The Oklahoma Sooners play football today, and we're still talking roster moves. This is a time unlike any other in college athletics.
In a whirlwind of a situation that started the day before the Sooners' season opener against UTEP on Friday night, OU has ultimately added two defensive tackles to its roster basically overnight, just as the clock struck midnight to have the roster finalized for the SEC.
As of Friday morning, former Arkansas defensive tackle Danny Saili is listed on OU's online roster without a picture, while CBS Sports national college football senior reporter Matt Zenitz reported that former Boise State DT Braxton Fely is enrolled at OU with the expectation to join the team soon, but he's not on the online roster yet.
Both players are returning for a fifth season after all the court rulings and 5-in-5 chaos that has engulfed college sports and exploded even more on Thursday with another court ruling in Louisiana, as LSU head coach Lane Kiffin fights to add former NFL players to the Tigers' roster. Fely attended an NFL rookie minicamp, but never actually signed a professional contract.
Fans still shouldn't expect either addition out on Owen Field on Friday night, or even suited up. According to Zenitz, it's still unclear if Fely will even play next week, when the Sooners travel to play No. 16 Michigan. OU head coach Brent Venables said earlier this week that Saili has been practicing, but he was just granted a TRO on Thursday to make him eligible to play in a game. There's still another looming hearing to make things official long-term.
Braxton Fely has now enrolled at Oklahoma, a source tells @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) September 4, 2026
Won’t play this week and it’s unclear at this point if he’ll play next week against Michigan but now officially set to be part of the Sooners’ roster this season.
Sooners will eventually get the return they want from Braxton Fely and Danny Saili
How they got here is a confusing mess that's ever-changing, but what matters in the end, and what fans really care about, is what the Sooners are actually getting in Fely and Saili. Simply, defensive tackle depth, which is valuable in the SEC.
That doesn't mean both players will show up and instantly give OU two new starters or All-SEC players, but they both have the experience to contribute eventually. Someone like Fely could be a godsend, though, if the Sooners end up suffering an injury at the position.
Fely was a three-year starter at Boise State, where he had spent his entire four-year career until now. He was named Second-Team All-Mountain West the past two seasons. Last season, he tallied 24 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks while starting all 14 games. He has the size to hold his own in the SEC at 6-1 and 296 pounds, and also has experience in the College Football Playoff and against some really good teams, albeit never anyone from the SEC.
Saili isn't as talented and decorated as Fely, but he comes in with SEC experience after spending the past two seasons at Arkansas. He actually initially committed to OU out of Hutchinson Community College in 2023 before flipping to the Razorbacks, so Venables liked Saili even before he gained time in the SEC. Last season, Saili recorded 10 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, and a pass deflection while appearing in 11 games.
These won't be immediate payoffs, but they could be worth all the commotion by the time the Sooners are entering SEC play, which is what matters the most.
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