Six Oklahoma Players Land on AP's All-SEC Team

Two Oklahoma players who might have been hoping for a spot on the 2025 All-SEC team on Tuesday simply had to wait a day, while a third Sooner was elevated to first team.

The Associated Press released its All-Southeastern Conference football squads on Wednesday, and six Sooners in all made the AP's first and second teams, as voted on by media members who cover the league.

Punter Grayson Miller and kicker Tate Sandell both landed on the AP first team All-SEC squad, just as they did the day before on the coaches' team. This time, they were joined by wide receiver Isaiah Sategna, who garnered second-team honors on the coaches' team. Sandell was also named SEC Special Teams Player of the Year on Wednesday.

Defensive end R Mason Thomas, a senior from Fort Lauderdale, FL, was a first-team choice among the coaches, but was named second-team All-SEC by the media. Thomas was joined by two Sooners who didn't get a mention on the coaches' first-, second- or third-teams, were both named second-team All-SEC by the AP.

Defensive tackle Gracen Halton and linebacker Owen Heinecke were both accorded second-team honors.

Halton, a senior, remained arguably the biggest big-play specialist among a defensive line that has been widely hailed as the best in the nation. Halton started just five games as line coach Todd Bates rotated him regularly with Damonic Williams, Jayden Jackson and David Stone. Halton had 31 tackles during the regular season to go with seven TFLs, 3 1/2 sacks, six hurries, two passes defensed and a fumble he returned 4 yards for a touchdown — the Sooners’ first takeaway of the season.

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Halton, a senior from San Diego, has the team’s third-highest overall defensive grade this season, according to PFF, with an 83.1 on 392 snaps, including an 85.1 grade on run plays, which ranks second.

Heinecke, a redshirt junior from Tulsa, has played in all 12 games and started each of the last four contests this year after primarily playing in a special teams role the last two seasons. He ranks second on the team with his 67 total tackles and 10.0 tackles for loss, and has registered 2.0 sacks, four pass breakups, a QB hurry and a forced fumble.

His strip-sack against Tennessee led to Thomas’ 71-yard fumble return touchdown. In that game, Heinecke made his first career start and registered a career- and team-high 13 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and a sack, to earn SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Prior to this season, he had totaled 11 career tackles and none for loss.

Sandell, a redshirt junior from Port Neches, TX, earned first-team All-SEC in his first year after transferring from UTSA by making 23 consecutive field goals after missing his first kick of the year. That’s an all-time SEC record and an OU record. His 101 points scored ranks fourth among all SEC players — and it’s only part of Sandell's story.

Sandell needs one more 50-yarder to tie the NCAA record of eight field goals of 50 yards or more, which included a 55-yarder at South Carolina, two 55s and a 51 at Tennessee (that tied a single-game NCAA record), and a 52 against Alabama. His 15 kicks from 40 yards or more shatters the previous OU record of seven, and the average distance of his made field goals (41.8 yards) leads the nation by a large margin.

Sandell is also one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s best kicker — which would be Oklahoma’s first. The recipient will be revealed on Friday night.

Miller, a redshirt junior from Edmond, OK, and another transfer (from Division II Central Oklahoma), leads the SEC with an average of 46.2 yards per punt. He frequently set up the Sooner defense near the goal line (OU scored two safeties) by dropping a league-leading 24 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

Miller also led the conference and owns the school record with 23 punts of 50 yards or more. He ranked fourth among SEC punters with a raw average of 46.9 yards per kick on 54 total punts — 4.91 per game, which ranked second in the league.

Thomas, who missed the final three games with a quad injury after saving the Sooners in Knoxville with a 71-yard fumble return for a touchdown (the longest in program history), still earned first-team All-SEC. Thomas finished with just 23 tackles but led the Sooners and ranked fifth in the SEC with 6 1/2 quarterback sacks and was third with 9 1/2 tackles for loss.

Thomas also has the Sooners' highest overall defensive grade this season, according to Pro Football Focus, with an 83.9 on 342 snaps. He even sacked former teammate Jackson Arnold for a safety to clinch the win over Auburn.

Sategna, a redshirt junior from Austin, was OU’s best offensive player and showed it repeatedly with timely big plays. He ranks second in the league with 65 catches, and is tied for second with 948 receiving yards (14.6 yards per catch). With 52 more yards, he would be OU's first 1,000-yard receiver since Marvin Mims in 2022.

Sategna’s Pro Football Focus overall offensive grade of 73.6 on 662 snaps ranked second among OU’s regulars (behind running back Xavier Robinson’s 74.4 on 323 snaps). Sategna also added 301 yards on punt returns on an average of 13.09 yards per return, which ranked fourth in the SEC (minimum 1.0 returns per game). He was named second-team by the coaches both as a receiver and as a punt returner, as his 1,273 all-purpose yards and 106.1 all-purpose yards per game lead the team and rank sixth in the SEC.

Players who were tabbed by the coaches but did not land on the media team: cornerback Eli Bowen, safety Peyton Bowen, tight end Jaren Kanak, offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu and defensive end Taylor Wein, as well as long snapper Ben Anderson (the AP doesn't award that position).