Summer Heat, Part 3: Brent Venables Talks Oklahoma's Late Transfers

Part three of a series exploring OU's post-spring transfers and what Sooners coach Brent Venables said about defensive lineman Phillip Paea.

ARLINGTON, TX — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables clearly wasn’t content with the defensive roster at the end of spring ball.

So the Sooners’ head man dipped back into the transfer portal to add some summer talent.

In addition to offensive lineman Troy Everett from Appalachian State, OU added three newcomers on defense: linebacker Konnor Near from Division II Ferris State, defensive end Da’Jon Terry from Tennessee and defensive tackle Phillip Paea from Utah State.

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“Competition brings out the best in everybody and we needed more competition,” Venables said. “More guys that are capable of playing at a really high level.”

Big 12 Media Days on Thursday was Venables’ first public media appearance since their arrival, so AllSooners asked Venables to elaborate on adding the mid-summer newcomers.

This is part three of a series on what Venables had to say:

Phillip Paea

Utah State

A day after receiving a verbal commitment from Tennessee transfer defensive lineman Da'Jon Terry, the Sooners got even bigger up front.

Phillip Paea, a transfer from Utah State who began his college football career at Michigan, pledged to the Sooners, and has been a strong addition already, Venables said.

Paea was offered by OU on May 26, after entering the transfer portal in January following two seasons with the Aggies and four years with the Wolverines. Last season, Paea recorded one interception and one pass deflection despite only appearing in three games before an injury sidelined the Michigan native for the remainder of the season.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, Paea is an interior d-lineman who can take on multiple blockers to free up space for the Sooners' speedy linebackers.

According to 247Sports, Paea was a 3-star and a top 10 player in Michigan in the 2017 class. Coming out of high school, the standout d-lineman received offers from schools all around the nation, notably; USC, Oregon, Notre Dame, Miami and Michigan.

In Paea's three games for the Aggies last season, he played 98 total snaps (91 on defense) before the injury. At Michigan, he redshirted in 2017, played two games on the offensive line in 2018, made Academic All-Big Ten in 2019, and played in one game at defensive line in 2020 to earn his second varsity letter.

“Phil Paea is another big, strong body guy that tore his ACL early in the year (in 2022)," Venables said. "I think his best football is still in front of him, but he’s a big, strong, powerful body guy that hopefully we’ll get him in the right kind of shape where he can contribute, overcoming a knee injury from a season ago.

"Another guy that, you know, can play the game, particularly in the run game. We just felt like we needed to bring additional players inside that can create competition, that can create competitive depth and can bring something from a humility, a respect, a work ethic standpoint that would help make us better.

"We’ve been able to do that, but hopefully a guy like him and a guy like D.J. will bring out the best in guys like Gracen Halton, Ashton Sanders and Markus Strong and Isaiah Coe and Jordan Kelly, guys that have been here and have played."