The 2025 Oklahoma football roster is loaded with experience and depth, not to mention plenty of talent at key positions. But there are always going to be players who stand head and shoulders above the rest in terms of their impact on games and the season.
In a season with high expectations for a more entertaining and winning brand of football and the hope of winning as many as nine or even 10 games, there are 10 players who I believe will have the greatest impact on the Sooners' performance this season.
Wide receiver Deion Burks
The former transfer from Purdue was the Sooners' leading receiver a year ago before getting hurt after five games and missing the rest of the season. Burks caught 31 passes in five games, the most ever by a Sooner player in the first five games of an OU career. Three of those receptions were touchdown catches. He is back healthy and expected to be Oklahoma's prime target in the passing game in the 2025 season.
Center Troy Everett
Everett is entering his second season at Oklahoma after transferring from Appalachian State following the 2022 season. He is the expected starter at center, which has produced some standout players in Sooner history.
Everett, a fifth-year senior, missed the first five games a year ago and ended up playing in eight total games in 2024, starting the last seven. According to Pro Football Focus, Everett led the OU O-linemen last season with a blocking grade of 68.2 and a team-best pass-blocking grade of 75.5. Everett is one of the OU team captains this season.
Defensive lineman Jayden Jackson
Jackson is coming off a sensational freshman campaign in which he started 10 of the Sooners' 13 games at defensive tackle. The 6-foot-2, 322-pound D-lineman was only the fourth true freshman in Sooner football history to start on the defensive line in his first game at OU.
Jackson was credited with 30 tackles three tackles for loss and two sacks his freshman season. His performance last season landed him on several All-Freshman teams nationally. Suffice to say, another great season is expected from Jackson in 2025.
Linebacker Kip Lewis
In a linebacker corps last season that featured All-American Danny Stutsman, Kip Lewis developed a reputation as the team's big-play guy. Now is his fourth season at Oklahoma, the redshirt junior was third on the team a year ago with 65 tackles, along with four tackles for loss and two interceptions. Both of his interceptions (in wins over Auburn and Alabama) were returned for touchdowns. He is expected to be a key leader on defense this season and last week was named one of the seven team captains for the 2025 season.
Quarterback John Mateer
Much has been written about what John Mateer brings to the quarterback position after two seasons at Washington State under present Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.
Last season at Washington State, Mateer passed or 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns and ran the ball for an additional 826 yards and 15 more touchdowns. He led the nation accounting for 44 total touchdowns.
The fact that Mateer is familiar with and comfortable in Arbuckle's offensive system will be a giant plus for Oklahoma this season. He will serve as a team captain and has already established himself as a team leader. Mateer has been named to four 2025 national award preseason watch lists: Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Davey O'Brien Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Running back Jaydn Ott
Next to John Mateer, most college football experts rate California transfer Jaydn Ott as Oklahoma's biggest addition this season out of the transfer portal.
The transfer running back gives the Sooners an added dimension to the running game, which was a hit-and-miss proposition last season. Ott's production was way down last season as he totaled just 385 rushing yards while battlingan ankle injury throughout the year. The year prior, however, in 2023, Ott carried the ball for 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He was a first-team All-Pac 12 selection that season.
Ott has speed and the size to break tackles and make it hard to get him to the ground. He also has the skill and ability to catch passes out of the backfield, which makes him a double threat in the offense.
Offensive tackle Jacob Sexton
Jacob Sexton is in a three-way battle to start at the all-important position of left tackle on the Oklahoma offensive line. The former consensus four-star prospect has battled injuries throughout his three seasons at Oklahoma, but if he can stay healthy this season, he will be in line for a breakout season and have an important role in improving the Oklahoma rushing attack. As an anchor on the left side of the offensive line, Sexton's importance also comes into play in protecting quarterback John Mateer's blind side.
Safety Robert Spears-Jennings
One preview publication described Sooner senior safety Robert Spears-Jennings as the enforcer at the back end of the Oklahoma defense. Spears-Jennings started the final 11 games of the season a year ago and was second on the team with 66 tackles. He also collected five tackles for loss. 2.5 sacks, one interception, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. His four forced fumbles were tied for the fifth-most among all FBS players last season.
Spears-Jennings is an in-state product from Broken Arrow who did not get away. His physicality and experience is being counted on in a major way on a defensive unit that could be one of the best in college football in 2025. His leadership importance to the team is underscored in his being named one of the team captains for 2025.
Defensive end R Mason Thomas
A Second-Team All-SEC selection last season, Thomas was a disruptive force coming off the edge of the defense. He considered leaving early for the NFL Draft, but elected to return for his senior season. He led the team with 12.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks and 11 quarterback hurries. His nine sacks ranked fifth in the SEC and 20th in FBS.
As good as Thomas was as a junior last season, the Oklahoma coaches believe he will be even better in 2025. Thomas was named a team captain for the 2025 season.
Defensive lineman Damonic Williams
Head coach Brent Venables constantly refers to the SEC as a "line of scrimmage league," and former TCU transfer Damonic Williams is an anchor in what several experts have called the best defensive line in the SEC.
The Sooners beat out Texas and LSU for Williams when he entered the portal after the 2023 season, and the big payoff for Williams' services should come this season. His 35 tackles last season were sixth-best on the team, along with 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
This is expected to be the best year yet for the veteran defensive tackle who opted to return to play another season for Oklahoma and forgo an NFL career for one more year. The 6-foot-1, 323-pound senior is one of five Sooner defensive players named a team captain for the 2025 season.
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