Projecting Who's Staying and Who's Leaving from Oklahoma After Bowl Game

Brent Venables began the 2025 campaign on the hot seat, but Oklahoma has a far more positive vibe entering the offseason.

Yes, the Sooners will not fondly remember the 34-24 loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff. They hoped to capitalize on home-field advantage and make a deeper run toward a national championship.

Considering what happened last year, though, 2025 was a great season.

Behind a rock-solid defense, OU jumped from 6-7 to 10-3. Dual-threat quarterback John Mateer, the marquee addition in the transfer portal last winter, played an integral role in the Sooners rejoining the SEC and national races.

The challenge in front of Venables and Oklahoma is sustaining this surge of success into the 2026 season and beyond.

Who's Staying

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Backfield Duo

Look, it wasn't an amazing season for Oklahoma's running backs. The offense is poised for a huge makeover, though, and OU at least returns Tory Blaylock and Xavier Robinson. Both of them surpassed 400 yards in 2025.

Foundational Front Seven

There are several key departures in this group—more on them shortly—yet the Sooners should keep plenty of experience. Top tacklers Kip Lewis, Owen Heinicke, Kobie McKinzie and Sammy Omosigho should stay, along with disruptive linemen Taylor Wein, David Stone and Jayden Jackson. Development is imperative, but this is a solid foundation for OU's defense next season.

All-SEC Specialists

Coaches preach the importance of winning each phase, and OU's special teams—though it had a bad night Friday—can hardly be stronger heading into 2026. Not only did kicker Tate Sandell earn first-team All-SEC and second-team AP All-American honors, punter Grayson Miller (first team) and long snapper Ben Anderson (second team) garnered All-SEC recognition.

Who's Leaving

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John Mateer

QB John Mateer

This is the most important question facing the Sooners this offseason: Can they convince John Mateer to stay? After an unremarkable second half of the campaign, it wouldn't be surprising if he returns. But my initial guess—based on this being a relatively weak class of draft-eligible QBs—is Mateer heads to the NFL.

Most Offensive Firepower

Big-play threat Isaiah Sategna III has stormed onto draft radars because of his explosive ability at receiver and on punt returns. If he leaves, the Sooners will be revamping the pass-catching corps. Deion Burks and tight end Jaren Kanak both notched 500-plus receiving yards but—like complementary wideout Keontez Lewis—have no more college eligibility.

Cornerstone Defenders

First-team All-SEC edge-rusher R Mason Thomas excelled (when healthy) in his senior year, and defensive tackle Gracen Halton made a powerful impact up front. Hybrid linebacker Kendal Daniels leaves a major hole at the "Cheetah" role, and safety Peyton Bowen was a second-team All-SEC selection.

Who's on the Way

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The Next QB of the Future?

As always, be mindful of placing too high of expectations on young quarterbacks. When you sign at a program like Oklahoma, however, visions of a bright future are inevitable. The latest in line for the Sooners is Bowe Bentley, a dynamic, dual-threat QB who checks in 68th overall in the 2026 cycle.

Top-15 Recruiting Class

Bentley is the highest-ranked prospect of OU's haul, which is rated 15th nationally. Edge-rusher Jake Kreul (72nd) and running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. (74th) are also top-100 recruits, and the Sooners added nine other 4-stars.

Soon, Transfers

As of this writing, Oklahoma has no outgoing or incoming transfers. That is destined to change in the coming days because the portal window opens on Jan. 2. The staff may return to the QB market if Mateer turns pro; otherwise, the Sooners' main priority should be identifying impact contributors at receiver.