Former Oklahoma Teammates Clash With Super Bowl LX on the Line

Oklahoma will send at least one player to Super Bowl LX in two weeks — and maybe a lot more.

Who gets to go will be decided on Sunday afternoon in the AFC Championship Game.

The NFC Championship Game between the visiting Los Angeles Rams and host Seattle Seahawks Sunday night features no former Sooners.

But when the New England Patriots visit the Denver Broncos at 2 p.m. in Mile High Stadium, former Sooners Ben Powers, Nik Bonitto, Marvin Mims and Rhamondre Stevenson will find themselves going head-to-head for a shot at the 60th Super Bowl in Santa Clara, CA. Broncos reserve safety Delarrin Turner-Yell was also a major player on the OU defense in 2020, although he’s injured and on the practice squad and won’t get to play Sunday.

Sean Payton’s turnaround in Denver has been spurred by a strong influx of OU talent as Mims and Bonitto have been major contributors for each of the last three seasons.

Bonitto, Mims and Stevenson were teammates on the 2020 pandemic Sooners, the OU team that went 9-2 but still captured Oklahoma’s most recent conference championship.

Here's a breakdown of each player's time at Oklahoma as well as his NFL exploits so far:

Ben Powers

Powers is now a seventh-year NFL veteran following his three-year career with Oklahoma in 2016-2018 after starting out at Butler County College, KS.

As a key cog at left guard in Bill Bedenbaugh’s 2018 Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line, Powers helped Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray set numerous records and won three of their six straight Big 12 titles with two College Football Playoff trips during Powers’ tenure.

Ben Powers Oklahoma Sooners Denver Bronco — Denver Broncos guard Ben Powers | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Powers played 2,017 offensive snaps for the Sooners — 704 in 2016, 634 in 2017 and 679 in 2018 — and per PFF, posted elite pass-blocking season grades of 76.2, 91.4 and 87.9 in those three years, the latter including nine straight games over 80.0.

On 343 pass plays in 2018, Powers did not allow a sack, a hit or even one pressure on Murray, and on 332 pass plays in 2017, he gave up no sacks, no hits and just two pressures on Mayfield.

In seven NFL seasons, Powers has played 5,426 offensive snaps and hasn’t posted a PFF overall offensive grade lower than 62.3 in his last five seasons.

After playing his first four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, the 6-foot-4, 310-pound Powers has played three years with the Broncos.

He had started 39 games in a row for Denver but then missed nine games this season after suffering a torn left biceps muscle in October. Still, Powers returned to action and split reps for two games before he was inserted back into the starting lineup for the season finale and started last week’s playoff win over Buffalo.

Powers was a fourth-round pick of the Ravens in 2019.

Nik Bonitto

Bonitto has emerged as a stellar edge rusher for the rejuvenated Broncos, stacking back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances in 2024 and 2025 after starting his NFL career slowly.

The 6-3, 240-pound Bonitto compiled 46 tackles this season, including 14 tackles for loss and 14 quarterback sacks in 16 starts. Last year, in 16 starts, Bonitto racked up 48 tackles, 16 TFLs and 13.5 sacks to go along with a 50-yard fumble return for a touchdown and a 71-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Denver Broncos Nik Bonitto Oklahoma Sooner — Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto | INDIANAPOLIS STAR-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

That made him just the ninth player in NFL history with a pick-six, scoop-and-score and 10 sacks in a single season, and the first since 2014. He was the first linebacker ever with two 50-yard touchdowns in the same season.

It took a couple of years for Bonitto to get up to speed at OU, as well, after arriving from Fort Lauderdale, FL. He played four seasons for the Sooners from 2018-2021, but got into just four games (36 snaps) as a freshman.

He played in 14 games 2019, totaling 43 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks on 348 defensive snaps, with a game-saving interception in the record-setting comeback at Baylor.

In 2020, Bonitto was finally turned loose as an explosive pass rusher, finishing with 32 tackles that included 10.5 TFLs and eight sacks on 300 defensive snaps.

Then in 2021, he totaled 39 tackles with 15 TFLs and seven sacks to go with three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble on 549 snaps.

He was a second round pick of the Broncos in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Marvin Mims

Mims was just a freshman on that 2020 OU team, but he made a huge impact on Lincoln Riley’s offense from Frisco, TX.

He hauled in 37 catches for 610 yards (16.5 average) and scored a Big 12-freshman record nine touchdown receptions and played 217 offensive snaps in 2020.

Denver Broncos Marvin Mims Jr. Oklahoma Sooners — Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

As a sophomore in 2021, Mims caught just 32 passes as Riley shuffled quarterbacks a couple times — including the big 52-yard tip-toe grab from Caleb Williams to rally OU past Texas — but still averaged a Big-12 leading 22.0 yards per catch with five touchdowns on 444 snaps.

Mims’ best season came under Brent Venables in 2022, when he and Dillon Gabriel hooked up 54 times for 1,083 yards (leading the Big 12 again with 20.1 per catch) and produced six TD grabs on 743 offensive snaps.

Mims also returned 33 punts for 391 yards and finished with a career average of 11.8 with the Sooners.

The 5-11, 182-pound Mims was a second-round pick of the Broncos in 2023, and in three seasons he’s consistently delivered big plays, catching 22 passes for 377 yards (17.1 average) and one TD as a rookie, 39 for 503 (12.9) and six scores in 2024, and 37 for 322 8.7) and one TD this year.

Mims made the Pro Bowl as a punt return man each of his first two seasons but just missed it this year despite having a better overall season.

He ran back 19 punts for 312 yards in ’23 (16.4 average), 26 for 408 in ’24 (league-leading 15.7 average) and 29 for a league-leading 452 this season (15.6 average). He’s also returned 47 kickoffs for 1,249 yards (26.6 average) and a 99-yard touchdown during his career.

Mims was a second-round pick of the Broncos in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Delarrin Turner-Yell

Turner-Yell was a four-year starter at safety under Riley from 2018-21 and eventually became as reliable as they come.

The 5-11, 200-pound Turner-Yell started 40 games in all at OU out of Hempstead, TX, with 75 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and a forced fumble on 670 defensive snaps in 2019, 52 stops, 2.0 TLFs and an interception on 413 snaps in 2020, and 52 stops, 2.5 TFLs and three picks on 461 snaps in 2021.

Denver Broncos Delarrin Turner-Yell Oklahoma Sooner — Denver Broncos safety Delarrin Turner-Yell | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Turner-Yell has officially played three years of NFL service (enough to be vested in the NFLPA’s Annuity Program) but has played in only one game since 2023.

Turner-Yell suffered a major knee injury in the 2023 season finale, then missed all of 2024. He was activated from the practice squad and returned last month, but reinjured the knee and played in just one game.

Turner-Yell played 251 snaps (14 games, zero starts) as a Broncos rookie, per Pro Football Focus, and logged eight tackles and two fumble recoveries. He played 308 snaps in 2023 (16 games, two starts) and recorded 34 tackles and one pass defensed.

Rhamondre Stevenson

As a junior college transfer from Cerritos College, CA, Stevenson put up some amazing highlights at Oklahoma.

He rushed for 515 yards and six touchdowns in 2019 as OU won its fifth straight Big 12 title and lost to LSU in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Stevenson averaged 8.0 yards per carry that season while also catching 10 passes for 87 yards on 171 offensive snaps.

New England Patriots Rhamondre Stevenson Oklahoma Sooner — New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

His senior year in 2020, he played in just six games but rushed 101 times for 665 yards and seven TDs, while also contributing 18 receptions for 211 yards on 166 snaps.

The 6-foot, 231-pound Stevenson has been a mainstay with the Patriots during his five seasons in Foxboro. He has carried the football 836 times for 3,669 yards and 28 touchdowns, while also catching 186 passes (he had 69 in his second year) for 1,295 yards and four scores.

This season Stevenson finished second behind rookie TreVeyon Henderson with 603 yards on 130 carries (4.6 average) and leads the team with seven rushing TDs. He’s also sixth on the squad with 32 catches for 345 yards (10.8 average) and two TDs.

Stevenson has been the Patriots’ workhorse in the postseason behind QB Drake Maye, however, rushing 26 times for 123 yards to lead the team (Henderson has run 21 times for 52 yards).

He was a fourth-round pick of the Patriots in the 2021 NFL Draft.