Oklahoma DB Kani Walker inactive vs. Iowa State

Oklahoma defensive back Kani Walker is inactive for Saturday’s contest against Iowa State, SoonerScoop‘s Eddie Radosevich reported. Walker was seen on the sidelines not dressed out in pads just moments before the Sooners were set to kick off against the Cyclones.

So far this season, Walker had made a decent impact with the team to record 14 tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass defended. It’s unclear at this point why he is sidelined for the game against Iowa State.

Kani Walker began his college career at Louisville before transferring to Oklahoma ahead of the 2022 season. He appeared in six games and finished the season with three tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

It’s unfortunate to see the redshirt sophomore suffer a setback, as he was already off to the best season of his career. Expect the Sooners to lean on Woodi Washington and Gentry Williams, who’ve combined for 27 tackles and an interception, in the secondary against the Cyclones.

Oklahoma has ranked as the nation’s No. 8 scoring defense this season with 8.5 points allowed per game. They’ve also been one of the best teams at forcing turnovers through the air, with 2.0 interceptions per contest.

With Walker out, however, that will be something to watch against Iowa State. The Cyclones rank 12th in the Big 12 with 225.0 passing yards per game. The Sooners will aim to keep their impressive start to the season going and improve to 5-0.

Joel Klatt considers whether Oklahoma is CFP contender

After a rough first season under Brent Venables, Oklahoma looks like it’s improved through four games this year. The Sooners take a 4-0 record into this week’s game against Iowa State and find themselves ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25.

That ranking begs the question: Could Oklahoma be a College Football Playoff contender? According to FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt, the Sooners are “just below the line.”

Klatt was on the call for Oklahoma’s game against Cincinnati last week, which saw the Sooners’ defense clamp down in a 20-6 victory. It’s clear they’ve made strides on that side of the ball since last year. However, their level of competition makes it hard to judge just how far they’ve come.

“OU, I saw them last week. I was impressed with a lot of things,” Klatt said on The Joel Klatt Show. “They were kind of the next team in consideration. The defense has been really good so far this year, and that was the question coming in. Remember, this is a team that gave up over 30 points a game and over 450 yards a game last year. Not good. And so, they have to improve.

“And while the statistics suggest that their defense is much better, we still have to wait and see. I still don’t feel like they’ve played a great offense. And there were times during that game against Cincinnati when I felt like, ‘Boy, the Bearcats are a couple of mistakes away from having the lead in this game.’”