Oklahoma Sooners still have yet to unleash what could be a secret weapon or two for them in 2026
The Oklahoma Sooners still have defensive tackle Danny Saili and defensive tackle Braxton Fely that they’ve not been able to use a ton yet.
The Oklahoma Sooners added former Arkansas defensive tackle Danny Saili to its roster on Thursday after he received a temporary restraining order against the NCAA. Oklahoma also added former Boise State defensive tackle Braxton Fely.
Saili played a bit on Friday, but not much. He had one tackle, and now has 15 career tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. So, these two guys haven’t really been unleashed yet. However, both add some pretty insane depth to this team. That can only be seen as a secret weapon. Not to mention, they’re both great cultural fits, too.
“We’ve vetted these players in great detail, and it’s something that we’ve been planning on for quite some time,” coach Brent Venables said on Friday. “And culturally, these guys are great fits, and they’re going to be able to help us at positions where we don’t have the same competitive depth that we did a year ago, and that’s where our motives are.
“He’s [Saili] been with us for a couple of weeks. He’s remarkably picked up things really fast. His experience really showed, and that’s one of the positions that we’re really concerned with: just the overall depth. And so he’s going to be able to help us.”
Braxton Fely’s situation is a bit different for the Oklahoma Sooners
There’s a lot of drama going on in the college football universe right now. The LSU Tigers and other teams are being torn apart for their efforts to bring back former college players who have gone on to the NFL. This is not that. Fely went undrafted and received only one rookie minicamp invite from the Denver Broncos.
“As you know, we’re not adding any players that you know signed a pro contract,” Venables said. “And our university athletics department has been in touch with the SEC frequently and just kind of on this matter and what the conference rules are and things of that nature. So we feel really good.”
His career numbers at Boise State are impressive across 56 career games: 14 sacks, 31 solo tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 4 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. He’s been an animal in the Mountain West. Now he’s bringing that production to the SEC. The Sooners have to be excited to see how these two guys can impact this team in 2026.
