Oklahoma Names Captains for 2026 Season

NORMAN — Oklahoma named its team captains Tuesday, ahead of the Sooners' season opener against UTEP on Sept. 4.

Sophomore offensive lineman Michael Fasusi is among the nine captains.

Fasusi is the first sophomore to be named a captain since quarterback Jackson Arnold in 2024. He's the first sophomore offensive lineman to be a permanent captain since Creed Humphrey in 2019.

Fasusi is one of three offensive linemen in the group. Center Jake Maikkula and guard Eddy Pierre-Louis were also named captains.

Pierre-Louis made six starts last season, but his inclusion as a captain wasn't surprising.

He was among OU's representatives at SEC Media Days last month in Tampa, Fla.

Quarterback John Mateer also was among the captains named.

The captains of Team 132 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ZEtkguyVrW
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) August 26, 2026

Every level of the defense is represented in the group.

Defensive tackle David Stone and defensive end Taylor Wein were each named captains.

Linebacker was represented by Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke.

Senior safety Peyton Bowen was also among the captains named.

Lewis and Mateer were the only players among the group who were also captains last season when the Sooners had seven permanent captains.

Bowen, Lewis and Heinecke were captains as sophomores in 2024 when the Sooners rotated captains game to game.

Fasusi made 10 starts and played 11 games as a freshman last season, at left tackle. He started the final nine games of the season, allowing just four sacks on 395 pass-blocking snaps.

Maikkula played in 11 games, starting 10 at center, last season after transferring from Stanford.

The fifth-year player suffered an injury during preseason camp and will miss the start of the season, but drew raves reviews for his work before the injury.

Mateer threw for 2,885 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, missing just one game after suffering a broken hand and having to undergo surgery. But Mateer struggled to regain his form after his return.

He finished with 431 rushing yards and eight touchdowns as well.

Stone and Mateer recently gave away their selections as captains during media availabilty.

"This is my first time being a captain of any team," Stone said then. "So I told the guys I'm grateful for the opportunity that you guys have given me. I know it comes with a lot of weight, so I'm trying to live up to that. Early on in spring I kind of struggled being a leader, I felt like personally, because I wasn't active in the role. I wasn't on the field with them, so it was kind of hard to lead from the back. I'm moreso someone who wants to get out in front and show you guys how it's done and you guys follow suit. But I had to learn how to be a vocal leader for the guys so it really challenged me from a leadership role."

Mateer said the designation was still special.

"It's a great honor and we all care about each other and we want to be good humans for each other and we don't want to do wrong by anybody," Mateer said. "And that's from the top down."

Heinecke was one of the stories of the offseason when he was granted an injunction against the NCAA, making him elegible for another season — ending the resolution of that case.

He burst onto the scene last season, breaking through in the Tennessee game and becoming one of Oklahoma's best defenders.

Lewis has started 30 games in his career, with 209 tackles.

The Sooners open the season at 7 p.m. Sept. 4 against UTEP on SEC Network Plus.

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