Regardless of who starts on the opposite side of Taylor Wein in Oklahoma’s season opener, the Sooners’ defensive end room is in good shape.

Vying for the starting right defensive end spot are senior Adepoju Adebawore and junior Danny Okoye. Adebawore notched 17 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 2025, while Okoye finished his second college football season with six tackles and two tackles for loss, both of which were sacks.

Both of them are primed for their biggest seasons yet with R Mason Thomas and Marvin Jones Jr. now out of the picture. And Wein — who led OU with 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2025 — believes that they’re up for the challenge.

“A lot of improvement — their games have completely transformed,” Wein said.

Adebawore is a former 5-star prospect, but despite his blue-chip status, his first two seasons in Norman were rather quiet. The edge rusher recorded only 10 total tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss in 23 games across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

But in 2025, the 6-foot-4, 265-pound edge rusher made the most of his skills and natural gifts. Adebawore played on 283 defensive snaps last year and did an admirable job backing up Thomas, Jones and Wein.

Even so, Adebawore wasn’t content with his impressive 2025 campaign. According to Wein, Adebawore has taken further strides over the last several months.

“(Adebawore’s) playing his best ball as a fourth-year guy, which is super impressive,” Wein said. “With a lot of older cats, that doesn't happen. That's not a norm. So to see that, it's super encouraging and we expect a lot out of them this year."

Okoye’s role wasn’t as significant as Adebawore’s last year, but he still made an impact. The 6-foot-3, 257-pound defensive end — who coach Brent Venables has called "the best pound-for-pound athlete” on OU’s roster — logged 107 snaps and boasted a stellar 80.2 Pro Football Focus tackling grade.

Wein believes that Okoye’s improvement has stemmed from a gradual mindset shift over the last three years.

“It's just a body of work and that's usually how it is,” Wein said. “He didn't just wake up and drink the right juice and now he's a dude. That's over a body of work, and him being committed each and every day to doing his best. You don't get bitter; you get better, and that's the mindset you have to have to become a dude like he's becoming."

It’s hard to predict whether Adebawore or Okoye is the favorite to start alongside Wein. But regardless of who “wins” the battle, both of them will play key roles.

And Wein, a no-doubt Week 1 starter, feels well-supported.

“(Adebawore) has become a vet, and Danny's just becoming better each and every day — he's become more consistent and a guy you can trust,” Wein said.

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