Oklahoma’s New Lineman Might Be the Key to Unlocking a Young Front’s Potential

NORMAN — The talk surrounding Oklahoma's offensive line typically centers around the freshmen of last year coming into their second season as starters. That continuity has Sooner fans believing that OU's offense can make a huge leap into 2026.

There's another large reason why Oklahoma's offensive line factors to be a potential strength of the team. "Large" being the keyword — all 6-6, 312 pounds of him.

As Oklahoma made noise with a strong transfer portal class, E'Marion Harris’ arrival barely registered — the kind of muted response offensive linemen usually get, and rarely deserve. But rest assured, if the Sooner offensive line does make the jump in 2026, Harris' massive fingerprints will be all over it.

"(OU's offensive line is) the room I want to play for," Harris said on Tuesday following practice. "I want to play in a room that loves to compete. They bring a lot of great energy. We compete every day to make each other better. Just like an o-line that I want to play for."

Coming from a player with 30 games under his belt and 24 starts over the last two seasons, that says something. Arkansas didn’t exactly scare the SEC while Harris was there, but in 2024, its offense sure did — averaging 459.5 yards a game, the 10th-best mark in college football.

If a player like Harris says he wants to play for Oklahoma's offensive line and Bill Bedenbaugh, you know you have something cooking.

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"It's been amazing. Coming here and being coached by Coach (Bedenbaugh) is just amazing because of all the guys he has put in the league. All the techniques he knows and what I know," he said.

At this stage, Harris isn’t just filling a hole at right tackle — he’s expected to own it. A proven SEC veteran, he’s not only capable of starting right away but also of guiding the young linemen around him.

"Amazing athlete," Harris said of Michael Fasusi. "Me and him, we tell each other every day today, don’t get beat on the pass rush. Try to keep competitive between each other. That is how you are gonna get better. Being competitive with your brothers."

Having Harris on the opposite side bodes well for Fasusi's expected growth in 2026. Fasusi's freshman season was a success, but there is still much more for the young player to improve upon. He is already digging into Harris' wisdom.

"He's been there, done that," Fasusi said March 26. "He comes in here, he's leading us for sure, too. He definitely knows what to do, and he's really doing a good job of bringing our support, doing a great job of listening to Coach B, incorporating with the system, doing what we need him to do, and at the same time helping everybody else with that."

Harris recalls his own jump from limited snaps at Arkansas to starting two straight seasons. He knows the adjustment takes time — the game slows down gradually, but not all at once. Even veterans slip up with what he jokingly called a “brain fart.” Now, he’s urging Oklahoma’s young linemen to stay calm and trust their fundamentals.

Fasusi has already taken that to heart this offseason. So far, Harris has not only acclimated to Norman and Bedenbaugh's coaching seamlessly, he's grown close to his teammates in a short time.

"First week (he arrived), hanging out at each other’s houses," Harris said. "That is not normally what you get when you first come to a place. From that first week, getting to know each other, it has just been a great bond."

"I just love those boys these three, four months I have been here," he added.