Apologies for the late note. I didn't get home to start this note until well after 10:00 pm.
Coming into the spring, Oklahoma's most glaring questions are along the offensive line. Bill Bedenbaugh has talent and experience to work with, but almost all of it is new to OU. Today, we got a first look at the unit in person, and here are my initial thoughts.
Disclaimer: Bill Bedenbaugh did his best to keep his unit on the opposite side of the field, making it a little more difficult to see what was going on. Apparently, this is a classic BB tactic.
Coming into the spring, Oklahoma's most glaring questions are along the offensive line. Bill Bedenbaugh has talent and experience to work with, but almost all of it is new to OU. Today, we got a first look at the unit in person, and here are my initial thoughts.
Disclaimer: Bill Bedenbaugh did his best to keep his unit on the opposite side of the field, making it a little more difficult to see what was going on. Apparently, this is a classic BB tactic.
- There is a TON of rotation at this point, so take all of this with a grain of salt. However, there were some distinct groups during team run fits. (OL/TE/RB vs. DL/LB/S).
- I saw these combinations on a few occasions:
- LT - J. Sexton (76) / M. Tarquin (70)
- LG - Heath Ozaeta (77) / D. Akinkunmi (75)
- C - T. Everett (52) / J. Bates (64)
- RG - F. Nwaiwu (54) / E. Brooks (56)
- RT - J. Taylor (79) / S. Brown (58)
- Is there any significance to the groups? Not really. Just heavy rotation and getting everyone a lot of work. If anything, I think it shows just how wide open the room is.
- I saw these combinations on a few occasions:
- There were two players that immediately stood out to me during individual work and 1-v-1's.
- The first was Febechi Nwaiwu. The noise about him being the strongest player on the team was validated today when he stopped D. Terry in a bull rush after three steps. It was impressive, to say the least. Additionally, I was impressed with how well he moves at his size. Given his familiarity with what Seth Littrell wants to do with the offense, I do think Nwaiwu has a chance to be the best player in the OL group right away.
- The second was Michael Tarquin. After some of the stuff he put on tape at USC, there was trepidation about Bedenbaugh pursuing him in the portal for a second straight year. However, I came away from today thinking that he could play a big role in this group. He looked comfortable out there and even seemed to have some good reps at left tackle.
- Logan Howland held up well in a 1-v-1 rep against Gracen Halton, which carries weight considering the noise that Halton's made this offseason.
- Heath Ozaeta also got a lot of work at guard today and played well during his time there.
- Spencer Brown looked good on the day at right tackle outside of one rep, which, if I recall correctly, he lost to Caiden Woullard.
- If I had to predict a starting five after what I saw today, it would be Sexton, Ozaeta, Everett, Nwaiwu, and Taylor (from left to right), with Tarquin coming in as a sixth-man (in the spirit of March Madness). That's bound to change on a daily basis, but on Tuesday, those were the best five guys that I saw.
- My biggest takeaway from today is that, while still a work in progress, I have my doubts that the offensive line is going to be a glaring issue for the Sooners in 2024. Sure, there are a ton of snaps to be replaced but I can see the makings of a good offensive line.
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