Every Monday during the football season, there is player availability for OU football.
It's always conducted with players speaking to the media by themselves, however Taylor Wein and Adepoju Adebawore decided to do it together Monday.
No reason was given, however Brent Venables believes that's a representation of the program as a whole — especially with the production they've brought this year.
Oklahoma football's starting defensive end combo of Adepoju Adebawore and Taylor Wein have made a large impression on the Sooners' top-ranked defense and the team as a whole.
They both joined the program four years ago and have had two very different paths, however are helping lead OU's defense in big ways ahead of the Sooners' home game against South Carolina this Saturday at 3:15 p.m. inside Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Ahead of Saturday's game, both were called for the weekly media availability and requested to do it together, a rare occurrence on a Monday, but for OU coach Brent Venables, that's a representation of what the Sooners' program is even with a 4-3 record entering this week.
"You saw what you saw last night with those two guys. I think they're a reflection of what our locker room looks like," Venables said. "I think they're the epitome of what a brotherhood should look like. They have tremendous love and respect and appreciation for each other. Two great leaders. Heavily invested.
"Their paths are a little different on how they got here but that's one of the coolest parts of being a part of a locker room is the ecosystem is natural, it's organic and you're recruiting the right kind of people."
The two paths to starting for the Sooners' defense is a night-and-day difference between Wein and Adebawore.
Wein, a senior, broke out last season with team-leading 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks, starting 2025 as a backup. He's grown since his time as a freshman, when he entered the program as a 3-star recruit.
Adebawore, on the other hand, is playing significant snaps for the first time this season as a senior. He's played in every season since arriving in Norman, however he's finally getting to start for the Sooners after being a 5-star recruit in the 2023 class.
They've had different paths, however, are now making plays for OU this season.
Adebawore had one of his best games for the Sooners against Mississippi State last week with 1.5 sacks while Wein finished with five tackles.
It's been sort-of a struggle for the edge rushers to get pressure on the quarterback so far this season, but Saturday was a turn for the defensive ends.
"Salt and pepper. You know what it is," Wein said about his joint interview with Adebawore. "We both have goals and aspirations, and those don't mean anything if you don't put the work in, and at the end of the day, we have to execute and do our jobs. And there's plays on Saturday and each game — we're not perfect — that we hurt the team and hurt the defense, and we have to learn from that.
"But I feel like we are improving each week and getting more calloused up and improving."
The Sooners' edge players will have their hands full this week with South Carolina coming to town.
The Gamecocks have starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers still making plays with both his arm and feet. He's one of the most-dynamic players the Sooners will play and he's still as good as what he's been the past few years.
This will be the Sooners' third year in a row playing Sellers and the Gamecocks. They had success last season containing Sellers on the road, getting six sacks and limiting him to 115 yards in the air and on the ground.
OU is looking for that same success this year against Sellers, but Adebawore knows it will be another challenge to repeat that containment this season.
"Yeah, we've played him twice now, so we know that he's fast, elusive, strong, and can break tackles," Adebawore said. "A very, very impressive player. A guy that we just have to contain. We have to just put it together. As a D-line we have to work together to contain him."
