Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables bolsters his secondary and linebacker corps with two experienced transfers, leveraging a unique legal loophole to stack late-season depth ahead of a high-stakes clash
Oklahoma is already 1-0 and preparing for Michigan, and the Sooners are still finding ways to add depth from the five-for-five transfer market.
The latest additions are Wisconsin cornerback D’Yoni Hill and Stephen F. Austin linebacker Jaydon Southard, two players who never signed NFL contracts and should not be wrapped up in the same eligibility mess as former pros trying to come back.
That distinction matters. Oklahoma has already made clear it wants no part of rostering NFL players. These are different cases. Hill and Southard are college players fighting for another season through the same legal lane that has opened the door for other 2022-class athletes.
For a team getting ready to play in Ann Arbor, the timing is late, but the idea is simple. If the path is available and the fit is there, keep stacking depth.
Get to Know D’Yoni Hill
Hill arrives with a lot of miles already on his career. The Gainesville, Florida product is listed around 6-foot and 175 to 180 pounds and has played more than 40 college games with over 130 tackles. He started at Marshall, broke out there as a sophomore in 2023 with 55 tackles, then transferred to Miami and appeared in 11 games with five starts in 2024.
Last season at Wisconsin, he played a rotational and situational role and finished with 39 tackles and three tackles for loss. On 216 coverage snaps, he allowed zero touchdowns on 21 receptions.
That profile is useful for Oklahoma. Hill is not a long, prototype boundary corner. He is a physical outside defender who will tackle in space and has seen multiple Power conference systems. He has been targeted, but the tape and numbers suggest he does a decent job limiting explosives and yards after the catch.
In a secondary that already has Peyton Bowen, Eli Bowen, and Courtland Guillory in the mix, Hill does not need to come in and take over the room. He needs to learn the defense quickly, contribute on special teams, and give Brent Venables another experienced body if injuries hit or matchups call for it.
Get to Know Jaydon Southard
Southard is the more productive recent resume of the two. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker from Wichita Falls spent his career at Stephen F. Austin and turned into a major tackle machine the last two seasons. He has the look of a downhill MIKE/WILL type who finds the ball and finishes.
In his breakout stretches, he averaged 12.6 tackles per game and put up monster individual performances, including a 16-tackle game with 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks against UIW. Over one season he was credited with 76 tackles and 48 defensive stops on more than 700 snaps, plus pressure production when turned loose as a blitzer.
The jump is real. Going from the FCS Southland Conference to the SEC is not a lateral move. Southard will have to shed bigger blockers and handle faster skill players in coverage. That is the fair concern. The fair upside is just as obvious. He runs to the ball, hits, and profiles as an immediate special teams contributor while he works into the linebacker rotation behind Kip Lewis, Owen Heinecke, and the rest of that group.
Oklahoma has enough talent at the position to be patient. It also has enough long-term need for depth that a high-motor tackler with Southard’s production is worth bringing in.
The broader context is hard to ignore. College football roster building has become a week-to-week operation shaped by courts, portals, and whatever temporary window opens next. Oklahoma is already playing games, already preparing for a massive road environment at Michigan, and still adding players who might help later if their eligibility sticks and the coaching staff can get them up to speed.
That is the reality of the moment. Teams that sit still can fall behind in a hurry.
Neither Hill nor Southard should be viewed as a panic move. The Sooners looked strong in the opener. The defense still has real quality. These additions are about depth, experience, and giving the staff more options as the season gets heavier. Hill has played in enough Power conference games to understand the speed. Southard has produced at a level that forces you to at least find out whether it translates.
Oklahoma does not need either one to save the Michigan week. The value is in what they can become over the next month if they practice well, earn trust, and stay available.
The Sooners are treating the five-for-five market like what it has become: another place to find help while everybody else argues about the rules.
