Why Oklahoma DT James Carrington Can Help Sooners as a True Freshman

NORMAN — True freshman defensive tackle James Carrington almost certainly won’t be a starter in 2026, but OU coach Brent Venables doesn’t expect him to be silent.

Carrington is one of 25 players from the Class of 2026 who signed with Oklahoma in December. The 6-2, 290-pound defensive lineman was a consensus 3-star prospect who chose the Sooners over offers from Alabama, Florida State and several other major programs.

It didn’t take long for Carrington to impress his new coach.

“Tank Carrington has done a really nice job for a freshman… really good,” Venables said on March 26, after the Sooners’ second day of spring practice.

Carrington continued to develop throughout the spring.

As Oklahoma’s month-long spring practice window progressed, Venables noted how Carrington began to look more comfortable.

“The game’s kind of slow for him, and it got slower as the spring went on,” Venables said.

In Oklahoma’s spring game on April 18, Carrington was a member of the “White” team, which lost 31-3 to the “Red” squad. (The Red team consisted of mainly first-string players, while White largely consisted of reserves).

Even though Carrington’s team lost the intrasquad scrimmage in lopsided fashion, the true freshman stood out.

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He ended the game with two tackles and a sack. His sack was one of only two that the White team recorded in defeat.

“Tank Carrington had another really good day today,” Venables said. “He’s not ready to be an every down player yet. But he showed he can help us this year in our gap, and his block crack is a little further developed than what you just don’t know until you get in here.”

Star defensive tackles Jayden Jackson and David Stone both missed spring ball with injuries.

Because of that, several of Oklahoma’s backup defensive linemen got more reps than they likely would have if those two were healthy. Carrington is one of several reserve defensive tackles who earned Venables’ praise, along with Nigel Smith II, Trent Wilson and Bishop Thomas.

Assuming Jackson and Stone are healthy by fall camp, those two will be the starters for what should be one of college football’s best defensive lines. The incoming junior defensive tackles combined for 70 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2025.

But Venables believes that Carrington — and OU’s other backup defensive linemen — will be better prepared for plug-and-play roles in 2026 because of their absences.

“That allowed other players to really have to take a lot of reps and be the guys that are going through walk-throughs and things of that nature,” Venables said. “This is going to be compounded, and you certainly can’t manufacture that. That’s going to help our team.”

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