Oklahoma Defensive Back Downgraded Ahead of Alabama Game

Oklahoma cornerback Gentry Williams was listed as “doubtful” to play against Alabama in the second SEC Availability Report of the Week, released on Thursday..

Williams wasn’t listed on Wednesday’s initial report, which is usually a sign that a player will be available for his team’s game. But it appears that things are trending in the wrong direction for Williams, who hasn’t played since the Sooners’ win against South Carolina on Oct. 18.

Williams has missed OU’s last two games even though he was available against Tennessee. Cornerbacks Eli Bowen and Jacobe Johnson took the majority of Williams’ snaps in that game.

Aside from Williams’ doubtful designation, the rest of the report was unchanged on Thursday.

Wide receiver Keontez Lewis and linebacker Kobie McKinzie are “probable” to compete against the Crimson Tide.

Lewis started each of OU’s first six games but suffered a scary, game-ending injury against Kent State on Oct. 4. The wideout, who transferred to Oklahoma from Southern Illinois, played 38 snaps the next week against Texas, but he has not played since.

McKinzie, a redshirt junior, made the trip to Knoxville and warmed up before the game, but he did not appear for the Sooners in their six-point win. He has logged 24 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack this year.

Defensive end R Mason Thomas, running backs Jovantae Barnes and Taylor Tatum and defensive tackle Jayden Jackson are all “questionable” for Saturday’s contest.

Thomas scored a 71-yard scoop-and-score touchdown in OU’s last game, a 33-27 win against Tennessee in Knoxville. The defensive end suffered what Oklahoma coach Brent Venables described as a “quad injury” on that play, and he missed the remainder of the game.

A senior, Thomas has registered 23 tackles, 16 solo tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2025. If he is unable to play, Marvin Jones Jr. or Taylor Wein will likely be OU’s starters on the edge — Jones has started six games this year, while Wein has started four.

Barnes, a senior, hasn’t played since Oklahoma’s Week 4 win against Auburn, and he has rushed for only 45 yards and a touchdown this year. Tatum’s lone appearance of the 2025 season came against South Carolina.

Jackson has played in eight of OU’s nine contests this year, sitting out of the Kent State game for precautionary measures. He has compiled 22 tackles, 11 solo tackles, three sacks and two quarterback hurries after earning Freshman All-American honors in 2024.

Offensive linemen Troy Everett, Jacob Sexton and Jake Taylor have been ruled out for Saturday’s game. Both Everett and Sexton’s last appearance came in the season opener against Illinois State, while Taylor hasn’t appeared in a game in 2025. Venables revealed in September that Everett won’t appear in another game this year.

Saturday’s game between Alabama and Oklahoma will begin at 2:30 p.m.