Brent Venables gives update on incoming transfer defensive lineman

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Brent Venables gives update on incoming transfer defensive lineman

Brent Venables gives update on incoming transfer defensive lineman

Aaron Gelvin, Sooners Wire · Sooners Wire

Thu, Sep 3, 2026 ·

3 min read

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The Oklahoma Sooners have filled their last roster spot days before the beginning of the 2026 season. However, it comes with a complication: eligibility rulings.

Former Arkansas defensive lineman Danny Saili entered the transfer portal after last season despite being out of eligibility. He was hoping a ruling would come down in his favor that would result in him gaining a fifth season of college football. He gained exactly that when a judge in Colorado ruled that players who graduated high school in 2022 were eligible for a fifth season, thanks to the NCAA's "five-for-five" eligibility plan.

However, the Colorado 10th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the ruling, making Saili ineligible for the time being. Saili committed to Oklahoma out of the transfer portal , but weeks went by without the Sooners adding him to the roster.

Importantly, Saili never signed an NFL contract or suited up for an NFL tryout or practice. That makes his plight different from that of former pros reentering college football, which has made headlines in recent days and weeks.

Now, Saili has been added to Oklahoma's roster ahead of the season opener. He is not eligible to play, but he has been with the team and has been practicing, according to coach Brent Venables, who was asked about his newest player on Wednesday during the SEC teleconference call.

"He's on the team," Venables said. "He's been added to the roster, and he's currently practicing."

Though Saili isn't available to play right now for the Sooners, he is enrolled at OU, and he can participate in team activities. The 6-foot-1, 280-pound defensive lineman is a fifth-year player for Oklahoma, and Venables was impressed with his ability to play defensive tackle.

"He's done a good job. He knows how to play D-tackle," Venables said. "That jumped out at you right away. ... His fundamentals, his precision, his quickness. … He really picked things up well, remarkably well. I was incredibly surprised."

Saili spent two seasons at Hutchinson Community College before enrolling at BYU ahead of the 2024 season. However, he entered the spring transfer portal window a few months after signing with the Cougars and chose to sign with Arkansas. He's spent the last two seasons with the Razorbacks and played in 18 games over those two years, including 11 last season.

Oklahoma has very good starters and good depth at defensive tackle, with Jayden Jackson , David Stone , Bishop Thomas, Trent Wilson , Nigel Smith II and James Carrington as the headliners at the position. If Saili is ruled eligible to play for the Sooners, he'd be another depth piece at DT and he'd bring SEC experience to one of the most important spots on the field. While his status gets figured out, he's able to get practice reps and learn Venables' defense, even if he can't hit the field on game days.

Saili fills the final roster spot for the Sooners, and gives the team 111 players, which is the number the program entered last season with. The kickoff of the season is drawing closer, as Oklahoma hosts UTEP on Friday night in Norman at 7 p.m.

Oklahoma wide receiver Trell Harris (11) runs drills during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables talks to coaches during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Oklahoma players run drills during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Oklahoma quarterback Jett Niu (15) runs drills during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Oklahoma long snapper Seth Freeman (50) runs drills during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Lineman run drills during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Oklahoma defensive lineman Matthew Nelson (40) runs drills during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Oklahoma quarterback Bowe Bentley (8) runs drills during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables runs drills during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer (10) runs drills during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Oklahoma quarterback Whitt Newbauer (16) runs drills during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Oklahoma linebacker Dane Bathurst (30) runs drills during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Oklahoma wide receiver Jer'michael Carter (5) runs drills during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Oklahoma defensive back Preston Mickens (27) runs drills during an OU Football practice in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
(NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin .

This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Brent Venables gives update on incoming transfer defensive lineman

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Brent Venables gives update on incoming transfer defensive lineman

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