Michael Boganowski Becoming More Well-Rounded Player as he Steps Into Bigger Role

NORMAN — Michael Boganowski was anything but polished when he arrived at Oklahoma in 2024.

After starring at linebacker in high school, Boganowski shifted to safety in college with a clear skill set — and clear limitations.

“Head hunter,” fellow safety Peyton Bowen said of Boganowski. “He was just told in Junction City, Kan., ‘See ball, get ball.’ He’s grown up a lot, learned the playbook a lot. He has his technique down. He is going to make a huge stride.”

He played in 13 games as a freshman in 2024, though most of his action came on special teams. He finished with eight tackles that season.

Last year, Boganowski started the season opener before being used in a reserve role the rest of the way. He finished with 31 tackles, with 2.5 for loss and a sack, becoming a steady depth piece in the secondary.

The Sooners need Boganowski to take another significant step forward in 2026 after Robert Spears-Jennings’ graduation and Jaydan Hardy’s transfer to Colorado.

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Boganowski looks like a likely starter at safety across from Bowen on the other side.

Reggie Powers, who figures to start at cheetah for the Sooners after going through a similar growth pattern over the last two seasons, remembers talking about the future with Boganowski shortly after their arrival together.

“We were just talking about when we’re both gonna start and when we were freshmen and we both wanted to start,” Powers said Thursday. “I feel like this is the year for us to really shine and really do our thing. So we’re pushing each other to stay consistent and to not feel ourselves or nothing like that, but to just keep working harder, because that’s what’s gonna get us to where we want to be.”

Boganowski and Powers are roommates, and they constantly talk about the game, especially in the framework of Boganowski being a linebacker-turned-safety and Powers being a safety who has shifted to a linebacker-type role at cheetah.

“Both of us being kind of versatile players, it helps us when we’re watching film together,” Powers said. “Something like that, it helps us see what each other are thinking as well. And that helps us all around get better, because if he sees something that I didn’t see, now I have that on my alert and it helps us both be on the same page.”

They’re also continuing to build on-field chemistry.

Bowen has noticed a big change in Boganowski from last year, including breaking away from the “see ball, get ball” mentality.

“Really just opening his field of view and seeing everything that he needs to see, go break on the ball, go make a play on the ball instead of just, ‘All right, let me run through his face and make a highlight reel and hit,’ Bowen said. “I think that’s the biggest growth he’s made, especially last year rolling on into this year.”