5 headlines OU fans might have missed over the offseason if you weren't paying attention

The Oklahoma Sooners' 2026 college football season is just over a week away, and while many of us count down the days and still keep up with news daily throughout the offseason, many fans have been checked out since December and might have missed the storylines that defined the offseason.

For those who haven't been paying attention and maybe even just missed a story while on vacation or watching the Sooners' title run through the College World Series, here are the five most important headlines from the offseason that you need to know before the season kicks off, or else you'll be lost on Sept. 4.

Jason Witten headlines Brent Venables' coaching staff changes

Brent Venables was busy early in the offseason replacing three assistant coaches after firing tight ends coach Joe Finley, and running backs coach DeMarco Murray and cornerbacks coach Jay Valai leaving for new jobs in the NFL. Deland McCullough replacing Murray and LaMar Morgan now coaching corners were both solid hires, but it was Venables hiring future Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Witten as tight ends coach that garnered all the attention.

After 17 NFL seasons and being the head coach of Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas, Witten got his first college coaching gig with the Sooners, and soon, his five-star linebacker prospect of a son, Cooper, will also follow as an OU commit.

Witten jolted a complete position transformation at tight end by bringing in three great transfer additions in Hayden Hansen (Florida), Rocky Beers (Colorado State) and Jack Van Dorselaer (Tennessee). He also landed a top-3 tight end from the 2027 class, Seneca Driver.

The benefits of bringing in Witten have been obvious so far on the recruiting trail and everyone around the program has praised him, but now we still have to see the results that really matter on the field.

Sooners add Texas transfer Parker Livingstone to add fuel to Red River Rivalry

One of many transfers the Sooners brought in was former Texas wide receiver Parker Livingstone. A player crossing the Red River obviously caused an uproar, but that was only the beginning of the rivalry drama.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed at SEC Media Days that the Longhorns basically dropped Livingstone to make room for portal additions and also made it known that he believed his team is better now because of the move. When asked specifically about Livingstone, Sarkisian also said, "I hope we kick his ass."

Livingstone has handled the situation with a lot more class, but there's no doubt the the Sooners have a motivated weapon for the Red River Rivalry on Oct. 10, when Livingstone can make his old team eat all their words after forcing him to make the controversial move.

OU linebacker Owen Heinecke wins legal battle with NCAA for extra season

Linebacker Owen Heinecke was a breakout star in 2025 after initially beginning his college career as a lacrosse player at Ohio State before walking on to play football at OU and getting almost no playing time before last season. It seemed like Heinecke's college career was over after finally cracking the starting lineup and earning Second-Team All-SEC honors.

But then, after a lengthy battle with the NCAA that included no after no, Heinecke took down the organization when a Cleveland County judge ruled that Heinecke is eligible for 2026 just days before OU's spring game and after Heinecke had already participated in the NFL Scouting Combine. Between appearing in just five lacrosse games at OSU, missing an entire season because of injury and his recruitment getting ruined by the COVID-19 pandemic, the judge thought Heinecke deserved one more year.

The Sooners suddenly had another starter back for what could be one of the best defenses in the country in 2026. Heinecke himself could also be in contention for the Butkus Award, which goes to the best linebacker in college football.

NCAA adopts new '5-in-5' eligibility rule

Speaking of Owen Heinecke's eligibility drama, to finally help limit situations like that, the NCAA adopted an age-based 5-in-5 eligibility rule that gives athletes from all sports five years to actually compete instead of four while basically erasing redshirts in college athletics. It's a rule Brent Venables had been behind to alleviate another roster headache of trying to navigate redshirts and also figuring out who will or won't be eligible the next year.

However, in true NCAA fashion, the change actually caused more chaos throughout college sports when a federal judge ruled that athletes from the 2022 recruiting class who didn't get a fifth year were now suddenly eligible. That domino'd to even pro athletes trying to return to college and players who were once ineligible looking for new homes in the midst of fall camp.

The Sooners briefly added former Arkansas defensive tackle Danny Saili through this loophole, but he has since been deemed ineligible (for now) and it seems like the Sooners are just going to move on with their current roster.

Roger Denny gives Brent Venables early contract extension

Despite Brent Venables posting a losing record in half of his four seasons so far as OU's head coach, new athletic director Roger Denny pulled the trigger and gave Venables another contract extension this month in what was a move that divided Sooner Nation. The extension bumped Venables' salary to $10.5 million and made his contract run through 2031.

Denny proved he's all in on Venables after he got the Sooners to the College Football Playoff in 2025 and has expectations to return this season. No matter your take on the extension, Venables is likely the Sooners' head coach for years to come, even if 2026 disappoints.

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