Oklahoma positional previews: Defensive line ready to lead again

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Fall camp is underway in Norman, and the Oklahoma Sooners are less than two weeks away from kicking off the 2026 regular season. After a 10-win season in 2025 that resulted in a trip to the College Football Playoff, the focus has been on taking the team from good to great under head coach Brent Venables.

With the offseason drawing to a close, it's time to take a look at each position on OU's roster to see where things stand heading into the season. After players from last year's team left via the transfer portal or exhausted eligibility and the Sooners replenished the roster via the portal and high school recruiting, there are plenty of new faces looking to make an impact and returning names looking to take a step forward.

Today, we'll dive into the defensive line position, coached by associate head coach/co-defensive coordinator/run defense coach/defensive tackles coach Todd Bates and defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis. This room has become perhaps the strength of the entire team, and they'll look to continue that this season.

The Players

  • Bishop Thomas: 5th-year
  • Adepoju Adebawore: Senior
  • Taylor Wein: Senior
  • Jayden Jackson: Junior
  • David Stone: Junior
  • Wyatt Gilmore: Junior
  • Jacob Henry: Junior
  • Bergin Kysar: Junior
  • Danny Okoye: Junior
  • Kenny Ozowalu: Junior
  • Nigel Smith II: Junior
  • CJ Nickson: Sophomore
  • Alex Shieldnight: Sophomore
  • Trent Wilson: Sophomore
  • James Carrington: Freshman
  • Brian Harris: Freshman
  • Jake Kreul: Freshman
  • Matthew Nelson: Freshman
  • Daniel Norman: Freshman

At defensive tackle, Bates has his two starters in Jackson and Stone. That duo was a big part of what the Sooners did on the interior a season ago, but they'll both be carrying a lot more weight on their shoulders in 2026. However, they'll likely be two of the most disruptive players on Venables' entire defense this year.

Behind them, there will be a handful of players looking to earn the rest of the DT reps. Smith and Wilson have been impressive during spring ball and fall camp, and they could very well find themselves playing pivotal roles this fall. Carrington has also turned plenty of heads in the fall, and he'll fight for snaps as well. Thomas, a Georgia State transfer, gives Bates a veteran option in the depth department on the interior.

While he currently isn't listed on the OU roster with just two weeks until kickoff, and while his status might still be a bit up in the air with the countless eligibility rulings, lawsuits and injunctions currently happening in college football, the Sooners do hold a commitment from Arkansas transfer Danny Saili. It's unknown exactly when or if he'd be ruled eligible to join OU's roster for this season, but he'd be another depth piece at DT for the Sooners.

Moving on to Chavis' defensive end spot, Wein has one of the starting spots all locked up after a breakout year in 2025. Starting opposite him will likely be Adebawore or Okoye, two players who the Sooners will be expecting more out of this season. OU's ability to rush the passer was a big part of what made last year's defense so effective, and Oklahoma will need to be able to replicate that off the edge.

There are a lot of other interesting DE options for Chavis and Venables to mix and match, as well. Ozowalu, a UTSA transfer, can play inside or outside, but will likely spend most of his time on the edge for the Sooners. There are also some younger homegrown players who will look to break into the rotation, such as Gilmore, Nickson, Shieldnight, and Kreul. Each brings a slightly different skill set to the table, but Oklahoma will need them to step up and replenish the defensive end depth they lost this offseason.

As easy as it is to feel good about the projected starters on the defensive front for the Sooners, the unit lost a lot of veteran production over the offseason. While OU isn't likely to be quite as deep on the d-line as it was last year, there are still plenty of reasons to feel like this group will still be capable of leading the way for the defense.

Venables, Bates, and Chavis have done a remarkable job building the Oklahoma defensive line. In 2026, everyone will be asked to take a step up from their role on the field in 2025. If this group can again become a dominant force that controls the line of scrimmage, it would go a long way toward the Sooners having a defense that stops offenses in their tracks.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma positional previews: Defensive line ready to lead again

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