Oklahoma Coach Bill Bedenbaugh Discusses Potential Starting Tackle Duo

After losing Anton Harrison and Wanya Morris to the NFL draft, Oklahoma must replace two extremely talented lineman in one offseason.

Fortunately for the Sooners, offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh has recruited well in the transfer portal, replenishing OU’s offensive line room with multiple players who have experience playing college football. This offseason, Bedenbaugh brought in former Stanford offensive lineman Walter Rouse, former Appalachian State interior offensive lineman Troy Everett and former Miami (OH) interior lineman Caleb Shaffer.

Of the three aforementioned players, Rouse will likely see the field more than Shaffer or Everett, as the Sooners have a very young group at offensive tackle and a much deeper position group at the guard spots.

Additionally, Rouse is probably the most talented player of the three, receiving looks from the NFL following his final year in Palo Alto. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 322 pounds, the former Stanford tackle earned All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention and Freshman All-American honors during his time with the Cardinal.

Now in Norman, Rouse has been recovering from a shoulder injury that forced him to have surgery over the offseason and miss the Sooners’ spring game. Still, Bedenbaugh remains confident in the Maryland native’s health and abilities.

“Really mature, started 39 games at Stanford,” Bedenbaugh said last week at the OU coaches luncheon when asked about Rouse. “He did have shoulder surgery in December, he’s back healthy now. … He’s already stepped into a leadership role, extremely smart, inquizitive, a big massive dude that’s actually a lot more athletic than I anticipated just seeing him on tape at Stanford. Really, really excited about him. Obviously, experience, you can’t substitute experience.”

Rouse’s maturity will not only be important on the field, but also when mentoring some of the talented, younger lineman on the team. If Rouse is able to perform as well as he did in the Pac 12, OU will have one of its tackle positions set for this fall.

Prior to the 2022-23 season, Bedenbaugh was able to bring in Tyler Guyton, a skilled offensive line transfer from TCU. Guyton, a high school defensive lineman and basketball player, was not expected to see much playing time in his first season with the Sooners, but was thrust into the starting lineup while Morris dealt with off-the-field issues.

Guyton played well in his limited action last season. The TCU transfer started five games for Jeff Lebby’s offense in 2022, opening the season at left tackle against UTEP before starting at right tackle against Kent State, Nebraska, Texas Tech and Florida State.

Among those praising Guyton was former Sooners and New Orleans Saints’ offensive lineman Gabe Ikard. Ikard talked extensively on "The Oklahoma Breakdown" podcast about how well the Manor (TX) product played despite his lack of experience and how his size, length and athleticism could earn him a spot in the NFL next season.

Guyton’s impressive outing as a redshirt sophomore left people around the program excited for what the 6-foot-7, 327-pound tackle could be in his second year with the team. After all, Guyton has only been playing offensive line for a few years and, in theory, still has plenty of untapped potential.

“(Tyler Guyton’s potential is) unlimited,” Bedenbaugh said at the coaches luncheon. “He played basketball in high school, was a d-end his senior year. Went to another school for a couple years and actually played tight end there, caught a touchdown pass. This is really only, truly his third year of playing offensive line. … He could play tight end, he really could. He could play d-line, he’s got unlimited potential but, you’ve got to go do it. Had a really good spring, fired up about coaching him and he’s really matured and gotten more committed to what he has to do to be an elite player.”

If Guyton has developed his skill set like Bedenbaugh indicated, the Sooners offensive tackles may be a strong duo with NFL aspirations once again in 2023.

Aside from Marcus Major, Oklahoma will likely be relying on two second-year players to tote the rock this season, one of which recorded only 17 touches last year. With such inexperienced running backs, Rouse and Guyton will need to play well to help OU’s young ball carriers get acclimated to college football.

With the Sooners’ receiver group also being very green, Lebby may be looking to lean even heavier on the ground game this season, which could make Rouse and Guyton’s performances this year even more important to Oklahoma offense.

In all likelihood, if Guyton and Rouse can play well this season, OU’s offense will have another productive year.

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