With football season right around the corner, Oklahomans are gearing up for a Sooners season filled with high expectations. Oklahoma enters the year ranked in the top 10 of the AP preseason poll and, after making the College Football Playoff last season, is expected to deliver again in 2026.
There is already plenty of technical analysis surrounding this team, so we wanted to focus on the DNA that makes it click. One underrated element of a championship-caliber team is the bond among its players: the chemistry they have entering the season and the behind-the-scenes moments the OU faithful do not always hear about.
During the Sooners’ recent practices, we caught up with two of the team’s most popular players: defensive backs Courtland Guillory and Eli Bowen.
“Every day, it’s a dogfight,” sophomore defensive back Courtland Guillory said. “We have everything it takes to put it all on the table and go get it. That’s our main goal. We’re putting the pieces together.”
Here’s Guillory’s full interview:
We also recently spoke with junior defensive back Eli Bowen, Payton Bowen’s younger brother. His personality was shining through, so we decided to ask him some of the “fun” questions.
One of those questions was about which OU players have the natural ability to shift the mood in the locker room, whether the team is riding high after a win or dealing with the disappointment of a loss.
Bowen mentioned senior defensive lineman Bishop Thomas and junior defensive linemen Jayden Jackson and David Stone Jr.
“Him being able to flip the switch between being goofy and serious,” Bowen said, elaborating on Stone’s impact. “Off the field, in the locker room, we’re always goofy, making jokes. He’s good at flipping the switch, showing younger guys that you can have your personality and be serious without having to have a straight face.”
Here’s Eli Bowen’s full interview:
Oklahoma will open its season at home against UTEP on September 4.
