Where are the Oklahoma Sooners in ESPN's future power rankings?

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It’s nearly impossible to predict what a college football roster and coaching staff will look like from year to year. With NIL, the transfer portal, the coaching carousel, and various court battles seemingly always taking place, taking a look at the future in a sport mired in constant change is no easy task.

ESPN college football writer Adam Rittenberg ranked all 68 Power Four teams in his future power rankings for the next two seasons this week. He took a deep look at every team in the SEC, the Big Ten, the ACC, the Big 12, and Notre Dame.

The Oklahoma Sooners checked in at No. 13 on the list, good for seventh-best in the SEC. Rittenberg looked at multiple factors when ranking each team for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, and clearly OU is in a good spot in some of those departments. Fortunately for the Sooners, there hasn’t been the kind of coordinator and/or play-caller turnover this offseason that was present the last two years. While Oklahoma lost some position coaches, much of the rest of the coaching staff remains intact.

At quarterback, the Sooners have John Mateer in place for 2026, but they won’t have him in 2027, as he’ll be out of eligibility. Bowe Bentley, who will be a true freshman this season, looks like the heir-apparent to Mateer in 2027, but perhaps Whitt Newbauer can give him a run for his money next offseason.

One thing head coach Brent Venables has put a focus on since he got back to Norman is the trenches, and he’s done an excellent job on the defensive side of the ball. With Jayden Jackson, David Stone, and Taylor Wein all back, the defensive line should be stout again, despite the losses of R Mason Thomas, Damonic Williams, Gracen Halton, Marvin Jones Jr., and Markus Strong. The Sooners need Danny Okoye and/or Adepoju Adebawore to have a breakout season off the edge.

The offensive line has been harder to rebuild, but the Sooners might have their best unit yet under Venables in ’26. Michael Fasusi, Eddy Pierre-Louis, Jake Maikkula, Heath Ozaeta, and Ryan Fodje all return, and Oklahoma added key pieces in the portal in E’Marion Harris and Caleb Nitta. Despite losing Febechi Nwaiwu and Derek Simmons, the OL looks strong if they can stay healthy.

Star power shouldn’t be an issue for the Sooners. On offense, leading rushers Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock return, as does top wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III. The portal additions of Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone at wideout and Hayden Hansen and Rocky Beers at tight end should help that side of the ball. Oklahoma lost Deion Burks, Keontez Lewis, Javonnie Gibson, and Jaren Kanak, but they feel they’ve upgraded their weapons around Mateer.

There’s no shortage of stars on defense either, but OU suffered some key losses. Kobie McKinzie, Sammy Omosigho, Kendal Daniels, Gentry Williams, and Robert Spears-Jennings are all gone, but Venables still has plenty of returning leaders. Kip Lewis, Owen Heinecke, Courtland Guillory, Eli Bowen, and Peyton Bowen are all back, and the Sooners are looking for big years from Reggie Powers III, Michael Boganowski, and transfer Cole Sullivan.

While not every player listed will be back in 2027, Venables, general manager Jim Nagy, and the Sooners have done a good job of retaining key contributors and managing the roster. While the veterans carry the torch this year, the young players will soon be called upon to do the same. The Sooners have chosen to build their program on identifying and developing the right players, meaning that a highly-rated 2027 recruiting class is a very good sign.

After two losing seasons in three years under Venables, the Sooners answered a lot of questions last year with their run to the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma found an identity in November, and can recruit to that ethos with Venables at the helm. However, playing and coaching at OU is about consistent, repeated, extremely high-level success. Making one playoff trip isn’t going to cut it, and OU is trying to build a present and a future that can meet and exceed the high standard of excellence and winning that is ever-present in Norman, Oklahoma.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Where are Sooners in power rankings from ESPN for next two seasons?

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