Early transfer portal expectations for the Oklahoma Sooners – who could leave, and what holes need to be filled most this offseason
An early transfer portal primer for the Oklahoma Sooners heading toward a new year with plenty of hope.
The Oklahoma Sooners had their incredible 2025 season end in heartbreaking fashion in a 34-24 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first round of the College Football Playoff. They’ll have some tough decisions to make as they reload the roster in preparation for another playoff run in 2026.
They stand to lose key talent at various positions on both sides of the ball, meaning they’re going to have to be prepared to be aggressive in the transfer portal to fill the experience and playmaking ability left behind. Brent Venables and Jim Nagy will enter their first full transfer portal window together, and there’s plenty of intrigue surrounding their upcoming decisions.
Oklahoma Sooners Transfer Portal Outlook
Players who could leave
Obviously, this list isn’t to be taken as gospel, but the Sooners already have a few players who have entered the portal. I won’t list players who are out of eligibility like R Mason Thomas, who is off to likely be selected top-50 in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. This is mostly guess work and speculation based off of the depth chart and opportunities.
Jayden Gibson, Kendel Dolby, and Kobie McKinzie have already entered the portal as of the time of this writing.
- OL Darius Afalava (transfer)
- OL Daniel Akinkunmi (transfer)
- RB Jovantae Barnes (transfer)
- WR KJ Daniels (transfer)
- DB Kendel Dolby (transfer)
- WR Jayden Gibson (transfer)
- DB Maliek Hawkins (transfer)
- QB Michael Hawkins (transfer)
- LB Kip Lewis (NFL)
- WR Josiah Martin (transfer)
- LB Kobie McKinzie (transfer)
- QB Jett Niu (transfer)
- WR Zion Ragins (transfer)
- WR Isaiah Sategna III (NFL)
- OL Jacob Sexton (transfer)
- RB Taylor Tatum (transfer)
- OL Jake Taylor (transfer)
- CB Gentry Williams (transfer)
Sooners Transfer Portal Needs
I would like to preface this by saying I am not in the room with the decision-makers, nor am I observing practice daily. These are based solely on my perceived needs of the roster based on what I’ve seen on film and the impending departures along the depth chart. The staff might feel entirely different than I do on several of these positions, but some of these are non-negotiable additions, in my opinion.
Tight End
Oklahoma needs something, anything, at tight end in the portal. Jaren Kanak is graduating, and there’s nothing in the rest of the room that suggests that anyone left really belongs at Oklahoma right now. This is a position they’ll have to churn and add multiple bodies at out of the portal to go along with two promising freshmen out of their 2026 recruiting class.
Wide Receiver
How many wide receivers the Sooners will need will depend on the decision of Isaiah Sategna, who emerged as the top receiver on the roster down the stretch. Up-and-comer Elijah Thomas didn’t play this season as a true freshman as he acclimated to the SEC and the playbook, but the staff remains high on his ability and upside. However, the Sooners still need a talent infusion here. I’d expect them to go big-fish hunting here.
Linebacker
This is another position whose priority depends on the NFL decision of players there, namely Kip Lewis. If Lewis returns for another year alongside Sammy Omosigho, the Sooners won’t have to make linebacker a massive priority. However, they’ll have to replace the impact left behind by Kendal Daniels and Owen Heinicke (barring a surprising NCAA decision), and Kobie McKinzie’s decision to enter the transfer portal regardless of if Lewis declares or not.
EDGE rusher
Losing R Mason Thomas and Marvin Jones Jr is a tough blow to have to overcome, even if I am confident in this coaching staff in replacing those two. This might be controversial and a position I differ from the staff on, but even with Taylor Wein, PJ Adebawore, and Danny Okoye returning, I still think the Sooners need to add pass rush talent, as Thomas’s absence was keenly felt in this room.
Interior depth in the trenches
The Sooners have their defensive line starters mostly set for next year, but the rotation behind those players is rather unsettled, and Oklahoma would like to keep their status as an elite defensive line for the foreseeable future. Adding one or perhaps two defensive tackles with multiple years of eligibility would be a wise addition.
On offense, four of the starting five positions are likely set with potentially all five depending on if Heath Ozaeta can take Febechi Nwaiwu’s spot at right guard. However, the Sooners will need to add depth, particularly at center. Oklahoma went down the stretch without a real center against LSU or Alabama due to injuries, so adding competitive depth would be one of my top priorities.
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