The Oklahoma Sooners have begun fall camp as the 2026 college football season draws closer. This fall camp will showcase some big position battles that could determine just how good the Sooners are this upcoming season.
One of the biggest position battles is for the EDGE opposite Taylor Wein, a spot vacated by R Mason Thomas going to the NFL. This battle is between Adepoju Adebawore and Danny Okoye. Adebawore is a former five-star recruit who has had a solid career, but not quite to the level the Sooners were hoping for when he arrived in Norman.
Adebawore has had 27 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and five sacks in his career. The senior had his best season last year, racking up 17 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in a rotational role. He also established himself as one of the better run stoppers in the SEC.
Okoye, on the other hand, is a former four-star recruit with freakish athletic ability. He played sparingly as a redshirt freshman last season, totaling six tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks. Adebawore spoke after practice on Friday about how Okoye has pushed him to be a better player.
“He has work ethic,” Adebawore said via OU Insider. “He has drive. Just a very driven player. And you know, just seeing that from a younger guy just makes me want to elevate all the time. Those guys come in, and they do so much for me. I see their work ethic, and it makes me want to try even harder to make sure I’m the example with me being older.”
The competition between Adebawore and Okoye could be one of the defining battles of Oklahoma’s fall camp. Replacing a player like Thomas won’t be easy, but the Sooners don’t necessarily need one player to replicate his production on their own.
Instead, Oklahoma needs consistent pressure opposite Wein, regardless of who wins the starting job. If Adebawore continues building on the momentum from last season while Okoye takes the expected sophomore leap, Brent Venables could have another deep and disruptive edge rotation. For a defense that led the nation in sacks and tackles for loss last season, that depth could once again be one of the keys to another championship-caliber defense.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Adepoju Adebawore reveals how Danny Okoye has pushed him to be better
