OU football adds Aaron Cheatwood to Sooners' 2026 coaching staff, per report

NORMAN — Oklahoma football is adding Northern Arizona linebackers coach and defensive run game coordinator Aaron Cheatwood to its staff, according to a report Tuesday from FootballScoop.

Cheatwood was a defensive analyst under Sooners inside linebackers coach Nate Dreiling at New Mexico State in 2023.

In Cheatwood, OU is getting a coach who had multiple players named to the All-Big Sky teams for the second straight season as the Lumberjacks ranked among the top 20 teams in FCS football in scoring defense (15th) and total defense (18th), while also ranking among the top 40 nationally in rush defense.

He’ll join a Sooners defense which ranked in the top 10 in several categories last season amid a College Football Playoff run. This offseason on defense, coach Brent Venables added former Michigan defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Lamar Morgan to coach cornerbacks and Clemson defensive tackle and nine-year NFL pro DeShawn Williams in a defensive analyst role.

OU will host its first spring practice March 25.

Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football adds Aaron Cheatwood to 2026 coaching staff, per report