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OU's David Stone, Taylor Wein, John Mateer among ESPN's preseason top 100

OU football spring game

Redshirt junior defensive line Taylor Wein and redshirt senior quarterback John Mateer after the spring game on April 18, 2026.

 Zsophia Towson/OU Daily

Three OU football players were named to ESPN’s list of the top 100 players in college football entering the 2026 season. Here are the Sooners listed in the rankings:

• David Stone at 50

• Taylor Wein at 75 

• John Mateer at 89

Stone was OU’s highest-ranked player at No. 50 overall and one of ESPN’s top-ranked defensive linemen. The junior defensive lineman recorded 42 total tackles, eight tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 2025. After playing in 13 games and making two starts last season, ESPN pointed to Stone’s expected transition into a full-time starting role as a major reason for his ranking entering 2026. 

Wein came in at No. 75 overall, ranking among ESPN’s top defensive linemen after emerging as one of the Sooners’ top pass rushers in 2025.The junior recorded 39 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss and a team-leading seven sacks. ESPN noted Wein’s role in an Oklahoma defense that ranked among the nation’s best at stopping the run and generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks. 

Quarterback John Mateer rounded out OU’s three selections at No. 89 overall, placing him 18th among the 18 quarterbacks on ESPN’s top 100 list. Mateer enters the 2026 season as a key figure in the Sooners’ hopes of improving offensively. His ranking also comes after a 2025 season in which he dealt with injuries while leading OU through a difficult schedule. ESPN has previously described Mateer as one of college football’s more exciting quarterbacks because of his ability to create plays and his fearlessness throwing the ball. 

The No. 89 ranking represents a notable place for Mateer in ESPN’s list after he entered the 2025 season with significantly higher national expectations. The quarterback was ranked No. 16 overall on ESPN’s preseason top 100 list ahead of last season, following his standout 2024 season at Washington State. In that season, John Mateer threw for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and ran for 826 yards.

ESPN said its annual rankings consider both players’ previous production and expectations for the upcoming season. 

This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel.

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