James Nesta and Cole Sullivan have stepped up in a major way for the Oklahoma Sooners in spring camp, letting the Sooners breathe a sigh of relief.
The Oklahoma Sooners
' defense was one of the best in college football last season. With the team returning plenty of leaders like David Stone
, Kip Lewis
, the Bowen brothers, and Courtland Guillory
, it projects to remain one of the best yet again next season.
However, one key position room suffered plenty of attrition in the offseason. Linebacker returned Kip Lewis, but depth players like Sammy Omosigho
and Kobie McKinzie transferred, while Kendal Daniels
and Owen Heinecke
are currently in the NFL Draft process. Heinecke's legal battle is still proceeding as of the time of this writing.
Fortunately for the Sooners, Brent Venables' prowess as a developer is bearing fruit for them so far in camp.
While much of the talk of the Oklahoma Sooners' spring has been surrounding their offense
, the defense will still naturally always be competitive under Brent Venables.
The defensive line has looked stout
, but the play of two Sooner breakout candidates has caught the eye of everyone in Norman. Third-year linebacker James Nesta and Michigan
transfer Cole Sullivan have been two huge standouts so far in camp.
Now that Nesta is fully focused on football (split time between baseball and football at first), he's beginning to really turn the corner early on. Venables recently complimented him on his new-found mentality and leadership, and he's staring down a bigger role in 2026.
Of the two, however, Cole Sullivan has drawn the most praise. The former Wolverine standout has picked up the playbook quickly and has aligned at multiple spots in practice. Sullivan looks the part early on. There's a reason both Venables and Jim Nagy made him such a priority target in the transfer portal. Sullivan is an instinctive athlete with tremendous range. If he can iron out some of his inexperience, Sullivan has all the ability to be a key impact starter for Oklahoma.
What once looked like a position of weakness for the Oklahoma Sooners is starting to slowly change into what could be another strong room. Lewis's return is a major boon, but they needed Nesta and Sullivan to hit the ground running. With Owen Heinecke potentially returning as well, the Sooners could be a legitimate four-deep at linebacker next season.
Brent Venables always finds a way.
Oklahoma Sooners News
AJ Schulte April 6, 2026
The post Pair of Oklahoma Sooners standouts leading the charge to replenish key positional room the Sooners lost a lot at appeared first on A to Z Sports .
