Oklahoma Spring Review: Offensive Line Needs Numbers and Some Good Luck
With spring practice in the past and the NCAA Transfer Portal spring window now closed, it’s the ideal time to assess the Oklahoma roster heading into summer.
AllSooners has compiled a 10-part series, position by position, reviewing the Sooners’ spring and where that position goes from here.
Offensive Line
Coming out of spring practice, Bill Bedenbaugh still needs some numbers. And a little luck.
Oklahoma’s grand plan for the spring game was to pit two full teams in Memorial Stadium, but Brent Venables had to alter that to an offense versus defense setup because the Sooners simply didn’t have enough healthy players.
There were true freshmen starting for both the No. 1 and the No. 2 offense, there were guards playing tackle, there were right guards playing left guard and vice versa, there were walk-ons in the two-deep — it’s amazing the Sooners were even able to stage a scrimmage of this magnitude.
Bedenbaugh, OU’s offensive line coach, said in early April, “we’re a work in progress right now,” and never was that more apparent than in the Red/White Game on April 22.
“We were up and down,” offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said in postgame interviews. “The hardest thing is that when the (No. 2) group was out there, so many negatives and so many blundered plays that you're in really bad third-down situations. That makes it really hard.”
It’s safe to say the competition at some spots will carry on into training camp — particularly at some of the backup spots.
In the starting group, four of the starters were easy to forecast as starting center Andrew Raym (6-4, 313) and starting left guard McKade Mettauer (6-4, 310) return. Top tackle backup Tyler Guyton (6-7, 316), who started the Cheez-It Bowl, posted up on the right side, and fast-rising guard Savion Byrd (6-5, 283) continued his bowl game takeover by drawing the start.
But not many expected true freshman Cayden Green (6-5, 305) to start at left tackle despite the fact that he’s looked strong, confident and poised in open practices.
And even the projected starting four had a little shakeup, with Mettauer opening on the right side and Byrd stepping in on the left.
The real disappointment was not getting a real-time evaluation of Stanford transfer Walter Rouse (6-6, 315), who started four seasons in Palo Alto but had shoulder surgery in December and had to miss most of this spring, including the scrimmage. Green did fine at left tackle for the spring game, but when Rouse is healthy, he’s projected to step immediately into the starting lineup at left tackle.
Also unavailable for the spring game was sophomore tackle Jacob Sexton (6-6, 320), who started at left tackle in the bowl game, and sophomore guard Jake Taylor (6-6, 305), who had to slide out to fill in at tackle.
“We’ve had to put some guys at tackle that probably aren’t going to play tackle because of injuries and all that stuff,” Bedenbaugh said. “But I think they’re doing good.”
Still, it made for some interesting moments and inspiring lineups in the spring game.
“The run game was up and down,” Lebby said. “It really was. Counter was not good for us. I thought we had a chance to get it going, and it wasn’t. Up and down.
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“We didn’t win a lot of one-on-ones today, which we're going to need to. That’s part of the run game, to create chunks. But we’re going to be able to run the football.”
The addition of Caleb Shaffer (6-5, 337) via the portal helps on multiple fronts. Shaffer was a four-year starter at guard at Miami-OH and was named to the All-MAC team. But he opened the Red/White Game with the No. 2 unit at left tackle. With his frame, Bedenbaugh rests easy knowing Shaffer can stay inside or hold his own outside.
“He’s a big, massive guy,” Bedenbaugh said. “I like big guys and he can move pretty good. He’s played a lot of football. He started a lot. The MAC is a really good conference. He played against good teams, he played Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Kentucky. I got to see him play against those types of players that he’s going to play. He’s doing a good job. He’s learning right now.”
Byrd had a good spring after losing some 30 pounds since last summer. He plays with a mean streak and likes to dominate his opponent, so his mentality fits well in Norman.
“He’s got to get his weight up,” Bedenbaugh said. “That’s the biggest thing with Savion. He’s learning. He’s doing better. Obviously he hasn’t played a lot, but physical guy, athletic guy. But he has to continue to get his weight up.”
One of Bedenbaugh’s favorites — at least early in his career — is true freshman Joshua Bates (6-3, 301), who also plays with an attitude (teammates said he was in the middle of several scraps during practice) and found himself starting with the No. 2 offense at left guard in the spring game.
“He’s doing good,” Bedenbaugh said. “It’s tough with snapping the ball. Obviously it’s early. The kid should still be in high school. He’s learning and he’s getting better. He’s a tough kid. He’s a smart kid. He’s very competitive, finishes. But there’s a lot of things going on. He’s swimming. Once he really learns what he’s doing, he’s going to be a really good player. I’ve been pleased with him.”
Bedenbaugh said it’s great having Raym and Mettauer back in the middle, but said one of the most consistent players this spring was Guyton at right tackle. Guyton started five games and played in 10 after transferring last year from TCU, where he was a backup tackle and jumbo tight end. In fact, most of his high school experience on offense came as a tight end, although his big position was defensive line. He also starred at basketball.
Now he’s a starting offensive tackle at Oklahoma. Academically, he’s a senior, although he still has three years of eligibility left. Bedenbaugh looks forward to coaching him every day.
“Maturity,” Bedenbaugh said. “I don’t have any different expectation, I don’t care how old they are. He’s played o-line for three years of his life. This will be his fourth.
“ … He’s a young o-lineman and he’s a young kid too. He just hasn’t played. He started five or six games, but he has all the ability in the world. He’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen. We’ve had some really talented guys come through here. It’s just experience. He’s matured. He’s approaching it the right way, he’s preparing the right way, he’s doing things outside of here the right way. That’s just a growth process.”
Fifth-year junior Aaryn Parks (6-5, 309) showed out in the bowl game when he stepped in for Sexton at left tackle against Florida State’s talented defensive line and more than held his own. Parks started at right tackle for the second group in the spring game, and he figures to get a lot of opportunities in the fall. Junior Nate Anderson (6-4, 300) also started with the 2s in the spring game and could be in line for more action soon.
Things could settle firmly in place when Rouse is healthy and steps in at left tackle. Green has an immensely bright future, but that’s asking too much of a true freshman to start at this level. Without any setbacks, Rouse will hold down that position, and Green can apprentice under a seasoned veteran.
“He’s smart. He’s intelligent. He understands the game,” Bedenbaugh said of Rouse. “He’s inquisitive. He’s still involved; he’s doing some footwork things. He’s probably a little more athletic than I anticipated. But, again, we won’t know until we puts the pads and really start going.”
There’s more help on the way this fall, of course. Appalachian State’s Troy Everett (6-3, 280) just announced he’s transferring to OU, and true freshmen Logan Howland (6-7, 280) out of New Jersey and Heath Ozaeta (6-6, 300) from Seattle will arrive in June.
With all that talent, experience and versatility, all Bedenbaugh will need at that point the kind of good fortune that keeps players out of the medial training room.
“We have to continue to work, continue to get better,” Bedenbaugh said. “We’ve got what we need. We’ve got some guys coming in. We’ll get some guys back healthy after spring ball. I like how they’re working, like the mentality, all those things. We just have to keep going.”
