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Things to watch during OU's spring game

by: Jesse Crittenden04/16/26JesseCrittenden

The Crimson Combine lasted one year. Now, we’ve come back to the traditional red and white game.

Oklahoma will host its annual Spring Game at noon on Saturday at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, giving fans an opportunity for a sneak peek at the 2026 team. The game won’t be televised but there will be a radio broadcast.

There’s no shortage of storylines. Here’s a few:

The new-look tight end room

No position group underwent a more dramatic overhaul during the offseason than the tight end room. The spring game will be the first look at the threw new players in that room.

Former Florida transfer Hayden Hansen has the most SEC experience of the group and has grabbed onto the starting spot. But there’s a real battle for the TE2 spot between Rocky Beers and Jack Van Dorselaer. Also, it’ll be interesting to see where second-year player Trynae Washington figures into the mix.

More than anything, it’ll just be interesting to see how the new trio is utilized in the offense and how they look. But also — how much do the Sooners use 12 personnel with two tight end sets? Could they even get crazy with three tight end sets?

The wide receiver group

For now, it’s fair to project that Isaiah Sategna, Parker Livingstone and Trell Harris will lead the wide receiver corps in 2026.

But that room is loaded with talent and depth.

The spring game won’t mean anything for Sategna, and Harris is out with an injury. This is the kind of opportunity for guys like Manny Choice and Elijah Thomas to make an impact. The duo is entering their second year in Norman, and while Thomas has dealt with injury, Choice’s growth has been one of the biggest storylines in camp.

But there’s other guys in that room, too. Mackenzie Alleyne has earned praise. Jer’Michael Carter made plays last season. The spring game is a big opportunity for all of those guys.

The offense

It’s a broad thing to watch, but there are specific things to monitor.

Running the ball better has been arguably the biggest focus on either side of the ball. Injuries to Tory Blaylock and Xavier Robinson certainly haven’t helped anything. But Lloyd Avant, Jonathan Hatton and DeZephen Walker have made the most of their opportunities. How does the running game look at the spring game? Do the new tight ends make a difference?

On top of that, it’ll be interesting to see if the offense unveils new stuff. The Sooners have done more from under center this spring. They’ve utilized the tight ends more. Do they show that at the spring game?

This is an opportunity for Ben Arbuckle to showcase some new things to the fans.

Depth on defense

Again, it’s broad, but that’s the theme for the defense at essentially every position group.

The Sooners, more or less, know their starters at every position group. But even Brent Venables has acknowledged that depth behind the starters is a question. That is particularly the case in the secondary and at cheetah. Eli Bowen, Courtland Guillory, Peyton Bowen and Michael Boganowski figure to be the starters, but the depth behind them is largely guys who are young and unproven.

The spring game is an opportunity for young guys to show that they’ve progressed — and are ready for roles in the fall.

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