3 Oklahoma players proving everyone wrong and 3 who need to step up

It's hard to believe, but we're already halfway through the Oklahoma Sooners' 2026 football season, so at this midway point, we know what caliber of season the players are putting together. Some have exceeded what we expected from them ahead of Week 1, while others are falling short.

The offense as a whole has lowered its already low expectations, so obviously it's full of players who aren't reaching the potential that was set for them. Despite the Sooners sitting at a disappointing 3-3, the defense has still been elite, thanks to a few players who have stepped up with new opportunities.

Here are three OU players who have exceeded preseason expectations so far, and three who haven't. It's also worth mentioning that players who have been injured were not considered to be falling short, so yes, OU fans would like to see more from Michael Fasusi and Trell Harris, but they also haven't been given a fair chance to prove what they can do in 2026.

I also didn't include running back Lloyd Avant because running backs coach Deland McCullough flat-out told us before the season started that Avant would be RB1. If not for Avant coming from Colorado State, we probably would have expected what he's doing. Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is also keeping Avant from really shattering expectations.

3 Sooners who have exceeded expectations

After an underwhelming three seasons after getting to campus as a consensus five-star recruit, Adepoju "PJ" Adebawore was finally in line for a starting role to potentially reach all that potential. He hasn't emerged as a first-round pick yet, as those five stars declared, but he has taken over the starting job on the edge opposite Taylor Wein.

Through his first six starts, Adebawore is near the top of just about every defensive stat among the Sooners. Until freshman Jake Kreul's breakout game against Kentucky, Adebawore led OU with 2.5 sacks. He's also tallied 17 tackles and three TFLs.

Between Adebawore stepping up and Kreul, a fellow former five-star recruit, showing he's a future star, the Sooners' pass rush will be in great hands in 2027.

Noah Best just showed up on campus this spring with about zero expectations as a three-star recruit from the 2026 class. Now, he's maybe the Sooners' most consistent and reliable offensive lineman among a group of veterans with extremely high ceilings.

Best impressed during fall camp, so after early injuries, he was given the task of starting at center Week 1 for his collegiate debut. He became the first freshman center to start an OU season opener since J.R. Conrad in 1992.

He's been in the starting lineup ever since as an offensive guard, and it doesn't look like he'll be losing his spot anytime soon, especially if the Sooners' big guys keep dropping like flies. Halfway through the season, Best and E'Marion Harris are the only offensive linemen to stay healthy and start in every game so far.

Sophomore safety Omarion Robinson has exceeded even the OU coaching staff's expectations, as he took advantage of Michael Boganowski missing time with an injury and took control of the starting job in the past four games.

Robinson has recorded 25 tackles, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hurry while appearing in every game this season. He also notched his first career interception against Georgia.

He's also done plenty that won't show up on a stat sheet, but still makes the Sooners better.

3 Sooners who have fallen short

The biggest additions the Sooners made from the transfer portal over the offseason were wide receivers Trell Harris (Virginia) and Parker Livingstone (Texas). Harris was living up to the hype before suffering a serious injury, which he finished the game with, but Livingstone has been healthy, for the most part, and has still been nonexistent.

In five games, Livingstone has caught just six passes for 51 yards. He went catchless against his old team in the Red River Rivalry, then missed the Sooners' most recent game against Kentucky.

In Livingstone's absence, sophomore Manny Choice broke out with a team-high 98 receiving yards on five receptions. Despite the expectation to become at least one of quarterback John Mateer's top three targets, Livingstone might not have many passes coming his way for the rest of the season.

I said I wasn't holding injuries against players, and running back Xavier Robinson has missed the last two games, but he had already fallen short, even before missing time.

Robinson was expected to lead the backfield after a solid sophomore campaign in 2025, but he lost that role to Lloyd Avant before the season even started. Since then, he's just fallen further down the pecking order. Once he's back, Robinson could be considered RB4 after averaging 3.8 yards per carry.

Everyone knew which category quarterback John Mateer would be under.

Mateer also didn't meet expectations last year as the No. 1 quarterback in the transfer portal, but playing with a surgically repaired thumb on his throwing hand was to blame for his shortcomings. Now healthy, Mateer is still disappointing, and even more so than in 2025.

Turnovers are by far Mateer's biggest issue in 2026, and have even cost the Sooners a few games, including just last week against Kentucky. OU has the worst turnover margin among all Power 4 teams. Of the Sooners' 14 turnovers this season, Mateer has been responsible for nine of them, with seven interceptions and two lost fumbles.

Mateer has fallen so short that many OU fans are starting to wonder if his backups with no FBS experience could be better, since it feels like things couldn't be worse.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow