Through five games, Oklahoma's defense has proved one thing.

This defense isn't rebuilding. It's rebuilt, and ready to win big.

The Sooners' defense has picked up the slack for an offense that has struggled. The defense ranks 25th in scoring (16 points per game), seventh in rushing yards per carry (2.6), third in sacks per game (3.6) and ninth in tackles for loss per game (8.0). The Sooners rank third in takeaways (13th) and have made some huge, timely plays like Kip Lewis' pick-six against Auburn last weekend.

It hasn't been absolutely perfect, but it's been hard to find areas to critique about the defense. The progress this unit has made in Brent Venables' three years — and really, the last decade — has been incredible to see.

On Friday, we evaluated OU's offense. Today, let's look at the position group for OU's defense and hand out midseason grades.

The defensive line, particularly the interior, was the biggest question mark of the defense heading into the year.

So far, the results have been pretty impressive.

The counting stats aren't earth-shattering, but the rotation has been incredibly solid. Damonic Williams has been the steady presence the Sooners haven't had under Venables — in addition to his 12 tackles, two TFLs and one sack, his PFF grade is 71.8. For reference, Jacob Lacey was the highest-graded lineman who saw at least 50 snaps (60.7). Williams has given the team the flexibility to run both three and four-man sets.

Gracen Halton has made the jump in year three, ranking second on the team in sacks (2.5) and his safety against Houston was a game-changing play. Da'Jon Terry has been rock solid in the middle. True freshman Jayden Jackson has played 150 snaps and is on track to finish the regular season with well over 300 snaps. There's been some ups and downs, but he's been effective in the Sooners' rushing defense (73.7 grade, per PFF).

It's been a little interesting to see the lack of involvement for guys like Ashton Sanders, David Stone and Davon Sears. The Sooners have largely stuck to a four-man rotation, but it'll be worth watching to see if they have to expand the rotation moving forward. Either way, the interior has been solid.

GRADE: B+

There's been some great things about the defensive end room.

The Sooners have largely gotten the contributions they expected from Ethan Downs and Caiden Woullard. Downs has been rock-solid as always with 10 tackles, two TFLs, a sack and a forced fumble in 221 snaps, which ranks fifth on the defense. Downs has a grade of 75.8, which is largely in line with his previous seasons.

But the standouts have been R Mason Thomas and Trace Ford. Thomas has staked his claim as one of the best pass-rushers in football. He leads the team in tackles for loss (6.5) and he's seventh in the country in sacks (5.5). His pass-rush grade (85.9) is the eighth-best mark among players who've logged at least 84 snaps. He's unofficially become "Mr. Fourth Quarter" in college football — all 5.5 sacks have come in the fourth quarter, and his plays against Tulane and Auburn were pivotal in helping OU escape with wins.

But Ford has been a true contributor for this defense, particularly the last couple of weeks. He has two forced fumbles, three tackles for loss and a sack, and his 89.1 pass-rush grade is the highest on the team among players who've played at least 24 snaps. The defense as a whole has the ninth-highest pass-rush grade, per PFF, and the defensive end group has been a big reason why.

It's been a slow start for Adepoju Adebawore, who's played just 47 snaps. But the contributions among the rest of the players have made up for it.

GRADE: A-

The heart of OU's defense has stepped up this season, and it hasn't just been Danny Stutsman.

Stutsman has been great, as usual, posting a team-high 40 tackles and two tackles for loss. But the real story has been the emergence of Kip Lewis and Kobie McKinzie. Lewis' pick-six against Auburn could easily be the biggest play of the season, but he has developed into an all-around player. His 82.8 coverage grade is the second-best mark on the team, trailing only Robert Spears-Jennings. McKinzie (13 tackles, two TFLs, one sack) hasn't been far behind him, and he's already nearly surpassed the amount of snaps he played last year (165 in 2023, 152 now).

At cheetah, the Sooners were getting an outstanding season from Kip Lewis before his unfortunate injury against Tennessee. But Samuel Omosigho has come into his own in his second season, he has 73.9 grade or higher in rush defense, tackling and overall grade.

The success in the room has come without Dasan McCullough playing a snap. Lewis Carter has made some plays and has looked promising in his limited snaps on the field. Jaren Kanak hasn't played much, but that was expected.

But the biggest story is that OU's defense will be fine with Lewis and McKinzie leading the way next year.

Grade: A-

If there's been one spot to pick at, it's been the cornerbacks.

Gentry Williams just can't stay healthy — he's played just 17 snaps this year — and the question is (reasonably) being asked about when (or if) he'll be able to contribute to the team. Without Williams, that has left Kani Walker and Dez Malone to pick up the slack.

It hasn't been bad necessarily. Even the big plays that Auburn hit on were largely just well-thrown balls by Peyton Thorne. But the Sooners have been suspetible to big plays, and the cornerback room is a big reason why. They're surrendering 12.9 yards per completion, which ranks 92nd, and they've given up 14 plays of 30 yards or more and six plays of at least 40 yards.

Woodi Washington just hasn't been the consistent veteran the Sooners have needed. His PFF grade on the season is 51.0, which is the third-lowest among the 44 OU players who have logged a defensive snap, and he has the lowest coverage grade on the team (43.0)

The good news is that true freshman Eli Bowen has emerged as a real contributor. He is highest-graded cornerback on the team and has the third-best coverage grade.

The room hasn't been terrible, but they're going to need more snaps from Bowen and more production from Washington.

GRADE: C-

The Sooners have a three-headed monster at safety.

Spears-Jennings has been OU's best defensive player. He's the highest-graded defensive player and has a 82.4 grade or higher in rush defense, tackling, pass rush and coverage. He has the most solo sacks (24) to go with 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles. Billy Bowman has been as solid as always, and Peyton Bowen has largely improved from his solid freshman campaign. The Sooners have largely been able to play all three at the same time, and their best packages will likely need to include all three players on the field.

There hasn't been much room for playing time outside of those three, considering they've combined for over 730 snaps. But Michael Boganowski looks like he's going to be a big part of the defense in the future.

GRADE: A