Oklahoma football has developed a standard of success as a program throughout its history – seven national championships, 50 conference championships, 167 first-team All-Americans and seven Heisman Trophy winners. All of it amounts to 950 total wins, which is sixth all-time in college football.
But 6-7 in 2024 is far short of the standard that fans know and love.
To bring the winning tradition back, OU needs to change. Through the transfer portal and high school recruiting, the Sooners work to do exactly that. They added 20 freshmen and 14 transfers for the 2025 roster.
“Last year was last year, but we have a lot of new players,” redshirt sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Sategna said. “The first thing is gelling with the team and bonding with the guys because that’s the biggest thing when you’re going to war and the going gets tough.”
Sategna, an Arkansas transfer, spent three years at his previous spot developing connections. He’s been at Oklahoma for a mere two months, however, for Sategna, that makes little difference. These past two months have quickly fostered strong relationships.
“We’ve only been here for two months, the new guys,” Sategna said. “But I feel like I’ve been here a lot longer.
“I love all the people here.”
That chemistry provides an opportunity for the group to reset and thrive on and off the field. As an offensive-line unit, an area where the Sooners needed more consistency in 2024, guys have developed strong friendships already, embracing each other.
“This group is awesome – super funny, talking to them every day, working out with them every day, doing O line dinners. It’s been super fun,” senior offensive lineman Derek Simmons said. “Everybody’s bonding.”
In finding that chemistry, every person and part of the process is vital.
As a receiving core, with returning players like junior wide receiver Deion Burks and fellow transfer, junior Keontez Lewis, Sategna takes upon building others up, making sure they have focus in every aspect of the game. But he also expects others to do the same for him.
“Bonding with the receivers, I feel like is just throwing, knowing what they do best, what you do best and helping each other out,” Sategna said. “Let’s say a guy doesn’t want to throw one day or doesn’t want to go watch film. You got to take that guy with you. Maybe he’s having an off day. Then whenever you’re having an off day, you want that same guy to take you with him, so it goes hand in hand.”
Specifically, Sategna mentions junior wide receiver Jayden Gibson and Burks as returning players that have served as great leaders for him and others.
Gibson has been a Sooner his entire collegiate career and passes on his knowledge of what it means to be an OU athlete. Burks, on the other hand, comes from a different background, having spent three years at Purdue before arriving in Norman.
Regardless of the difference in length of tenures, both of them have emerged as leaders.
“Jayden Gibson and Deion Burks, they’ve been here for longer than most guys in the receiver room, so they’re older guys too. They’ve been helping us out a lot,” Sategna said. “If we ever need anything, those are two guys that we can lean on.”
The forefront of an offense, though, is the quarterback.
Sophomore John Mateer, who transferred from Washington State, is set to take the reins at quarterback, serve as an extension of the head coach and lead the team in 2025. Mateer, who passed for 3,139 yards and rushed for 826 yards in 2024, finished the regular season as the No. 5 quarterback in the nation in total offensive production. He brings success but also care to the position.
“Leadership is something that I was gifted with, just building relationships with people and showing my teammates that I really care about them,” Mateer said. “I want them to succeed.”
Mateer has led a high-performing offense before and carries that experience with him, benefitting his teammates.
Specifically, Mateer has greatly impacted Sategna already.
“He’s a great guy on the field, natural born leader, but off the field, he’s the same guy,” Sategna said. “He’s a person that people just gravitate towards. Whenever he walks into a room, it’s a certain kind of aura about him.
“You always want that in your quarterback.”
Through Mateer, returning receivers and new additions to the team, the Sooners are embracing the process. Leadership, brotherhood, performance – Oklahoma takes value in all of it.
But the process has to result in returning to the standard.
“I see them as nothing (but) a family,” freshman offensive lineman Michael Fasusi said. “We’re all getting better … From a school standpoint, we’re still here. We’re going to ball here.”
This story was edited by Hannah Bryant.
