All you have to do is look at what the Sooners have done on defense over the last few seasons to know Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables has made his mark at one of college football’s all-time great programs. But it is how vastly Oklahoma has improved defensively over the last two seasons that has caught the attention of fans and analysts alike.
How Is the DL Roster Laid Out in 2026?
Since the arrival of Venables, defensive tackles coach Todd Bates and defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis, defensive-line recruiting has become one of the clearest strengths of Oklahoma’s roster construction.
Venables was named OU’s head coach in December 2021, while Bates joined the staff the following month. Chavis, who worked under Venables at Clemson, currently oversees the Sooners’ defensive ends. Bates coaches the defensive tackles and also serves as associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator.
However, much of the production expected from OU’s elite 2024 defensive-line class will begin cycling out over the next several seasons. Venables, Bates and Chavis will eventually have to replace defensive tackles David Stone, Nigel Smith II and Jayden Jackson, along with defensive ends Wyatt Gilmore and Danny Okoye. Some will exhaust their eligibility at Oklahoma, while others possess the talent to leave early for the NFL.
That 2024 group was unquestionably special. Stone was a consensus five-star and top-20 national prospect, while Okoye was a consensus four-star and top-175 recruit. Smith, Jackson and Gilmore gave the Sooners even more high-level developmental talent in the same class.
Oklahoma followed that haul by signing defensive end C.J. Nickson, defensive tackle Trent Wilson and defensive end Alex Shieldnight in 2025. Nickson and Wilson were both considered four-star prospects by multiple recruiting services, while Shieldnight arrived after an extremely productive high school career at Wagoner.
The Sooners also supplemented the defensive line through the transfer portal. Oklahoma added defensive tackle Damonic Williams from TCU and defensive end Caiden Woullard from Miami (Ohio) in 2024. The following year brought Florida State transfer Marvin Jones Jr. and Utah State transfer Siolaa “Ricky” Lolohea—who officially appeared on the roster, even if I’m still not convinced he actually existed. For the record, Lolohea did not play during the 2025 season.
After the massive 2024 recruiting haul, Oklahoma could afford to be more strategic with its 2025 defensive-line additions. There simply wasn’t an immediate need to sign another enormous class—not with members of the 2023 class such as defensive ends P.J. Adebawore and Taylor Wein still in the program. However, the loss of defensive tackle Markus Strong still stung a bit.
The need became more pressing in 2026, which is why the Sooners attacked that cycle more aggressively.
Highly sought-after edge rusher and ESPN five-star Jake Kreul headlined the group. Kreul was rated as ESPN’s No. 25 overall prospect and No. 5 defensive end, and he has been a bright spot since arriving in Norman in January.
Oklahoma also signed four-star defensive ends Matthew Nelson and Daniel Norman, along with three-star defensive linemen Brian Harris and James “Tank” Carrington. Carrington has been another bright spot during fall camp. The group gave Bates and Chavis another wave of young talent to develop before the stars of the 2024 class begin departing.
That brings us to 2027.
On the surface, Oklahoma’s 2027 defensive-line class may not appear as star-studded as the 2024 haul, but there is important nuance behind the Sooners’ evaluations.
Four-star defensive tackle Elija Harmon missed time during his junior season because of an injury but remained a top-300 prospect because his sophomore film was that impressive. Similarly, three-star defensive tackle Deven Robertson has a legitimate opportunity to earn a fourth star after a strong week of practices and game action at the Navy All-American Bowl.
Robertson was selected to participate in the January 2026 event at the Alamodome in San Antonio and committed to Oklahoma during the game. His work throughout the week was described as head-turning and somewhat surprising—not because he lacked ability, but because he performed at a level that exceeded his existing ranking.
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Defensive tackle Sione Felila remains extremely raw, but the foundation is there. Jim Nagy, Venables and Bates can see the frame and traits they have to work with, which is why Oklahoma recruited Felila so aggressively.
At defensive end, the 2027 class is led by four-star Krew Jones. Jones plays with the passion and edge that perfectly fit Chavis’ personality. Landing Jake Kreul and Krew Jones in consecutive classes should excite the heck out of Oklahoma fans.
Both players are Taylor Wein-esque in how they attack the game. They possess an energy that not many players can generate—much less sustain. Kreul and Jones can, and that relentless approach is one of the primary reasons they have already created so much heartache for opposing quarterbacks.
Last—but certainly not least—is three-star defensive end Samuel Nelson, the younger brother of 2026 signee and current OU freshman Matthew Nelson.
Both Nelson brothers are as intelligent as they come, and both remain developmental prospects from a frame and athletic standpoint. A year or two inside Oklahoma’s strength-and-conditioning program, combined with continued development under Chavis, should serve them well. It would not be surprising to see both become significant contributors in the not-too-distant future.
That is a lot to process when evaluating Oklahoma’s future defensive-line depth—and we haven’t even discussed the transfers OU added during the 2026 portal window.
The larger point is that the eventual departures from the 2023 and 2024 classes will create significant holes. Oklahoma has recruited well enough in 2025, 2026 and 2027 to prepare for those losses, but the 2028 cycle will be critical if the Sooners intend to keep the defensive-line pipeline rolling for years to come.
With all of that context in mind, let’s break down where Oklahoma currently stands with the top 2028 defensive linemen on its recruiting board.
Five-star Shopping at Defensive Tackle:
Five-star Kellan Hall:
Oklahoma has been involved with Louisville (Ky.) five-star defensive tackle Kellan Hall for several years. Sooners defensive tackles coach Todd Bates made a strong impression on the Halls from the jump, and the elite defensive tackle and his family quickly took to OU. Hall has now visited Norman nearly double-digit times since beginning his trek down the recruiting trail.
Hall recently released a top 12 of Oklahoma, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan, LSU, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Georgia, Oregon, Texas and Ohio State. With the Sooners firmly in the mix, the next question was when OU would get him back for a game. I spoke with Kellan’s father, Draper Hall, around midday Thursday, and he told OUInsider that another visit to Norman is coming soon.
“I’ll give [Kellan Hall] some credit. When we visited OU this past summer we were did discuss going to a neutral site game in Dallas (Red River Rivalry), and then going to a game in Norman afterwards,” Draper said of Kellan discussing the possibility of attending two OU games during the podcast the two joined with OUInsider this past summer. “Ultimately, we are just so busy and can’t make it work, but we will be there on September on 19th.”
That is the game Oklahoma hosts New Mexico, in case you were wondering.
With the next visit to Norman set and Hall’s top 12 now public, where do the Sooners stand? Is Oklahoma still viewed as one of his leading schools?
“They are definitely still up there. They are very consistent and every time we’re there, we the same in return, you know, it’s now that we are just in a different phase of the recruitment process because, as you can imagine, we are now in the NIL talks,” Kellan Hall’s father told OUInsider. “That piece and then we are getting down to the nuts and bolts of it all because he will be an early enrollee. Like what does that look like from a playing time? Is he going to be able to see the field as a freshman and be competing? But, yeah, Oklahoma is definitely right up there.”
My Take and Deeper Intel Into the Five-star DT Recruitment:
I’ll keep my take on the Sooners’ standing with Hall short and sweet: They are the team to beat. Unequivocally. However, the gist of where things stand is a bit more nuanced than that.
First, as you all know, Hall released his top 12 the other day for the world to see.
Again, Hall’s top 12 consists of Oklahoma, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan, LSU, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Georgia, Oregon, Texas and Ohio State.
If we’re talking about an “Oklahoma should worry about this school” type of narrative, in-state Kentucky is certainly one to watch. Wildcats head coach Will Stein is a known winner wherever he has coached, but rebuilding a Kentucky program that has gone 16-21 since the start of the 2023 season under former head coach Mark Stoops won’t be easy. Still, Hall believes in Stein and where he can take the program.
“Coach [Will] Stein has that program moving in the right direction and things will be different under him,” Hall told OUInsider back in June when talking about the instate program.
Kellan’s father, Draper, elaborated on Kentucky’s involvement in his five-star son’s recruitment and how much the Wildcats have turned up the heat lately.
“[Kentucky is] turning up the heat. I mean, they are just boiling right now,” Draper Hall said of the Wildcats and Coach Stein’s ramped-up recruitment of the five-star defensive lineman. “Similar because, you know, They are in the backyard, so they probably have the most access to him in terms of being able to watch, practices in the spring and just all those variations of things. And then, of course, him being a Kentucky kid, the community is now getting involved in the recruitment process.”
That added pressure from Kentucky will be something to watch very, very closely moving forward. The one thing that could derail it would be a rough season from the Wildcats—and that is certainly not out of the question.
A few other quick notes in the “watch out for these teams” category center on Texas A&M and Ohio State.
With Ohio State, there is the factor of defensive-line coach Larry Johnson getting a little long in the tooth. Johnson has been with the Buckeyes—and coaching in general—for a long time. At 74 years old, retirement could potentially be around the corner, which is why sources have told me Ohio State’s head coach Ryan Day has become heavily involved in Hall’s recruitment.
Still, the Buckeyes have a history of producing elite defensive linemen, much like Todd Bates has throughout his career, and that is something the Halls have taken into account. It is also a major reason Ohio State is nipping at the heels of Oklahoma and Kentucky. The Buckeyes are doing so alongside Texas A&M.
The Aggies are one of the “late arrivals” Draper Hall has referenced when talking to OUInsider. Draper said those late-arriving programs had to make their mark, and A&M has done so in a big way. Hall has taken to the culture Mike Elko is building in College Station, and I consider the Aggies a legitimate contender at this point.
Final Take on the Sooners and 5-star Kellan Hall:
At the end of the day, Oklahoma is going to be tough to beat. Hall’s relationship with defensive tackles coach Todd Bates, along with the family’s overall comfort with the complete staff and Norman as a whole, puts the Sooners squarely in pole position, per sources. This quote certainly doesn’t hurt.
“I camped there with the mission of learning more from one of the best defensive line coaches in the nation in Coach [Todd] Bates,” Kellan told OUInsider in June. “But what stands out about Oklahoma is that they talks about the draft picks, but that’s not their selling point. Their selling point is that their culture is different. When you come there, they’re going to treat you like family. It’s going to feel like a home away from home.”
The five-star defensive tackle continued, “They’re going to treat you like their son and they’re going to care for you. You’re going to be around great, like-minded men with the end goal of winning a championship.”
Maybe the biggest quote of all in the Sooners’ favor came from Draper Hall.
“There hasn’t been one time where we stepped on campus and that mutual respect and just care for a person hasn’t been on display,” Kellan’s father said of the Sooners’ treatment of his son and the entire Hall family each time they visit. “For us, that equates to the fact that he is a priority and they’re fully invested in him as a person.”
As things stand today, the five-star defensive tackle from Louisville (Ky.) plans to announce his college decision sometime in January. I am told it could come at the Under Armour Game, but for that to become a sure thing or be set in stone, it would need to come directly from Kellan or someone in his camp. I do know it is being discussed.
Sources have given a broad timeline ranging from December to May, but at this point, I lean much closer to December than May for Hall’s potential commitment.
There will be much more on the five-star as the football season rolls along—and certainly after his Sept. 19 visit to Norman for the New Mexico game.
A Few More Notes on ELITE 2028 DL:
Five-star EDGE Jelanie George:
As of now, it does feel the Washington Huskies are the team to beat, but the Sooners aren’t far behind. A source told OUInsider the other day that things are far from done there with George and that NIL and a few others things will come into play as his recruiting heats up. The big deal will be getting George back to Norman for a game. If the Sooners can pull that off, and continue to build off the back of his teammate 2027 CB commit Mykal Davis, they will have a chance.
For now, George is down to his top six in Washington, Oklahoma, Miami, Ohio State, Miami and Florida. Again, OU is squarely in his top three and some say they are the team nipping at the heels of the Huskies.
Top50 Overall Ranked DL Prince Che:
If you missed it, we had Prince Che on the OUInsider Recruiting Breakdown about a month ago.
Teams like Texas A&M, Florida, LSU and UGA are competing with Oklahoma. Che visited the Sooners back in early June. From that point on, Oklahoma has become more than just a contender for the GeorgiaPreps DT. Coach Todd Bates deserves a lot of credit here, but so does Oklahoma’s assistant defensive line coach Deshawn Williams. Coach Williams showed Che around and was with the elite 2028 DT the whole time he was on campus in Norman.
Che is still in the cutting down process, so he is has only narrowed it down to 15 at this point, but he specifically called Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia and LSU his “top 5” back in July. I would say there has been shakeup or two since then, but the Sooners have remained constant and should continue to do so with his coach Scott Pagano being not only a former player for Todd Bates, but a former teammate of OU”s assistant DT coach DeShawn Williams.
Doesn’t hurt the Sooners’ chances at all.
Lastly, Che said the distance makes it to where a visit to OU needs to take place during Thomas County’s two bye weeks. Oklahoma only plays at home during one of Che’s bye weeks and that is week one vs UTEP, so I will work to confirm if that is still his plan, but I do think that OU is in pretty good standing as we sit here in late August with the 2028 Top50 target.
*** More recruiting content in the days to come, with interviews with two four-star Sooners offers from Bixby like 2028 four-star TE/ATH Connor Arrant and four-star OL Gavin Wilson, along with 2027 five-star OL commit Kaeden Penny.
