Spring camp began in Oklahoma on Wednesday, which means the first chance for new Sooners to really impress Brent Venables and his OU coaching staff to earn starting roles by the time the season kicks off on Sept. 5.
The Sooners welcomed 25 new freshmen from the 2026 signing class and 16 additions from the Transfer Portal over the offseason. Although many starting jobs appear to already be locked up with so much returning production, there are still a few newcomers who could fill a needed spot, or even steal a job from someone else, after using a first impression this spring as the springboard.
E'Marion Harris showed up to Oklahoma this offseason already with 24 starts and SEC experience under his belt after four years at Arkansas. He revealed early on that he'll play offensive tackle for the Sooners, but they already have returning starters Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje there.
However, OU initially wanted Fodje at guard at the start of last year, so if Harris proves he's worthy, then the Sooners might have to shift Fodje back to guard and start Harris at tackle to give OU its best offensive front.
The Sooners were absolutely loaded at defensive end last season, but that's not quite the case for 2026 after the loss of R Mason Thomas and Marvin Jones Jr. Taylor Wein likely already has one edge locked up, but PJ Adebawore or Danny Okoye haven't quite had their breakout seasons yet, so freshman Jake Kreul, who ESPN had as a five-star prospect, could beat them to the punch.
Venables and OU general manager Jim Nagy spoke extremely high of Kreul after he signed in December and even admitted then that there were already expectations of him being part of the rotation this season. As a complete unknown compared to the rest, Kreul could surprise for the better and even crack the starting lineup as a freshman as the Sooners' No. 1 addition from the 2026 class.
The Sooners completely overhauled the tight end position over the offseason, including a new position coach in Jason Witten and three new players from the Transfer Portal. Hayden Hansen from Florida and Rocky Beers from Colorado State committed out of the portal even before Witten was hired and were expected to easily slide in as veteran starters with a lot of size. However, Jack Van Dorselaer from Tennessee was Witten's first recruiting win of his own.
Although Hansen and Beers have more experience, Van Dorselaer, who will be a sophomore in 2026, played in all 13 games for the Volunteers last season as a freshman. He might also end up being the better all-around tight end of the trio and has a lot more upside compared to those veterans who have only one year left.
If the position battle is close, it might be worth going with the younger player with more upside long-term, and the longer he's in that role the better it will be.