Bill Bedenbaugh Feels 'Really Good' About 'Natural Left Tackle' Stacey Wilkins

Stacey Wilkins, a redshirt freshman, could have used spring football, but he's showing a new maturity in 2020 training camp and could find himself in the lineup

Bill Bedenbaugh was going over his usual daily routine last week when he got an unexpected call from one of his offensive linemen.

Stacey Wilkins was in the car on his way to class and wanted Bedenbaugh to look at something.

“Hey coach,” Wilkins said, “can you watch Play (number) 30 here from team (drills) and critique me on that?”

Bedenbaugh was impressed.

“I don’t know that he would have done that last year,” Bedenbaugh said. “I don’t know that he would have done that a week ago.”

The 6-foot-6, 316-pound Wilkins played in four games last season as a true freshman out of Camden, AR, and was able to keep his redshirt status.

He flashed brilliance against South Dakota, UCLA, Texas Tech and Kansas, but coaches were eager to watch him grow in spring practice and see if he could take on better competition.

When Lincoln Riley forecast coming changes across the Oklahoma offensive line way back at the beginning of March — a lifetime ago, now, it seems — it was natural to assume that Wilkins would be among those getting more playing time.

Then, just one day into spring drills, the pandemic hit Norman.

“I think not having the spring hurt Stacey the most, just not being around here,” Bedenbaugh said. “And obviously he was a young kid.”

Wilkins played right tackle last season and opened this training camp there, but Bedenbaugh said the movement that Riley promised is starting to happen — and Wilkins has switched sides.

“We just moved him back to left tackle, just three days ago now,” Bedenbaugh said earlier this week, “and he’s had the three best practices that he’s had since he’s been here.

“It’s really a weird situation just because he just looks better at left tackle. In the beginning, we needed him at right tackle because we were experimenting with other things, and seeing how he could do over there. Then we moved some other guys back to right tackle, wanted to get him reps.

“He’s a natural left tackle, and he’s had three really good practices. I feel really good about him. You know, if you would have asked me five days ago, six days ago, I don’t know if I would have said the same thing.”

OU brings back eight-game starter Erik Swenson, a fifth-year senior, at left tackle from last season, but Swenson struggled at times in pass protection, so there is certainly an opportunity for Wilkins or others if the performance merits.

“He’s really starting to mentally focus,” Bedenbaugh said of Wilkins. “He’s starting to work on things outside of here.

“I feel really good about him, the way he’s developing, if he continues to improve.”

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