Sooners’ prized possession in the 2026 recruiting class has an advantage that most freshmen in his position don’t have
The Oklahoma Sooners got the right edge rusher and the perfect left tackle to learn from one another.
The Oklahoma Sooners don’t have an extremely high-rated freshman class coming into 2026. However, they did end up landing one of the best edge rushers in the entire country this offseason in Jake Kreul. Last year, they did something similar, bringing in a strong recruiting class, headlined by elite player Michael Fasusi.
Kreul may not play a ton in his first season. It’s hard to predict whether true freshmen will get a ton of playing time or not, especially when you have the defensive line the Sooners have. However, many believe Kreul’s tools should allow him to see the field a bit in 2026. And, it’s only going to help that he’s going against one of the best left tackles in the country during practice.
“Yeah, every day we’re practicing against each other, so that’s really fun,” Jake Kreul told reporters at practice. “He’s [Michael Fasusi] really good. He’s a freshman All-American and one of the top guys in this league. E’Marion [Harris] is also one of the top guys in this league. He’s got alot of experience. I’ve got to learn alot from them. I think sometimes we go back and forth, what is he seeing, what am I seeing, and I think we’re making each other better.”
Kreul is not the biggest edge rusher in the world; he’s certainly not the biggest in the SEC. But what drew the Sooners to him was his technical ability. He’s very technically sound and has an array of pass-rush moves to go to. He is, in some ways, exactly what Fasusi needs to get better and vice versa. Not many edge rushers, let alone freshmen, have the advantage Kreul has every day in practice.
Michael Fasusi should be learning from Jake Kreul as well
Fasusi entered the SEC as a left tackle with somewhat raw technical ability. Alot of his best traits come from his athleticism and how he translates it into his play. In his freshman season, he developed a ton over the year and really improved some of the technical aspects of his game.
Fasusi already has to go against Taylor Wein every day in practice, so he gets to work on his game against a technical pass rusher in that aspect. But working against another player and seeing a different kind of pass-rusher like Kreul would only help him improve even more. Fasusi doesn’t often struggle going against big, strong, and fast players, but more so against technical players. This is only going to make him better as well.
