Sooners head coach Brent Venables will once again put forward a defensive masterclass this year too, and has brought on a new set of hands to make his job easier. Oklahoma’s already stout defense just got even stronger.

Aaron Cheatwood is expected to join Oklahoma as an assistant edge coach after serving as a linebacker coach at Northern Arizona for two seasons. This is his second job in the P4 ranks, after briefly coaching at New Mexico State. At Norman, he is reunited with inside linebackers coach Nate Drelling, with whom he worked at NMSU. Cheatwood has nearly two-decades’ worth of experience as a coach.

Cheatwood’s defense was one of the best in FCS football last year. The Northern Arizona linebackers recorded 24 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. LBs Travis Arena and Brandon Wong made the All-Big Sky First and Second teams, respectively. The Lumberjack defense ranked 15th in stopping points, 18th in total defense, and was also among the top 40 at stopping running plays.

Cheatwood started his coaching career in 2007 as a defensive line coach at Arizona Western College, his alma mater. After that, he spent eight years at Yuma Catholic High School in Arizona, where he coached both offense and defense. He rose the ranks and also served as offensive and defensive coordinator, and eventually became the head coach and the athletic director.

His next stop was at Garden City Community College. In his first two years there, his defense was one of the top 20 teams at stopping yards. He also developed players like Ali Gaye, who later went to LSU, and Raymond Cutts, who became an All-American player. Because of this good work, he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2021. Cheatwood has a unique overlap with Brent Venables here, as the latter played for two seasons.

This is the first time this offseason that coach Brent Venables has added a new coach without replacing someone. Aaron Cheatwood will be helping out in a room that was the strength of the OU defense in 2025, but will have comepletely new look for 2026. Here’s what the situation looks like for him during spring camp.

Who will be Oklahoma’s new EDGEs in 2026?

Oklahoma will be losing R Mason Thomas and Marvin Jones Jr. from the edge positions this year. Oklahoma has hope in Taylor Wein replacing one of them for the 2026 season. He ended up leading second among defensive linemen in total tackles after recording just two in 2024. Who lines up opposite Wein, however, will be a battle fought by the remaining defensive ends.

Adepoju Adebawore is likely to take that spot, being experienced. Venables had to fight hard to keep him at Norman for 2026, as he briefly entered the portal before withdrawing. Adebawore has been with the program for four years now, but will get a proper shot at competing for the starting role now. However, he had to undergo foot surgery for wear and tear, the head coach announced last week.

In the wake of his recovery, redshirt freshman Danny Okoye could work on bagging the role for himself. UTSA transfer Kenny Ozowalu and the rookie Jake Kreul will also try to compete to secure the position.

Aaron Cheatwood will have to ensure that the Sooner standard of defense is upheld by the defensive ends this season. Wein led the room with 7 sacks, while the duo of Thomas and Jones Jr. hauled in 8.5 of them. Given the coach’s successes on defense in the past, fans can expect that this pace is maintained even in the 2026 season.