Oklahoma Position Battles: Offensive Tackle
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Oklahoma’s offensive line will have at least two new starters in 2022.
Marquis Hayes and Tyrese Robinson are now in the NFL, leaving Bill Bedenbaugh to replace his left guard and right tackle.
California transfer McKade Mettauer appears poised to take the open guard spot, which leaves a couple of familiar faces at Bedenbaugh’s disposal at right tackle.
On paper, Wanya Morris should be the leader in the clubhouse.
Across two seasons at Tennessee, Morris made 19 starts at tackle, and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team in 2019.
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But Morris’ transfer to Oklahoma didn’t go quite to plan last year.
The Grayson, GA, product came off the bench in six contests, but he never really seemed to make an impact for the Sooners.
This offseason presented Morris with a career crossroads, and all indications point to the 6-foot-6 tackle rededicating himself on and off the field.
However, Morris isn’t the only offensive tackle with the frame and skillset to help OU out at right tackle this season.
If the senior is unable to pull it all together, Savion Byrd and Tyler Guyton could be waiting in the wings to take over.
Byrd was a highly coveted recruit in his own right.
A former 4-star prospect, the 6-5, 278-pound lineman redshirted last year during his first season on campus in Norman.
Now with another year under his belt, Bedenbaugh said in the spring he was really pleased with how far Byrd has come on the field, and the Oklahoma offensive line coach highlighted Byrd’s growing maturity off the field.
Guyton, a TCU transfer, could be a wild card as well.
After redshirting in 2020, Guyton was used all over the field last year for the Horned Frogs. Sometimes an offensive tackle, Guyton was also used as an H-back, where he caught a 6-yard touchdown pass against the Iowa State Cyclones.
Working back at tackle, Guyton showed top-end athleticism during Oklahoma’s Spring Game, and he could be poised to step in a play a role if there are issues at either tackle spot this season for the Sooners.
Due to the smaller number of offensive lineman Oklahoma has landed in the past few recruiting classes, the Sooners enter 2022 pretty thin along the line of scrimmage.
Regardless of how many snaps Guyton and Byrd get early in the season, they'll have to put their best foot forward in fall camp to show Bedenbaugh that they are ready to take on a much larger role if called upon.
Behind Guyton and Byrd are a pair of true freshman in Jacob Sexton and Jake Taylor, who will be nipping at their heels if they Guyton and Byrd fail to solidify themselves in Bedenbaugh's rotation.
Though Anton Harrison and Morris are tipped to start the season off protecting Dillon Gabriel against UTEP, fall camp will provide plenty of opportunities for Bedenbaugh to mix and match and hone in on his depth chart at offensive tackle.
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