Who Will Enjoy a Breakout Season for Oklahoma?

Ahead of the 2026 season, the Sooners on SI staff chose their candidates for the OU's breakout player in 2026.

Ryan Chapman, Brady Trantham, Carson Field, John E. Hoover, Ryan Aber|

Oklahoma defensive lineman Danny Okoye celebrates after making a play against Kent State. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooners on SI staff drafted their picks for the player who will end the year as Oklahoma’s breakout star in 2026.

DE Danny Okoye

Oklahoma Sooners, Danny Okoye — Oklahoma defensive end Danny Okoye hits South Carolina backup quarterback Cutter Woods. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Arguably the Sooners’ most athletic player (or at least most versatile), Danny Okoye enters his junior season at 6-foot-3, 257 pounds and a whole lot more ready to play SEC football in 2026. He got just nine defensive snaps in two games as a freshman but became a regular backup last year, playing 107 snaps over 11 games. He finished with just six tackles, but flashed two quarterback sacks among them, including one at Tennessee after R. Mason Thomas’ injury. Brent Venables said he’s become “a more consistent player than at any point in time he was last year,” and as OU looks for an impact edge player opposite All-SEC junior Taylor Wein, Okoye’s competition with senior P.J. Adebawore continues into the season.

— John E. Hoover

S Michael Boganowski

Michael Boganowski shouldn't be an unknown quantity to Oklahoma fans. He's played major rotational snaps the last two years in Brandon Hall's safety room, and he's widely known as a heavy-hitter. But the 2026 season will provide Boganowski with the opportunity to show he's a well-rounded safety, and he has the potential to be the final piece in a star-studded secondary that already touts Peyton Bowen, Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory.

— Ryan Chapman

LB James Nesta

Oklahoma Sooners, James Nesta — Oklahoma linebacker James Nesta registers a tackle in the Sooners' 2025 win over Temple. | Carson Field, Sooners on SI

The Sooners need a linebacker to step up behind Kip Lewis, Owen Heinecke and Cole Sullivan, and James Nesta is a strong candidate to do so. Nesta, a junior, appeared on only 46 defensive snaps over his first two seasons. But the Sooners have used him regularly on special teams, helping the 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker obtain notable game experience before becoming a key defensive player. OU coach Brent Venables also said that Nesta has taken practice snaps at the cheetah spot — a hybrid position that combines the duties of a linebacker and a defensive back — so he could also back up Reggie Powers III there. Nesta’s teammates and coaches have consistently praised his improvement and maturity throughout the offseason, and time will tell if that translates to on-field production.

— Carson Field

WR Elijah Thomas

Oklahoma Sooners, Elijah Thoma — Oklahoma receiver Elijah Thomas runs after a catch in the Sooners' 2026 Spring Game. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Thomas had a negligible impact on offense last season but became a special-teams standout with eight tackles. Last offseason, Thomas generated plenty of buzz. He's done the same thing during this preseason camp but he is much more physically — and mentally — ready to compete. He forms a triumvirate with Isaiah Sategna and Trell Harris that can transform the Sooners' offense.

— Ryan Aber

RB Jonathan Hatton Jr.

Oklahoma Sooners, Jonathan Hatton Jr. — Oklahoma running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. rushes in the Spring Game. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

He looks the part, but can he play the part? The answer is going to be unequivocally yes. Perhaps DeMarco Murray’s greatest gift to Oklahoma as a coach will be enjoyed by new running back coach Deland McCullough. Hatton has power, speed and star potential. He won’t start in September, but neither did Adrian Peterson when he was a freshman.

— Brady Trantham

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Published 2 hours ago

RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is co-publisher at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK.

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BRADY TRANTHAM

Brady Trantham covered the Oklahoma City Thunder as the lead Thunder Insider from 2018 until 2021 for 107.7 The Franchise. During that time, Trantham also helped the station as a fill-in guest personality and co-hosted Oklahoma Sooner postgame shows. Trantham also covered the Thunder for the Norman Transcript and The Oklahoman on a freelance basis. He received his BA in history from the University of Oklahoma in 2014 and a BS in Sports Casting from Full Sail University in 2023. Trantham also founded and hosts the “Through the Keyhole” podcast, covering Oklahoma Sooners football. He was born in Oklahoma and raised as an Air Force brat all over the world before returning to Norman and setting down roots there.

CARSON FIELD

Carson Field has worked full-time in the sports media industry since 2020 in Colorado, Texas and Wyoming as well as nationally, and he has earned degrees from Arizona State University and Texas A&M University. When he isn’t covering the Sooners, he’s likely golfing, fishing or doing something else outdoors. Twitter: https://x.com/carsondfield

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JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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RYAN ABER

Ryan Aber has been covering Oklahoma football for more than a decade continuously and since 1999 overall. Ryan was the OU beat writer for The Oklahoman from 2013-2025, covering the transition from Bob Stoops to Lincoln Riley to Brent Venables. He covered OU men's basketball's run to the Final Four in 2016 and numerous national championships for the Sooners' women's gymnastics and softball programs. Prior to taking on the Sooners beat, Ryan covered high schools, the Oklahoma City RedHawks and Oklahoma City Barons for the newspaper from 2006-13. He spent two seasons covering Arkansas football for the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas before returning to his hometown of Oklahoma City. Ryan also worked at the Southwest Times Record in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and the Muskogee Phoenix. At the Phoenix, he covered OU's national championship run in 2000. Ryan is a graduate of Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City and Northeastern State University in Tahlequah.

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