Surprising portal departure means Oklahoma Sooners have to hit the transfer portal for position they might not have expected to
Offensive tackle Logan Howland entered the transfer portal Wednesday, opening up a depth issue for the Oklahoma Sooners
A slew of Oklahoma Sooners players hit the transfer portal on Wednesday, making it one of the busiest days in the portal I can recall. 10 players hit the portal in a single day.
While many of them weren’t all that surprising or were even welcome departures, there was one that caught my eye, as it opened up a small but crucial area of need that head coach Brent Venables and general manager Jim Nagy will have to solve in the transfer portal.
Logan Howland opens up void on Sooners roster
Offensive tackle Logan Howland entered the transfer portal this week, alongside three other offensive linemen in Luke Baklenko, Jacob Sexton, and Jake Taylor. Those four were rotational and depth players that the Sooners were once optimistic on, but none played significant roles in 2025 or were projected to in 2026.
However, losing four offensive tackles in a single day is a fairly significant blow, especially at a position as critical as offensive tackle. Oklahoma has struggled with injuries up front in recent years, so maintaining that depth is crucial for the team. Fortunately, they already have their starting duo set, as Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje will anchor left and right tackle respectively. Four-star Deacon Schmitt will be joining the roster as well to provide some depth, but there’s a lot of inexperience suddenly opening up in this room.
Given that they already have their starting group set, I can’t imagine the Sooners will be heavy-hitters in the transfer portal to add talent here. I would expect moves to add players like Derek Simmons, experienced depth who can play multiple positions, without necessarily breaking the bank for players who you’ll hear about at the top of every transfer portal tracker.
We’ll see what Nagy and his staff can cook up here, but this is a sudden brake check on their momentum heading into the beginning of the transfer portal, and they’ll have to slightly recalibrate to adjust their strategy.
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