Sooner Surge: Breaking Down Oklahoma’s 2025 Season

By Owen Pannell | KZA Sports

The Sooners’ first game is just around the corner, and it’s time to go over everything you need to know for the 2025 season.

Realistic Expectations

OU has one of the hardest schedules in the country, so winning every game is unrealistic. However, it’s fair to say that if Oklahoma doesn’t make the CFP, coach Brent Venables should be fired. The talent on this roster is there for a playoff berth, and at this point anything less is unacceptable. A National Title isn’t out of the realm of possibility. It’s not a season where that is the only goal, but we shouldn’t count it out.

With the schedule the Sooners have, 9 wins is the minimum they need to secure a shot at the playoffs. Ten or more wins, though, would get them in for sure. Now let’s talk expectations for the players.

On offense, John Mateer is one of the best quarterbacks in the country; he should at the very least be in the Heisman conversation. Jaydn Ott, who leads a stacked RB room, should be in All-SEC talks, along with Deion Burks. Elijah Thomas, Tory Blaylock, Michael Fasusi, and Ryan Fodje should be in All-Freshman team conversations, and OU should get at least a couple of All-Americans overall.

The defense is in an even better position. In many folks’ eyes, they have the best defensive line in the SEC, led by potential first-round pick R Mason Thomas. There is a plethora of guys who could make an All-SEC team on this defense. Along with Thomas, there’s Gracen Halton, Damonic Williams, Marvin Jones Jr., Danny Okoye, Jayden Jackson, and David Stone—in the D-line alone.

Across the rest of the defense, you have guys like Kip Lewis, Kendel Dolby, Kandal Daniels, Eli Bowen, Cortland Guillory, and Robert Spears-Jennings who could all make a case for an All-Conference appearance. Overall, the offense and defense are both loaded with talent, so I see absolutely no reason why this team should fall short of 9 wins.

Position Previews

(all depth charts are estimates)

QB

1. John Mateer

2. Michael Hawkins Jr.

3. Whitt Newbauer

4. Jett Niu

The QB room is far better than last year, thanks to the addition of star John Mateer. He has Heisman potential, so the Sooners are in good hands here.

RB

1. Jaydn Ott

2. Jovantae Barnes

3. Xavier Robinson

4. Tory Blaylock

5. Taylor Tatum

An extremely deep room. The competition will surely make all of these guys better. Led by electric transfer Jaydn Ott, Oklahoma’s rushing attack should be lethal in 2025.

WR

1. Deion Burks

2. Javonnie Gibson

3. Isaiah Sategna

4. Elijah Thomas

5. Zion Kearney

6. Jayden Gibson

7. Jer’Michael Carter

8. Keontez Lewis

9. Jacob Jordan

10. Ivan Carreon

This room is LOADED with talent. Take that depth chart with a grain of salt—it could be completely different, plus some guys are currently battling injuries. The top 6 are clearly the best in my opinion, but there are legitimately 10 guys who could contribute to this football team. Watch out for the progression of true freshman Elijah Thomas throughout the year.

TE

1. Will Huggins

2. Jaran Kanak

3. Carson Kent

The tight end position seems to be the weakest on the offense, so OU needs someone to step up. Kanak is a great playmaker, but his blocking is just not good. Huggins is a better blocker but not as dynamic. Expect a rotation here.

LT

1. Michael Fasusi

2. Logan Howland

True freshman Michael Fasusi is EXTREMELY talented—so talented he could be a day-one starter for the Sooners. Howland is more experienced, so we’ll see who gets the nod.

LG

1. Jacob Sexton

2. Eddie Pierre-Louis

This spot could go to multiple guys right now, but I would say veteran Sexton will be put there if he doesn’t start at a tackle position. EPL is close behind.

C

1. Troy Everett

2. Jake Maikkula

Everett currently holds a slight lead over Maikkula, but this is still an ongoing battle.

RG

1. Febechi Nwaiwu

2. Ryan Fodje

Nwaiwu is by far Oklahoma’s best offensive lineman; he is a lock for this position. However, freshman Ryan Fodje is extremely talented and it will be hard to keep him off the field.

RT

1. Derek Simmons

2. Jake Taylor

Transfer Derek Simmons seems to have a lead at this position. We’ll see if Taylor can get some snaps.

DE

1. R Mason Thomas

2. Danny Okoye

3. Marvin Jones Jr.

4. PJ Adebawore

5. Taylor Wein

This is a stacked room of edge rushers. Thomas is clearly the best, but whoever lines up opposite him will still be lethal. Breakout season incoming for Danny Okoye.

DT

1. Gracen Halton

2. Jayden Jackson

3. Damonic Williams

4. David Stone

Once again, a stacked group of defensive linemen. All four of these guys have All-SEC potential, and Halton could very well be a first- or second-round pick come April.

MIKE

1. Kobie McKinzie

2. Sammy Omosigho

This is a solid linebacker corps. Good competition has been going on throughout camp, and I feel good with whoever ends up starting—right now it leans McKinzie.

OLB

1. Kip Lewis

2. Kendal Daniels

Kip Lewis is the clear No. 1 outside backer, but Kendal Daniels will certainly get playing time at multiple positions, so I’m just putting him here.

CTH

1. Kendal Dolby

2. Reggie Powers

Kendal Dolby is a stud, but he’s coming off a big injury, so the Sooners hope he can bounce back and make a huge impact. Reggie Powers has made major strides this offseason, so he should contribute as well.

CB

1. Eli Bowen

2. Devon Jordan

3. Cortland Guillory

4. Gentry Williams

5. Jacobe Johnson

6. Jeremiah Newcombe

7. Trysten Haynes

Corner was a question mark coming into fall camp, but it’s been answered. Presumed top CB Eli Bowen has missed time, but Devon Jordan and true freshman Cortland Guillory have stepped up in a big way. This will be a strong cornerback room.

FS

1. Robert Spears-Jennings

2. Michael Boganowski

Spears-Jennings is a top-10 safety in college football. He should be in for an amazing year. Boganowski has been improving tremendously and should also contribute.

SS

1. Peyton Bowen

2. Jaydan Hardy

   
   

Bowen, a former 5-star, is in position to finally break out. He’s been behind Billy Bowman the past couple of seasons, but now he has room to shine. Powers and Boganowski could also see time here.

K

1. Tate Sandell

2. Austin Welch

3. Liam Evans

Sandell has been solid so far, and the Sooners need a reliable kicker this season.

P

1. Jacob Ulrich

2. Grayson Miller

Oklahoma hasn’t had reliable punting in a while, so they need Ulrich to be consistent this year.

LS

1. Ben Anderson

2. Seth Freeman

Most fans probably don’t care about the long snapper, but Anderson is a vet who should be mistake-free, which is always a huge plus.

Closing

This team has the potential to be special. A CFP berth is very plausible, with a National Title not out of the question. It’ll be a very fun season, but one that will undoubtedly be filled with pressure and anxiety.

You can find Owen Pannell on X here.

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