SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma Sooners once again decimated by injury bug ahead of spring football training

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By AJ Schulte | Last updated Mar 5, 2025 9:56 PM ET

The 2024 season brought about a complete decimation of Oklahoma's roster due to injuries. They lost their entire starting five wide receivers last year, were forced to start nearly a dozen different offensive line combinations, their starting Cheetah, their starting running back, and some key depth all from injury.

What was originally believed to be a fluke injury bug is now evolving into a deeply concerning trend, as the Sooners are decimated by injuries to key players already. Nine different players will miss spring training, including at least four starters.

Venables on who's out this spring: Heath Ozaeta (labrum), Kade McIntyre (labrum), Jayden Jackson (labrum), Logan Howland (labrum). K.J. Daniels (severe hamstring from HS). Andy Bass (reinjured ACL). Javontae Barnes (foot). Darius Afalava (knee "clean-up"). #Sooners
— John E. Hoover (@johnehoover) March 5, 2025

This is an unacceptable result for a program like Oklahoma, quite frankly. Four starters already battling labrum injuries this early in the spring points to some issue with either the conditioning, medical staff, or how practice is being conducted.

The Sooners' staff seemingly didn't learn their lessons from last year despite their insistence they had. Every program battles injuries, of course, but this kind of severity once again seems absurd. Four players in the trenches battling the same "labrum" injury all at once is far from coincidence to me.

Now, several young players at important spots are losing a significant development period ahead of a pivotal season because they are once again battling injuries. It's absurd to me that this keeps happening over and over again.

I'm not sure where Oklahoma can go from here. If they did learn anything about last year, it's clear that they were too slow in making the necessary changes to prevent these injuries.

Freak things happen in football and you can't avoid injuries entirely, but something in this process has to change moving forward. It's completely unacceptable and could ultimately undo the goodwill and potential of the coaching staff if this continues in the future.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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