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The Oklahoma Soonershave seen a lot of change to their roster since last season ended. Despite making it to the College Football Playoff last year, head coach Brent Venables and general manager Jim Nagy set out to get better this offseason.
Now, at least one analyst thinks that OU has one of the most talent-laden rosters in the entire country. On3's J.D. PicKell, the host of "The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell", ranked his top 10 most talented rosters in the nation at this point in time. He had the Sooners sliding in at No. 10, which places them fifth in the SEC, behind only Georgia, Texas, LSU, and Texas A&M. OU will play all but LSU in 2026.
PicKell has been high on the Sooners already this offseason, and clearly sees the program as one of the teams with the most talent in the country this spring. In addition to key returnees like quarterback John Mateer, wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III, linebacker Kip Lewis, and kicker Tate Sandell, OU also returns its top two leading rushers (Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock), five offensive linemen who played a lot of football last year (Michael Fasusi, Eddy Pierre-Louis, Jake Maikkula, Heath Ozaeta, and Ryan Fodje), a handful of other stars on the defense (Jayden Jackson, David Stone, Taylor Wein, Peyton Bowen, Eli Bowen, and Courtland Guillory), and all of its special teams production.
However, Venables and Nagy made some key additions to the roster as well. At wide receiver, Virginia transfer Trell Harris and Texas transfer Parker Livingstone arrive to take some of the pressure off of Mateer and Sategna in the passing game. Arkansas' E'Marion Harris, Western Kentucky's Caleb Nitta, and Georgia Tech's Peyton Joseph look to bolster the o-line, and OU added three tight ends in Florida's Hayden Hansen, Colorado State's Rocky Beers, and Tennessee's Jack Van Dorselaer, that should help that position improve greatly.
While the Sooners are relying more on internal development defensively, they did add defensive linemen Kenny Ozowalu (UTSA) and Bishop Thomas (Georgia State), linebacker Cole Sullivan (Michigan), and defensive back Dakoda Fields (Oregon), all of whom will be tasked with playing important snaps this year. Sullivan, in particular, will be starting at inside LB for Oklahoma.
OU's growth last year from a six-win team to a 10-win team, coupled with a good offseason of acquiring players, has the expectations high in Norman this spring. With still five months to go until Week 1, the Sooners now can focus on building this new roster into a cohesive group that can make a run at exceeding what last year's team was able to do.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Where is Oklahoma's roster ranked among the most talented in CFB?
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Now, at least one analyst thinks that OU has one of the most talent-laden rosters in the entire country. On3's J.D. PicKell, the host of "The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell", ranked his top 10 most talented rosters in the nation at this point in time. He had the Sooners sliding in at No. 10, which places them fifth in the SEC, behind only Georgia, Texas, LSU, and Texas A&M. OU will play all but LSU in 2026.
PicKell has been high on the Sooners already this offseason, and clearly sees the program as one of the teams with the most talent in the country this spring. In addition to key returnees like quarterback John Mateer, wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III, linebacker Kip Lewis, and kicker Tate Sandell, OU also returns its top two leading rushers (Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock), five offensive linemen who played a lot of football last year (Michael Fasusi, Eddy Pierre-Louis, Jake Maikkula, Heath Ozaeta, and Ryan Fodje), a handful of other stars on the defense (Jayden Jackson, David Stone, Taylor Wein, Peyton Bowen, Eli Bowen, and Courtland Guillory), and all of its special teams production.
However, Venables and Nagy made some key additions to the roster as well. At wide receiver, Virginia transfer Trell Harris and Texas transfer Parker Livingstone arrive to take some of the pressure off of Mateer and Sategna in the passing game. Arkansas' E'Marion Harris, Western Kentucky's Caleb Nitta, and Georgia Tech's Peyton Joseph look to bolster the o-line, and OU added three tight ends in Florida's Hayden Hansen, Colorado State's Rocky Beers, and Tennessee's Jack Van Dorselaer, that should help that position improve greatly.
While the Sooners are relying more on internal development defensively, they did add defensive linemen Kenny Ozowalu (UTSA) and Bishop Thomas (Georgia State), linebacker Cole Sullivan (Michigan), and defensive back Dakoda Fields (Oregon), all of whom will be tasked with playing important snaps this year. Sullivan, in particular, will be starting at inside LB for Oklahoma.
OU's growth last year from a six-win team to a 10-win team, coupled with a good offseason of acquiring players, has the expectations high in Norman this spring. With still five months to go until Week 1, the Sooners now can focus on building this new roster into a cohesive group that can make a run at exceeding what last year's team was able to do.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Where is Oklahoma's roster ranked among the most talented in CFB?
Continue reading...
