Oklahoma

Which NFL playoff teams have players with Oklahoma ties? We break it down

Published

1 year ago

January 11, 2025

Which NFL playoff teams have players with Oklahoma ties? We break it down

The NFL Playoffs are upon us, and every team that made the postseason has at least one player with connections to our state. Some played Oklahoma high school football. Others spent all or some of their college years here at OU, Oklahoma State or elsewhere.

Here’s a look at the NFL players with a chance at a Super Bowl LIX ring:

Los Angeles Chargers

Tony Jefferson, S, OU: Came out of retirement this season after spending a year as a scout for the Ravens. Spent time on the practice squad, but played in five of the Chargers last six regular season games.

Houston Texans

Joe Mixon, RB, OU: After spending his first seven seasons in Cincinnati, Mixon had a Pro Bowl season in Houston, rushing for over 1,000 yards.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Jaylen Warren, RB, OSU: Took a small step back behind Najee Harris, rushing for a career-low 511 yards. But Warren was sidelined for a couple of games with a back injury and has been strong of late.

Devin Harper, LB, OSU: Has been on Pittsburgh’s practice squad all season after being waived by Cincinnati.

Baltimore Ravens

Mark Andrews, TE, OU: Arguably the best tight end in football. Has a career-high 11 touchdown catches this season after escaping injury in August when he was involved in a major car accident.

Justice Hill, RB, Tulsa Booker T. Washington HS/OSU: Back-up to standout Derrick Henry. Hill missed the last two games of the regular season after suffering a concussion.

Charlie Kolar, TE, Norman North HS: The third leg of the Ravens’ talented tight end group, pairing with Andrews and Isaiah Likely. Kolar, who went to Iowa State, has a career-high nine catches and 131 receiving yards.

Tylan Wallace, WR, OSU: Having a career year in his fourth season with the Ravens, catching a career-high 11 passes for 193 yards. Scored his first NFL receiving touchdown in Week 10 against the Bengals.

Denver Broncos

Nik Bonitto, LB, OU: A first-time Pro Bowler who has been mentioned in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. Has 13.5 sacks, the first Bronco with double-digit sacks since Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.

Marvin Mims, WR, OU: Another Pro Bowler. Speedy wideout is second on the team with 503 receiving yards and six touchdown catches. Also returns punts and kicks.

Ben Powers, OL, OU: Started every game for the Broncos at left guard. Third consecutive season he has logged over 1,000 snaps, the first in Baltimore, the last two in Denver.

Delarrin Turner-Yell, S, OU: On the reserve/physically unable to perform list. Has not played a snap for the Broncos this season.

Tanner McCalister, DB, OSU: On the practice squad. Spent his final college season (2022) at Ohio State after four years in Stillwater.

Buffalo Bills

Jordan Phillips, DT, OU: Has played in five games since being released by Dallas in November and signed the very next day by Buffalo. Played for the Bills in two previous stints.

Green Bay Packers

Josh Jacobs, RB, Tulsa McLain HS: Rushed for a team-high 1,329 yards in his first season with the Packers. The Alabama product has a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns, too.

Alex Hale, K, OSU: Has spent his entire rookie season on the Packers’ practice squad.

Marquis Hayes, OL, OU: On the practice squad. Second-year pro has yet to make his NFL debut.

Philadelphia Eagles

Grant Calcaterra, TE, OU: Started a career-high 13 games, logging career bests in catches (24) and receiving yards (298). After medically retiring and leaving OU following the 2019 season, finished his college career at SMU.

Jalen Hurts, QB, OU: In the MVP hunt before Philly sidekick Saquon Barkley stole everyone’s spotlight. Hurts missed the Eagles’ last two regular season games after suffering a concussion.

Lane Johnson, OL, OU: Earned his fifth invitation to the Pro Bowl this season. May well add another All-Pro honor. Made 14 starts at right tackle.

Washington Commanders

Tyler Ott, LS, Jenks HS: Tenth-year pro who played collegiately at Harvard is in his first season with Washington. Named a Pro Bowl alternate.

Chris Paul, OL, Tulsa: Guard has played in six games this season as a reserve.

Tress Way, P, Tulsa Union HS/OU: Making only his second playoff appearance in 11 seasons in Washington. The team captain and fan favorite set the franchise record for career punting yards earlier this season.

Austin Seibert, K, OU: Has been on injured reserve since missing a field goal and two extra points against Dallas. Made all his PATs and 27 of 29 field goals before that. Missed the two games prior with a hip injury.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield, QB, OU: Having his best pro season, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns. Pro Football Focus passing grade of 82.4 ranks just behind Josh Allen, ahead of Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes.

Sterling Shepard, WR, Heritage Hall HS/OU: Resurrected his career in Tampa Bay. After eight seasons with the Giants, the last two of which were rough, Shepard has 32 catches for 334 yards and one touchdown.

Minnesota Vikings

Brian Asamoah, LB, OU: Reserve has played in 14 games this season, his third in Minnesota.

Jalen Redmond, DL, Midwest City HS/OU: One of the best comeback stories this season. Spent last season out of the NFL, then played in the UFL, hooked on with the Vikings’ practice squad but elevated and played in seven of the past eight games, starting two.

Walter Rouse, OL, OU: Made his NFL debut in Week 13 against the Cardinals but has not played otherwise.

Los Angeles Rams

Neville Gallimore, NT, OU: Has played in 14 games and made four starts in his first season with Rams. Spent the first four seasons of his NFL career in Dallas.

Drake Stoops, WR, OU: Undrafted free agent has spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad.

A.J. Green, CB, OSU: Has been on the practice squad all season after spending the previous four seasons in Cleveland.

Kansas City Chiefs

Marquise Brown, WR, OU: Missed the first 14 games of the season due to a shoulder injury. Had nine catches in the two games he played since returning.

Creed Humphrey, OL, Shawnee HS/OU: Continues to build his case as the best center in the NFL. Stalwart and leader of KC’s offensive line. Has made 67 consecutive starts.

Wanya Morris, OL, OU: Second-year pro has made 11 starts this season. Bounced between left tackle and right tackle, the position at which he seems more natural.

Samaje Perine, RB, OU: Reserve power back has played in all of Kansas City’s games this season. Often used in short-yardage situations.

James Winchester, LS, Washington HS/OU: No current long snapper has been more consistent longer. One of only six current players on the Kansas City roster to be part of the franchise’s three most recent Super Bowl titles.

McKade Mettauer, OL, OU: Undrafted free agent signed by Kansas City, then placed on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury during a preseason game.

Detroit Lions

Malcolm Rodriguez, LB, Wagoner HS/OSU: On injured reserve since Week 13 when he suffered a season-ending knee injury against Chicago. Prior to that, he’d played in 10 games, starting six, with 43 tackles and two sacks.

Did we forget someone? If you know of another player with ties to the state of Oklahoma in the NFL Playoffs, email Jenni Carlson at jcarlson@oklahoman.com.

Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

Source link

Click to comment

Oklahoma

How Oklahoma GM Jim Nagy ‘Put More Around’ John Mateer During Offseason

Published

4 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

How Oklahoma GM Jim Nagy ‘Put More Around’ John Mateer During Offseason

Oklahoma general manager Jim Nagy experienced great success during his first year in Norman.

Nagy, who joined OU’s staff in February 2025, oversaw the Sooners’ scouting staff as Oklahoma reached the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019. He also helped OU sign a top-15 2026 recruiting class and land several key transfer portal players after the 2025 season.

Though the wins outweighed the losses in Nagy’s first year, the Sooners’ general manager knew that there was much to fortify during the offseason.

Oklahoma’s offense sputtered late in the season, as the Sooners scored fewer than 25 points in each of their last four games.

For Nagy, a major focus was surrounding OU quarterback John Mateer with quality talent.

“(We wanted to) just really put more around John Mateer,” Nagy said on The Dari Nowkhah Show on KREF on Friday.

Nagy and his scouting team added plenty of pieces from the portal that should elevate Oklahoma’s offense.

The Sooners signed three portal wideouts — Trell Harris (Virginia), Parker Livingstone (Texas) and Mackenzie Alleyne (Washington State) — after the 2025 season to join returning receivers Isaiah Sategna, Jer’Michael Carter and Jacob Jordan.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Sategna, who transferred to OU from Arkansas after the 2024 season, served as Mateer’s safety net in 2025. The receiver finished the year with 965 yards and eight touchdowns on 67 catches.

Harris and Livingstone are both proven producers at the Power Four level, and Nagy believes that those two will make OU’s receiving corps stronger in 2026.

“Those two, we’re very excited about both of those guys,” Nagy said.

Nagy also did plenty of work to ensure that OU’s run game improves in 2026.

The Sooners added three tight ends — Hayden Hansen (Florida), Rocky Beers (Colorado State) and Jack Van Dorselaer (Tennessee) — from the portal. They also added three transfer offensive linemen: Caleb Nitta (Western Kentucky), E’Marion Harris (Arkansas) and Peyton Joseph (Georgia Tech).

OU will have its two top running backs from the 2025 squad, Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock, back in 2026.

For those two to reach their full potential, the Sooners’ blockers will have to regularly open up running lanes — and Nagy is confident that they will.

“We have to run the ball better, there’s no way around that,” Nagy said. “Our job is to create more competition in every room in the offseason. I feel like we’ve done that.”

On the show, Nagy revealed that the Sooners added nearly 9,000 collegiate snaps to their roster during the offseason.

The general manager believes that both sides of the ball will be stronger as a result of his scouting team’s offseason efforts and their collaboration with OU’s coaching staff.

“I’ve tried to be really intentional with our communication,” Nagy said. “There’s a common goal: We’re trying to win a national championship. This is a true partnership, and we all have the same goal in mind. It’s going to continue to evolve and get better.”

Oklahoma will open its 2026 season against UTEP on Sept. 5.

Source link

Oklahoma

Elgin’s Ritson Meyer becomes four-time Oklahoma high school wrestling state champion

Published

16 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Elgin’s Ritson Meyer becomes four-time Oklahoma high school wrestling state champion

The loss was on Ritson Meyer’s mind all week as he prepared for his final state wrestling tournament.

A senior 215-pounder at Elgin, Meyer isn’t used to getting beaten, but he got a wake-up call when he lost against Coweta senior Aiven Robbins by five points in their regional championship match.

For Meyer, it set in that winning his fourth state championship wouldn’t be an easy task.

“I lost to him last week and I’m not a loser, so it was eating on me all week in practice,” Meyer said. “So (in) practice, I really leveled up everything. Everything about it.”

Meyer and Robbins met again on Saturday, this time with the Class 5A state championship on the line.

Intensely focused from the start, Meyer came out aggressive. And although it was another great match, Meyer did just enough to etch his name in the state history books.

Meyer held on to beat Robbins in an 8-7 decision in the new OG&E Coliseum as he claimed his fourth state championship, while Coweta won the team title.

An Abilene Christian football signee, Meyer’s wrestling days are over, but he leaves the sport with satisfaction.

“I came out here — even though it hurt, even though I was tired — I got it done,” Meyer said. “I’m so happy. I got to celebrate with my parents, my family, my friends. It’s a crazy feeling.”

A standout running back and linebacker on the gridiron, Meyer helped his team win the Class 4A state title in football as a junior before Elgin lost to Tuttle 23-20 in the 2025 championship game in December.

It’s a different sport, but that loss fueled Meyer’s wrestling season in a way.

“I like to tell people that wrestling is like offseason football,” Meyer said. “I can’t go out, lose. Everybody wanted me to win this. I won it for the whole entire community. First four-timer at Elgin. And that football (loss) really did eat me alive. It didn’t feel good at all, and I didn’t want that same feeling again.”

Meyer had a great start against Robbins on Saturday and never trailed, but Robbins battled to set up a great finish and both were gassed when it was over.

“I just gave it my all,” Meyer said, “and I got it done.”

This article will be updated.

Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at@nicksardis. Sign up forThe Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

Source link

Oklahoma

Oklahoma leaders react after U.S. and Israel launch joint attack on Iran

Published

1 day ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Oklahoma leaders react after U.S. and Israel launch joint attack on Iran

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — State leaders are reacting after the United States launched an attack on Iran Saturday morning.

U.S. Senator James Lankford said he is praying for the safety of the American service members involved in the attack.

“Iran remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and has long threatened the United States and our allies. Today’s military actions underscore the seriousness of that threat and the need to prevent Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Lankford said. “I’m praying for the safety of every American service member involved in these operations and for their families at home. God bless our troops and God bless America.”

Lankford also said that any Americans in the Middle East should keep an eye out for advisories and guidance from the U.S. Department of State.

U.S. Representative Tom Cole released a statement following the attack:

It’s a time of reckoning for those who chant ‘Death to America.’ President Trump is right when he calls the effort to eradicate Iran’s nuclear weapons program and give its people the opportunity to seize their freedom ‘a noble mission.’ The evil Iranian regime has been the leading state sponsor of terror for decades. It has killed thousands of people within and beyond its borders, including hundreds of Americans. It must be defanged and dismantled.

The President did not take this action lightly or impulsively. He has warned Iran repeatedly that it must change its policies and its actions. He has negotiated with Iran in good faith and with great clarity. It was the Iranian regime that chose to ignore those warnings and make a mockery of those negotiations. In doing so, its tyrannical leaders made an enormous miscalculation.

Our Commander in Chief has made clear that his goal is not just to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. It is also to give the Iranian people a chance to take back their country. Self-determination and freedom will be theirs to claim. I hope they will.

Like every American, my thoughts and prayers are with our brave and capable men and women in uniform who are carrying out this noble but hard and dangerous mission. I know that they will have the unwavering support of every American, and I am confident that they will acquit themselves with honor and distinction.

May God protect our troops and the innocent Iranian people – and once again – as He so often has, bless America.

U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin said he is praying for the United States’ men and women in uniform in a post on Saturday.

“May God bless and protect our men and women in uniform—the greatest peacekeeping force in the history of the world. Americans are praying for your safety in this mission,” Mullin said.

U.S. Representative Kevin Hern said the Iranian regime is a threat to the U.S. and President Trump was left with no other choice than to take action.

As the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, the Iranian regime is an active threat to the United States, our allies, and stability across the Middle East.”

Iran’s refusal to accept a deal left President Trump with no choice other than to take decisive action to ensure the regime never possesses a nuclear weapon. There is no peace without strength, and the United States will not sit by while this regime pursues their nuclear ambitions, fuels their terrorist proxies, and brutalizes the Iranian people. I’m praying for our brave troops in the region. May God bless them, and may God bless the United States.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a social media post that his prayers are with President Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth as they work to achieve a safer world.

“God bless and protect the men and women of the United States military engaged in the Middle East this weekend. My prayers are with our military, President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and our Generals, as they use American force to achieve a safer world for the future of our children and grandchildren,” Drummond said.

Source link