Who leads OU football in tackles in 2025? Examining Sooners’ defense

NORMAN — OU’s 2025 football season is less than 100 days away from the Sooners’ Aug. 30 at home against Illinois State.

OU’s defense figures to be solid again with a plethora of experienced returners.

Some of the returning production includes R Mason Thomas, Gracen Halton, Jayden Jackson, Kip Lewis, Kobie McKinzie, Damonic Williams and Robert Spears-Jennings.

OU beat writers Ryan Aber and Colton Sulley teamed up to offer up their feelings on the state of OU’s defense entering the summer, answering four questions about how the defense will look in the fall:

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Who will be OU’s leading tackler this season?

Colton Sulley: Give me Kip Lewis.

Lewis played in all 13 games last season, making 12 starts at weakside linebacker. He totaled 65 tackles and logged at least five tackles in 7 of 8 SEC games.

“I left a lot of meat on the bone last year,” Lewis said in the spring. “I can prove I’m one of the best out there in the country.”

Lewis also flashed in the Sooners’ bowl game, notching a team-high six tackles in the Armed Forces Bowl vs. Navy.

I could also get behind Robert Spears-Jennings.

Ryan Aber: I’m going with Kobie McKinzie.

Brent Venables’ defense is designed to funnel the ball toward linebackers and vice versa, and with Danny Stutsman gone, McKinzie figures to be the one right in the middle of all those plays.

He’s not going to finish more than 40 tackles ahead of everyone else on the team like Stutsman did last year, but McKinzie will be at the top of the heap.

What secondary players could become key pieces of the rotation this season?

Colton Sulley: Jacobe Johnson played in all 13 games last season but made only two starts. I expect him to take his game to the next level while competing for a starting cornerback…

Source link : https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/college/sooners/2025/06/08/ou-football-defense-2025-season-leaders-predictions-oklahoma-sooners/84031198007/

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Publish date : 2025-06-08 10:45:00

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