Oklahoma Hopes to Elevate WR Isaiah Sategna After 'Big-Time' Contributions in 2026

NORMAN — Some recruitments are easier than others.

The process of getting Isaiah Sategna back on campus for the 2026 season was pretty simple, at least for quarterback John Mateer.

“We called a couple times, but he wanted to come back,” Mateer said of his offseason conversations with his top target. “I was like, ‘Awesome. Come on!’ We obviously have a great relationship. I didn’t — I wouldn’t say I did any begging. He likes being here, being an Oklahoma Sooner.”

Getting Sategna back was one of the top priorities this past winter.

He caught 67 passes for 965 yards and eight scores — all career-highs — in his first season with the Sooners, and Sategna proved to be one of the few targets who avoided a major dip in production after Mateer sustained his thumb injury.

His work ethic made his transition from Arkansas to OU seamless, and it stood out to everyone on the team on both sides of the ball.

“Isaiah might’ve been my most favorite player on our team,” Venables said last month. “… His competitive spirit, the way he strains, his durability. He’s a great practice player and he shows up every day with the right kind of mindset to compete, selfless in every way. His preparedness and readiness is elite.”

Oklahoma Sooners, Isaiah Sategna — Oklahoma wide receiver Isaiah Sategna runs after a reception against South Carolina. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Sategna fell 35 yards short of becoming the Sooners’ first 1,000-yard receiver since Marvin Mims’ 2022 campaign.

Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was understandably stoked to get Sategna back, as he always knew he could draw something up for the speedster when the pressure mounted.

“He’s a big-time player for us last year and showed up in a lot of big-time moments,” Arbuckle said.

Now, Arbuckle said his challenge is to continue to push Sategna to new heights.

“How can we go from good to great with you, Isaiah? And I think that comes with upping his urgency on every little thing that we do,” Arbuckle said.

“He’s extremely reliable. Gets his job done. How can we push him to go take that next step and go to the next level? That’s showing up, being his absolute best every single day.”

Oklahoma’s front office worked to take some pressure off Sategna over the offseason.

General manager Jim Nagy spearheaded efforts to sign receivers Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone out of the transfer portal, a pair that he believes will complement Sategna’s skillset.

An improved running game, which has been one of Venables’ main goals this offseason, will help too.

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Sategna was able to run by defenses seemingly at will in 2025, and if the Sooners can effectively run the ball in 2026, he’ll get even more opportunities downfield if Arbuckle can attack a stacked box.

All of those goals are still far away, as Oklahoma presses on into the third week of spring, but the early returns have been positive for the OU playmaker.

“Zay, he's a veteran in this system, so he's playing even faster and has been really explosive,” Venables said.