Oklahoma OL Coach Bill Bedenbaugh Has Found the Formula for Massive Recruiting Wins

Bill Bedenbaugh wasted no time during Oklahoma’s bye week.

In an explosive Thursday morning double feature, he flipped elite 2027 offensive tackle Cooper Hackett from Texas Tech and landed Bixby star Kaeden Penny.

The pair of recruiting wins ensures that two of Oklahoma’s best high school prospects will stay home to suit up for the Sooners, and it helps lay the foundation for a resurgent 2027 recruiting class for OU.

College football has changed dramatically over the past five years, but Bedenbaugh has been able to adapt so he can land the kind of offensive linemen necessary to compete in the SEC.

Like many, it took him a few recruiting cycles to assess the new lay of the land in the era of name, image and likeness.

Now, Bedenbaugh is hitting his stride.

Oklahoma Sooners, Troy Everett and Bill Bedenbaugh — Oklahoma center Troy Everett talks with offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh before one of the Sooners' fall practices. | Ryan Chapman / Sooners on SI

In the 2023 class, he landed Cayden Green. At the time, Green was the highest-rated recruit ever signed by Bedenbaugh.

He earned a role as a true freshman, and though Green is now starting at Missouri, Bedenbaugh proved he could win highly contested recruiting battles for SEC linemen.

In that same class, he landed Logan Howland and Heath Ozaeta, who have become key pieces for an offensive line that has been good enough in pass protection to help the 2025 Sooners start the year 4-0 with wins over Michigan and Auburn.

The 2024 recruiting class has yet to yield starters up front, but Eddy Pierre-Louis, Isaiah Dent and Daniel Akinkunmi have helped Bedenbaugh rebuild depth up front after a string of low-quantity classes in Lincoln Riley’s final years in Norman.

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Then Bedenbaugh struck gold in 2025.

He won recruiting battles for Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje, who have both played early as true freshmen this season.

With Fasusi in particular, Bedenbaugh found a winning formula.

The Sooners were competitive on the NIL front, though Oklahoma did not close its pitch with the highest-value offer.

Instead, Bedenbaugh leaned on the bond he formed with Fasusi during the recruiting process and his track record of producing linemen who have enjoyed long careers in the NFL. Pairing that with a strong NIL package helped Bedenbaugh outmuscle Texas and Texas A&M for Fasusi’s signature.

Oklahoma Sooners, Michael Fasus — Oklahoma offensive tackle Michael Fasusi started his first collegiate game against the Michigan Wolverines. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Bedenbaugh paired Fasusi with Fodje, and the duo closed the 2025 recruiting cycle as OU’s two highest-rated signees in both Rivals and 247Sports’ recruiting rankings.

The Fasusi formula proved effective with Hackett, too.

The Fort Gibson, OK, product initially committed to Texas Tech on Aug. 30, and though few programs are throwing around as much cash as the Red Raiders at the moment, Teddy Lehman’s Fort Gibson-to-Norman pipeline is flowing once again.

Bedenbaugh’s pair of in-state commits in 2027 will be appealing to any 2027 quarterback. The OU offensive line coach also did 2026 quarterback recruit Bowe Bentley a solid by reeling in Rivals Top 300 interior offensive lineman Deacon Schmitt to bolster the 2026 class.

The recruiting victories with Hackett and Penny were also huge for general manager Jim Nagy.

Oklahoma Sooners, Jim Nag — Oklahoma general manager Jim Nagy looks on during the Sooners' Week 2 battle with Michigan. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He freely admitted that his personnel department arrived a bit late in the game in the 2026 class.

Relationships between recruits and coaching staffs across the country are formed over years of contact, so stepping in at the start of March was going to be a big hill to climb for Nagy and his staff.

Still, those facts didn’t slow the outside criticism when the Sooners marched deep into the summer without an in-state commitment.

OU finally got on the board at the start of September with Rejoice Christian receiver Zizi Okwulfuleze from Owasso, OK.

The Sooners wasted no time getting to work in 2027, where the level of talent in-state will form one of the deepest classes in decades.

Nagy and Bedenbaugh posted a win over Texas Tech with Hackett, and the duo also opened the door to Bixby with Penny.

Oklahoma State established strong ties with the Spartans thanks to the Presley family, but Nagy, Bedenbaugh and Brent Venables have their feet firmly in the door now.

Bedenbaugh’s 2025 offensive line needs to get healthy. His unit has admirably protected John Mateer, though they’ll need to take significant steps forward in the run game for the Sooners to truly contend for a College Football Playoff berth later this fall.

It’s taken a few years for Bedenbaugh to rebuild his unit through the high school ranks, but more help is on the way, and Bedenbaugh is showing no signs of slowing down now.