NORMAN — The Sooners will need someone to step up at defensive end in 2026.
Standout edge rushers R Mason Thomas and Marvin Jones Jr. both played their final game for Oklahoma on Dec. 19. Taylor Wein, who led OU with 15 tackles for loss last year, will be back on the left edge, but the Sooners need another defensive end to start on the right.
And Danny Okoye might be the man for the job.
Okoye, entering his redshirt sophomore season, logged four tackles, two tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry in the Sooners’ spring game on Saturday.
“I was pretty happy with the results,” Okoye said after the game. “Obviously, I’m never satisfied, never content, but I definitely executed to the extent of the plays. I feel like I left a little bit out there, but that’s always going to happen if you have high standards.”
After playing only nine snaps as a true freshman in 2024, Okoye played 107 snaps in 2025. He ended his redshirt freshman campaign with six tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks.
Okoye became a key rotational piece last year. And he now feels prepared to take the next step.
“I feel like I have a night-and-day difference from where I was,” Okoye said. “Guys I’ve learned from over the years, and people I’ve gleaned information and knowledge from have definitely helped pieces fall into place. The game is definitely slowing down. That’s really what I wanted from the start, and it’s actually starting to happen, which is a great thing to see.”
Other defensive ends who could battle for the starting spot on the right side include Adepoju Adebawore, Jake Kreul, Kenny Ozowalu and Wyatt Gilmore.
According to OU coach Brent Venables, Okoye has earned a larger role in his defense, as he has become more “consistent” than he was in years past.
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“He’s got a great vision for what he wants to accomplish, he understands the enormity of the challenge that’s sitting in front of him, the expectations and the standards that we need him to show up and meet and bring others,” Venables said. “If he’s doing it right, he’s elevating people around him.”
Oklahoma ranked first in the SEC in both scoring defense and total defense in 2025. The Sooners’ defense paved the way for them to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019.
Okoye contributed to OU’s defensive success last year. And now he’ll be asked to do even more for a unit that looks to keep evolving.
“Of course, we want to have the best defense in the country,” Okoye said. “Trying to find one area to excel in and another area to disregard doesn’t really fall under that umbrella. We want to be an all-around good defense: Run game, pass game… whatever we need to do to dominate and beat an opponent.”
Okoye and his teammates have two practices remaining before the summer. The edge rusher hopes to build offseason momentum from of his strong performance in the spring game.
“I’m trying to take the tools and advantages I gained in the spring and carry them into the fall and into the season,” Okoye said. “I’m planning to continue that into the summer, attack summer with more intentionality than I had last year, especially with the workouts, running, and conditioning, and then fall camp immediately after that. That’s really my plan right now.”
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