Now deep into this Transfer Portal cycle, the Oklahoma Sooners are still in desperate need of more depth at defensive tackle to rotate in behind presumed starters David Stone and Jayden Jackson. The trick, though, is finding a player in the portal that's willing to fill in as a depth piece and not break the bank as a reserve, all while the talent in the portal continues to rapidly dwindle.
Fitting that mold, the Sooners added Georgia State transfer Bishop Thomas on Monday. However, OU still needs more there, especially after Markus Strong hit the portal. Behind Stone and Jackson at defensive tackle, no other player has real experience outside of garbage time or special teams, so experience should be high on OU general manager Jim Nagy's list of wants in a player, but this far along, he also can't be too picky.
Nagy tends to nab talent from lower levels of college football, especially for depth pieces, because of their value. It's hard to convince a Power Four backup to still remain as a backup even after transferring. It's also ignorant to overpay a player that might not play much.
Wilky Denaud has actually spent time in the SEC, though, at Mississippi State and Auburn as a former four-star recruit before ending up at Florida Atlantic in 2024. This season as a redshirt sophomore, Denaud tallied 30 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble in 11 games before entering the portal again. With two years of eligibility left, Denaud can not only immediately add depth, but also has some time to develop into more and could jump at another SEC opportunity for a bargain.
Traevon Mitchell has worked his way up every season so far after starting his career at Division-II Chowan for two years, then West Florida and finally South Florida this past season. In his first season at the FBS level, Mitchell had 29 tackles, six TFLs, two sacks and four quarterback hurries. Mitchell is undersized at 6-foot and 282 pounds, but the pickings are getting slim in the portal at this point.
After starting his career at Cal Poly in 2022, Jordan Sanders, listed 6-foot-4 and 306 pounds, spent one season at Texas State and recorded 16 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and a forced fumble in 13 games. On3 has Sanders ranked right below Markus Strong in its transfer position rankings. Strong was expected to be a contributor for the Sooners in 2026, but his portal departure is the main reason OU is in this situation now. Right now, Florida State is the favorite to land Sanders.
A former junior college product and Second-Team All-Sun Belt in 2024, Kevontay Wells, listed at 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds, is the most productive player on this list with 84 tackles, 15.5 TFLs and 5.5 sacks in 24 career FBS games. He has one year of eligibility left, and although it was at the Group of Five level, Wells has the experience to plug into the Sooners' rotation immediately.
Kevin Wynn is the only Power Four player on this list, but he's also the least experienced. He just finished his freshman season at Florida State, but appeared in just four games while dealing with an injury and ultimately redshirting, which actually benefits his next school since he'll have four years of eligibility left. Wynn was the top player in the Seminoles' 2025 signing class as a four-star recruit and the No. 10 defensive lineman, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Wynn doesn't have the experience the Sooners really need, but he can still already serve as a depth piece and has a higher ceiling than most other players left in the portal.