The Oklahoma Sooners likely won’t have linebacker Owen Heinecke with them next season, after the NCAA decided to deny Heinecke’s appeal of their initial decision to not give him an extra year of eligibility in 2026. However, there’s reason to believe that OU will be fine at inside linebacker next season, despite not many proven players at the position on the roster.
First and foremost, OU’s head coach is one of the best defensive minds in the country, and linebackers are his specialty. Brent Venables played the position and he coached the position all the way up until he was a head coach. He still has full control of OU’s defense, and he calls his own plays defensively. His linebackers coaches Nate Dreiling and Wes Goodwin are both former defensive coordinators who are entering their second seasons on Venables’ staff, and they helped Oklahoma be excellent at LB last year.
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Additionally, the Sooners return their best linebacker from a season ago in Kip Lewis, who decided to stay in school for one final season of college football. Lewis was the heart and soul of the OU defense in 2025 at weakside linebacker and he’ll lead the way at the second level, albeit with a very different core group around him.
Michigan transfer Cole Sullivan is the likely starter next to Lewis, and his arrival cushions the blow of the Heinecke loss. Sullivan will need to get up to speed in Venables’ schemes quickly, as he’ll likely be responsible for getting the defensive play-calls relayed to the rest of the unit, as the middle linebacker.
Behind those two, the Sooners are young and/or unproven at linebacker. OU will need both James Nesta and Taylor Heim to step up in 2026, along with Marcus James, a member of the 2025 recruiting class. Oklahoma had four really good inside linebackers a season ago, and it helped to unlock their defensive potential. Having that again in ’26 would be a major asset for Venables’ defense.
Oklahoma loaded up at linebacker in the 2026 recruiting class, and the four-man group of Dane Bathurst, Jacob Curry, Beau Jandreau, and Kristan Moore have the opportunities to contribute right away in a thin LB room. Further down the line, Barrett Travis and Elgee Webter return from last year to add depth to the unit.
While there’s a very slim chance that Heinecke could try to continue to fight for another year of eligibility, it looks like his focus now is on preparing for the NFL Draft. He hopes to hear his name called in April, and the Sooners will very likely have to move on without him in 2026.
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However, Heinecke himself was an unknown commodity at this time a year ago, and he broke out as a star for OU in 2025. With Venables at the helm, a proven star returning, and plenty of room for unproven players to step up at linebacker again, the Sooners could again be excellent in the middle of their defense in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: OU’s linebacker corps will be young, but strong, in 2026
