Oklahoma's fall camp is underway, and one of the sharpest position battles on the roster is playing out along the defensive edge.
With R. Mason Thomas now in the NFL, the Sooners need someone to line up opposite returning starter Taylor Wein. Two players are competing for that role: senior Adepoju Adebawore and sophomore Danny Okoye. According to Yahoo Sports, the competition between them could be one of the defining battles of the entire preseason.
Adebawore arrived in Norman as a five-star recruit and has put together a solid career, though perhaps not at the level Oklahoma originally projected. He has 27 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and five sacks across his time with the program. Last season was his best, with 17 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks in a rotational role. He also built a reputation as one of the better run-stopping edge defenders in the SEC.
Okoye is a former four-star recruit who played sparingly as a redshirt freshman last season. He totaled six tackles, two tackles for loss, and two sacks in limited action, but his athletic ability has drawn significant attention within the program.
After practice on Friday, Adebawore spoke about what Okoye brings to the competition every day.
"He has work ethic," Adebawore said. "He has drive. Just a very driven player. And you know, just seeing that from a younger guy just makes me want to elevate all the time. Those guys come in, and they do so much for me. I see their work ethic, and it makes me want to try even harder to make sure I'm the example with me being older."
That kind of internal pressure from a younger teammate is often what pushes veterans to their best football. Adebawore's comments suggest the competition is genuine and that both players are raising each other's level rather than undercutting it.
Replacing Thomas is not a simple task. He was a key piece of a defense that led the entire nation in sacks and tackles for loss last season. Head coach Brent Venables will not necessarily need one player to replicate that production alone. What Oklahoma needs is consistent pressure from whoever lines up at that spot, and ideally a rotation deep enough to keep fresh legs on the field throughout games.
If Adebawore builds on his momentum from last season and Okoye takes the kind of jump that second-year players sometimes make, Venables could have more than enough at the position. The Sooners open the 2026 season with one of the nation's most productive defenses returning, and the edge group will go a long way toward determining whether that unit can reach the same level again.
Fall camp continues in Norman as the competition works itself out.
