Observations From Oklahoma's First Open Spring Practice of 2026

NORMAN — Oklahoma opened spring football for the 2026 season with an hour-long viewing window for local media on Wednesday. Video and pictures were permitted (more to come on Sooners On SI) Here are some observations from our team:

Injuries/Players Not Full Patricipants

Freshman receiver Daniel Odom had no helmet and also had a left wrist hand cast, but he was following along in drills, doing what he could.
Defensive back Markel Ford, edge rusher PJ Adebawore, defensive lineman Jayden Jackson and linebacker Beau Jandreau were also not in helmets.
Virginia transfer receiver Trell Harris was not spotted at practice.
Tight end Ryder Mix had no pads or helmet, he's still recovering from an offseason ACL injury
Running back Tory Blaylock also joined the no helmets club.
Defensive lineman David Stone not dressed — he was wearing a boot last week during Oklahoma's Pro Day.
Offensive lineman Daniel Akinkunmi was on a scooter.
Everyone on the field was wearing guardian helmets.

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General Observations

John Mateer's throwing motion looks ot be slightly improved. It is more over the shoulder at times, but he still sort of falls into the side-arm motion when he was sped up — as an example, many of his back shoulder throws during warm ups still a little flat requiring acrobatic catches by receivers.
Bowe Bentley has a quick release, more typical than Mateer's.
Ben Arbuckle spent time with Bentley when he wasn't throwing, more so than the time he spent around Mateer — but that's to be expected.
Parker Livingstone looks every bit the tall and strong target he was at Texas — a natural pass catcher with excellent body control, especially near the boundary. He made some of the more impressive catches during the media viewing period.
Peyton Bowen is noticeably bulkier, especially in his arms.
Lloyd Avant has good size for a bowling ball — not too small bit thick enough to take punishment
Jonathan Hatton looks like an upperclassmen in his pads. He's certainly a candidate to play early.
Rocky Beers smooth in drills, natural pass catcher
Jack Van Dorselear not as smooth as Beers, but has more speed to work with when he gets to the open field.
Hayden Hansen is humungous — Oklahoma's tight end room has drastically improved from an optics standpoint.
Jason Witten is not reserved, but not aggressive. He knew exactly what needed to be said if a tight end tripped up during a drill.
Deland McCullough calm, detail oriented, not a yeller
Tate Sandell was 4-for-4 from 45 yards out.
Freshman kicker Trace Rudd looked impressive behind Sandell.
Elijah Thomas sheds bags well on release drills, once he got into a straightaway, he showed off his impressive speed for his size.
Jacob Jordan and Isaiah Sategna worked on kick returns and punt returns.
Danny Okoye and Taylor Wein worked with defensive tackles and Todd Bates.