Oklahoma Spring Depth Chart Preview: DL is Better Than Ever

Oklahoma opens spring practice March 6, and Year 4 under Brent Venables needs to be a good one.

After going 6-7 in two of his first three seasons, Venables’ tenure as the Sooners’ head coach is in the spotlight more than ever. The Sooners’ spring game on April 12 could be quite revealing.

In this series, Sooners On SI previews OU’s 2025 spring by breaking down the depth chart at each position. Next up: defensive line:

———

No position on the Oklahoma football team has shown more progress toward being SEC-ready over the last three years than the defensive line.

The Sooners had the furthest to go up front, and they’ve gotten there.

The coaching from tackles coach Todd Bates and ends coach Miguel Chavis has developed tantalizing prospects into good players, and good ones into great ones. Transfers from lower-level schools have come in and contributed, and OU’s quality depth on the d-line has virtually doubled since Brent Venables took over after the 2021 season. Recruiting at the position, on both the high school level and in the transfer portal, has been stellar.

And after a season competing in the Southeastern Conference, this year’s defensive line appears ready to take yet another step this spring thanks to all the returning talent.

Both starting interior linemen are back in Damonic Williams and Jayden Jackson, as is starting edge R Mason Thomas.

So are several rotational players and a handful of young, promising prospects to go with a potentially huge impact player from the portal.

Replacing three-year starting end Ethan Downs will be a challenge — made more glaring by Downs’ standout performance this week at the NFL Scouting Combine — and two-year starting d-tackle Da’Jon Terry and former OSU transfer end Trace Ford will be missed. But there are some intriguing candidates who could make a big jump if they seize their opportunity this spring.

The frontline talent is there, and so is the productivity from 2024.

Thomas, in his first full season as a starter, led the Sooners with 12.5 tackles for loss, nine quarterback sacks and 11 QB hurries last year. He forced two fumbles, recovered two fumbles. The 6-foot-2, 243-pound senior from Fort Lauderdale, FL, was a menace for opposing offenses all year and earned second-team All-SEC accolades.

But Thomas knows all too well that he’ll need to add an element of consistency to his game this season. He finished with just 22 total tackles, and of his nine sacks, 5 1/2 came in a three-game stretch, and three came in another three-game stretch. And he did most of his damage late in games — three sacks against Tulane and two against Auburn came on the last or next-to-last drive. Venables wants to see that kind of explosion and effort in the first quarter, too.

After playing 231 and 175 snaps through injury in his first two seasons, Thomas stayed mostly healthy and logged 529 snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. His overall defensive grade was 72.3 for the season, but he only exceeded a single-game grade of 70 three times.

Oklahoma Sooners Damonic Williams — Oklahoma defensive lineman Damonic Williams | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Williams was an All-Big 12 talent at TCU, but he elevated his game last year in his first season playing in the SEC. The 6-1, 312-pound senior from Torrance, CA, started all 13 games at defensive tackle and led the group with 35 total tackles and contributed 4.5 TFLs and 1 1/2 sacks, seven QB hurries, per PFF, and a forced fumble.

Williams played 611 snaps as a TCU freshman and 477 as a sophomore, then last year got into a solid rotation and was needed for just 416 snaps with the Sooners. He posted PFF career-bests of 73.1 overall defensive grade, 77.3 against the run and 84.0 tackling.

Jackson was a pleasant surprise from Day 1 of his freshman season after playing two years at IMG Academy in Florida. The 6-2, 312-pound sophomore from Indianapolis played in all 13 games, made 10 starts (he was just the fourth true freshman to start for OU on the d-line and the first since Tommie Harris in 2001) and concluded his first year in college football with 30 total tackles, three TFLs, two sacks and eight hurries.

Jackson logged 387 defensive snaps last season and posted a PFF overall grade of 69.0, which included a 72.1 against the run and a 62.7 against the pass.

Oklahoma Sooners Jayden Jackson — Oklahoma defensive lineman Jayden Jackson | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gracen Halton emerged as an impact 3-technique up front as well. The 6-2, 285-pound senior from San Diego played in all 13 games and made two starts as part of the regular rotation with Williams and Jackson, but he was at times the best at delivering big plays.

He clinched the unexpectedly tense win over Houston by tackling a running back in the end zone for a safety, and he forced a fumble that led to a defensive touchdown at LSU. He also forced a fumble against Tennessee, finishing the season with 30 tackles, six TFLs, five sacks, one fumble recovered, two forced fumbles and 24 hurries, according to PFF.

Halton, who got two QB sacks in each of the Sooners’ previous two spring games, probably won’t need to show out as much this spring. After playing just 74 and 91 snaps in his previous two seasons, Halton broke out with 402 defensive snaps last season and posted OU’s highest PFF grade among d-linemen, a 75.4. He also posted a 76.7 as a pass rusher and a 71.3 as a run defender. Halton had seven individual games with a PFF overall grade over 70 and two over 80, including an impressive 85.7 at LSU.

Oklahoma Sooners Gracen Halton — Oklahoma defensive lineman Gracen Halton | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of OU’s biggest names out of the transfer portal could become an immediate starter at d-end in place of Downs. Marvin Jones Jr., a former 5-star recruit and the son of 10-year NFL veteran and Florida State All-American Marvin Jones Sr., played in 25 games with just one start in two seasons at Georgia (and won a national championship), then transferred to Florida State last year and played in 11 games with nine starts.

Jones had 25 tackles in Tallahassee, six tackles for loss, four sacks, 10 hurries and one forced fumble after totaling 16 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and two sacks in Athens. Jones played 387 snaps for the Seminoles last year and posted an overall PFF grade of 61.5, with three games over 70, including an 80.2 against Duke.

Florida State Seminoles Marvin Jones Jr. Oklahoma Sooners — Marvin Jones Jr. at Florida State | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

If Jones doesn’t win the starting job, it’ll be because P.J. Adebawore has finally begun to reach his seemingly limitless potential. Another former 5-star recruit, the 6-4, 253-pound junior from Kansas City has played in 23 games in his career but logged just 184 snaps as a freshman and 119 as a junior with just 10 tackles, 4.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks with 10 QB hurries.

The Sooners’ third former 5-star recruit up front is defensive tackle David Stone, who was the No. 1 overall interior defensive lineman in the 2024 class. In a crowded group, however, Stone only played 94 snaps in his freshman season. He graded out well, with a 75.7 overall and 75.6 against the run, with one QB sack, one hit and five hurries.

More Oklahoma Spring Depth Chart Previews

(Follow these links to catch up)
Feb. 26: Defensive Back
Feb. 27: Wide Receiver
Feb. 28: Linebacker
March 1: Running Back

March 2: Defensive Line
March 3: Offensive Line
March 4: Tight End
March 5: Special Teams
March 6: Quarterback

Expect at least 3-4 new-ish faces to get into the rotation at d-end this spring, starting with Danny Okoye, a 6-3, 245-pound redshirt freshman who got into two games last season but worked his way up to third on the depth chart for the bowl game. Nigel Smith, a 6-4, 269-pound redshirt freshman, played in the season opener last season and could be a candidate to move inside someday — possibly this spring.

Wyatt Gilmore, a 6-4, 250-pound redshirt freshman from Rogers, MN, and Taylor Wein, a 6-4, 265-pound third-year sophomore from Brentwood, TN, could also impress the coaches with a big performance this spring. Wein played in 11 games last year on special teams and as a defensive reserve and was third on the depth chart for the bowl game. He finished 2024 with two tackles. Gilmore played in one game last year.

Third-year sophomore Markus Strong and true freshman Trent Wilson also could get a crack at playing time on the inside this spring. In two seasons at OU, Strong has played just six snaps but already had two QB sacks against Temple last season. Wilson, from Upper Marlboro, MD, was the No. 8 defensive tackle in the country, per Rivals.