How can Oklahoma's newest additions help the defense?

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a surprisingly busy stretch of roster movement over the last few weeks, with changes extending into the start of the regular season. However, general manager Jim Nagy and head coach Brent Venables feel they've done their jobs of making the team better throughout the process.

In addition to OU putting five walk-on players (wide receiver Trey Brown, offensive linemen Sean Hutton and Kenneth Wermy, defensive back Casen Calmus, and kicker Liam Evans) on scholarship before the season, the Sooners also saw CJ Nickson switch positions from defensive lineman to tight end .

However, most of the conversation has centered around the Sooners recently adding four new players to the roster via the new "five-for-five" ruling. Defensive linemen Danny Saili and Braxton Fely , linebacker Jaydon Southard , and defensive back D'Yoni Hill are the newest OU players. All four of the fifth-year players are now listed on the official roster heading into Oklahoma's game against Michigan on Saturday.

All four players were granted temporary restraining orders that allow them to play out a final season of eligibility with the Sooners, and none of the four players signed a pro contract. OU leadership was adamant they would not consider adding any players who had done so. Nagy assured that no players would be cut to make room for the four newcomers, and that OU was in constant contact with the SEC to make sure they followed the rules the whole way. Nagy also told the media on Monday that the Sooners didn't plan on adding any more players to the roster.

"We did everything by the book, so constant contact with the SEC, the administration," Nagy said. "We weren't going to cut any players, I'll say that. That was never a consideration, just looking to upgrade the team. It's a violent sport, it's a long season, and we are happy about what we did."

Saili, Fely, Southard, and Hill bring Oklahoma's total number of players on the roster to 114, but what will each of them add to their specific position groups, after coming in well after the normal time for roster additions in college football? Nagy and Venables know their job is to make OU's roster better, and they clearly saw areas where they felt the Sooners could use more depth. They left roster spots open in anticipation of the new ruling, and pursued players who they believed would be culture fits in the locker room. Once the new players are fully acclimated, they could become solid depth pieces at their respective positions.

Both Saili and Fely play defensive tackle, a position that OU lost a lot of production from after last season. In addition to losing Damonic Williams and Gracen Halton, the Sooners also saw Markus Strong, Siolaa Lolohea, and David Rowaiye walk out the door from last year's DT room.

Oklahoma has two strong starters in Jayden Jackson and David Stone, but Nagy and Venables wanted to add more depth alongside Bishop Thomas, Trent Wilson, Nigel Smith II, and James Carrington. Because so much of what the Sooners do defensively relies on strong interior d-line play, having good depth is pivotal. Pairing that with OU's strong defensive end room of Taylor Wein, Adepoju Adebawore, Danny Okoye, Wyatt Gilmore, Kenny Ozowalu, and Jake Kreul should make the Oklahoma front sturdy again this year.

Saili made his OU debut in Week 1 against UTEP, registering one tackle on seven snaps. He's got SEC experience from his two seasons at Arkansas, and Venables praised how well he's picked things up since he got to Norman in August. Fely spent four years at Boise State, and he was a three-year starter who made two all-conference teams. He has yet to see the field for the Sooners, after coming in much later than Saili, but he might be the player of the four that can help OU the most in 2026.

At linebacker, Oklahoma lost Kendal Daniels, Kobie McKinzie and Sammy Omosigho this offseason, so adding Southard is all about giving the depth at that position a boost in 2026. With Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke as the two starters on the inside, Southard's presence gives the Sooners another veteran player in the middle of the defense.

Cole Sullivan, James Nesta, and Dane Bathurst are the other key linebackers on the depth chart in Norman, and this position's depth was also hurt by the spring ball injury to Taylor Heim. With Southard in the mix, Oklahoma has a player who developed into a star at FCS Stephen F. Austin and was first-team all-conference in 2025.

OU's Cheetah depth also gets a boost, as Sullivan and Nesta are the physically bigger options at that position that also includes starter Reggie Powers III and backups Jeremiah Newcombe and Lebron Bauer, all from the defensive back group. Having another linebacker frees up those players just a little bit more, and it allows Venables to have more versatility at the second level of his defense. Southard hasn't yet made his debut for OU, coming in after the UTEP game.

Hill plays cornerback, a position that saw OU lose Gentry Williams, Devon Jordan, Maliek Hawkins, and Kendel Dolby from the 2025 team. Hill's addition is all about adding more depth to the room, as the Sooners feel good about their starting duo of Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory.

However, as much as the Sooners like the rest of their depth chart at CB with Jacobe Johnson, Trystan Haynes, and Dakoda Fields, bringing in a player like Hill, who has experience at the Power Four level, is a solid get for Oklahoma. He was a starter last year at Wisconsin, and with the way the Sooners like to rotate at cornerback, having a veteran player in the arsenal could prove to be big for the OU secondary, which also includes a strong safety group of Peyton Bowen, Michael Boganowski, Omarion Robinson, Markel Ford, Niko Jandreau, and Reed DeQuasie. Hill has also not yet made his OU debut, as he also came in after the UTEP game.

Eligibility in college football was a constant topic of the offseason, but with the class of 2022 players wanting to get in on the "five-for-five" rule, there was suddenly an opportunity for the Sooners to improve the roster. According to Nagy, he and Venables planned for this possibility, and Venables told the media that the Sooners heavily vetted each of the four players that they decided to bring in.

Once the opportunity presented itself, Oklahoma took advantage and made moves to improve the roster and add depth at key defensive positions. How much these four players contribute is yet to be seen, but Sooner Nation can rest assured that Nagy and Venables had a plan in place and were committed to using every legal avenue available to make Oklahoma better in 2026.

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