Oklahoma Gets Good News on Injured Center Jake Maikkula

The senior from Colorado, who transferred from Stanford prior to the 2025 season, went down in a scrimmage on Saturday and the Sooners initially feared the worst.

Oklahoma Sooners offensive lineman Jake Maikkula (69) against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the CFP National Playoff First Round at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma got just a little bit of good news Monday regarding starting center Jake Maikkula.

Maikkula, who started 10 games for the Sooners last year after transferring from Stanford, sustained a knee injury during the second half of Saturday’s full-contact scrimmage.

Maikkula was “rolled up on” by teammates from behind. Many feared that the injury could be season-ending.

But after undergoing an MRI on the knee, results Monday afternoon have come back with a more encouraging diagnosis: a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL). That's according to a Sooners On SI source close to the athletic department.

It is now expected that Maikkula will be out of action for 4-6 weeks from Saturday. On the calendar, that puts him on schedule to be healthy enough to play against Texas on Oct. 10, and possibly even for Georgia own Sept. 26. 

If Maikkula were to heal ahead of schedule, there could be an outside chance he could even return for the Sooners’ big road test at Michigan on Sept. 12. 

That game at the Big House in Ann Arbor is exactly four weeks out from Maikkula’s injury.

Maikkula, a 6-foot-6, 305-pound senior from Sedalia, CO, played in 11 games last year as the Sooners marched to the College Football Playoff. He started 16 games at guard and center for the Cardinal in 2023 and 2024.

He transferred to OU after spring practice last year during the second transfer portal window and immediately began to impact the roster.

Maikkula has been viewed by coaches and NFL insiders as a player who projects to have a strong chance of playing at the next level.

“Jake Maikkula didn’t even show up on campus last year until June,” Nagy said on The Franchise Morning Show at SEC Media Days. “Didn’t know the offense. Didn’t know the guys around him. He looked incredible this spring. He’s gonna be one of the top centers drafted.”

Maikkula stepped in immediately and filled the shoes of then-senior Troy Everett when Everett went down with an injury in Week 1.

He’s one of four returning starters on the offensive line this season, which was viewed as a potential strength for an offense trying to ignite in year two under offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.

Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh will likely sort through several options to replace Maikkula in the interim.

Senior Caleb Nitta, a 6-2, 302-pound transfer from Western Kentucky, is likely first up. But true freshman Noah Best, at 6-4 and 319, has received rave reviews from teammates and coaches during his first training camp. And Bedenbaugh has also discussed right guard Ryan Fodje being next in line at center next year.

After Nitta missed time in spring practice with an injury, Best is the surprise of that group.

“He's incredible,” Maikkula said at OU Media Day on Aug. 4. “He's going to be a really good player for OU in years to come.”

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