Tate Sandell, Oklahoma kicker, announces plans for 2026 season
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Tate Sandell is running it back at Oklahoma for one final year.
Sandell, who is coming off a terrific season with the Sooners, announced on Sunday that he would withhold declaring for the NFL Draft and return to the program for the 2026 season. He revealed the news via a post on X.
In his first season with the Sooners, Sandell made all 35 of his extra points and was 24 of 27 on field goals. Two of those misses came in the first round of the College Football Playoff against Alabama.
One bad game, though, shouldn’t overshadow a stellar campaign for Sandell, whose college career began at UTSA. At one point, he made an SEC-record 23 straight field goals. His seven makes from beyond 50 yards tied an FBS record. He ultimately won the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s best placekicker while adding SEC Special Teams Player of the Year honors.
Sandell appears to have a long, productive NFL career ahead of him. But that won’t come until 2027, as he’ll take advantage of his final year of eligibility to help the Sooners take the next step in winning a national championship for the first time since 2000.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
