Why Oklahoma Buying Low on Transfer DL Bishop Thomas Could Pay Off

The Sooners might have found a diamond in the rough in Bishop Thomas, who is now at his fourth college football program.

Oklahoma defensive tackle Bishop Thomas practices during spring ball | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

NORMAN — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables and his staff had to scrape to the very bottom of the barrel to find Bishop Thomas in the transfer portal.

Thomas, a defensive lineman who has played at Georgia State, Colorado and Florida State, was the No. 865 overall player in the portal after the 2025 season, per Rivals. His stock was even lower, according to 247Sports, which had him at No. 947 overall.

Venables, though, is confident that he found a diamond in the rough.

“A good example of a guy that didn’t get a lot of notoriety in the portal,” Venables said after OU’s spring game on April 18. “Whatever his rankings are, he’s at the very bottom of the barrel.”

Thomas was once a 4-star prospect in the Class of 2022. He chose to begin his college career at Florida State, choosing the Seminoles over offers from Texas, Tennessee, Oregon and Penn State.

So how did Thomas fall so far down the rankings?

Well, at one point, his stock dipped even lower.

Thomas lasted only one season in Tallahassee. He appeared in two games for FSU in 2022 before transferring to Colorado.

The defensive tackle was a key role player for the Buffaloes during their 2023 season, finishing the year with six tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. 

But after his first campaign in Boulder, Thomas was dismissed from Colorado’s program.

That marked rock bottom for Thomas. But he found a way out of it.

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Thomas dropped down to the Group of Five level and enrolled at Georgia State, where he played sparingly in 2024. But in 2025, he finally flashed his capabilities and put together his best college season to date: He registered 48 total tackles, five quarterback hurries, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a pass breakup.

And while that breakout season didn’t suddenly make him a hot commodity in the portal, it ultimately led to his new opportunity at Oklahoma.

“This is a guy that’s going to help us win,” Venables said.

So where does Thomas fit on Oklahoma’s defensive line?

The Sooners didn’t need to land any starters at defensive tackle from the transfer portal with David Stone and Jayden Jackson returning. Both of them missed the spring because of injuries, but the star defensive linemen are both expected to be healthy by the fall.

Stone will almost certainly be a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, should he choose to test the professional waters after the 2026 season. Jackson is another player with NFL upside after he earned Freshman All-American honors in 2024.

Oklahoma, though, needed to add depth to the already-strong position group.

Trent Wilson and Nigel Smith II are expected to become more productive in 2026 after both of them flashed in their minor roles last year. Markus Strong, who played on more than 100 defensive snaps in 2025, transferred to Clemson after the season, leaving a spot on the defensive line — one that Thomas ultimately filled.

Amid such a rocky collegiate career, it would’ve been easy for Thomas to arrive in Norman with the wrong attitude.

But according to Wilson, that hasn’t been the case. In fact, Thomas has quickly become one of the defense’s most vocal leaders, per his fellow defensive tackle.

“Bishop has brought a lot to the room,” Wilson said. “His enthusiasm, his consistency… he’s a very versatile player. He is a vet as well. Me and him, I feel like we have a good connection.”