Observations From Oklahoma's Eighth Spring Practice

The Sooners took the practice field again on Thursday, with just nine days remaining until the 2026 spring game.

Oklahoma defensive end Taylor Wein looks on during one of the Sooners' spring practices. | Ryan Chapman / Sooners on SI

NORMAN — Oklahoma held practice on Thursday and allowed local media to view 30 minutes of the Sooners’ various drills.

Here are some observations from the Sooners On SI staff:

Injuries/Players that didn’t fully participate:

Five wide receivers were absent from practice: Jer’Michael Carter, Parker Livingstone, Elijah Thomas, Trell Harris and Isaiah Sategna.
Offensive lineman Ryan Fodje was a limited participant, as he is working his way back up to speed. He participated in portions of the practice viewing, including the red-zone drills.

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General observations

Linebacker James Nesta broke the Sooners out before practice, and the players subsequently dispersed from the near-midfield huddle into their position groups.
Defensive tackle Trent Wilson had multiple quality reps in a row in the half-line drill. Wilson routinely beat his blocker, and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates high-fived and hugged him twice in a row.
Tight ends Trynae Washington and Rocky Beers both impressed during the half-line drill. Washington put an impressive stiff arm on Wyatt Gilmore, while Beers utilized his 6-5, 245-pound frame to keep the opposing defensive linemen in check.
Kicker Tate Sandell, the 2025 Lou Groza Award winner, nailed a few field goals between 50 and 55 yards out in a row. Sandell missed only one field goal during the 2025 regular season.
Defensive end Taylor Wein slipped in one of the positional drills while he tried to evade a tackling dummy, though he did not appear to suffer any injuries. Wein went through the rep again before doing pushups on the sideline.
Quarterback John Mateer was visibly frustrated after one of his reps during a throwing drill. Mateer missed his target on the throwing net before shouting and running off the field.
Mateer also leapt before throwing during quarterback pocket drills.
Defensive back Omarion Robinson made an impressive play in the corner of the end zone, breaking up a pass from Mateer intended for tight end Kade McIntyre.
True freshman edge rusher Jake Kreul earned praise from defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis during one of the position drills. Chavis called out redshirt freshman defensive end CJ Nickson for being “too tall” during that same drill.
Both of OU’s true freshman running backs — DeZephen Walker and Jonathan Hatton Jr. — logged impressive reps in the half-line drill. Walker excelled at navigating the line of scrimmage and running through trash, while Hatton exuded patience as the runs developed before gliding into the second level.