How Oklahoma's OL Can Thrive Despite Losing Three To NFL

NORMAN — Oklahoma guard McKade Mettauer has high expectations for the offensive line leading up to the Sooners' 2023 opener, despite losing tackles Anton Harrison and Wanya Morris and guard Chris Murray to the NFL.

"We have the ability to be much better than last year," Mettauer told the media Monday after practice. "We can be much better than last year. The key word there is ‘can.’

"We have to continue to prove ourselves every day and make sure we’re in good enough shape and taking our reps seriously every day so we can have a standout O-line like we should."

The Sooners added three transfers, including Walter Rouse, a veteran right tackle from Stanford, who started 39 of 40 games for the Cardinal.

Mettauer (6-4, 305) was the only OU offensive lineman to start all 13 games in 2022. All but one of those starts was at left guard.

The Houston-area native was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection at California before transferring to Oklahoma. He has not given up a sack in two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus, a sports analytics company.

"The thing about being at Oklahoma is you always have depth," he said. "I think we have a lot of good competitive depth here. So having competitive stamina to be able to continue to keep your job and earn your job every week is important."

Rouse and Mettauer bring needed experience to a talented group that includes redshirt sophomore Savion Byrd, senior Andrew Raym, redshirt junior Tyler Guyton, freshman Cayden Green, Appalachian State transfer Troy Everett, redshirt junior Nate Anderson, Miami (Ohio) transfer Caleb Shaffer and sophomore Jake Taylor.

"I think what’s different from last year, our skill level is a lot different," Mettauer said. "I mean we had Anton, Wanya and Chris, those are really good guys."

Harrison was selected by Jacksonville in the first round of the NFL Draft and Morris was picked by Kansas City in the third round. Murray signed a free agent deal with the Tampa Bay and was listed on the Buccaneers' roster as of Tuesday.

"I think we have the same if not better skill set," Mettauer said. "They’re just in different areas for each person. We just need to prove our potential and prove what we can be."

Mettauer wants to prove that he can be a model of consistency in offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh's system.

"I think that I was a little lax last year and it did give me the chance to be rotated a couple times," he said. "But I think this year you just have to have a different mindset being here so, like I like to say a lot, be irreplaceable, make yourself irreplaceable to where you're the rock of the O-line and they're going to have to move people around you and not move you.

"Coach B said from the Florida State game to spring ball, he said I was night and day a completely different player. So I’m really working on being irreplaceable in a way as I rotated last year a little bit, irreplaceable and just a guy that we can learn on and a model of consistency for the O-line."

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