2022 Oklahoma Preview: Ranking the Opponents' OL
Over the next week, AllSooners.com will rank the top skill position players the Oklahoma Sooners will face in the 2022 season, starting today with the offensive linemen.
5. Steve Avila, TCU
Steve Avila starred at center last year for the TCU Horned Frogs
Reese Strickland / USA TODAY Sports
A three-year veteran at the heart of the TCU Horned Frogs offensive line, Steve Avila has played all across the offensive line. In 2020, Avila played at center, right guard and right tackle across his nine starts, as his versatility was essential to the unit.
Last year, Avila broke out at center in Ft. Worth. The 6-foot-4, 334-pounder started 11 games and stood out. He was voted to the All-Big 12 First Team by the AP, and was named an All-Big 12 Second Team selection by the league’s coaches.
The Horned Frogs ranked 10th in the country in yards per play (6.68) and No. 29 in rushing yards per game (196.2) behind TCU’s offensive line spearheaded by Avila.
Now a redshirt senior, Avila is seasoned and will be a tough test on the interior of the offensive line for Oklahoma’s pass rush.
4. Zach Frazier, WVU
Moving to center, Zach Frazier starred for the West Virginia Mountaineers last year
Ben Queen / USA TODAY Sports
Zach Frazier burst onto the scene in 2020 for Neal Brown’s West Virginia Mountaineers.
Playing left guard, Frazier started nine of the 10 games he played, becoming the first true freshman since the 1980’s to log starts along the Mountaineer offensive line.
Last year, Frazier continued to develop, rounding into one of the Big 12’s best lineman.
Moving to center, Frazier started all 13 games for the Mountaineers, only allowing three sacks for the entire season.
The 6-3, 308-pound center earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2021.
Now with another offseason to continue to grow at center, Frazier will be a key piece of the offensive line trying to keep Georgia transfer quarterback J.T. Daniels upright in offensive coordinator Graham Harrell’s new system.
3. Trevor Downing, Iowa State
Trevor Downing has been a leader on the Iowa State offensive line since 2019
Jerome Miron / USA TODAY Sports
Trevor Downing has been a fixture on the Iowa Sate offensive line since 2019.
After redshirting in 2018, Downing was named a Second Team Freshman All-American by The Athletic, winning the left guard job and starting the final 12 games there for the Cyclones.
Unfortunately for Downing, he wasn’t able to build on that momentum in 2020. The Creston, IA, native sustained a season-ending injury in the opening contest against Louisiana.
But he bounced back in a big way last year.
Downing started all 13 games last year for Iowa State, going through the entire regular season at right guard before shifting over to center against Clemson in the Cheez-It Bowl.
Iowa State’s offense posted their fourth-best points per game mark (31.3) in school history behind Downing’s steady work up front.
At the end of the season, Downing was voted to the All-Big 12 First Team, and he’ll be back to further improve his draft stock in 2022.
2. Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
Left tackle Cooper Beebe burst onto the scene last year for the Kansas State Wildcats
Michael C. Johnson / USA TODAY Sports
As a redshirt sophomore in 2021, Cooper Beebe had a breakout year in Manhattan.
The Kansas State left tackle started 13 games and didn’t allow a single sack across his 367 pass blocking snaps.
Excellent in the run game as well, Beebe helped the Wildcats post the program’s fourth best yards per rush mark (4.83) in school history.
Ahead of the 2022 season, the 6-4, 322-pound lineman is already garnering NFL Draft hype.
Earlier this month, Pro Football Focus rated Beebe as the top interior offensive line prospect headed into the 2022 season.
1. Connor Galvin, Baylor
Last year's Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, Connor Galvin is the veteran leader for the Baylor offense
Jerome Miron / USA TODAY Sports
Last year’s Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year is back for more in 2022.
Baylor’s Connor Galvin starred at left tackle last year, upping his game to another level for the 2021 Big 12 Champions.
The 6-7, 310-pound tackle assumed a massive leadership role last year, helping the offensive line as a whole succeed along with his own stellar play.
Galvin raked in national recognition as well, as the Katy, TX, product was voted to the AP All-American Third Team, and he was named a First Team All-American by The Athletic.
The super senior will back to protect Blake Shapen’s blind side in his first full season as a starter as the Bears look to defend their Big 12 crown in 2022.
Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the AllSooners message board community today!
Sign up for your premium membership to AllSooners.com today, and get access to the entire Fan Nation premium network!
Follow AllSooners on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest OU news.
