How Oklahoma's Offensive Line Built a 'Good Bond' During Summer Workouts

NORMAN — Oklahoma’s offensive line rebuild didn’t stop after spring practice.

The Sooners, who lost starters Tyler Guyton and Andrew Raym early to the NFL Draft, Walter Rouse and McKade Mettauer to graduation and Cayden Green to the transfer portal added numbers in droves last winter.

Then as the team was ready to break for summer workouts, offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh dipped back into the portal to add SMU’s standout center, Branson Hickman.

Though there will be plenty of moving pieces throughout training camp to find the best starting unit for OU’s season-opener against Temple on Aug. 30, the locker room is confident in Bedenbaugh’s unit.

“They’re going to be great. Without a doubt,” OU defensive tackle Damonic Williams said after the Sooners’ second practice on Thursday. “All those doubts about the o-line, you all can just stop that. Because this defense and this offense, it’s going to be something surprising.”

Jacob Sexton made four starts at right tackle a year ago, and he figures to slot in Bedenbaugh’s best five later this month.

Hickman will have a pathway to start at center after Troy Everett’s injury setback in the spring, and Febechi Nwaiwu seems like a comfortable option at guard.

Position battles will rage throughout camp, but the summer was crucial to bring the unit together as teammates still are building chemistry.

“I feel great. We got a lot of guys that are working really hard,” Hickman said. “We built a good relationship, good bond in the summer, a lot of guys hanging out together. Being a transfer, I’m thankful for the guys, since I came in a little later than everyone else, and they brought me in like I was one of their own.”

Bedenbaugh’s record of sending guys to the draft has left him needing to replace crucial pieces from year-to-year before, but he’s not quite had as much turnover at Oklahoma as he faced this past offseason.

He’s notorious for tinkering with lineups early in the season, and Bedenbaugh has no shortage of options.

Washington transfer Geirean Hatchett is now healthy to fight for snaps on the interior of the line and USC transfer Michael Tarquin and Michigan State transfer Spencer Brown bring a pair of experienced options at offensive tackle.

OU also has homegrown options in redshirt sophomore Jake Taylor and redshirt freshman Heath Ozaeta, among others.

The Sooners will have a tall task to protect first-year starter Jackson Arnold against SEC defensive lines this fall, but Hickman is confident in the foundation the entire unit laid this summer by growing closer as teammates.

“No one will say it’s going to be easy, but it helps going through summer together,” Hickman said. “Coach [Jerry Schmidt] put us in a great position to work real hard and get together. We had guys host stuff on the weekends so that everyone could be around each other and not just hang out when you’re in the facility.

“That’s the biggest thing. You got to be around each other outside the facility, build real bonds, not just, ‘Hey, we’re double-teaming this guy here;’ you got to hang out together.”