Brent Venables just pulled off Oklahoma’s best-case offseason miracle

Brent Venables managed to get the whole band back together.

The NFL on Thursday released the list of underclassmen who entered the 2026 NFL Draft, and none of Oklahoma's players contemplating NFL decisions were among the players listed, including quarterback John Mateer, wide receiver Isaiah Sategna II and linebacker Kip Lewis. And with the Transfer Portal closing on Friday, all of them will return to the Sooners in 2026 for their final seasons of college football.

John Mateer and Kip Lewis expected to return to Oklahoma in 2026

This was best-case scenario for the Sooners as they had three of their most important players from this season weighing their options and all ultimately choosing to return after already making a run to the College Football Playoff together. It seems OU will survive portal chaos and early NFL Draft entries without losing a single solidified starter from 2025. The only starters lost were because of eligibility.

It will be Mateer's second season in Oklahoma after transferring from Washington State last year as the top prospect available in the portal. After adjusting to a new program and the SEC while dealing with a broken thumb and surgery early in the season, Mateer will return healthier and with his top target in Sategna, as well as new top-20 transfer additions Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone.

Mateer completed 62.2% of his passes for 2,885 yards and 14 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions this season while missing one game after thumb surgery. He also rushed for 431 yards and eight scores. Sategna was his No. 1 receiver with 67 receptions for 965 yards and eight touchdowns while also returning punts.

While Mateer will be the heartbeat of the Sooners' offense, Lewis will be on the other side of the ball and was the biggest concern to actually head to the NFL early. He led the Sooners with 76 tackles this past season, as well as 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, five quarterback hurries and a forced fumble while starting all 13 games. The Sooners also just added transfer linebacker Cole Sullivan from Michigan to anchor the defense alongside Lewis.

With so much uncertainty this time last year after a 6-7 season, the Sooners will now have more continuity than ever under Venables heading into a new season after just making the College Football Playoff.