Sooners 2026 freshman is already taking things from an OU player who isn’t even on the team anymore
The Sooners love what Jake Kreul brings to the table.
The Oklahoma Sooners have recruited the defensive line at an extremely elite level over the last few years. One of the best we have seen as of late is edge rusher R Mason Thomas, who’s set to enter the 2026 NFL Draft as a potential first-round pick. He’s not even on campus yet, but their prized possession of the 2026 recruiting class, Jake Kreul, has already taken some of Thomas’ game and added it to his.
Jake Kreul talks about R Mason Thomas as someone he’d like to replicate his game after
“Yeah, Mase is awesome,” Kreul told On3’s Josh McCuiston at the Under Armour All-American Game. “He was a big guy in my in my recruiting process; he hosted me a lot. I think there are a lot of similarities between us in terms of just measuring why and how we play, as we have, we’re very fast to get off, very bendy. So seeing how [DE coach Miguel] Chavis developed him and like, how he was able to do that for you, who’re not your prototypical defensive end, I think that meant a lot to me.
“As you look at some other schools, they’re kind of that stereotypical 6’4, 6’5 defensive end, which is great, but sometimes you can vary from that. I think Chavis does a really good job of that. Coach. Nagy does a really good job of that. Venables does a very good job of getting you the right looks, so, um, knowing that and then getting to learn from him, and how he learned to be successful on the next level, I kind of applied that to my game, and I think it’s paying off.”
Thomas is a very technical guy. He’s not really a guy you can put in one category, whether that’s speed or power as a rusher. Thomas is a mix of both, but really wins with his technique. Kreul is the exact same way: he has the bend, the speed, and the power, but he has the toolset if none of that works. There is a reason Kreul was as good as he was at a school like IMG Academy, playing the big-time programs he played.
Kreul is one of the most technically sound players in the entire 2026 class. It’s clear the Sooners have a type, as a committed 2027 Sooners edge rusher, Krew Jones, is the same way. Chavis likes players who can win with moves and don’t just rely on being super fast or super strong. That works in high school, but it almost never works solely in the SEC.
Learning from a guy like Thomas, who made an All-SEC team despite missing a portion of the season, is huge. Thomas is so good and can be a game-changer in the NFL. Kreul has the potential to be the same type of player, and we know the motor and work ethic are there as well.
Oklahoma Sooners News
Sooners 2026 DE Jake Kreul reveals a trait he already has that a lot of players don’t have until college
The Sooners can’t wait to get Kreul in the building in a few months.
