Why the Oklahoma Offensive Line is Still Sorting Out a Position Battle

NORMAN — Former 4-star recruit Savion Byrd made his third career start against the SMU Mustangs last weekend.

Coming out of high school, Byrd was rated one of the top 82 players and top five interior offensive lineman in the nation.

As a highly coveted recruit, Oklahoma fans have been anxious to see Bryd take the field since he arrived on campus. Last season, Sooner Nation began to wonder why the second-year player was not seeing any playing time on Saturdays, especially over two guards who didn't have the same athletic upside as Byrd.

The Duncanville (TX) product earned his first collegiate start in OU's bowl matchup against the Florida State Seminoles, filling in nicely against what was billed as a ferocious defensive line.

Coming off of his impressive performance against Jared Verse and company, many fans believed that Byrd was a shoo-in to take over one of the team's starting guard spots, especially with veteran interior player Chris Murray using all of his eligibility.

During fall camp, Byrd appeared to emerge as the starter, and eventually was formally named to the starting lineup ahead of the Sooners' week one contest against Arkansas State. In Oklahoma's 73-0 victory over the Red Wolves, Bryd didn't play poorly, but left plenty to be desired, former OU offensive lineman Gabe Ikard said on "The Oklahoma Breakdown" podcast.

"Just a little underwhelming," Ikard said when discussing Byrd's performance. "I thought he was kind of just surviving out there. ... I did not see him playing with the edge, the physicality, the finish, that I was expecting. ... I want to see him bury dudes. ... To be fair, my expectations of this guy are very high. I do not watch Savion Byrd through the same lens as I watch McKade Mettauer. One guy's physical ceiling is much higher than the other."

Bryd's backup, Appalachian State transfer Troy Everett, also saw his fair share of reps against Arkansas State. The redshirt sophomore reportedly looked great throughout fall camp and has experience at both guard and center.

As a redshirt freshman with the Mountaineers, Everett played in 10 games and was named a second-team Freshman All-American by The Athletic. The redshirt sophomore's experience and versatility made Everett a key target in the transfer portal for Bill Bedenbaugh and company.

In week one, Byrd played 48 snaps to Everett's 38 snaps. Byrd played soley left guard while Everett took reps at center and guard against the Red Wolves.

In week two against SMU, Byrd was benched and replaced by Everett early in the game. While Byrd still earned plenty of reps, Everett saw 47 snaps against the Mustangs while Bryd played only 30.

Additionally, OU's offense seemed to move the ball much easier when Everett was in at left guard.

"He came in and did a nice job," Venables said. "He can play three positions and to say he can play all three equally, that’s not really fair. He’s capable of playing all three really, really well. It's hard to practice him at all three positions. At practice, you only have so much in the tank without tearing a guy down and taking all the reps. But he can go in there and be a starter at any time. He’s done a great job since he’s been here."

Still, Byrd has started both of the Sooners' first two contests and is seemingly more athletic than Everett.

Everett, however, has more experience playing at the collegiate level and has proven that he can enter the game mid-contest and mesh seamlessly with the rest of Oklahoma's offensive line.

With both Everett and Byrd as solid options, it will be interesting to see who earns more time on field more against Tulsa this weekend.

"My mindset has always been stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready," Everett said earlier this week. "You never know. Next man up mentality. You never know, this game is full of surprises. You don’t know what’s going to happen. Thankfully, nobody is injured and everybody is healthy. But you always have to be ready for your number."

While Byrd is still listed as the starter, it would not be surprising to see Everett overtake his redshirt sophomore counterpart at some point this season. Despite only being in Norman for a few months, Everett said that he has already formed a strong relationship with starting center Andrew Raym.

"Me and Raym have gotten pretty close, so we’ll talk all the time. He’ll help me," Everett said. "Me and him, we’ll sit on the sideline before going back in, like, ‘Hey, right here, what do I need to do better for you, to help you out right here?’ Same, vice versa—the more we can communicate, the better, because the more we’re on the same page, the better for everybody."

This relationship with Raym could help Everett work his way into the starting lineup in 2023. In order to earn a starting spot, the Appalachian State transfer will have impress the Sooners' coaching staff on multiple occasions to permanently usurp Byrd.

OU sorting out its offensive line this far into the fall is not uncommon, as the team usually struggles to figure out its offensive identity prior to the Red River Showdown. If the Sooners are able to find a clear-cut starter by the time they meet Texas, Oklahoma's offense will have a much better chance at finding success against the Longhorns' defense.

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