Dolby becames the latest key Sooner defender to announce their intentions to return to Oklahoma in 2025.
Another key piece of Oklahoma’s defense is back into the fold for the 2025 season.
Oklahoma hybrid defensive back/linebacker Kendel Dolby officially announced on social media Friday that he would be returning to the Sooners for another season. It will be Dolby’s third campaign in Norman after making the jump from the JUCO ranks.
“Pain is my fuel,” Dolby wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Run it back!”
Serving as Oklahoma’s primary cheetah, Dolby’s 2024 season was off to a strong start with ten total tackles including a sack and a pass deflection before a leg injury suffered against Tennessee sidelined him for the year in just the Sooners’ fourth game.
As a junior college prospect, Dolby was highly-coveted as a 4-star recruit and the No. 6 overall player at the JUCO level in 2023 from in-state Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. In his first year with OU, Dolby had an immediate impact playing in all 13 games in 2023 and earning himself an all-Big 12 honorable mention.
Making three starts at cheetah, Dolby finished his year with 49 total tackles, five tackles for loss, two interceptions, three pass breakups, two sacks and four quarterback hurries. Dolby then parlayed that into the starting spot going into this year before the injury derailed what was a promising beginning to the season.
Now, Dolby comes back figuring to be right in the mix for the starting spot again. With Dasan McCullough having moved on through the transfer portal, Dolby and linebacker Sammy Omosigho figure to be the primary pieces competing for the starting role at cheetah of the players currently on the roster.
Dolby’s return continues a strong trend of Oklahoma getting key members of their defense back in recent days, having already learned of linebacker Kip Lewis, defensive tackle Damonic Williams and defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings’ intentions to do the same all in the last week.
The last big piece still floating for the Sooners, at this point, remains defensive end R Mason Thomas, who is still weighing his NFL options as to whether or not he will elect to play another year of college football. If he does, it would complete a very strong portal cycle from a retention standpoint on the defensive side of the ball as the Sooners look to continue the momentum and upward trajectory from a strong 2024 campaign defensively.