What Damonic Williams' return means for Oklahoma

Damonic Williams will be in Oklahoma for one more season.

Williams posted a video on social media on Monday to announce he would return to the Sooners for his final year of eligibility in 2025. There was a possibility Williams would enter the NFL Draft, and he even told media before the Armed Forces Bowl that it was a decision he was still weighing.

"Me, Coach (Todd) Bates, Coach (Brent Venables) have been talking about it," Williams said then. "A lot of sit-down conversations on the phone with my family. It's just, you know, take it one day at a time."

Williams was already one of the most experienced players on the Sooners' defense after transferring from TCU last year. He was one of the top available players in the transfer portal last offseason.

During two seasons with TCU, Williams started 27 games after immediately seeing the field as a freshman and earning several Freshman All-America honors while the Horned Frogs made the College Football Playoff final. He made his first college start two days before turning 18.

Williams then started all 13 games during his first season at OU, meaning he has started every possible game of his college career so far. According to On3's George Stoia, Williams also played more snaps than any other defensive tackle for the Sooners, proving to be an integral part returning.

This season, Williams tallied 33 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack, two QB hurries and a forced fumble.

With defensive staples like Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman Jr. moving on to the NFL, Williams' veteran presence will be huge for the Sooners in 2025.

Williams returning along with fellow defensive linemen Gracen Halton, Jayden Jackson and David Stone will also be vital in the physical SEC. Not only can OU's defensive front still hold its own in a conference famous for its physicality, but the Sooners might even have one of the best defensive lines in the SEC next season.

Williams' return and the timing also goes deeper than just the Sooners' welfare on the field. His announcement came just two days after it was reported that co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Zac Alley was leaving OU to be the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at West Virginia.

The NFL Draft wasn't Williams' only option beyond Oklahoma. Even if he did get a bad grade from NFL scouts, Williams still could have entered the transfer portal to head elsewhere. He would have been a hot commodity, too, with the chance to make a lot more money or play for a program already at a championship caliber.

With the alleged leader of the defense gone, this was proof Williams committed to play for Brent Venables and Oklahoma, not just Alley. So as it seems like the sky is falling in Norman after a second losing season under Venables and Alley leaving for a lesser program, Williams assured there's still faith in Venables and his leadership of the Sooners, especially on the defensive side of the ball in the midst of another coordinator search.