Way-Too-Early Defensive Depth Chart Projection for Oklahoma State’s 2026 Season

Way-too-early week comes to a close with a look at the Cowboys’ defense.

I felt a little more confident projecting the Oklahoma State offense earlier in the week than I do with this defensive group. A hallmark of this group (here in January, anyway) appears to be competitive depth. I could see a lot of guys rotating in all over the place.

Here’s how I predict the Cowboys’ defense to look before that group has even started spring practice.

Way-too-early offensive depth chart projection

Way-too-early game-by-game predictions

Defensive End

DE1s: Keviyan Huddleston (North Texas), Jaleel Johnson (returner)
DE2s: DeSean Brown (returner), James Williams (Florida State)

Thoughts: The defensive line feels like the the spot I’m least certain about here in January.

The Cowboys have added 10 defensive linemen (edges, ends and tackles) via the portal, and it’s a rare spot where there is some returning production with guys like Jaleel Johnson, DeSean Brown and Malik Charles.

All that’s to say, I think there will be heavy rotations along the Cowboys’ defensive front in 2026. I wouldn’t be surprised to also see Charles, Billy Walton (SMU), Braylon Rigsby (Texas Tech) and DJ Jackson (Troy) all pushing for some playing time.

Defensive Tackle

DT1s: Jerry Lawson (Louisville), Saadiq Clements (North Texas)
DT2s: Fataehi Vailea II (North Texas), Dominic Macon (Washington)

Thoughts: Like with the defensive ends, these feel like shots in the dark.

Lawson played for Skyler Cassity at Abilene Christian back in 2023 and will reunite with the defensive coordinator this year. He finished his 2025 season at Louisville — his first at the P4 level — with 16 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a half a sack.

Clements was a starter at DT for Cassity this past season at UNT, where he made 30 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Macon didn’t play in his true freshman season at Washington, but consider me caught up in the hype of a 6-foot-3, 310-pound Big Ten transfer who was a state champion wrestler in high school.

Also of note: it appears OSU is in search of an extra season of eligibility for Iman Oates. OSU posted a video to Twitter this week of some winter workouts where Oates was present. He isn’t yet on OSU’s roster, but he would be a likely candidate for an extra year considering his college career started at the JUCO level at NEO. If he is eligible, I’d probably have him as a starter.

Linebacker

LB1s: Ethan Wesloski (North Texas), Isaiah Chisom (UCLA), Trip White (returner)
LB2s: Carl’veon Young (returner), Tate Romney (Arizona State), Taurean Davis (Mississippi Gulf Coast)

Thoughts: Wesloski was UNT’s leading tackler in 2025, finishing the year with 113 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. On top of that, he added an interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery touchdown.

After starting his career at Oregon State, Chisom had 84 tackles for UCLA this past season.

White transferred from Ole Miss to Stillwater ahead of last season. He didn’t play much early in the year but finished with 33 tackles and a pair of tackles for loss.

Among the guys I have listed as backups, Young is oozing potential at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds. I could see him playing at linebacker or coming off the edge.

UCO transfer Jack Puckett was the guy I felt bad leaving off this list, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if he managed to carve out a role after an All-American career with the Bronchos.

Nickel

Nickel1: Quinton Hammonds (North Texas)
Nickel2: Christian Bodnar (Liberty)

Thoughts: There might not be a defender that gets me more excited than a good nickelback.

Hammonds started in that role for UNT this past season. He was listed at 6-1, 219 pounds and finished 2025 with 53 tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack and two picks.

I was also super impressed with Christian Bodnar’s highlights from Liberty. He finished 2025 with 44 tackles and two sacks. I’d expect both of these guys to get on the field plenty in 2026.

Cornerback

CB1s: LaDainian Fields (returner), Maurion Horn (Texas Tech)
CB2s: Kanijal Thomas (Kansas State), Kollin Lewis (North Texas)

Thoughts: Given how well LaDainian Fields performed as a redshirt freshman in 2025, his retention was a big win for the new OSU staff.

In 255 defensive snaps, Fields finished with a PFF grade of 77.2. He allowed just two catches on 13 targets and also had two interceptions.

Horn is an Okie and was a four-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting class out of Broken Arrow. He started for the Red Raiders in 2024.

Another name I’d look out for is Kobi Foreman. Foreman is an elite athlete, who OSU used as a return man toward the end of last season — his true freshman year.

Safety

S1s: Cameron Epps (returner), Mose Phillips III (Missouri)
S2s: Vincent Holmes (Washington), Evan Jacks0n (North Texas)

Thoughts: This room feels similar to OSU’s defensive ends in that there are a lot of guys I could see battling it out to get on the field.

Epps played just one defensive snap in 2025 but showed promise at different points earlier in his career. He was a big piece to the Cowboys’ 10-win defense in 2023, as he picked off three passes as a redshirt freshman.

Phillips was a starter at Virginia Tech in 2024 and played 149 defensive snaps at Missouri last season.