Once a liability, Sooners' D-line unit for 2024 should be stronger, more formidable at point of attack

Oklahoma loses some key contributors on a defensive line that last season ranked third in the Big 12 and 42nd in the nation in rushing defense, but the group returning along with several recruiting and transfer portal additions may be even better, not just in the forthcoming season but into the future.

This is good news for a Sooner team that has seen its defensive unit evolve from being one of the worst in the nation and a definite liability to a strength of the team going into its third season under defensive-minded head coach Brent Venables.

Nationally acclaimed college football expert Phil Steele ranks both Oklahoma's linebacking position group and the OU secondary group as the second best in the country entering the 2024 season. And a Venables would be quick to tell you, the key to any elite defensive unit is the play upfront in the trenches at the point of attack.

Senior Ethan Downs and junior R Mason Thomas are projected as the Sooner starters at defensive end heading into fall training camp. Downs played in all 13 OU games last season and started in 12. He recorded 29 total tackles along with 4.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. Thomas was in and out of the rotational lineup last season and limited by injury. He missed four games in 2023, but the Sooners believe this could be a breakout season for the former four-star recruit.

Former Tennessee transfer Da'Jon Terry, the most experience of the Oklahoma defensive linemen, returns for one final season at defensive tackle. Terry may start out at nose tackle and will be joined in the middle of the defensive line by TCU transfer Damonic Williams, considered one of the best defensive players available this offseason in the transfer portal. The former True Freshman All-American in 2022 and honorable mention All-Big 12 selection in 2023 will have two years of eligibility remaining. The addition of Williams to this group could be a game changer in the Sooners' starting front four

As solid a group as the presumptive starters on the Oklahoma front line are is the defensive talent the Sooners have brought in through recruiting and the transfer portal, which not only provides critical depth for the defensive line rotation but also strengthens the position group for several years to come.

Oklahoma's 2024 class includes three elite defensive lineman, headed by five-star recruit David Stone, rated as No. 4 at his position nationally by 247Sports. Jayden Jackson, Stone's teammate at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and Nigel James II are both four-star prospects at the defensive tackle position.

The Sooners' 2024 class also included edge rushers Wyatt Gilmore out of Minnesota and Danny Okoye, the No. 1 recruit in the state of Oklahoma, according to Rivals. Both are rated as four stars.

Stone and perhaps Jackson could have an immediate impact for the Sooners in 2024 but all five incoming recruits will probably see some action in the coming season.

Former five-star recruit P.J. Adebawore and former Oklahoma State transfer Trace Ford will see plenty of action at edge rusher as part of the rotation, and junior Gracen Halton and the freshman Jackson could be the first to come in backing up the starters at defensive tackle. Someone else to keep an eye out for is transfer defensive end Caiden Woullard, an All-MAC First-Team selection last season. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Venables and assistant coaches Todd Bates and Miguel Chavis have been working hard the past two seasons at upgrading the defensive line position at Oklahoma, bringing in elite talent and building depth for the future. This season, the Sooners first in the SEC, Venables and staff as well as OU fans should begin to see the fruits of that labor, all part of building a complementary defense.