Transfer Talk: What Oklahoma is Getting in Transfer OT Luke Baklenko

Luke Baklenko saw playing time early and often in his two years at Stanford, and he’ll soon come to Norman.

Baklenko, an offensive tackle, signed with Oklahoma in December after two seasons with the Cardinal.

In 2023, his first collegiate season, Baklenko became a key piece to Stanford’s offensive line due to injuries. He made his debut against Washington in the middle of the season. Baklenko started that game and became one of the Cardinal’s two starting tackles the rest of the season, playing in the team’s final five games.

Baklenko’s role expanded in 2024.

He played in 11 of Stanford’s 12 games, starting nine of them. He played the sixth-most snaps, 646, of any Cardinal, according to Pro Football Focus.

Per PFF, Baklenko struggled to adjust to college football in his first year, logging a 49.9 offensive grade. But his numbers rose dramatically in 2024, improving his grade to 58.2 as a sophomore.

Baklenko played within a Stanford offense that has struggled in recent memory.

The Cardinal was 3-9 each of the last two seasons. Stanford finished 106th out of 134 FBS teams in scoring offense with 22.8 points per game in 2024, and the Cardinal was No. 120 in total offense, averaging 323.9 total yards per contest.

“I wouldn’t worry about his Year 1 grades,” said Ben Parker, the publisher at Stanford Rivals. “I’d chalk that up to just youthful inexperience and playing on a struggling unit. He’s improved a lot and should do better on a more established Oklahoma team. Baklenko seemed to have a good work ethic and a willingness to improve.”

Parker said that Baklenko’s transfer surprised him. Baklenko is a native of Thousand Oaks, CA, much closer to Palo Alto than Norman, and he had a major role early into his time with the Cardinal.

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“Stanford gave him a good amount of snaps and that usually is the biggest factor in guys transferring,” Parker said. “That said, Stanford’s offensive line has been a major weakness and perhaps he wanted to go somewhere that offered a better football experience.”

At 6-foot-6 and 305 pounds, Baklenko’s size stands out. His height matches that of Oklahoma’s tallest offensive linemen from 2024, Spencer Brown and Michael Tarquin.

But that’s not Baklenko’s only attribute that impressed Parker during his time at Stanford.

“He’s a very smart player and seemed to adjust well to starting at the Power 5 level,” Baklenko said. “He also has good physical tools. Good size, strength, & quickness.”

Baklenko’s busy time at Stanford came after a successful high school career. He logged 77 pancake blocks in his senior season and was a two-time All-CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) selection.

Baklenko was rated as a 3-star prospect and the No. 29 offensive tackle in the Class of 2023 by 247 Sports. He chose Stanford over offers from UCLA, Washington, Arizona State and others.

In 2024, the Sooners had five players log starting snaps at offensive tackle: redshirt freshman Logan Howland, junior Jacob Sexton, redshirt sophomore Jake Taylor and Brown and Tarquin, both of whom were seniors.

Howland played in all 12 games for OU, logging a position-best offensive grade of 67.9 on 502 offensive snaps. Sexton played in eight games before an injury knocked him out for the season, a total of 510 offensive snaps, and posted a 55.0 PFF grade. Taylor played in just four games before an injury took him, logging 169 offensive snaps and posting a PFF grade of 62.6.

They will likely all see notable playing time in 2025, along with Baklenko and Western Carolina transfer Derek Simmons, who posted offensive grades in the high 70s in two seasons with the Catamounts.

The signings of Baklenko and Simmons are much needed for the Sooners.

In addition to Brown and Tarquin graduating, center Branson Hickman was also a senior. The Sooners also lost six linemen — Joshua Bates, Geirean Hatchett, Eugene Brooks and walk-ons Ty Kubicek, Evan McClure, and Kenneth Wermy — to the transfer portal.

For a position group that will look much different for OU in 2025, Parker believes Baklenko is the right fit.

“He’ll bring depth and experience to Oklahoma,” Parker said. “Also a hard work ethic and a desire to be better. That should serve him well with the Sooners.”