Having already secured two weapons for the offense in the early going of the spring transfer cycle, the Oklahoma Sooners are now eyeing talent for the defensive side of the ball.
Former Maryland defensive tackle Lavon Johnson on Wednesday, the day the transfer portal opened, shared an image with a list of schools that had apparently contacted him and he was presumably interested in.
The list included OU, Texas, Texas A&M, Rutgers, Utah, Indiana, Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Mississippi State.
Sooners after former Maryland DT Lavon Johnson
Johnson, listed at 6-foot-2 and 311 pounds, will have two years of eligibility left after two seasons at Maryland. This is the second time this offseason Johnson has been in the transfer portal. He also entered during the winter until Maryland convinced him to return, but only briefly.
Last season, Johnson appeared in eight games while battling an injury. He totaled 19 tackles, one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. He had a career-high tackles against Iowa.
Johnson was expected to take on a big role on Maryland's defense this upcoming season. He would likely just be a depth piece for the Sooners.
The Sooners have already added two players from the transfer portal, and did so the day before it even officially opened for everyone. Both additions were to the offensive side of the ball in offensive lineman Jake Maikkula and running back Jaydn Ott.
On the flip side, OU has lost four players so far during this transfer window. That included two players from the defense in defensive backs Mykel Patterson-McDonald and Peter Schuh. Neither ever got real playing time at OU.