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Brent Venables expects Eli Bowen to contribute 'quickly' upon returning from injury

by: Jesse Crittenden09/26/25JesseCrittenden
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NORMAN — The Oklahoma offense received some tough news earlier this week with the announcement of John Mateer’s hand surgery on Wednesday.

But on the flip side, the defense could be seeing some much-needed reinforcements soon.

OU coach Brent Venables said Wednesday that cornerback Eli Bowen has returned to practice, marking his first on-field reps since missing the spring and fall camp with a foot injury. Bowen also suited up for the first time this season during the Sooners’ pregame warmups against Auburn. It’s a huge step forward for Bowen, who emerged as one of the Sooners’ best defensive players as a true freshman a season ago.

There will still be a ramping up process for Bowen, and Venables expects there to be rust early. But Venables said he expects both Bowen and receiver Javonnie Gibson, who has also yet to play this season, to contribute in the “immediate future.”

“It takes time,” Venables said Thursday. (Bowen has) missed a lot of football. So we’ll see. I believe in him. He’s worked incredibly hard to get back. I’d give him some grace in knowing you develop through the course of a season. But if there’s anybody that can pick up where he left off, it’s Eli.

“He’s been working diligently off the field and rehab, doing the things on the field as well. So I’ve got great confidence that he’ll get in and get right back at it quickly.”

The OU defense has been one of the best in the country through four weeks, but Bowen’s return would be very welcomed for the secondary.

Bowen emerged as a full-time starting cornerback midway through last season, averaging over 56 snaps per game over the final eight contests. Per Pro Football Focus, Bowen finished with the third-highest defense grade on the defense (81.9), the third-highest run-defense grade (89.4) and the second-highest coverage grade (78.7). He finished with 30 tackles, two tackles for loss and an interception as he established himself as the best coverage corner on the team.

The Sooners have held up without Bowen, particularly as freshman Courtland Guillory has proved to be a reliable option in the secondary. The defense ranks 19th in total yards, eight in scoring and seventh in passing defense. But one of the few areas of concern has been allowing explosive plays. The Sooners have allowed three passes of 40-plus yards, which ranks 80th in the country, and Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold narrowly missed on several big plays last weekend. Plus, the schedule only gets more difficult after the Kent State game on Oct. 4.

Bowen’s return wouldn’t just give the Sooners additional depth, but could also shore up things in the secondary.

“He’s in a really good mental state,” OU safety Peyton Bowen, Eli’s brother, said. “He’s working back daily, like slowly, and he’s looking to make a comeback in the next couple of weeks.”

The bye week has been helpful for the Sooners in getting several players back from injury. Bowen is at the top of that list, though there will be some urgency for him to quickly get back up to speed.

He did it a season ago, and there’s confidence he can do it again.

“I think he just comes in with the same mentality he had at that same moment (last year),” Peyton said. “He was battling injuries early on in last season, made a great impact for the rest of the year. And so I think he has that same drive to him that he did at his freshman year now.”

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