The 34 players the Oklahoma Sooners lost to the transfer portal might look bad, but the Sooners still have a plethora of talent returning for the 2025 college football season from last year's roster. Some might actually think a complete overhaul was needed after a 6-7 season, but there was still plenty of playmakers to keep around in Norman to turn things around in 2025.
While the Sooners added 22 new players from the transfer portal this offseason who are drawing a lot of attention to make an immediate impact, some of the Sooners' biggest pieces for a successful 2025 were already in Norman.
Here's a look at the Sooners' top 5 returning players from the 2024 season who will be back in 2025.
Best Sooners returning from 2024 roster
The Sooners experienced a mass exodus of wide receivers to the transfer portal, but thankfully, the most talented one chose a final season at OU over another college destination or the NFL.
Sooner Nation barely got a glimpse of Deion Burks last season after he transferred from Purdue. Injuries hindered Burks' debut season and limited him to only five games. But even in that tiny sample size, Burks still led all OU receivers with 31 receptions for 245 yards and three touchdowns. His 31 receptions were the most ever by a player in the first five games of an OU career.
Now, Burks will be in a more potent passing game with John Mateer at quarterback and what should be a more healthy receiver room.
R Mason Thomas is already popping up as a projected first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Last season, after finally cracking the starting lineup, Thomas had 23 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks and two forced fumbles. He got better the deeper the season went last year, and after taking another step forward in 2025, Thomas could emerge as one of the best pass rushers in the SEC.
On a loaded defensive line, Gracen Halton managed to stand out in 2024 even while starting just three games.
Halton recorded 30 tackles, six tackles for loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles. Even if he's still a rotation piece in 2025, Gracen helps give the Sooners what could be the deepest defensive front in the SEC, where stout defensive lines are required to succeed.
Jayden Jackson was an anomaly starting on OU's defensive line as a true freshman, and he did it during the Sooners' first year in the SEC.
Even while figuring things out, Jackson still had 30 tackles and a pair of sacks, and was named a FWAA Freshman All-American. His freshman-to-sophomore leap could be the biggest one Jackson takes and he's on a path to finish as an all-time great at OU.
Often overshadowed by Danny Stutsman at linebacker, that's exactly why Kip Lewis returning is now so important for the Sooners.
Lewis totaled 65 tackles and four tackles for loss last season, and he also came up massive with a pair of clutch pick-sixes against Auburn and Alabama.
KIP LEWIS. SOONER MAGIC. #Sooners pic.twitter.com/H2tHbIRVeL
— TJ Eckert (@TJEckertKJRH) September 28, 2024
The Sooners were solid defensively last year and could be even better in 2025 with Brent Venables taking over, but Stutsman leaving for the NFL left OU's biggest gaping hole. I'm not saying Lewis emerges as the next Danny Stutsman breaking tackle records, but he's OU's best bet at stepping up and filling that void as a redshirt junior.
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