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Former Oklahoma OL Luke Baklenko Transfers to the Big 12, per Report

After one year in Norman, offensive lineman Luke Baklenko is moving back closer to home.
Ryan Chapman|
Oklahoma offensive lineman Luke Baklenko
Oklahoma offensive lineman Luke Baklenko | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

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Oklahoma Sooners

Former Stanford and Oklahoma offensive lineman Luke Baklenko is on the move. 

The rising senior signed with Big 12 outfit Arizona State, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. 

Baklenko was brought in by the Sooners last year to add to the depth along the offensive line, and he appeared in all 13 contests. 

He played 155 snaps, per Pro Football Focus, bouncing between both tackle spots. 

Baklenko finisished wiht an overall grade of 67.9, per PFF, a run blocking grade of 60.0 and a pass blocking grade of 78.1.

He also played 65 snaps on special teams across the entire season. 

Keep Track of Oklahoma's Transfer Portal Activity

Now, the 6-foot-6, 313-pound offensive lineman will be headed back closer to home. 

He signed with Stanford from Thousand Oaks, CA, as a consensus 3-star recruit, and Baklenko will have one year of eligibility remaining with the Sun Devils. 

The Sooners return their projected starters along the offensive line in 2026 after right guard Febechi Nwiawu and right tackle Derek Simmons graduated. 

Left tackle Michael Fasusi, guards Eddy Pierre-Louis and Heath Ozaeta, center Jake Maikkula and Ryan Fodje are all set to grow together this offseason. 

The Sooners did lose a bunch of depth to the portal. 

Swing tackle Logan Howland entered the portal and will play for Virginia Tech next year. Tackles Jacob Sexton and Jake Taylor, who battled injuires throughout their entire OU careers, are also headed to the Big 12. 

Sexton will move north to Stillwater to play for Oklahoma State, and Taylor will try to help Iowa State rebuild in 2026.

Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh has worked with general manager Jim Nagy to replinish the depth through the portal, however. 

Western Kentucky center Caleb Nitta will join the Sooners to replace Troy Everett, who also entered the portal after his 2025 season was ended due to an injury, and Nitta also has experience playing elsewhere on the interior of the offensive line. 

The Sooners also added E’Marion Harris, who arrives in Norman with two years of SEC starting experinece at Arkansas. 

Harris started six games at guard in 2024, but made his name at right tackle for the Razorbacks. He started every game but one there last season in Fayetteville. 

This offseason, there will only be one transfer portal window for players to enter. 

The window opened on Jan. 2, and it will run through Jan. 16. 

Players just have to have their information entered into the portal by the time it closes, though they can enroll at their new schools beyond Jan. 16.

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is co-publisher at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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