Weekend Open Post | April 24th – 26th
Posted on: April 24, 2026
Sunday Brunch | Spring Game In The Books, Moving Forward
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 19, 2026
The Oklahoma Sooners football team largely wrapped up their 2026 spring slate (they actually have 2 more practices this week) with a controlled, physical showing in Norman, as the Red Team largely made up of starters handled the White Team 31 to 3 in a traditional four quarter format.
It was the first real look at Brent Venables Year 5 roster, and while the lopsided score was expected, the performance still revealed a few important trends heading into the summer.
The biggest positive was the run game (as predicted and noted throughout spring here at TFB). Oklahoma made a clear effort to establish physicality, and it showed. Lloyd Avant and young backs like Jonathan Hatton Jr. and DeZephen Walker all flashed, running behind an offensive line that consistently created movement up front. That is a notable shift for a team that struggled to commit to running the ball a season ago.
There were also encouraging signs in the trenches. The offensive line and tight ends played with cohesion and strength, an area that has been under scrutiny during Oklahoma’s transition into the Southeastern Conference. When that group is effective, everything else in the offense opens up. Having an improved tight end room, in respect to both personnel and coaching, will be a difference maker for the offense this season.
Defensively, one of the more notable takeaways was the emergence of Danny Okoye off the edge. Okoye turned in a disruptive performance, consistently applying pressure and flashing the kind of burst Oklahoma is searching for at the position. His showing was a strong step forward for a unit that needs more production from its edge rushers.
Still, the spring game also highlighted where work remains.
Quarterback consistency and the passing game need to take another step. While there were flashes of chemistry, the offense leaned heavily on the run, and developing a more balanced, explosive passing attack will be critical against SEC defenses. We didn’t learn anything about John Mateer’s decision-making following a season that saw him struggle in that respect for one reason or another (injury definitely played a role last season). We won’t learn about that aspect of the offense until the real games begin.
Depth and development along the defensive front are another priority. Even with Okoye’s performance, Oklahoma needs to continue building reliable pass-rushing options before the fall. Creating pressure without heavy blitzing will be a major focus in camp.
Finally, overall depth remains a storyline. The gap between the Red and White teams showed that while the starting units look solid, building reliable second and third rotations, especially at key positions, will be essential over the summer.
Bottom line, the foundation looks stronger, particularly in the run game and along the offensive line, but for Oklahoma to contend at a high level in 2026, the Sooners must develop more balance offensively and continue to find difference makers on the depth chart on defense before fall camp wraps up.
Spring Game Recruiting Notes | Wolfgramm, Blaylock, and Felila
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 21, 2026
Couple quick recruiting notes coming off the spring game visit weekend.
***First…everyone had the best time ever! (I kid, but seriously, y’all don’t need to hear the same thing over and over again, and as has become the norm, kids and families raved about their time in Norman).
***Let’s start with Spanish Fork, Utah’s own Uhila Wolfgramm the EDGE man. The 6’3 250 EDGE man had not been to Norman prior to this trip, but from the sounds of it, he will be back in town in short order. Source tells me the Sooners made a massive impression on Wolfgramm and his contingent and put themselves in a position that may be hard to beat at this point. OU already has Krew Jones committed out of Utah and they are closing in on Bode Sparrow as well. Wolfgramm could make this a nice trifecta out of Utah for OU.
***Next, quick note on CB Trenton Blaylock. A couple weeks ago (HERE) I noted that a source at a program out west was of the opinion that instead of continuing to pursue Juju Johnson, they would go all in on Trenton Blaylock if they were OU…well, it sounds like source was spot on and OU has picked up their earnest pursuit of Blaylock at this point. I am not saying OU has dropped Juju, but I am saying source I spoke with believes Blaylock is now a priority and this recruitment may be coming to a close before Juju’s will be. OU already has two corners committed (Mikhail McCreary and Mikyal Davis) and they will also stay in pursuit of Gabe Osborne and always have a spot for him (I still believe Osborne is a Sooner at the end of the day), and now, based on what I have heard, I believe they will push for Blaylock. For those who will ask, yes, Trenton is Tory’s brother.
***Lastly, I see no reason to move off my long-held belief that OU will be receiving good news from DT Sione Felila when he makes his announcement on April 27th. Right now, I expect him to be part of the class and this past weekend only helped solidify OU’s position.
Pre-Spring Sourced Notes and Narratives Confirmed
– Super K – Posted on: April 21, 2026
For those of you who have been following along, you know we’ve brought you a number of sourced notes leading into and through the spring. Spring game seems to have confirmed a lot of those…
***First team defense is likely to be better than even last year’s defense. Will go into more on this later. The issue, as we’ve noted over and over is the depth question. But the starting group is elite.
***There will be a renewed sense of running the ball with the running backs. We talked about this back in January, I believe. I know it has been frustrating for fans to not see the elite running back development and emphasis on running the ball with the backs. Pretty clear that was on display this past weekend.
***Some obvious ones that we’ve talked about that were easy to surmise – as in, you didn’t need sources for this. TE room will be improved and OL will be good to excellent. I actually have had some really really good reviews coming from inside the building about what the OL is going to be this year – meaning even better than we expected.
***Mateer will continue not to be an air raid QB, but being healthy will allow him to be the best of what he can be.
***The team will go from feeling like no one can run the ball well, or find the right hole, to everyone can.
How Good is the Receiver Group? | Sourced
– Super K – Posted on: April 23, 2026
The past while it seems the Sooners have been snake bitten at the wide receiver position. They can’t seem to stay healthy.
This offseason was no different. A couple weeks back I was asking a source close to the program who they like at wide receiver right now and was basically told (what we all know), they’re all out.
Even the top transfers that came in didn’t really play – though I did hear good things about Mackenzie Alleyne.
But even if everyone is healthy, is there a slam dunk outside of Sategna?
Even before Parker Livingstone got to OU, our sources on the Texas side had indicated that he can struggle to get separation – something a lot of WRs struggle with in this league.
Is there plenty of potential in the WR room? Sure. But I don’t think there is a whole lot guaranteed.
But I don’t feel particularly concerned. With Sategna back, anything you get over last year’s group feels like a bonus. But what you didn’t have last year was…
***A consistent running game from game to game.
***A healthy QB from game to game.
***And the TE room was…lack luster.
The Sooners weren’t great on offense but they managed.
So, why am I somewhat sanguine on the offense, despite the fact that we don’t have a clear cut step up in the WR room? Because all the things above should be much better…
***Run game should improve.
***Mateer should be healthy (again, he was not healthy despite what OU was saying to the public)
***And there is really no way the TE room can’t get better…right?
Sategna has proven himself to be very dangerous even in the SEC. Would you love for a big time outside WR threat to emerge? Absolutely. And maybe that will happen. Or, if nothing else, the overall ability of the outside WRs improves by committee.
But the improvement that I expect in the other areas, should not only help the WR room, it should ensure that this year’s offense is better than last year’s by a decent margin, even if the WR room doesn’t take the step hoped for.
The Latest | 2027 CB Gariel Osborne
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 23, 2026
Gabriel Osborne (6’2 180) continues to shape up as one of the most important in-state targets for Oklahoma in the 2027 cycle, and the Sooners are making that crystal clear with how they’re handling his recruitment.
Oklahoma currently sits in the top spot for the Mustang defensive back, and they’ve treated him like a national priority from the jump. The staff isn’t approaching this like a typical in-state recruitment. Instead, they’ve gone all in, hosting him frequently in Norman and making regular trips to see him, matching the kind of effort you’d expect for a blue-chip prospect from across the country.
That approach has helped Oklahoma build early momentum, but this one is still not quite yet locked up.
There are people in Osborne’s camp who want him to go through the full recruiting process, take visits, and evaluate all of his options. That mindset could complicate things, especially with major programs continuing to push and work to get him on campus.
Even so, Oklahoma has positioned itself exactly where it wants to be at this stage. They’ve made Osborne a clear priority and backed it up with consistent effort. New CB Coach LaMar Morgan continues to build that relationship, and head coach Brent Venables and GM Jim Nagy, among others, are all in on Osborne.
Now it becomes about maintaining that momentum over what could be a longer, more drawn-out recruitment than initially thought. I still believe OU gets it done, but we may be waiting a bit longer than anyone expected.
