NORMAN - Reggie Powers III 's expectations for the Oklahoma defense are as high as anyone else's.
"We want to be number one in every single category," Powers said.
Oklahoma, holistically, had one of the best defenses in 2025.
Nationally, the Sooners ranked third in rushing defense (77.3 yards allowed per game), third in sacks (45), sixth in total defense (272.5 yards allowed per game) and seventh in scoring defense (15.5 points allowed per game). OU led the SEC in each of those categories.
Powers, a sophomore last year, was a key contributor to Oklahoma's defense. He primarily played at the cheetah position - a hybrid between defensive back and linebacker - and finished the year with 31 total tackles, 19 solo tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.
Even though the defense paved the way for Oklahoma's first trip to the College Football Playoff since 2019, Powers believes that he and his defensive teammates are capable of even more.
"We know we have the talent to do it, it's just the want-to and the preparation that is going to take us there," Powers said. "We know we all have the want-to and the desire to do that."
Powers' assessment about the unit's talent is not off-base. In all three levels of the defense, the Sooners have home-grown players with significant experience wreaking havoc for OU.
Still, there are plenty of areas for the defense to grow.
Oklahoma didn't force a turnover until its fifth game of 2025, and the Sooners logged only 13 takeaways on the season. A handful of opposing players - like Auburn's Cam Coleman, Texas' Quintrevion Wisner and Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss - also exposed the Sooners' weaknesses in tackling and coverage.
These infrequent lapses don't take away from how strong the defense was in 2025. But it shows that there is space in between the unit's ceiling and where the Sooners were last year.
Thankfully for the Sooners, they have Brent Venables- widely viewed as one of college football's brightest defensive minds - leading the defense.
Venables is entering his fifth year as OU's head coach, and the defense has improved in each season under his watch.
Will Oklahoma's defense lead the entire nation in every category? Realistically, probably not. Even the best defenses fall short - even if only by a few spots - in a couple of categories.
But Powers feels confident that Venables' leadership will allow the defense to reach its full potential.
"He wouldn't recruit us here for no reason," Venables said. "He's got the right group of guys, so we're just trying to go out there, make him proud, make everybody around us proud, and just prove to ourselves that's who we are."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahoma as Oklahoma DB Reggie Powers III Embracing Brent Venables' High Standards for Defense .
