SEC analyst makes bold statement, claims Oklahoma Sooners boast best defensive line in the SEC and it isn't even close

Last season, the Oklahoma Sooners' defense turned heads with some dominant performances, capped off by their stunning upset of the Alabama Crimson Tide that kept the Tide out of the College Football Playoff last season. Oklahoma finished second in the country in rushing EPA allowed and eighth overall, a stunning turnaround after years of laughable defensive play. 

They built that defense on the back of their dominant defensive line, led by R Mason Thomas, and people around the country took notice. That dominant defensive line returned all but one starter and added another talented player in transfer Marvin Jones Jr. to help continue harassing quarterbacks and shutting down run games. 

With all the incumbent talent returning and new talent added in, analysts are taking note of how dominant this Sooners' unit could be in 2025. SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic, one of the best in the game, ranked the top defensive lines in the SEC and placed the Sooners squarely in first place.

"The easiest team on this list to select was #1, and that's Oklahoma. Folks, it ain't even close. I'm just gonna be honest with you, this was not a debate with Texas or with Florida or with Georgia in my head. Oklahoma by far has the best defensive line in the SEC and it is by a landslide. They literally have a 40-yard head start on everybody else. The defensive tackle depth is off the freakin charts with this group. We saw Jayden Jackson play meaningful snaps last year. Dominic Williams, the TCU transfer, saw meaningful snaps last year. David Stone was supposed to be that guy when he came in, but it turns out, Gracen Halton was that guy. Jayden Jackson also was that guy. Now you've got Marvin Jones Jr. coming in from Florida State. That gives you an intriguing body type that I don't know exactly how they are going to use...So you've got Halton, Williams, Stone, Jackson all on the inside and they all can play. Now you add a bigger body in Jones who might be able to hold up better on the edge and you add R Mason Thomas who had 12.5 TFLs and nine sacks last year off the edge with legitimate twitch, legitimate speed. And don't forget #34 Adebawore. He was supposed to be the guy that blew up last year coming out of spring but hasn't found his way yet. There are a lot of guys on this defense that I think can be problematic. Danny Okoye is somebody they liked last year. But when you offer me four defensive tackles who played well in this league, held up at the point of attack and disruptive in the pass rush ability and on top of that you add in Marvin Jones, who has flashed absurdly in his career, and you've got the #1 defensive line in the SEC. Part of this is also what this group is allowed to do. They don't sit back and wait for you, they attack north and south, east and west, around each other. They will give you reasons to struggle with them outside of their athletic ability, technique, fundamentals, hand placement, all of that. On top of that, you're gonna take all that ability we talked about and now it's fully on display. This wasn't hard for me to choose Oklahoma as the top defensive line in the Southeastern Conference." 

For years, Oklahoma fans have always had talented individuals up front with players like Neville Gallimore, Ronnie Perkins, Nik Bonitto, Isaiah Thomas, Perrion Winfrey, Obo Okoronkwo, Charles Walker, and Jalen Redmond, but they never put together a top-flight cohesive unit up front. 

In just three seasons, Brent Venables and defensive line coach Todd Bates have turned the Sooners into a powerhouse up front. 

What's just as encouraging is that the Sooners have plenty of talent for long-term sustainability here as well. While Gracen Halton and Damonic Williams will leave in the offseason, Jayden Jackson and David Stone still have multiple seasons of eligibility, and the Sooners just pulled a massive recruiting win in adding Brian Harris to their 2026 class. 

They are also in play to add several other talented players in the 2026 class, and are looking to close on a top-five edge rusher in the class in Jake Kruel, as well as a few other top talents like Valdin Sone, Tajh Overton, Reston Lehman, and Kevin Ford.

After years of watching Oklahoma's defense made mincemeat out of, it's honestly stunning to see them earn this recognition in the SEC. If you had told me four years ago that in their second year in the conference, the Sooners would have the best returning defensive line in the SEC, I wouldn't have believed you. 

It's a testament to the ability of Brent Venables and his staff to identify and develop talent that has the Sooners here.