R Mason Thomas announces return to OU football for one more season

Posted by author January 6, 2025 Football

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NORMAN — Back to school again.

The positive news keeps on coming for OU football‘s defense. Star defensive end R Mason Thomas will return for one more season, he announced on social media Monday.

Thomas was one of OU’s best defensive players in 2024. He finished the season with 23 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, nine sacks and two forced fumbles.

Thomas returning is a huge boost for the Sooners‘ defensive line, which landed Florida State transfer Marvin Jones Jr. on Sunday and could be one of the most productive units on the team. Gracen Halton, Jayden Jackson, David Stone and Damonic Williams will also be back on the defensive line in 2025.

An All-SEC second-team selection by the conference’s coaches, Thomas played in all 13 games last season.

On Dec. 24, OU’s 1Oklahoma Collective posted on Instagram and X that Thomas was returning to the Sooners for the 2025 season. Those social media posts were quickly deleted, followed by a post by Thomas on his Instagram story which read, “Uhhh….”

Thomas said following the Sooners’ Armed Forces Bowl loss to Navy he was still in “deep thought.”

He left fans guessing last week when he posted a cryptic “Grease” video on social media. He followed that up Monday in his announcement post, which included more references to the Grease films and the caption, “Back to school againnnn.”

OU’s defense looks to be in good shape for 2025 heading into the offseason, however, the program is still searching for its next defensive coordinator.