The Oklahoma Sooners received more good news on Monday afternoon as a big piece of their defense is returning for 2025. Oklahoma’s best pass rusher, [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag], announced his decision on social media.
Thomas led the Sooners with nine sacks in 2024, including six during SEC play. He came up with key plays in Oklahoma’s big wins over Auburn and Alabama.
He also had a sack against Missouri that set up at second-and-16 late in the game. However, the Sooners couldn’t get off the field as Missouri made their comeback.
It was a breakout season for the former three-star prospect. He finished with 23 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 2024. He also led the Sooners with 36 total pressures and had two forced fumbles on the season.
Thomas battled injuries each of his first two years in Norman, which kept him from seeing the field much. But when he was on the field, you could see the potential. Finally healthy in 2024, he was a nightmare for opposing offensive lines.
Thomas is another key piece to the defense that will be back next season after [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag], Kip Lewis, [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag] and [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag] announced they were coming back.
The Sooners defense was the bright spot during the 2024 season. It kept Oklahoma in a lot of games when the offense struggled to find much consistency. With Thomas back for his senior season, the Sooners have an opportunity to continue to develop their pass rush.
Oklahoma added a pair of players to the defense to help it take another step: former five-star edge rusher Marvin Jones Jr. and former Oklahoma State defender Kendal Daniels.
The Sooners defensive end room lost Ethan Downs, Trace Ford and Caiden Woullard to graduation but get a boost with Thomas’ return and the addition of Jones. With Adepoju Adebawore, Taylor Wein, Danny Okoye, Wyatt Gilmore, Nigel Smith, C.J. Nickson and Alexander Shieldnight on the defensive end depth chart, the Sooners have returning production and a promising group for defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis to work with.
Although Oklahoma hasn’t hired a replacement for Zac Alley, the players are buying into the vision Brent Venables has for the Sooners’ defense. With Venables at the helm, there’s no reason to expect Oklahoma will not have another great defense in 2025. But getting R Mason Thomas back to build off of his incredible 2024 season gives the Sooners a chance to be one of the best in the nation next year.
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