Who Will Return Kicks for Oklahoma in 2026?

NORMAN — Special teams was among the biggest reasons Oklahoma made the College Football Playoff in 2025.

Kicker Tate Sandell was a late addition out of the transfer portal from UTSA who wound up being pure gold: All-SEC, All-American, and even became the Sooners’ first Lou Groza Award winner as the best kicker in college football.

Punter Grayson Miller, an even more out-of-nowhere acquisition from the portal, lost out on the job initially but took over after the first game and wound up averaging 45.8 yards and earning All-SEC honors.

All-SEC wide receiver Isaiah Sategna lived up to his reputation as a dangerous punt returner at Arkansas, averaging 13.2 yards on returns last season, including a key 42-yarder in the regular-season win over Alabama.

All three of those players return next season, setting up Oklahoma's special teams for a promising 2026 campaign.

The biggest question among the main special teams spots now is at kick returner.

In the final post-portal depth chart projection, we take a look at the Sooners’ special teams.

Oklahoma returned just two kickoffs last season, easily a record for the fewest in program history: a 15-yarder from Peyton Bowen in the season opener and a 1-yarder by Jaydn Ott a week later against Michigan.

Bowen and Sategna were at the top of the depth chart on kick returns last season, and though Bowen is back in 2026 as well, the Sooners might’ve picked up their kick returner in the transfer portal.

Running back Lloyd Avant returned kickoffs each of the last two seasons.

Read More Oklahoma Post-Portal Depth Chart Projections

At Tulsa in 2024, in his first collegiate game, Avant returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against Northwestern (LA) State.

He averaged 28 yards on 14 returns that season before transferring to Colorado State, where he averaged 24.4 yards on 11 returns last year. That experience and success might push him to the top of the depth chart at OU.

Sandell will be looking to rebound after a sour finish to the 2025 season.

After missing his first field goal of the season, he hit a school- and SEC-record 24 consecutive tries, including a 51-yarder to put the Sooners up 10-0 late in the first quarter against Alabama in the College Football Playoff.

But Sandell missed a pair of field goals in the final three minutes, helping end any chance for an Oklahoma comeback.

If Sandell can recover mentally from that finish, he figures to once again be a major asset.

He changed the way Ben Arbuckle called the offense at times, thanks to the near-automatic points on the board from even beyond 50 yards.

Jacob Ulrich was Oklahoma’s punter to start the season but when Ulrich had to miss the Michigan game due to illness, Miller took over and was fantastic.

Miller began his collegiate career as a soccer player at Lubbock Christian before transferring to UCO to play football. After two seasons there, he transferred to OU as an unheralded walk-on.

Miller averaged 47.8 yards on four punts against Michigan in Week 2 and the job was his.

Like Sandell, Miller had a bit of a rough ending to the season in the CFP loss to Alabama.

After a dropped pass that might have gone for a touchdown on third-and-long, Miller came in to punt, but dropped the snap, then scrambled to pick it up but his desperate punt attempt was blocked late in the first half.

Along with Sandell, Miller and Sategna, the Sooners also return their long snapper, Ben Anderson, who also earned All-SEC honors, as well as Ulrich, who served as Sandell's holder on placekicks.

Projected Special Teams Depth Chart

Starters: Tate Sandell, RSr. (K); Grayson Miller, RSo. (P); Ben Anderson, RSr. (LS); Jacob Ulrich, RJr. (H); Lloyd Avant, So, (KR); Isaiah Sategna, Sr. (PR)
Backups: Trace Rudd, Fr. (K); Jacob Ulrich, RJr. (P); Seth Freeman, RFr. (LS); John Mateer, RSr. (H); Peyton Bowen, Sr. (KR/PR)