Oklahoma football: OU defense adds another valuable piece up front for 2024

Head coach Brent Venables and defensive line coach Todd Bates recognize how important strength, saavy and depth are defensively at the point of attack, and that becomes even more important with Oklahoma football moving to the SEC, the premier conference in college football, this coming season.

Toward that end, the Sooners have added defensive tackle Jermayne Lole through the transfer portal. Listed at 6-foot, 3 inches and 310 pounds, Lole, who hails from Long Beach, Caiifornia, began his collegiate career at Arizona State. He spent four seasons as a Sun Devil, the last two of which were cut short by injury. He transferred to Louisville after the 2021 season, where he spent the last two seasons.

Lole's best season was in 2019 as an Arizona State transfer. That season, he recorded 71 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. Last season at Louisville, he

It is the Louisville transfer's five years of experience and D-line production that OU is looking for the most as Venables and Bates continue to strengthen the team's defensive line depth. In five seasons, Lole has played more than 1,800 snaps of college ball.

He joins a defensive line group that includes veteran Da'Jon Terry, himself a transfer in his second season from Tennessee; Gracen Halton and Davon Sears, both of whom looked good in the Spring Game on Saturday; and a pair of highly touted true freshman in David Stone and Jayden Jackson.

Lole will likely be used at nose tackle in rotation with Terry.

Lole's commitment is the second transfer addition in as many days, Oklahoma added offensive line transfer Branson Hickman from SMU over the weekend.