Oklahoma Sooners’ potential breakout player just provided another example of why 2026 could be huge
The Oklahoma Sooners really need a breakout kind of season from Danny Okoye, and so far he’s had a great camp.
The Oklahoma Sooners have been waiting on Danny Okoye for a long time. The junior edge rusher is set to be a starter for the first time in his career in 2026, and everything coming out of fall camp suggests the wait may have been worth it.
With R Mason Thomas and others no longer on the roster due to graduation or the NFL Draft, Okoye steps into a starting role alongside Taylor Wein. That tandem gives Oklahoma a pair of pass rushers with real upside, and Okoye’s athletic tools have always been the reason the coaching staff stayed patient.
Okoye is already flashing at fall camp
Okoye recently made a splash play during a fall camp practice, snagging an interception thrown by one of the Sooners’ quarterbacks. He went down immediately after the catch and didn’t get far with the ball, but the play itself was exactly what coaches want to see from a defensive end with his kind of athleticism. Nobody is asking Okoye to pick off passes every game. But making plays like that in practice shows awareness and instincts that go beyond just rushing the passer.
From everything we’ve heard, Okoye has the physical body type to be a difference-maker. He’s 6’3″, 257 pounds, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and he’s healthy after having surgery earlier this offseason. The sky seems to be the limit.
What Okoye did in 2025
Okoye played in 11 games last season, missing only the Michigan and Temple contests. He totaled 6 tackles, 2 sacks for 16 yards, and a pass breakup. He also earned a spot on the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll. His sack against No. 14 Tennessee stood out given the magnitude of that game. He registered a pass breakup at South Carolina, logged 2 tackles and a sack versus Kent State, and recorded tackles against LSU, Texas, and in the season opener against Illinois State.
This could be Okoye’s final season at OU
Across 13 career games, Okoye has never started. That changes in 2026, and the Sooners need to take advantage of it. He’s going to get significantly more snaps than he has in previous years, and tracking his evolution as the season progresses should be one of the more compelling storylines on this defense.
Oklahoma needs Okoye to produce because this could be his final year at OU. If he has a strong season, he could very well hear his name called in the NFL Draft. The tools have always been there. Now the opportunity matches them.
