The 2025 college football season is nearly here, and Oklahoma enters it with a unique mix of hunger and frustration. Brent Venables’ Sooners are a team with plenty of talent, high expectations, and clear bounce-back potential after a transitional debut season in the Southeastern Conference. Yet if you judged Oklahoma by the preseason honors lists alone, you might think the Sooners were an afterthought in their own league.
When the SEC coaches released their preseason All-SEC teams this week, only three Sooners made the cut. Running back Jaydn Ott and defensive end R Mason Thomas landed on the second team, while long snapper Ben Anderson was placed on the third team. Not one Oklahoma player was selected to the prestigious first team.
On the surface, that may not seem like a crisis. After all, preseason lists are just that — preseason projections, not end-of-year accolades. But context matters. Alabama had 11 players recognized. Georgia also had 11. Texas, Oklahoma’s rival and fellow SEC newcomer, placed 10. Even Florida, coming off a turbulent few seasons, had eight players make the list. And yet Oklahoma, a program with as much tradition as anyone in the league, had only three players total and zero first-teamers.
The message? SEC coaches don’t think much of Oklahoma right now.
And that should light a fire under this team.
Ott Has Star Potential, but Still Viewed as an Outsider
Let’s start with Jaydn Ott. The Cal transfer is one of the more exciting additions to the Sooners’ roster this offseason. Before an ankle injury limited him last year, Ott was one of the most electric running backs in the nation. His sophomore season in 2023 was spectacular: 1,315 yards, 12 touchdowns, and a Pac-12 rushing title. At 5-foot-11 and 208 pounds, he brings speed, vision, and proven production against Power Five defenses.
At Oklahoma, he’s expected to be the feature back in an offense that desperately needs consistency on the ground. The coaches recognized his potential by giving him a second-team spot, but they still slotted Texas A&M’s Le’Veon Moss and Texas’ Quintrevion Wisner ahead of him on the first team. Ott may have to prove himself all over again in SEC play, but if he’s fully healthy, there’s no reason he can’t outproduce both.
Thomas: A Known Commodity, Still Undervalued
Then there’s R Mason Thomas, arguably the face of Oklahoma’s defense. If anyone on this roster deserved a first-team nod, it’s him. Last year, Thomas emerged as one of the most disruptive pass rushers in the SEC. His nine sacks led the Sooners, and six of them came in the fourth quarter — clutch plays that helped close out wins in the league’s most pressure-packed moments. He added 12.5 tackles for loss, 35 quarterback pressures, and even found the end zone on a fumble return.
Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the nation’s most efficient pass rushers, and many draft analysts project him as an early-round NFL pick. Yet when the coaches’ ballots came out, Thomas was listed as a second-teamer behind names like Georgia’s Mykel Williams and Alabama’s Keon Keeley. Are those players talented? Absolutely. But to suggest Thomas isn’t among the SEC’s top defensive ends ignores the tape. He’s been double-teamed, chipped by tight ends, and schemed against — and he’s still produced at an elite level.
If anything, Thomas’s placement on the second team says more about Oklahoma’s brand perception in the SEC than about his actual performance.
Anderson: Recognition for the Specialist
Long snappers rarely get the spotlight, but Ben Anderson has quietly been one of the most reliable specialists in the league. He’s handled punts and placekicks for the Sooners the last two seasons without a hitch, and last year he was a semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award, given annually to the nation’s best long snapper. Coaches rewarded his consistency with a third-team nod, and while that’s appropriate, it’s also emblematic of Oklahoma’s problem: their only special teams recognition came at the least glamorous position on the field.
The Big Omissions
The bigger story here isn’t who made the list — it’s who didn’t.
Quarterback John Mateer, one of the most productive signal-callers in the nation last year, was nowhere to be found. Mateer led the country in total touchdowns and ranked top five in total offense, but the SEC coaches instead gave first-team honors to LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, second team to South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, and third team to Florida freshman D.J. Lagway. It’s hard to interpret that as anything other than a snub.
And Mateer wasn’t alone. Linebacker Kip Lewis, who was second in the SEC in tackles last year, got no recognition. Safety Robert Spears-Jennings, a steady veteran presence in the secondary, was overlooked as well. Wide receiver Isaiah Sategna, a transfer from Arkansas who is expected to be OU’s go-to target this fall, didn’t even crack the third team.
So while Oklahoma fans may celebrate Ott, Thomas, and Anderson getting some preseason recognition, the lack of broader representation underscores a deeper truth: the SEC doesn’t see this roster as stacked with stars.
Why It Matters
Do preseason honors decide who wins football games? No. But they do influence narratives, and narratives shape perception. When voters sit down in November to decide rankings and playoff seeding, those preseason impressions linger. If Oklahoma players aren’t widely recognized on preseason lists, it takes bigger performances to change minds during the season.
Moreover, the gap between OU and its peers on these lists is telling. Alabama and Georgia aren’t just ahead on paper — they’re viewed as programs loaded with talent. Texas, the Sooners’ biggest rival, placed 10 players on the All-SEC teams compared to OU’s three. That’s the kind of disparity that fuels recruiting pitches, media narratives, and fan confidence.
The Silver Lining
But here’s the flip side: being overlooked isn’t always a bad thing. Venables has already been clear that Oklahoma is embracing the underdog mentality in Year Two of its SEC journey. This preseason snub fits right into that narrative.
For Ott, it’s motivation to prove he’s the best back in the league. For Thomas, it’s a chance to show he’s not just one of the SEC’s top pass rushers — but one of the best in the nation. For Mateer and the other Sooners left off the list, it’s fuel to prove the coaches wrong on Saturdays.
And if Oklahoma does bounce back as many expect, those same SEC coaches may look back at their preseason ballots and wonder what they missed.
Final Thoughts
The 2025 preseason All-SEC teams revealed something more than just a list of talented players. They revealed how Oklahoma is perceived by its new conference peers: respected enough to have a few stars, but not feared as a roster brimming with elite talent.
For a program that was once synonymous with dominance in the Big 12, that’s a tough pill to swallow. But it also sets the stage for a season where the Sooners can redefine their identity in the SEC.
So while Alabama, Georgia, and Texas bask in the glow of double-digit preseason honorees, Oklahoma enters the year with just three players on the list — and a massive chip on its shoulder. And in the SEC, sometimes a chip that big is exactly what you need to play your best football.
Matt Hofeld is a college football analyst and contributor covering the SEC. Follow him for more Oklahoma and conference-wide analysis throughout the 2025 season.
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