The Oklahoma Sooners made some moves in the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag], landing the top quarterback in the portal class in [autotag], John Mateer[/autotag], and several other impact players like linebacker [autotag]Kendal Daniels[/autotag], offensive tackle [autotag]Derek Simmons[/autotag], and wide receiver [autotag]Javonnie Gibson[/autotag] to name a few.
But the Sooners will have an opportunity to add more talent to the roster when the spring portal window opens in April. But what do the Sooners still need to add? Well, Pete Nakos of On3 identified three positions the Sooners should pursue when the portal window opens again.
But Oklahoma will need to target players at the cornerback, linebacker and tight end position in the spring transfer portal window. – Nakos, On3
Nakos discussed Oklahoma’s additions at tight end. The Sooners have brought in three players: Carson Kent, Will Huggins, and walk-on John Locke. They still have [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag], [autotag]Kade McIntyre[/autotag], and [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag]. There’s talk that the Sooners may move Jaren Kanak to the offensive side of the ball, presumably at tight end. So would the Sooners allocate another spot to a tight end? With Ben Arbuckle as the offensive coordinator, it seems like a stretch.
In his two years at Washington State, the leader in snaps at tight end averaged just 371 snaps. Only one tight end each season played more than 300 snaps on the year. For reference, over the last two seasons, Oklahoma’s tight ends played an average of 717.5 snaps, nearly double what Arbuckle asks of the position.
In the passing game, tight end wasn’t a priority. In 2024, the tight end leader in targets for the Cougars only saw 19 targets, which was fifth in the passing hierarchy. In 2023, Cooper Matthews, the Cougars starting tight end, only saw 26 targets, but that was sixth on the team.
Oklahoma’s tight ends averaged 39 targets over the last two seasons, with Bauer Sharp leading the Sooners with 55 targets in 2024. Though Austin Stogner wasn’t a big part of the passing game in 2023, he still received a ton of snaps for the Sooners last year.
Though Oklahoma may not have a clear answer at tight end in 2025, there may not need to be one. Arbuckle’s offense was content running personnel groupings without a tight end than Jeffy Lebby, Seth Littrell, or Joe John Finley were.
That doesn’t mean OU won’t utilize a tight end, because they have several athletically gifted players in Helms, McIntyre, and Mitchell that can be threats in the passing attack. It simply means that Arbuckle won’t need to force a tight end onto the field to make his offense work if he doesn’t have one that can make plays.
So while the Sooners will likely dip back into the transfer portal this spring for depth, tight end isn’t a place where they need to add, they simply need to develop the talent that they have on the roster already.
At linebacker, the Sooners lose Danny Stutsman. It’s a huge loss that will likely be filled by former four-star prospect Kobie McKinzie. McKinzie has seen an increased snap count over the last two years after redshirting in 2022. He, along with Kip Lewis, are expected to start with Samuel Omosigho, Kendal Daniels, Owen Heinecke, James Nesta, and possibly Jaren Kanak, providing depth at the position. Could the Sooners add a veteran depth option? Possibly. But it doesn’t feel like a glaring need for the team, either.
Of the three spots Nakos discusses, cornerback feels like an immediate need. Eli Bowen, Jacobe Johnson, and Gentry Williams appear to be the leaders to start for Oklahoma at cornerback. But given Johnson and Bowen’s inexperience and Williams’ injury issues, the Sooners could use a veteran option in the even those three guys don’t take strides or can’t stay on the field.
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