Oklahoma Sooners get much-needed positive injury news for two of their youngest starters at critical position originally appeared on A to Z Sports.

2024 was a brutal season for the Oklahoma Sooners on the injury front, as over 20 players missed time because of or dealt with injuries that limited their ability for much of the season. Several players gutted it out to finish the season, but had to have surgery and miss part of the offseason while rehabbing.

Fortunately, the Sooners got some great news on the injury front this past week. At his opening press conference, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables announced that left tackle Logan Howland and left guard Heath Ozaeta are healthy and will return for fall camp.

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Both had missed the spring and summer while working back from surgeries.

Howland’s return to the lineup opens up a tremendous battle for the starting left tackle position. While he was away, five-star freshman Michael Fasusi took a major step forward into cementing his claim on the starting job. Last year’s starting left tackle, Jacob Sexton, has worked with the ones throughout the offseason, trying to keep a hold on the job. Now, Howland, who ended the season as the starting left tackle with several strong performances, is back in the ring, making left tackle a true three-way battle for reps.

Ozaeta’s return also opens up one of Oklahoma’s best position battles of the offseason. While Ozaeta has been away, redshirt freshman Eddy Pierre-Louis has stepped into the starting lineup at left guard, and has no intention of giving the job up. Ozaeta settled in and handled the job admirably for the majority of last season, but Pierre-Louis has been a coveted player by this coaching staff who has aced every test so far.

It will be a true battle of experience versus young bucks looking to unseat the starters and put their own names in the starting lineup for what is shaping up to be a promising season. The competitive depth and battles going on for the Sooners on the offensive line are a far cry from what they had last season, and will only strengthen this unit for Oklahoma after their dismal 2024 season.

This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.