Will Oklahoma True Freshman DE Jake Kreul Earn Key Role in 2026?

NORMAN — Jake Kreul was one of Oklahoma’s most notable pickups from the Class of 2026.

Kreul, an edge rusher, is one of 25 players who signed with OU in December. He was one of seven of those signees who earned a 4-star designation from 247Sports.

With just over a month until the 2026 season kicks off, he’ll look to play an important role as a true freshman in the fall.

Kreul’s background

Per 247Sports, Kreul was the No. 59 overall player in the Class of 2026, making him the top-ranked OU signee.

Kreul played his final two high school football seasons at IMG Academy, and he was a star for one of the nation’s top programs.

The defensive end logged 36 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and four sacks as a senior in 2025. That stellar campaign followed his 2024 season in which he notched 39 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and six sacks.

As a consensus top-100 prospect, Kreul earned offers from just about every major college football program. He eventually committed to Oklahoma over Ole Miss and Texas in July 2025 before signing with the Sooners in December.

What others have seen from him

Kreul was listed at 6-3 and 230 pounds on OU’s spring football roster — and the newcomer turned heads throughout spring ball.

Senior defensive end Taylor Wein, who broke out and led the Sooners with 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks last year, believes that Kreul is much further along than most true freshman defenders.

“Jake was better than I was as a true freshman — I’ll go ahead and say that,” Wein said in March. “I’ve never seen a true freshman come here and be as knowledgeable as he is. It’s rare.”

Quarterback Bowe Bentley is another newcomer who enrolled in Norman with lofty expectations. Bentley was a 4-star prospect and chose Oklahoma over LSU, Georgia and Ohio State.

The quarterback newcomer regularly went up against Kreul in spring practice, and Bentley has no doubts that the freshman edge rusher will be a star in both the short and long term.

“That dude’s a freak,” Bentley said. “He’s proved himself. He’s real good.”

Recent history of freshman edge rushers

In recent years, some of the freshmen at the position have been able to get their feet wet in Year 1.

In 2022, R Mason Thomas appeared in 10 games and missed three due to injury. He logged seven tackles, one tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks that season before playing three more years at OU and eventually earning a second-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Former 5-star recruit Adepoju Adebawore played 13 games during the 2023 season and recorded six tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Adebawore will be a senior in 2026.

Those two got plenty of Year 1 playing time, but Danny Okoye did not in 2024. He appeared in only two games during his true freshman season before making 11 appearances in 2025.

Most recently, the two edge rushers who signed in 2025 — CJ Nickson and Alex Shieldnight — didn’t see any playing time as true freshmen. Shieldnight appeared on one offensive snap during the season, while Nickson didn’t make any appearances.

Freshman year playing time has varied for edge rushers under coach Brent Venables. Kreul could see similarly significant roles to Thomas and Adebawore’s during their true freshman seasons, or the Sooners could opt to keep him buried on the depth chart.

With Wein, Adebawore and Okoye all back for the 2026 season, OU doesn’t need Kreul to be an every-down player. But it would give the defensive line a boost if he could step in and immediately contribute.

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