Peyton Bowen | Sr. | 6/200 |
| 2 | Omarion Robinson | So. | 5-11/210 |
Free safety
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 25 | Michael Boganowski | Jr. | 6-2/212 |
| 2 | Omarion Robinson | So. | 5-11/210 |
Right cornerback
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 23 | Eli Bowen | Jr. | 5-9/185 |
| 14 | Trystan Haynes | RS-Fr. | 6-2/185 |
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