Oklahoma Sooners roster building took multifaceted approach

Roster building in the modern era of college football has taken on a life of its own. Much like the NFL, there's significant roster turnover every offseason in the new era of the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness. For better or worse, teams have to retool every offseason. The Oklahoma Sooners have done a better job than most in one key aspect of roster building. Retention.

The Oklahoma Sooners' 2026 defense looks like a throwback unit. Not only in terms of talent and physicality, but also from a developmental perspective. And that's the way Brent Venables wants it.