Game Primer: OU vs. UTEP

Friday, September 4

Norman

7 p.m. CT

University of Oklahoma

UTEP

Tickets From $51 - $169

September 02, 2026 | Football

Football Game Day Guide How to Watch SECN+/ESPN+Fan Experience Enhancements

#10 Oklahoma

UTEP

Friday, Sept. 4 / 7 p.m. CT / Owen Field

SECN+/ESPN+ / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

OPENING KICK

• No. 10/9 Oklahoma opens the 2026 season — its third as a member of the Southeastern Conference and fifth under head coach Brent Venables — when it hosts UTEP on Friday at 7 p.m. CT at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. The game will be televised by SEC Network+ and ESPN+ with Ted Emrich, Fozzy Whittaker and Maria Martin announcing.

• The 2026 season marks the 132nd in OU football history. The Sooners lead the nation with their 50 all-time conference championships and 33 AP top-five finishes. They rank second with their seven Heisman Trophy winners (tied), five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks (tied) and 27 11-plus-win seasons, third with seven AP national championships, their 101 weeks as the AP's No. 1 team and 431 total weeks in the AP Top 5, fifth with 59 bowl appearances and sixth with 426 NFL Draft picks.

• Friday's contest will mark the 1,365th in OU history. The Sooners rank fifth nationally with their .724 all-time winning percentage (960351-53 record), trailing Ohio State (.737), Alabama (.733), Notre Dame (.733) and Michigan (.732). Since the end of World War II (1946 season to present), OU leads all programs with 716 wins (27 more than Alabama, the program with the next most).

• OU is 102-23-6 all-time in season openers and has won its last nine such contests and 15 of its last 16. The Sooners are 85-12-4 in their first game of a season at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1925. OU has won 20 straight home openers (last such loss was 17-10 vs. TCU in 2005).

• This marks the 27th straight season Oklahoma has been ranked in the preseason AP poll. The Sooners have been ranked 20th or better in each of the last 27 preseason polls and 10th or better in 21 of the last 26. OU has also ended seven of the last 11 seasons ranked in the AP top 10.

• OU's all-time average preseason AP rank is a nation-best 7.12. Alabama is second at 7.18.

• The SEC leads the country with its nine teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25. The Big Ten ranks second with eight preseason top-25 teams and is followed by the Big 12 with four and the ACC with three. The other team is Notre Dame (independent). The SEC also leads the nation with five preseason top-10 teams and seven top-15 squads.

• Oklahoma is coming off a 10-3 season in which it went 6-2 in the SEC and earned the No. 8 seed in the College Football Playoff (lost 3424 to No. 9 seed Alabama in Norman). The Sooners boasted one of the nation's top defenses, leading the country in sacks per game (3.5) and tackles for loss per contest (9.4), and pacing the SEC in scoring defense (15.5 ppg), total defense (272.5 ypg), rushing defense (77.3 ypg) and passing defense efficiency (115.8 rating).

• UTEP, in its first year in the Mountain West Conference, went 2-10 last season and 1-7 in Conference USA play. The Miners are under the direction of third-year head coach Scotty Walden, who is 5-19 at the school. He coached Austin Peay to winning seasons each of the four previous years.

OU football team runs out of the tunnel at a packed Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

FOR THE FANS

• Approximately two hours and 15 minutes before each home game (4:50 p.m. this Friday), OU players and coaches will arrive at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium via team buses and walk to their stadium entrance while being cheered by fans. This year's "Walk of Champions" path again originates from the Jenkins Ave./Brooks St. intersection just northeast of the stadium (view map here). The team will be led by the Sooner Schooner and OU Spirit.

• Once again, the Allstate Party at the Palace will be held on the lawn immediately north of Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for fans of all ages, this week running from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Party at the Palace will offer and feature a variety of food and beverage trucks, family-friendly activities, The Franchise pregame radio show and an LED video screen showing games in progress. The one-of-a-kind Red Rocket Ford Model T will also be on display for photo opportunities. Additionally this Friday, the defending national champion OU baseball team will sign autographs from 5-5:45 p.m.

• The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department announced a series of fan experience enhancements ahead of the Sooners' home opener Friday. The expansion of offerings and upgrades to services range from pregame festivities and tailgating to concessions and merchandise opportunities, in-game engagement, exclusive experiences, a digital concierge service and more.

• New this season, OU Athletics is introducing Bud, an AI-powered digital concierge available on SoonerSports.com and in the Oklahoma Sooners app. Bud will provide immediate answers to common questions about tickets, parking, venue policies, accessibility, lost and found and more. During events, fans can also report incidents such as maintenance needs, spills or safety concerns, all of which will be routed in real time to the appropriate OU Athletics personnel. Fans can also "Share a Win" by recognizing exceptional service or highlighting a positive experience. Bud, powered by the fan engagement and incident management platform Relayed, will be accessible on SoonerSports.com via the chat widget pop-up in the bottom-right corner of the site. In the Oklahoma Sooners app, Bud will be accessible on game days via the main navigation area at the bottom of the screen.

• OU announced this summer it will build on the success of last season's North Oval tailgating experience by introducing a new turnkey tailgating option at Boyd Lawn this fall while keeping the North Oval free and open for public tailgating. The North Oval will once again serve as the centerpiece of OU game day, remaining free for all fans on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans are encouraged to continue bringing their own tents, chairs and tailgating equipment to one of the most iconic gathering places on campus. New this season, fans looking for a hassle-free experience can reserve professionally managed turnkey tailgating packages at nearby Boyd Lawn, located at the corner of Boyd St. and Asp Ave. in front of the Jones Family Welcome Center and Carpenter Hall, through REVELXP, the exclusive reserved tailgate provider for the university. The premium experience offers fully furnished tailgating setups, allowing groups to simply arrive and enjoy game day without the work of setup or teardown. For more detailed information on North Oval, Boyd Lawn and other campus tailgating options, click here.

• OU Athletics and Sooner Sports Properties are producing limited-edition collectible game programs in high-quality print for home football contests against Kentucky, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Texas A&M – OU's four 2026 SEC home opponents. Souvenir game programs are available for preorder for $20 each, and the 2026 OU Football Media Guide can be purchased for $40 (limited stock). Click here for details.

• For a full list of OU game day policies, procedures and additional fan information, click here.

KEY STORYLINES

• Friday's game will mark OU's sixth against UTEP, with the Sooners winning each of the previous five, four at home. The last meeting was the 2022 season opener and Brent Venables' first game as OU's head coach (45-13 outcome on Sept. 3; see page 3 for details).

• This week's contest marks just the second Friday night regular season home game in OU history. The Sooners boast a 61-21-2 (.738) record in Friday games (includes postseason), but have only played six Friday evening regular season contests (five on the road and victories in all six). The only other Friday evening regular season home game was a 51-3 win over Temple in the 2024 season opener. (Last year's first-round College Football Playoff game vs. Alabama was also held on a Friday night.)

• After adding 63 new players in 2023, 52 newcomers in 2024 and 45 in 2025, Oklahoma welcomes 45 newcomers (26 freshmen, 19 transfers) for 2026, Venables' fifth season as head coach. Forty -one percent of OU's roster is comprised of first-year Sooners, the same percentage as in 2025 and down from 43% in 2024 and 51% in 2023. Thirty-five of the Sooners' 111 players have spent at least two years at OU, while another 31 are entering their second season in Norman.

• Fifty-six percent (25 of 45) of the Sooners' newcomers this season are on offense, while 19 are defensive players and one is a special teams player. OU's 15 transfers on the week 1 depth chart are running back Lloyd Avant (Colorado State), receivers Mackenzie Alleyne (Washington State), Trell Harris (Virginia) and Parker Livingstone (Texas), tight ends Rocky Beers (Colorado State), Hayden Hansen (Florida) and Jack Van Dorselaer (Tennessee), offensive linemen E'Marion Harris (Arkansas), Fred Hinton (Eastern Kentucky), Peyton Joseph (Georgia Tech) and Caleb Nitta (Western Kentucky), as well as linebacker Cole Sullivan (Michigan), defensive linemen Kenny Ozowalu (UTSA) and Bishop Thomas (Georgia State) and defensive back Dakoda Fields (Oregon).

• For the second straight season, the Sooners will have season-long team captains this year (OU named weekly captains each of Venables' first three seasons). This season's nine captains are senior defensive back Peyton Bowen, sophomore offensive lineman Michael Fasusi, sixth-year linebacker Owen Heinecke, fifth-year linebacker Kip Lewis, fifth-year offensive lineman Jake Maikkula, fifth-year quarterback John Mateer, junior offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis, junior defensive lineman David Stone and senior defensive lineman Taylor Wein. Lewis and Mateer were captains last season.

• Of the 70 players on OU's week 1 depth chart, 11 (or 16%) are freshmen. That includes six on defense, four on offense and one on special teams. Another 15 players on the depth chart (21%) transferred into the program in the offseason (11 on offense and four on defense).

HOME IS WHERE THE "W" IS

• Oklahoma is 151-17 (.899) at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since the start of the 1999 season (Bob Stoops' first year as head coach), giving it just three more home losses than conference titles during the period. It is the second-best home winning percentage in the country over the stretch (Boise State [.906] is first). OU has outscored its foes by an average of 42-18 in those games.

• With the first two 2026 home games sold out, OU's sellout streak of originally scheduled home contests is 169 games (dating back to the start of the 1999 campaign). Only Nebraska has a longer current streak.

• This marks the 102nd season of Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The first game was played Oct. 17, 1925, a 7-0 victory over Drake.

• The first game played at the current stadium site, called Owen Field and named after former head coach and athletics director Bennie Owen (a charter member of the College Football Hall of Fame), took place in 1923, before stadium construction got underway.

• The Sooners owns a sparkling 429-90-15 (.817) all-time record at the "Palace on the Prairie" and has faced 101 opponents there.

NORMAN, OK - December 19, 2025 - Oklahoma Quarterback John Mateer (#10) during the College Football Playoff First Round game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma

OU-UTEP SERIES HISTORY

• Oklahoma owns a 5-0 record against UTEP, with four of the five games played in Norman and the Sooners outscoring the Miners 248-51. Four meetings were season openers and OU was ranked in all five.

• The programs first met in the opening game of OU's 2000 national championship season when the No. 19 Sooners posted a 55-14 home win. Oklahoma also logged victories as the No. 2 team in 2002 (68-0 in Norman), No. 4 squad in 2012 (24-7 in El Paso), No. 7 team in 2017 (56-7 in Norman) and No. 9 squad in 2022 (31-24 in Norman in Brent Venables' first game as a head coach).

• In the most recent meeting, Oklahoma raced to a 21-0 lead in the first 8:17 and outgained the Miners 492-316 for the contest. The Sooners showcased a balanced offensive attack with 259 rushing yards and 233 passing yards, and allowed just 28 yards on 31 rushes. In his OU debut, quarterback Dillon Gabriel passed for 233 yards and two TDs and rushed for 20 yards and a score. Tight end Brayden Willis caught both TD passes, while Eric Gray rushed 16 times for 102 yards and a score. Billy Bowman Jr. and Danny Stutsman paced OU with then-career highs of nine tackles each, and Reggie Grimes logged a career-high 2.5 sacks.

YEAR THREE IN THE SEC

• Oklahoma and Texas officially joined the Southeastern Conference on July 1, 2024, after 28 years in the Big 12 Conference. OU won half (14) of the Big 12's football championships in its 28 years in the league and posted a 187-61 (.754) record against conference competition (includes an 11-1 record in Big 12 championship games). u Oklahoma's 14 Big 12 titles were 10 more than the program with the next most (Texas won four). From 2010 through 2023, OU won eight Big 12 titles and was followed by Baylor (three), Kansas State (two) and Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas (one each).

ANOTHER SCHEDULE GAUNTLET

• For the third straight season, Oklahoma's schedule is among the nation's most challenging. The Sooners' strength of schedule is ranked as the country's second toughest in ESPN's FPI. Last summer, OU's schedule was rated as the most difficult in the nation entering the 2025 campaign.

• OU is scheduled to play four of the top 10 teams in the AP preseason poll and six of the top 25 squads: No. 3 Georgia (away), No. 5 Texas (neutral site), No. 8 Texas A&M (home), No. 9 Ole Miss (home), No. 16 Michigan (away) and No. 25 Missouri (away). Oklahoma will also face Florida (away), South Carolina (home) and New Mexico (home), all of which received votes in the preseason AP poll.

NEW ASSISTANT COACHES

• The 2026 Oklahoma coaching staff features five new assistant coaches, four on offense and one on defense. In January, head coach Brent Venables announced former NFL tight end great Jason Witten as tight ends coach, and in February hired Deland McCullough as running backs coach and LaMar Morgan as cornerbacks coach, filling open positions on the staff. OU also promoted former offensive analyst John Kuceyeski to quarterbacks coach, longtime college offensive coordinator and former head coach Kevin Wilson to assistant head coach for offense and former defensive analyst Xavier Brewer to assistant secondary coach.

• Witten is a former All-Pro tight end who played 17 seasons in the NFL and guided two state championship teams in his five-year tenure as a high school head football coach in Texas. Over his 17-year NFL career, Witten compiled 1,228 receptions for 13,046 yards and 74 touchdowns. A two-time first-team All-Pro selection and an 11-time Pro Bowler, he ranks fourth all-time in NFL receptions and 22nd in yards among all receivers (second among tight ends in both categories). After retiring from the NFL following the 2020 season, he served as head coach at Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas, and led the Warriors to consecutive Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools state championships in 2023 and '24.

• McCullough is a veteran of college and NFL coaching who won a Super Bowl title with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020. Since becoming a full-time running backs coach in 2011, he has mentored backs who have produced 17 seasons of 1,000 or more yards from scrimmage. He spent last season with the Las Vegas Raiders and the previous three at Notre Dame, and also spent time at Indiana and USC.

• Morgan is a 14-year college assistant coach who coordinated defenses for two years at Louisiana-Lafayette from 2022-23 and spent the 2024-25 seasons at Michigan, where he served as defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach. u Kuceyeski, who served as an OU offensive analyst last season, spent the previous two years at Washington State (offensive quality control role in 2023 and quarterbacks coach in 2024) working with current OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and QB John Mateer.

• Wilson, who was OU's offensive coordinator from 2002-10 under head coach Bob Stoops, rejoined the Oklahoma staff as special assistant to the head coach/offensive analyst in 2025 and was promoted to assistant head coach for offense this spring. He has more than 40 years of coaching experience, including eight as a head coach and 16 as an offensive coordinator. He served as head coach at Tulsa from 2023-24 following six seasons as the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Ohio State (2017-22), and was also Indiana's head coach for six seasons (2011-16).

• Brewer played at Clemson from 2008-12, including his final season with Venables as defensive coordinator. He served as a defensive graduate assistant at Clemson for two seasons and coached cornerbacks at UL-Monroe in 2021 before rejoining Venables' first OU staff as a defensive analyst.

BREAKING DOWN THE TRANSFERS

• The Sooners signed 19 transfers in the offseason, with the vast majority of those on offense. The breakdown is 13 offensive and six defensive players.

• OU's transfer portal class was ranked No. 16 nationally by On3 and No. 17 by 247Sports.

• The offensive transfers consist of three wide receivers (fifth-year senior Trell Harris [Virginia] and juniors Mackenzie Alleyne [Washington State] and Parker Livingstone [Texas]), five offensive linemen (fifth-year senior E'Marion Harris [Arkansas], seniors Caleb NItta [Western Kentucky] and Kenny Wermy [Central Oklahoma], junior Fred Hinton [Eastern Kentucky] and sophomore Peyton Joseph [Georgia Tech]), three tight ends (sixth-year senior Rocky Beers [Colorado State], fifth-year senior Hayden Hansen [Florida] and sophomore Jack Van Dorselaer [Tennessee]) and two running backs (fifth-year senior Ben McCreary [Incarnate Word] and Lloyd Avant [Colorado State]).

• On defense, one transfer is a linebacker (junior Cole Sullivan [Michigan]), three are defensive linemen (fifth-year seniors Danny Saili [Arkansas] and Bishop Thomas [Georgia State] and junior Kenny Ozowalu [UTSA]) and two are defensive backs (juniors Dakoda Fields [Oregon] and Prince Ijioma [Mississippi Valley State]).

SIX SOONERS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS

• Six Sooners — three on defense, two on special teams and one on offense — earned 2026 preseason All-America recognition.

• Fifth-year kicker Tate Sandell is a first-team preseason All-American by the Associated Press, The Athletic, CBS Sports, ESPN, USA TODAY and Walter Camp, and a second-team honoree by Phil Steele and Sporting News. Sandell won OU's first Lou Groza Award in 2025 en route to first-team All-America honors. He set or tied eight career or single-season school, conference, FBS or stadium records, including the OU and single season SEC standards for most consecutive made field goals (24).

• Fifth-year long snapper Ben Anderson is a first-team preseason All-American by Phil Steele following a second-team All-SEC season as a senior in 2025 (earned third-team all-league honors in 2024). Also a two-time semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award for the nation's best long snapper, he has handled all the team's long snapping duties the last three years.

• Junior defensive lineman David Stone is a first-team preseason All-American by the Associated Press, CBS Sports, Phil Steele and Sports Illustrated and a second-teamer by Sporting News and Walter Camp. Stone played in all 13 games (two starts) last season and registered 42 tackles, the most on the team among defensive linemen. He also tallied 8.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and six QB hurries.

• Fifth-year linebacker Kip Lewis is a first-team preseason All-American by Phil Steele and second-team selection by USA TODAY. The two-year starter (also made five starts in 2023) has compiled 209 total tackles (18.5 for loss and 5.0 sacks), two interceptions and five pass breakups in his 44 career games. He led the team with 76 tackles and totaled 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and four pass breakups last season.

• Senior defensive back Peyton Bowen is a second-team preseason All-American by Sports Illustrated. Bowen, a 2025 All-SEC Second Team selection by the league's coaches, started all 13 games at safety last season and totaled 47 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high seven pass breakups.

• Fifth-year wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III picked up fourth- team preseason All-America honors from Phil Steele. Sategna was a first-team All-SEC pick by the media and a second-team selection by the coaches at both wide receiver and return specialist in 2025. He led OU and ranked second in the league in receptions (68) and third in receiving yards (965) and receiving touchdowns (eight) last season.

NORMAN, OK - September 20, 2025 - Oklahoma Defensive Lineman David Stone (#0) and Oklahoma Defensive Back Peyton Bowen (#22) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Brynn Grove/University of Oklahoma

PRESEASON ALL-SEC HONOREES

• Ten Sooners were named to the coaches' and media preseason all-SEC teams. On both lists, fifth-year senior kicker Tate Sandell (placekicker and kickoff specialist) and fifth-year senior long snapper Ben Anderson were named to the first team. Fifth-year senior wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III was a second-team selection as a wide receiver and return specialist. Fifth-year senior linebacker Kip Lewis, fifth-year senior punter Grayson Miller, senior defensive back Peyton Bowen, senior defensive lineman Taylor Wein, junior defensive back Eli Bowen, junior defensive lineman David Stone and sophomore offensive lineman Michael Fasusi were all named to the second team. Sategna was also listed on the coaches team as a second-team all-purpose player.

• Sandell (Lou Groza Award and a first-team All-American), Sategna (at both wide receiver and return specialist) and Miller were first-team All-SEC selections last season by both the coaches and media.

• Anderson, Peyton Bowen and Wein earned 2025 second-team All-SEC honors, and Eli Bowen was a third-team pick.

MORE ON THE OFFENSE

• Oklahoma returns 19 letterwinners on offense, including eight players who started at least six games last season, and welcomes 13 newcomers on that side of the ball. The most returning experience is on the offensive line, with five 2026 Sooners starting at least six games last season and combining for 63 career starts. Those five are fifth-year senior Jake Maikkula (started 10 games at center [not the season opener] before missing the last two due to health reasons), senior Heath Ozaeta (started seven games at left guard last season), junior Eddy Pierre-Louis (made six starts at left guard, including each of the final five) and sophomores Michael Fasusi (started 10 games at left tackle) and Ryan Fodje (started each of the final six contests at right tackle or right guard).

• OU signed three offensive line transfers who combined for 41 starts at their previous schools. Fifth-year senior E'Marion Harris (Arkansas) has 24 career starts, senior Caleb Nitta (Western Kentucky) has 10 and junior Fred Hinton (Eastern Kentucky) has seven.

• The Sooners also signed two freshman offensive linemen in top-35 inside offensive line prospects Noah Best and Deacon Schmitt. Best could see meaningful playing time this season.

• Fifth-year quarterback John Mateer returns for his second season as OU's starter after accounting for 3,316 total offensive yards and 22 touchdowns in his 12 games last season (missed the Kent State game due to a right thumb injury that required surgery). Junior Whitt Newbauer (saw action in three games in his first season at OU last year after starting seven games at Mercer in 2024) and Jett Niu (did not play as a freshman) also return, while freshman Bowe Bentley was a consensus four-star and top-8 QB prospect nationally.

• Junior Xavier Robinson (421 rushing yards and four touchdowns last season) and sophomore Tory Blaylock (team-high 480 rushing yards and four TDs as a freshman) are OU's top returning running backs. Combined with Mateer's 431 yards, the trio totaled 1,332 rushing yards last season. The Sooners brought in a pair of transfers in junior Lloyd Avant (Colorado State) and Ben McCreary (Incarnate Word). Avant has played in 24 career games (five starts) and totaled 676 rushing yards and six touchdowns to go with 323 career receiving yards. Freshmen Jonathan Hatton Jr. (No. 5 running back prospect in the country) and DeZephen Walker were both four-star recruits in the class.

• Oklahoma added plenty of size to the tight end room in the transfer portal, bringing in 6-5, 240-pound sixth-year senior Rocky Beers (Colorado State), 6-8, 270-pound fifth-year senior Hayden Hansen (Florida) and 6-4, 250-pound sophomore Jack Van Dorselaer (Tennessee) to go with returning fifth-year senior John Locke Jr., senior Kade McIntyre and sophomore Trynae Washington. OU also signed a pair of freshmen in Ryder Mix and Tyler Ruxer.

• A returning All-SEC performer and Phil Steele preseason fourth-team All-American, Isaiah Sategna III headlines the returning group of wide receivers. The fifth-year player, who made at least two catches in every game last season, ranked second in the SEC in receptions and third in receiving yards and touchdowns. He is OU's only returning wide receiver with at least 10 catches last season, but a trio of newcomers in fifth-year standout Trell Harris (Virginia) and juniors Mackenzie Alleyne (Washington State) and Parker Livingstone (Texas) are expected to help immediately. Harris caught 59 passes for 847 yards and five touchdowns last season, while Livingstone registered 516 yards and two scores at Texas in 2025. Those four receivers combine with returning senior Jer'Michael Carter, juniors Ivan Carreon and Jacob Jordan, sophomores Manny Choice and Elijah Thomas and incoming freshmen Daniel Odom, Xavier Okwufulueze, Jayden Petit and Jahsiear Rogers to provide a deep and talented receiving corps.

MORE ON THE DEFENSE

• Oklahoma boasted one of the absolute best defensive units in the country last season on its way to the College Football Playoff. The Sooners ranked first nationally in sacks (3.5 per game) and tackles for loss (9.4 per contest), third in rushing defense (77.3 yards per game) and opponent third-down conversion rate (28.2%), sixth in total defense (272.5 yards per game), seventh in scoring defense (15.5 points per game) and 32nd in passing defense (195.2 yards per game). OU also ranked 10th nationally with its three defensive touchdowns. OU returns six defensive players who started at least six contests last season.

• Defensive success begins up front, and the line could once again be one of the team's strongest units. Senior Taylor Wein made eight starts and led OU with 15.0 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks last season. Junior Jayden Jackson has started 16 career games has 8.0 TFLs and 5.0 sacks, while junior David Stone led OU's defensive linemen with 42 total tackles (8.0 for loss and 1.5 sacks) in 2025. Senior Adepolu Adebawore notched career highs of 17 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks last season and junior Danny Okoye added two sacks. Returning juniors Nigel Smith II and Wyatt Gilmore and sophomore Trent Wilson could join the rotation this season. Fifth-year senior Bishop Thomas (transfer from Georgia State) and junior Kenny Ozowalu (UTSA) join the ranks of newcomers, along with freshmen James Carrington, Jake Kreul, Matthew Nelson and Daniel Norman, who all ranked among the top-60 recruits at their position.

• The Sooners' linebacker corps returns 35 career starts, including 30 by fifth-year senior Kip Lewis, who has totaled 209 career tackles (18.5 for loss). Sixth-year senior Owen Heinecke was extremely productive in his breakout 2025 season, which included starts in each of the last five games. Heinecke ranked second on the team with 74 tackles (12.0 for loss). Junior James Nesta, who made four tackles in 13 games in a special teams and reserve linebacker role last season, and sophomore Marcus James, who missed 2025 with an injury, figure to enter the rotation this season, along with highly regard transfer Cole Sullivan, who registered 44 tackles in 11 games and three starts at Michigan last season.

• The defensive backfield looks to be stout again with five returners who have combined for 51 career starts. Senior Peyton Bowen started all 13 games last season and logged career highs of 47 tackles, two interceptions and seven PBUs en route to second-team All-SEC honors. Junior Eli Bowen has made 17 career starts at cornerback, including nine last season when he recorded 24 tackles, two interceptions (including an 87-yarder for a TD in a win at No. 4 Alabama) and four pass breakups. Sophomore Courtland Guillory started 11 games at cornerback in 2025 and earned freshman All-America honors from On3. Including senior Jacobe Johnson, who has three career interceptions in 37 games (two starts), junior Reggie Powers III, who has played in 25 career games and made 31 tackles (2.5 for loss) last season, and junior Michael Boganowski, who has 39 tackles in 26 career games (one start), six defensive backs have seen action in a total of 160 career games.

A LOOK AT SPECIAL TEAMS

• Oklahoma's special teams have drastically improved since the arrival of coordinator Doug Deakin. After finishing No. 127 in ESPN's special teams efficiency ratings in 2023 (the year before Deakin's arrival), the Sooners jumped to No. 41 in 2024 and to No. 10 in 2025.

• Oklahoma returns all four major players in the kicking game from last season, including reigning Lou Groza Award winner Tate Sandell and first-team All-SEC punter Grayson Miller. Three-year standout long snapper Ben Anderson and holder Jacob Ulrich are also back this season. Sandell's record-setting 2025 campaign featured prominently in Oklahoma's 10 wins and College Football Playoff appearance, and most significantly in November road wins at No. 14 Tennessee, in which he made four field goals (three more than 50 yards), and at No. 4 Alabama, as he converted both field goal attempts in a two-point victory.

• Miller set an OU record for punts longer than 50 yards last season. Ulrich started last season as OU's punter before giving way to Miller due to an injury. Anderson will be OU's long snapper for the fourth straight year. He earned second-team All-SEC honors last year and is a 2026 first-team Phil Steele preseason All-American.

• The Sooners also return kicker Liam Evans, a junior from Moore, Okla., who has made his only career PAT attempt, and sophomore Preston Tarpley, who is in his second season in Norman. OU brought in kicker Trace Rudd, a five-star prospect by Kohl's Kicking, as part of the 2026 signing class.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S BEST

• During the modern era of college football (since the end of World War II), the Sooners are the nation's No. 1 team with more wins (716) than any other program (next most is 689 by Alabama).

• Oklahoma has finished in the top 5 of the AP poll a nation-leading 33 times (Ohio State is second with 32).

• OU leads all FBS programs with 50 all-time conference championships. The rest of the top five includes Nebraska (46), Michigan (44), Ohio State (39) and USC (37). The Sooners' 14 league titles since 2000 are the most among Power Five programs (Ohio State ranks second with 11).

• Since the start of the 2000 season, OU ranks second with 19 seasons of at least 10 wins and is tied for third with 271 victories.

• Since former head coach Bob Stoops arrived in Norman in 1999, OU leads the country with its 13,431 points scored. Boise State (13,107) is second and Oregon (12,932) third.

EXTRA POINT

• The Sooners are 25-8 all-time as the No. 10-ranked team in the AP poll (17-2 at home). Oklahoma was last ranked No. 10 during the 2023 season when it played at Oklahoma State (27-24 loss), and last played a home game as the 10th-ranked team in 2017 (49-27 win over Texas Tech). OU has won five straight home contests as the AP's No. 10-ranked team since a 38-17 defeat to No. 4 Colorado in 1995.