Adepoju Adebawore isn't dancing around it.
The Oklahoma defensive lineman believes the Sooners have what it takes to win a national championship in 2026, and he said it straight up in SoonerSports.com's annual Q&A series, ' The Hurry-Up .'
"We have a lot of pieces to our team. We have a really good offense, a really good defense, and really good special teams. I think if we put it all together, we have what we need to win a national championship. That's my goal. I'm trying to win a national championship because we have the team to get that done."
That's about as direct as it gets. No hedging. No "if everything goes right" talk. Adebawore looked at the roster and saw a complete team.
And he's not just talking.
He enters this season as one of the more interesting breakout candidates on Oklahoma 's defense. Over his first three years in Norman, Adebawore has been a solid rotational piece, putting up 27 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 5.0 sacks. Those numbers came without being a full-time starter, which makes his next step pretty intriguing.
This year he's projected to start at defensive end alongside Taylor Wein , with David Stone and Jayden Jackson also expected to play big roles on the defensive line. That group could end up being one of the stronger parts of the defense if it comes together the way the staff wants, and also be one of the best in all of college football.
Adebawore's ability to get after the quarterback and blow up plays in the backfield gives the Sooners a different dimension on the edge.
What stands out most in his comments is the confidence. Plenty of players say the right things in the summer. Adebawore made it sound like more than just hope.
He pointed to the balance on offense, defense, and special teams and said the pieces are already there. The only real challenge, in his mind, is putting it all together.
That's the part Oklahoma fans have heard before.
Talent has almost never been the problem in Norman. Consistency and finishing games have been the bigger issues in recent years. Still, when a guy who's been in the program for three seasons looks around the locker room and says this team can win a national title, it hits different than a freshman saying the same thing.
Adebawore's role is going to matter if the Sooners want to live up to that standard. Just like with Stone, it is a much different ask and expectation of going from a rotational player to a full-time starter. Adebawore has to prove that he can be relied upon with much more asked of him.
The football blood runs deep in the Adebawore family. His brother, Adetomiwa, is a defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts. Adetomiwa was a forth round pick by the Colts in 2023 out of Northwestern. His other younger brother, Adeyeye, is committed to play defensive tackle at Penn. The parents of the Adebawore brothers were born in Nigeria and moved to the United States in the 1990s.
Adebawore has a full glance of what the Sooners ' potential is. In his eyes, Oklahoma has talent on both sides of the ball. The offense has experience and playmakers. The defense has length, athleticism, and guys who have produced. Special teams have been reliable. In his eyes, that combination is enough to compete for a championship if everything clicks.
Whether it actually happens will play out over the next few months. College football is full of teams that look the part in August and fall off by October. But confidence from inside the building still matters, especially when it comes from a player who has earned everything he's gotten.
Adebawore put in the work as a rotational piece. Now he's in a position to do more. And he's not shy about what he thinks this team can reach.
A national championship is the goal. According to him, the pieces are already in place.
