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Oklahoma Lands Another OL via Transfer Portal, per Report

The Sooners still need depth across the offensive line, so Bill Bedenbaugh reached back into the FCS level and landed Fred Hinton.
John Hoover|
Eastern Kentucky offensive lineman Fred Hinton in 2023
Eastern Kentucky offensive lineman Fred Hinton in 2023 | ERIC HASERT/TCPALM / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Oklahoma Sooners

Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh has spent much of Oklahoma’s offseason supplanting depth that was lost to the NCAA Transfer Portal.

The work continued Saturday as the Sooners landed Fred Hinton from Eastern Kentucky University.

That’s according to Sooners Illustrated’s Collin Kennedy of the 247Sports network.

Hinton, a 6-foot-4, 318-pound sophomore from Miami who played high school football at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, played his first two college seasons with the Colonels and emerged as a starter and regular contributor in 2025.

According to Pro Football Focus, Hinton played 382 offensive snaps in 2025. EKU records show he started the first five games of the season, then came off the bench for six games before returning to the starting lineup for the finale.

Eastern Kentucky plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Colonels were 5-7 last season, including a 51-17 loss at Louisville.

In 2024, per his EKU bio, Hinton played in 11 games with one start.

Hinton will have two years eligibility remaining.

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His PFF profile records an overall offensive grade of 52.6, which includes a 54.8 as a pass blocker and a 63.3 as a run blocker. His pass blocking grade against Louisville was registered at 11.9.

PFF shows Hinton allowed 11 pressures — four sacks, two QB hits and five hurries — on 212 pass plays.

Hinton’s time at IMG was productive as he was a teammate of current Sooner defensive linemen David Stone and Jayden Jackson in 2023. 

Hinton was a 3-star prospect as rated by On3 and 247Sports as he helped IMG go 10-0 and win the national championship. The Ascenders posted 3,283 yards and scored 39 touchdowns during his senior season.

Per his 247Sports bio, Hinton received FBS offers from South Florida, Arkansas State, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Louisiana and Miami-OH, to go with nine FCS offers.

The transfer portal closed on Jan. 16 this year, but players who submitted their name into the portal before then can sign with teams at any point.

Bedenbaugh lost six players to the portal from last year's o-line: Isaiah Autry-Dent, Jacob Sexton, Troy Everett, Luke Baklenko, Logan Howland and Jake Taylor. 

Meanwhile, with four starters back in 2026, the Sooners have brought in four players so far on the o-line: Hinton, Caleb Nitta (Western Kentucky), E’Marion Harris (Arkansas) and Peyton Joseph (Georgia Tech).

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John E. Hoover
JOHN 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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