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Former Oklahoma OL Exits Portal, Announces New Destination

Nate Anderson was hoping to get an opportunity with the Sooners but never could crack the lineup and decided to seek greener pastures a few hours south of Norman.
John E. Hoover|
Former Oklahoma OL Exits Portal, Announces New Destination
Former Oklahoma OL Exits Portal, Announces New Destination

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Oklahoma Sooners

After not cracking the lineup in his first four years at Oklahoma, Nate Anderson hopes things will be better a little further south.

Anderson, a fourth-year junior offensive lineman, announced Monday he’ll be transferring to SMU.

A native of Dallas suburb Frisco, TX, where he starred at Reedy High School, Anderson will return home to the Metroplex with two years of eligibility remaining.

Anderson redshirted in 2020 and didn’t see any game action in 2021. As a third-year sophomore in 2022, Anderson played 36 snaps in four games (UTEP, Kent State, Nebraska and TCU) before settling in to a special teams role in 2023.

He played in all 12 games this season and logged 109 special teams snaps, mostly on the field goal and extra point unit. He also saw time in two games on offense, getting 32 snaps against Arkansas State and four against Tulsa.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Anderson might have had an opportunity to contribute more on offense in 2024 as the Sooners will replace their entire starting five across the offensive line. Seniors Walter Rouse and McKade Mettauer graduated, senior Andrew Raym and junior Tyler Guyton had additional eligibility but chose to declare for the NFL Draft, and freshman Cayden Green unexpectedly hit the portal.

Although the Sooners’ o-line will be completely rebuilt next year, Anderson figures to have a clearer path to playing time for Rhett Lashlee’s Mustangs in 2024.

Anderson was an Under Armour All-American and a consensus 4-star prospect in high school. He was rated as the No. 66 recruit in the nation (No. 2 among offensive guards) by 247 Sports, No. 67 by ESPN and No. 169 by Rivals.

He originally chose OU over Baylor, TCU, USC and others.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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