Edge Rusher Wyatt Gilmore 'Can Be a Dude' At Oklahoma

NORMAN — When Wyatt Gilmore arrived on campus in early 2024, there was already a track record of young defensive players seeing the field early under Brent Venables.

But no matter how ready or talented a freshman may be, sometimes it comes down to position depth. When R Mason Thomas, Ethan Downs and Trace Ford are on the roster, young players have an even steeper hill to climb.

That's been the case for Gilmore. He's only played 15 snaps in two seasons in Norman (13 in 2025), but it finally seems like he's putting together a strong Fall Camp to demand playing time on defense — even behind guys like Taylor Wein, Adepoju Adebawore and Danny Okoye.

"He put together a great camp," Wein said on Tuesday. "Wyatt Gilmore is another dude, night and day, from when he first got here."

Considering that Venables declared Gilmore to be the "next Taylor Wein" during early spring, hearing praise come from Wein suggests that Venables' claim may have some merit. Of course, it took Wein a few seasons to become the player who exploded onto the scene in 2025.

"When Wyatt is at his best, he's a problem for every single team that we go against," Wein said. "We see a lot out of him and we know that he can be a dude here. We're excited."

The top three of Wein-Adebawore-Okoye appear set in stone heading into the final days of Oklahoma's Fall Camp practices. Venables loves to employ wave after wave of top-end talent, which opens the door for Gilmore, true freshman Jake Kreul or the versatile transfer Kenny Ozowalu to take that fourth spot.

"We’ve seen growth in all of the guys," Okoye said last week. "Growth in Wyatt, everybody in the room is stepping up. We’re all growing at the same time. It’s an overarching improvement.”

Wein's eyes opened up when asked about Gilmore's growth during Fall Camp. He praised his size, calling him a "Big, strong, athletic, powerful dude." Considering he's going up against a healthy dose of Michael Fasusi or E'Marion Harris in practice, that's saying something.

In 2025, Wein was the third or fourth edge rusher early in the season. His big plays against Illinois State and Auburn set the stage for what would be a larger role and a fantastic season.

All that to say that Gilmore's opportunity is a real one. If he makes the most of the chances he earns early in the season, he could set himself up to make Venables a prophet.

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