Weekend Open Post | August 14th – 16th
Posted on: August 14, 2026
Quick Takeaways After One Week of Fall Camp
– Charlie S – Posted on: August 10, 2026
The Sooners have one week of fall camp in the rearview and the pads come on this week, as we first reported, with the first scrimmage set for Saturday.
I just wanted to talk about where my head is at after speaking to sources throughout the week and bringing you all the notes.
I will go room by room on where I stand heading into the heart of fall camp, as these next 10 days will really help shape the Sooners’ start to the season.
QB: Mateer has had a solid camp, a few too many turnovers for my liking, particularly in shorts and shells. Again, not overly concerned right now, but not overly encouraged either at this point. Whitt Newbauer has probably had the best camp out of all the QBs based on their respective positions on the depth chart to this point, but yeah, we know there is not going to be a lot to learn about Mateer until we see his decision-making in actual games.
RB: Difficult to know what you have in the run game at this point because of the structure of the practices and the lack of availability of Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock. As you know, this is exactly what I mentioned that I was led to believe by sources how camp would start with those two from winter, through spring and into summer. Blaylock has a sore hammy and OU is easing XRob back from his various injuries, so that leaves OU with the two freshmen and Lloyd Avant doing the heavy lifting. I will not shy away from it; I would not be all that excited about Avant being the featured back heading into the year, so I am hoping X and Hatton earn some separation and Dezephen Walker starts ramping things up. (Edit: Hatton has now missed some time and XRob has been a full go since later in the week).
WR: We have heard the room has had its moments with Parker Livingstone and Isaiah Sategna early in camp and Manny Choice, Elijah Thomas, and Jahsiear Rogers making some plays. Jayden Petit has been mentioned a couple of times as well. Trell Harris has been at practice and I believe he will be a full participant at some point this week.
TE: This room is probably the second most talked about room on the offensive side of the ball early in camp. While Hayden Hansen and Rocky Beers were the headliners from the portal, it sounds like Jack Van Dorselaer is the guy who made the biggest impression in week one. Lot of really positive buzz around this room and I think they have a real chance to surprise some folks in the SEC and I may have to adjust that room ranking in regard to SEC teams before too long.
OL: So far, so good. Priority number one: staying healthy. Ton of buzz on Fasusi, EPL, Maikkula, and E’Marion Harris. Heath Ozaeta is getting his chance to push Ryan Fodje, but both of those guys are having good starts to camp. One of the more underreported things is the development of Schmitt, Best, and Peyton Joseph coming along.
DL: The stars (Jackson, Stone, Wein) want to talk about true freshman Tank Carrington and there is no way that can be taken as anything but a positive. Another guy that teammates are talking a lot about, PJ Adebawore…so, the signs are there that OU is working toward havinng another dominant DL. I did speak to someone this weekend about Bishop Thomas as well and they had some nice things to say, so overall, I am feeling more confident about the depth of the DL. Good times. Jake Kreul is the freshman that is getting the most buzz on the defensive side of the ball as well. Room is in good shape and getting better.
LB: Nobody in fall camp has had a better first week than Cole Sullivan…and right now, he is a backup ILB who is learning how to play Cheetah. Kip and Owen are leading the defense as a whole and James Nesta has had some nice things said about him as well. Still waiting to hear about Marcus James or someone else making a jump cause I would feel a little more comfortable with one more LB to go along with the big 3 and Nesta.
Secondary: Perhaps the deepest room on the team is cornerback and while thin, the safety room is uber talented and the secondary has forced a bunch of turnovers and PBU’s throughout week one. Guillory and E Bowen have been very good and some think Guillory may be on the verge of becoming a national standout with his level of play. P Bowen and Boganowski are clearly the top 2 safeties, but Omarrion Robinson may be having the best start to fall camp and folks are really happy with what they are seeing from Markel Ford.
Overall…the things I am very interested in watching and hearing about as the pads come on and we head to this vital stretch of camp focus around the QB play with live bullets and the running back room.
Sourced Team Notes | August 10th
– Charlie S – Posted on: August 10, 2026
The Sooners headed down to the Rugby Fields today and as we all know, these are the rough days of camp life.
***Source says today was particularly intense and there were a ton of one on one battles that were hotly contested.
***Was told RB Jonathan Hatton got his bell rung and may miss some time due to protocol. Thats not particularly great for an already gimpy RB room, nor would missing time be good for a true freshman trying to earn a featured role. Of course, health and well being is number one overall and you focus on that first, but feels like the RB room is in that familiar ‘stretched thin’ situation once again.
***On that note, Xavier Robison did practice today and is expected to be practicing again tomorrow when the pads come on.
***There were some other bumps and bruises as one would expect during an intense practice, but nothing overly concerning.
***As for play on the field, I guess it was an ask and ye shall receive type of outing for John Mateer as source noted he was very good today and looked the best he has in this early portion of fall camp. Source said he delivered some dimes and was making quick and correct decisions. So, after this morning’s note, this is a positive thing to hear for me.
***Was told Elijah Thomas has continued his ‘on’ streak, and that’s always good to hear that a guy is starting to stack days. With Trell Harris due back, it becomes even more important for Elijah and Manny Choice to continue to excel in their opportunities if they want to get on the field this fall.
***Source said something clicked in Ryan Fodje and he had a dominant day of practice. Source said he delivered a couple pancakes in situational work and had his best day of practice since early in the spring.
***Lastly for now, source said once again that Cole Sullivan dusrupted a couple passes. I asked if he picked off any passes and source said ‘of course he did’ and laughed. I never got back to ask more about it, but sounds like he just continues to be a menace with his size and closing abilities.
Sourced Note on New Addition
– Charlie S – Posted on: August 11, 2026
Spoke to a source this morning about the addition of Danny Saili and the thought process behind the addition.
***Source said this was a ‘no brainer’ at this time and ‘Its a no-lose situation’ in regard to adding a big interior DL with SEC experience to the depth chart.
***Source was clear that this is nothing more than adding quality depth and filling out the roster for the season ahead.
***Was told there is still some paperwork to be done and Saili will join the squad as soon as that is cleared up and then he will have to be eased into camp, so they are thinking he won’t be ramped up for at least a week once the paperwork is complete.
***Source mentioned that OU moved on Saili not out of necessity, rather as a luxury and anything he gives them is a bonus.
Sourced Team Notes | August 11th
– Charlie S – Posted on: August 11, 2026
Couple notes from today’s practice outside of the media viewing session…
***New Sooners DT Danny Saili was present, in plain clothes and off to the side, but it looks like things are moving the right way for him to join the squad.
***As I noted in James’ notes, there were a lot of guys sitting this one out. None of the guys are thought to be out for anything other than precaution. Even Jonathan Hatton was out there, and if he had suffered a real banger of a concussion, he would not have been present. Source said “You’re seeing exactly why Brent (and most coaches) aren’t fans of the media being around cause they start a storm that isn’t brewing” in regard to the panic over the guys who are limited.
***As for the play on the field, Elijah Thomas continues to stack good days at WR as he not only had some moments while the media was present, but he apparently was really good for the rest of the practice. Thats 3 or 4 very good days in a row for Elijah, you have to wonder if things are clicking but one thing is for sure, his effort and focus are more consistent.
***Was told Owen Heinecke is the offense’s biggest obstacle right now because he is ‘Like a freaking coach on the field…he sees things through BVs eyes now” and gets the defense in the right spot on nearly every rep. Source said he himself is rarely even one step out of position.
***Source said the depth at IDL got most of the work today as Stone and Jackson coached them up more than participating on day one of pads. Sounds like Tank Carrington is still playing at a high level and thats a good sign as often times freshmen come into fall camp with a flurry and then tend to fade. We will see how this continues.
***I’m not here to rip on Lloyd Avant, but source said “Things just look better with the offense when X Rob was in there for team”. Bottom line there, for me, is thaat X and Hatton have it all in front of them and Avant will have a role, I still don’t think it will be as the bell cow unless X and Hatton keep finding themselves on the shelf. Tory was out there, but limited and Dezephen Walker, Andy Bass, and Sawchuk got a bunch of work in as well.
***Lastly with Fasusi getting the day off and Ozaeta limited today, we already mentioned that Fodje was playing left tackle and Best was playing right guard. These reps at tackle are big for Fodje as he will be the guy who would replace Fasusi or Harris long term and thats not a knock on Peyton Joseph, thats more of an indication how good Fodje can be. Joseph is the second-string left tackle, and will be during the season when it comes to regular substitutions and what not, but Fodje is the 3rd tackle right now should either Fasusi or Harris miss any significant time.
***As for Noah Best, he is what we thought he would be since he showed up. He is going to keep pushing the guys in front of him and while I don’t see him earning a starting job this year if everyone stays healthy, source believes he is currently the 6th best OL…kind of in the same mold as Fodje and Fasusi last year, but Best has some really good players in front of him, as does Deacon Schmitt.
So Let’s Compare the top Five
– Super K – Posted on: August 12, 2026
So, this isn’t a definitive list but after reading comments from you all, I get the sense that there is general agreement that, in some order, the Sooners top four opponents this upcoming year will be: Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, TAMU.
Seems the debate for the fifth spot was between Florida and Michigan.
I could go either way but we’ll just got Michigan for the sake of this comparison.
Again, I had last year’s approximate top five as: Ole Miss, Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan, Texas.
So, let’s do the comparison. These won’t necessarily be in order of difficult for the Sooners. I’m just going to try to match teams that are easier to compare.
Texas 2025 vs. Texas 2026
My belief is 2026 is better. I asked folks close to the program if they agree and they do.
So I’m going to give Texas 2026 the nod.
Michigan 2025 vs. Michigan 2026
I asked someone close to that program and basically the read I got is that the overall talent of Michigan 2025 was better.
However, they expect a big jump from their quarterback. While he struggled at times with the Sooners, I think we could also the potential in Bryce. It would make sense for him to have a huge jump from his freshman to sophomore year. In my opinion we have a mobile QB taking a big step, that can make up for a lot of talent disparity.
Additionally, Whittingham is, in my opinion, a really good coach. And I wonder if he brings a bit of that Bob Stoops first year vibe. Where just the right mindset, the right position moves and suddenly you’re taking a bit step forward.
My other consideration goes back to the QB and his style of play. A stationary QB or even a moderately mobile QB has basically no chance against BV. A QB that can buy time though can be a challenge because the holes in the zones get bigger and bigger. So, I think Bryce’s potential is a bigger factor than overall loss of talent.
I think most would lean towards Michigan 2025 here but I’m going to give this to Michigan 2026.
Ole Miss 2025 vs. Ole Miss 2026
Ole Miss is always losing a ton of their mercenaries and somehow they reload. That may very well be the case this year, as well. Plus, their QB is always going to be a problem.
But losing your HC and then, again, losing a bunch of talent, I think is a blow. Additionally, I just don’t like the structure of Golding’s defense. There is something off about it. It’s too feast of famine – too inconsistent. That was fine with the defense was second fiddle to an offensive minded head coach. That coach is gone.
I think this is a tough game regardless because of Chambliss and again, the style makes fights thing, but…
I’m going Ole Miss 2025 here.
Alabama 2025 vs. Georgia 2026
Georgia beat the breaks off Alabama in last year’s SEC matchup and this year’s Georgia team is supposed to be better than last year’s.
You never know until we see them play but the safe bet here is…
Georgia 2026
Tennessee 2025 vs. TAMU 2026
Let’s just it like this…
Tennessee’s defense last year was not good. TAMU’s defense under their defensive minded head coach is going to be good every year. They held Miami to ten points in last year’s play off game.
So this year’s TAMU defense will be much better than the Tennessee defense the Sooners faced in Knoxville last year.
What about the offense. That Tennessee defense had potential to be very explosive and it was but they were mistake prone.
The TAMU QB is also mistake prone and if he doesn’t use his feet, he’s going to struggle with BV.
I think the Tennessee offense last year was scarier.
I’m torn on this one and I think most folks would just say TAMU 2026 but the style makes me feel like Tennessee was a tougher match-up.
TAMU is the sturdier team but Tennessee had a high flying offense.
I’m going to Tennessee even though, again, most probably wouldn’t agree.
Total
Nod still goes to 2026 top five being tougher than the 2025 top five…
Texas, Michigan, Georgia 2026
Ole Miss and Tennessee 2025
3-2
Again, I’ve said before but sources close to OU know that that first half of the season is going to be tough. They don’t need to win every game in the first half but they obviously don’t want to go 0-3 against the big three.
The second half of the season is definitely tough, well but they should be seasoned for it by then.
Two Freshmen Turning Heads Early in Fall Camp
– Charlie S – Posted on: August 12, 2026
Most folks around Oklahoma expected EDGE Jake Kreul to be the freshman with the clearest path to early playing time this season.
And Kreul is still firmly in that conversation.
But as fall camp gets underway, OL Noah Best and DL Tank Carrington are making sure they aren’t overlooked.
Both freshmen have emerged as pleasant surprises, with sources around the program continuing to rave about their raw strength and physicality.
Best Making Noise Up Front
Best has impressed with his combination of size, strength and physicality. At 6-foot-4 and 316 pounds, he already has a college-ready frame, but sources continue to point to just how naturally strong he is.
That strength is showing up along the interior, where Best is battling against one of the deepest defensive fronts on the roster. He entered camp behind more experienced options, but his physical tools are giving him a legitimate chance to push into the rotation.
Best has also been showing off his versatility as he has been taking reps at three different positions (both guard spots as well as center). Sources are very impressed with his football knowledge as well as his physical skills.
Back in last December, while I was not a fan of the numbers OU signed along the OL, I did note that I thought Best (and Schmitt) had an opportunity to play early:
“Noah Best is also very talented and I view both of these guys as players who could push for playing time as true freshmen.”
Carrington Forcing His Way In
Carrington has been equally impressive on the defensive side.
The 6-foot-2, 295-pound freshman has drawn praise for his power, fundamentals and ability to hold his ground against bigger offensive linemen. His raw strength has consistently stood out, and that has put him in position to compete for snaps despite Oklahoma’s depth at defensive tackle.
Carrington doesn’t need to become a starter to make an impact. If he continues to show he can be trusted, Todd Bates could have another young option to work into the rotation.
I was a big fan of the Sooners addition of Carrington to the class going all the way back to last August when I wrote:
“Carrington’s combination of size, athleticism, versatility, and alignment with Oklahoma’s defensive needs makes him a valuable addition to the 2026 class. Kind of reminds me of Gracen Halton.”
The Freshman Race Is Getting Interesting
Kreul may have entered camp with the inside track as the freshman most likely to see the field early, but Best and Carrington have pushed their way firmly into the picture.
Neither is guaranteed a role, but both are making the coaching staff take notice.
And for Oklahoma, having multiple freshmen pushing for playing time is exactly the kind of development that can make a deep roster even better.
Sourced | Wide Receiver Note
– Super K – Posted on: August 13, 2026
Additional note here on last night’s practice…
***Was told that Trell Harris was still out – banged up – and is day to day. Didn’t sound like anything serious still at this point.
***In place of Trell 1st team reps were going to Manny Choice and Elijah Thomas.
***As Charlie noted last night, Elijah had another really good outing.
***I plan on asking around later today to see how both looked while in there with the first group in regard to all the aspects of playing the position.
***Again, no meltdown needed on Trell at this point. Was told it is day to day but will double check.
Current 2-Deep | Charlie’s Take
– Charlie S – Posted on: August 13, 2026
Two weeks into camp, with the first full scrimmage incoming this Saturday, let’s take a look at how I see the 2-deep playing out based on sourced information:
Now…this would be my 2-deep for a game if it were to be played Saturday. There is still a long way to go in camp, and let’s face it, some of these spots are fluid and guys who are backups at one position likely would fill in at another in the case of an injury.
But if OU were to go out there and play with a true 2-deep, here is how I see it shaking out right now:
Offense
QB: John Mateer – Whitt Newbauer
RB: Xavier Robinson – Lloyd Avant (Jonathan Hatton needs to get back on the field)
WR: Isaiah Sategna – Jahsiear Rogers (Jacob Jordan right there)
WR: Parker Livingstone – Manny Choice
WR: Elijah Thomas – Trell Harris (yes, I think he would play Saturday)
TE: Hayden Hansen – Jack Van Dorselaer (Rocky Beers splits with JVD)
LT: Mike Fasusi – Peyton Joseph (Ryan Fodje would be the long-term answer)
LG: Eddy Pierre-Louis – Noah Best
C: Jake Maikkula – Caleb Nitta (Noah Best would be the long-term guy I believe)
RG: Ryan Fodje – Heath Ozaeta
RT: E’Marion Harris – Deacon Schmitt
Defense
EDGE: Taylor Wein – Wyatt Gilmore
DT: Jayden Jackson – Trent Wilson
DT: David Stone – Nigel Smith (Tank and others fighting here)
EDGE: Danny Okoye – PJ Adebawore
MIKE: Owen Heinecke – Cole Sullivan
WILL: Kip Lewis – James Nesta
Cheetah: Reggie Powers – Jeremiah Newcombe (I think this is semantics and Cole Sullivan will be a SAM and play more than Newcombe at this spot)
CB: Eli Bowen – Jacobe Johnson
S: Peyton Bowen – Omarrion Robinson
S: Mike Boganowski – Markel Ford (Omarrion Robinson is backup to both safeties, but when you need another, feels like Ford)
CB: Courtland Guillory – Trystan Haynes
Sourced Quick Hitter | Linebacker Note
– Charlie S – Posted on: August 13, 2026
***Just spoke to a source, asked him about any guys under the radar he noticed making a jump, and before I finished asking, he said “James Nesta”.
***Source noted he had been steadily building through the winter and spring but this summer into fall, things have really started to click for him.
***Was told “He may be the best athlete in the room right now”, which I guess shouldn’t be all that surprising considering he was a two-sport D1 athlete at one point before giving up baseball, but…man that’s some high praise for a guy who is in the same room as Cole Sullivan and Kip Lewis.
***Source said “He’s gonna be a big surprise to some folks, but he’s turning into the guy BV thought he could be”.
If you would like to read all of our sourced Notes, including Notes from the extended live period held this week and the upcoming scrimmage, please check the Donor Board.
