Oklahoma Sooners have left just a few surprises on their first game week depth chart of the 2026 season, and fans may be a bit hesitant
The Oklahoma Sooners have released their first depth chart of the season, and two things stood out.
Week 1 for the Oklahoma Sooners is finally here, and with it comes the first official depth chart of the 2026 season ahead of Friday’s matchup against UTEP.
After what felt like the longest offseason in recent memory, the Sooners’ roster is set, and the depth chart is pretty much what we expected. Nothing crazy should make anyone throw a tantrum or be upset. This is very close to the roster Oklahoma had last year outside of the players who got drafted and graduated, and it’s a good roster. That said, there are a few wrinkles worth noting.
Elijah Thomas finally getting his shot at X receiver
Last season, Sooners fans begged to see more of Elijah Thomas on offense. During last offseason, Thomas was the talk of the town. The guy has the size, the speed, the route running, and the hands. We saw videos of it over and over again, and yet he never saw the field on offense. He played special teams and was pretty good at it, but with all the issues Oklahoma had on offense last year, particularly in the wide receiver room with guys struggling to separate, you would have thought Thomas would have gotten more opportunities in 2025. That just wasn’t the case.
Now, in 2026, Thomas is listed as the second X receiver behind Parker Livingstone. The depth chart reads “Parker Livingstone or Elijah Thomas,” which means it could be either guy. One thing I’ve learned about Sooners coach Brent Venables is that the “ors” really don’t mean anything. It’s kind of a cop-out to avoid naming somebody when there was a legitimate battle going on. That tells me Thomas could have a real shot as the starting X receiver.
If you ask me, I think it’s Livingstone. Oklahoma brought him in as a transfer from Texas for a reason, and even in a smaller role with the Longhorns last year, he still had 500 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Thomas hasn’t really done anything on offense yet. Both guys are very capable receivers, though, and it may not matter all that much. Isaiah Setenya and Trell Harris are probably going to be the 2 main receivers regardless. Both are listed as starters.
Cole Sullivan’s unique role at linebacker
On defense, the other thing that jumped out was Cole Sullivan being listed as the backup MIKE and the starting SAM. That’s an interesting arrangement. Sullivan was brought in as a transfer portal linebacker before the Owen Heinecke situation was really set in stone. Nobody knew if Heinecke was going to come back by the time Sullivan arrived.
So here’s where it stands: Sullivan starts at SAM, slides in as the backup MIKE when Heinecke comes off the field, and James Nesta serves as the backup SAM. The Sooners brought Sullivan in for a reason, and they’re going to find ways to get him on the field no matter what. But they won’t do that at the risk of taking Heinecke off the field, because Heinecke is a premier linebacker in the SEC, as is Kip Lewis. That linebacker trio is going to be one of the best in the country. This defense is going to be one of the best in the country, and those 3 guys are going to be why.
Whit Newbauer listed as immediate backup quarterback
Another thing fans might freak out about is Whit Newbauer being listed as the immediate backup over Bowe Bentley. There’s an “or” there, but we kind of know how this thing works. Newbauer played some last year in blowout games like Kent State, and he’s not a bad backup quarterback. Bentley has not played a lick of football yet in the SEC. Of course Newbauer is going to be the immediate backup. We’ll get there with Bentley. There’s no need to panic about this.
Everything else looks great. This is a depth chart that should be able to go out and get a win in Week 1 against UTEP on Friday.
