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Why Oklahoma OL Signee Eugene Brooks Calls Playing For Bill Bedenbaugh a 'Blessing'

Sooners' offensive line signee Eugene Brooks had high praise for his future coach at Under Armour All-American Media Day on Friday.
Randall Sweet|
Why Oklahoma OL Signee Eugene Brooks Calls Playing For Bill Bedenbaugh a 'Blessing'
Why Oklahoma OL Signee Eugene Brooks Calls Playing For Bill Bedenbaugh a 'Blessing'

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Oklahoma Sooners

ORLANDO — In the middle of the summer, Oklahoma got their first victory of the year over Texas.

While the Red River Rivalry wouldn’t be played until October, Brent Venables and company beat out the Longhorns for talented 4-star offensive lineman Eugene Brooks, who announced his commitment on July 25.

“What led me to Oklahoma was just, you know, the friendship with the coach. You know, the relationship with the coach,” Brooks said on Friday. “Just, feeling wanted, my family. Not only did they recruit me, they recruited my family. You know, they brought me in and made me feel welcome, made it feel like a home.”

After signing with the Sooners on Dec. 20, Brooks is in Orlando for the Under Armour All-American Game, playing on the same team as fellow OU signees Daniel Akinkunmi, David Stone and Jaydan Hardy.

On Friday, Brooks spoke to reporters at the event’s media day, explaining why he chose Oklahoma over Texas. The versatile prospect also added that while Texas came in second, he had a better relationship with Venables and the Sooners' staff than any of the other coaches he met on the recruiting trail.

Aside from the familial aspect around the program, Brooks also said that playing for renowned offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh was a major factor in his decision.

“Seeing players … that (Bedenbaugh has) put in the league, it’s amazing to me,” Brooks said. “My goal is to make it to make it to the NFL, and be able to, you know, every player wants to retire their mom. For me, it’s just a blessing to be able to go there in a few months to be able to play for him.”

Bedenbaugh has an incredible track record of producing NFL draft picks in the trenches and has been at Oklahoma since 2013. In 2018, he coached the Sooners' o-line unit to the Joe Moore Award, given to the best offensive line in college football.

The well-recognized coach has also coached five of the last seven Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, with Orlando Brown, Dru Samia and Creed Humphrey all winning the award. 

In 2023, Bedenbaugh coached one player, Andrew Raym, who earned Second-Team All-Big 12 honors.

While the former Broyles Award finalist is known to be intense on the sidelines and the practice field, Brooks said that he has no problem with tough coaching.

“It’s football, you know what i’m saying, it’s going to be more coaches to come,” Brooks said. “It’s just nothing but an opportunity and a life lesson.”

With the Sooners’ offensive line failing to be as dominant as some thought it should be and a handful of talented lineman leaving the program, there have been concerns within the OU fan base about the team’s o-line coach. 

Even after some public criticism, Brooks said that he was still encouraged by the way OU’s offensive line played in 2023.

“Really just, they just kept playing. No matter what was going on in the moment,” Brooks said. “They just kept playing, kept fighting and I just like the intensity and their mindset.”

At Sierra Canyon, CA, Brooks played multiple positions on the offensive line, primarily spending time at tackle. While he is a good athlete, especially for his size, the 4-star prospect said that he will likely move to the interior once he arrives in Norman.

“I think i’m going to play in college mostly interior offensive line; guard, center,” Brooks said. “For me, it’s just really, my mindset, is just me playing wherever I can. I can play whatever on the line, I’m a dog wherever you need me.”

With Nate Anderson, Savion Byrd, Cayden Green, Caleb Shaffer, Tyler Guyton and McKade Mettauer all leaving the program this offseason, Oklahoma needs to add depth along the offensive line. 

With Brooks’ versatility, the 6-foot-3, 320-pounder will be a valuable piece in the trenches as he can fill in multiple spots.

Even if Brooks doesn’t compete for a starting spot during his first year on campus, the talented interior lineman has the physicality and mentality to become a successful player in Bedenbaugh's system once he is able to learn from the long-time offensive line coach. 

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall is a recruiting analyst and staff writer at AllSooners focusing primarily on OU Football and the recruiting trail. Working as a journalist, Randall has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and high school sports across the state. A 2022 University of Oklahoma graduate, Randall hails from Lubbock, TX. While in college, Sweet wrote for the OU Daily in addition to working with Sooner Sports Pad and OU Nightly. Following his time at OU, Sweet served as the Communications Coordinator at Visit Oklahoma City before leaving to join the team at AllSooners. The West Texas native has bylines in the Norman Transcript and is a Staff Writer for Inside the Thunder. Randall holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. 

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