Oklahoma
Who Will Return Kicks for Oklahoma in 2026?
NORMAN — Special teams was among the biggest reasons Oklahoma made the College Football Playoff in 2025.
Kicker Tate Sandell was a late addition out of the transfer portal from UTSA who wound up being pure gold: All-SEC, All-American, and even became the Sooners’ first Lou Groza Award winner as the best kicker in college football.
Punter Grayson Miller, an even more out-of-nowhere acquisition from the portal, lost out on the job initially but took over after the first game and wound up averaging 45.8 yards and earning All-SEC honors.
All-SEC wide receiver Isaiah Sategna lived up to his reputation as a dangerous punt returner at Arkansas, averaging 13.2 yards on returns last season, including a key 42-yarder in the regular-season win over Alabama.
All three of those players return next season, setting up Oklahoma’s special teams for a promising 2026 campaign.
The biggest question among the main special teams spots now is at kick returner.
In the final post-portal depth chart projection, we take a look at the Sooners’ special teams.
Oklahoma returned just two kickoffs last season, easily a record for the fewest in program history: a 15-yarder from Peyton Bowen in the season opener and a 1-yarder by Jaydn Ott a week later against Michigan.
Bowen and Sategna were at the top of the depth chart on kick returns last season, and though Bowen is back in 2026 as well, the Sooners might’ve picked up their kick returner in the transfer portal.
Running back Lloyd Avant returned kickoffs each of the last two seasons.
Read More Oklahoma Post-Portal Depth Chart Projections
At Tulsa in 2024, in his first collegiate game, Avant returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against Northwestern (LA) State.
He averaged 28 yards on 14 returns that season before transferring to Colorado State, where he averaged 24.4 yards on 11 returns last year. That experience and success might push him to the top of the depth chart at OU.
Sandell will be looking to rebound after a sour finish to the 2025 season.
After missing his first field goal of the season, he hit a school- and SEC-record 24 consecutive tries, including a 51-yarder to put the Sooners up 10-0 late in the first quarter against Alabama in the College Football Playoff.
But Sandell missed a pair of field goals in the final three minutes, helping end any chance for an Oklahoma comeback.
If Sandell can recover mentally from that finish, he figures to once again be a major asset.
He changed the way Ben Arbuckle called the offense at times, thanks to the near-automatic points on the board from even beyond 50 yards.
Jacob Ulrich was Oklahoma’s punter to start the season but when Ulrich had to miss the Michigan game due to illness, Miller took over and was fantastic.
Miller began his collegiate career as a soccer player at Lubbock Christian before transferring to UCO to play football. After two seasons there, he transferred to OU as an unheralded walk-on.
Miller averaged 47.8 yards on four punts against Michigan in Week 2 and the job was his.
Like Sandell, Miller had a bit of a rough ending to the season in the CFP loss to Alabama.
After a dropped pass that might have gone for a touchdown on third-and-long, Miller came in to punt, but dropped the snap, then scrambled to pick it up but his desperate punt attempt was blocked late in the first half.
Along with Sandell, Miller and Sategna, the Sooners also return their long snapper, Ben Anderson, who also earned All-SEC honors, as well as Ulrich, who served as Sandell’s holder on placekicks.
Projected Special Teams Depth Chart
Starters: Tate Sandell, RSr. (K); Grayson Miller, RSo. (P); Ben Anderson, RSr. (LS); Jacob Ulrich, RJr. (H); Lloyd Avant, So, (KR); Isaiah Sategna, Sr. (PR)
Backups: Trace Rudd, Fr. (K); Jacob Ulrich, RJr. (P); Seth Freeman, RFr. (LS); John Mateer, RSr. (H); Peyton Bowen, Sr. (KR/PR)
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
Iowa State wrestling’s first commitment of the Brent Metcalf era will be a transfer portal addition.
The Cyclones added Oklahoma State transfer Brayden Thompson, who announced his commitment on April 18 via Instagram. Thompson is a one-time NCAA qualifier at the 2024 NCAA Championships, doing so as a true freshman. He redshirted in 2024-25, but competed in open tournaments at 184 pounds and was 9-0. He did not wrestle a match in 2025-26 and will have at least two years of eligibility remaining.
Out of high school, Thompson was ranked the No. 3 pound-for-pound wrestler and No. 1 at 182 pounds in the 2023 recruiting class by Flowrestling. He also won Powerade and Ironman titles, two of the more prestigious high school tournaments in the nation. Assuming Thompson returns to 184 pounds where he last wrestled, he should fill in nicely as a potential replacement for Isaac Dean after his graduation.
Thompson is Iowa State’s first transfer portal addition after several departures, including Anthony Echemendia and Christian Castillo, who also entered the portal.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
NORMAN — The Oklahoma Sooners liked their wide receiver room a year ago. They want 2026 to be even better.
Isaiah Sategna’s return helps that desire. Earning experienced pass catchers Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone via the transfer portal gives you added play makers. But after the Sooners Spring Game on Saturday, an unlikely hero emerged.
When Jahsiear Rogers flipped from Penn State to Oklahoma last December, he drew the usual excitement that comes with a new commitment. But few expected him to climb the depth chart this quickly, even with the injuries that hit Emmett Jones’ room.
Rogers did just that and more on Saturday. He led all pass catchers with five receptions for 70 yards in Oklahoma’s annual Red/White game.
“I knew it was time to showcase,” Rogers said after the game. “It was amazing to see the fans and get used to the OU way. I’m a playmaker. They really want to put the ball in playmakers hands. I pretty much knew I had to lead the white team.”
Rogers got the ball rolling early. On the second offensive play for the white team, backup quarterback Whitt Newbauer rolled to his right wide, then stopped and looked towards the middle of the field where he saw Rogers running open. Newbauer connected with Rogers for a 39-yard gain.
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With Rogers on the white team, he is running against (most of) Oklahoma’s starting defense. As fate would have it, on that 39-yard reception, Rogers beat his favorite teammate to compete against — Reggie Powers.
“He is just a leader, good guy,” Rogers said of Powers. “Me and him go after it every day in practice. Reggie is strong. When I come at him, I have to really come at him.”
Rogers’ big play over Powers was the second-longest catch of the spring game — Sategna’s 50-yard reception that appeared to be a touchdown before coaches pulled it back to set up a red-zone rep. The other four catches weren’t flashy, but they were important in their own way, and Rogers looked like he belonged on the field.
“I love it. As long as I can get the ball, I can be me. I love it,” Rogers said. “When I am on the field, I am ready to go. I am ready to be a playmaker.”
The season is still months away, and Rogers hasn’t earned a spot high on the depth chart yet. A strong spring and an encouraging Red/White Game can only lead to early playing time if he carries that momentum into summer and fall camp.
More experienced players will return from injury and receivers who’ve been in the program for a few years will have an extra leg-up.
But Rogers is taking everything in stride and leaving no stone unturned in his development.
“Just learning from the older guys,” Rogers said. “Manny Choice, Isaiah Sategna, Trell Harris, Mackenzie Alleyne. Really all of them. We lean on each other, learn from each other. That is kind of how our room is.”
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The Oklahoma baseball team is back in the mix and trending upward.
After a rough few weeks in Southeastern Conference play, the 14th-ranked Sooners have won three of their last four games to get to .500 at just beyond the halfway point of the league slate. Friday’s 9-6 win over Missouri allowed Oklahoma to move to 8-8, tied with three other teams for eighth in the standings.
Friday’s win wasn’t truly that close, even. OU took a 9-3 lead into the ninth before Mizzou made it somewhat interesting with three runs in the frame. Two of them came with two outs, though, and Mason Bixby induced a groundout with the bases empty to hold on.
The large edge came via a home run-happy night. The Sooners popped four over the wall at Kimrey Family Stadium, including three in a four-run seventh inning that gave OU a four-run lead.
Jason Walk, who hit one of the four homers, had the best day at the plate. He went 2 for 5 with the shot, three RBIs and a run. Camden Johnson, who also homered, went 2 for 3 with a walk, a double and two runs, and Dasan Harris went 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBIs, and three runs. Trey Gambill hit the Sooners’ other jack.
Oklahoma jumped out to a four-run lead in the second behind four hits and a walk. Missouri helped the Sooners out with an error that resulted in a bases-loaded situation and three unearned runs registered to Tigers starter Josh McDevitt.
The runs were more than enough for Oklahoma’s LJ Mercurius, who pitched six strong innings, giving up three runs on six hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.
Game 2 in the series is set for 4 p.m. Saturday and the finale will be played Sunday at 2 p.m., weather permitting.
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