New Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables said in his Early Signing Day press conference that he wouldn’t be bashful adding talent via the transfer portal.
The past two weeks have backed that statement up.
Former Cal offensive lineman McKade Mettauer announced this morning that he has committed to Oklahoma.
Perhaps you were born for such a time as this. Esther 4:14 pic.twitter.com/XFtorKXmwL
— McKade Mettauer đ» (@Mckade64) December 27, 2021
The 6-foot-4, 305 pound junior offensive lineman has played in all 29 of Cal’s games over the past three seasons and started 28 of those games for the Golden Bears at right guard.
Mettauer will have two years of eligibility remaining when he arrives at Oklahoma. The Woodlands, Texas, product signed with Cal in the 2019 class and was ranked as a three-star prospect according to 247Sports.
Mettauer earned All-Pac-12 second-team status from Pro Football Focus and he was also an honorable mention selection by the Pac-12 coaches for his play this season.
The junior was one of the key cogs that helped Cal’s offense record three 500-plus yard days of total offense this season (636 at Stanford, 534 vs. Sacramento State, 517 vs. Oregon State).
Mettauer and the Golden Bears’ offensive line also paved the way for four 200-plus yard rushing games for Cal this season (352 at Stanford, 255 vs. Oregon State, 246 vs. Sacramento State, 213 vs. Colorado).
It adds immediate, experienced depth for Venables and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh to work with entering the 2022 season.
Oklahoma also secured a commitment from Missouri tight end Daniel Parker Jr. out of the transfer portal last week.
This marks the third year in a row that OU has brought in a transfer offensive lineman from the Pac-12. In 2020, Oklahoma added its current starter at right guard in Chris Murray from UCLA. Redshirt senior Robert Congel has played in seven games and started five at center for the Sooners this season since transferring in from Arizona.
Junior offensive tackle Wanya Morris transferred to Oklahoma from Tennessee and has played in six games for the Sooners this season.
Oklahoma has already signed a pair of four-star offensive tackles in its 2022 class, Jake Taylor from Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, Nev., and Jacob Sexton from Deer Creek in Edmond, Okla.
247Sports’ Parker Thune also pointed out that Mettauer is the older brother of 2024 quarterback prospect Mabrey Mettauer.
It’s worth noting that Mettauer is also the brother of 2024 quarterback prospect Mabrey Mettauer, a 6-foot-5 pro-style passer who already holds offers from the likes of Florida, Arkansas, LSU, Miami and Arizona State. Is this an indication that the Sooners may extend an offer to the younger Mettauer down the road? Time will tell, but one way or another, the elder Mettauer figures to play an immediate role in stabilizing an Oklahoma offensive line that had its struggles in 2021. – Thune, 247Sports
Venables addressed his approach to adding players from the transfer portal on Dec. 15 during his Early Signing Period press conference.
“We’ve got tremendous numbers to continue to build our roster and meet our needs. There’s a number of positions on the team that through attrition and some of the things that have taken place, they need to be addressed sooner rather than later, so we are certainly looking at transfer options. We’ve spoken to a few already and trying to vet those guys.
“The biggest thing is trying to again bring value to our locker room. Certainly meet the needs that we have from a functional standpoint where maybe experience lacks or playmaking lacks, but it’s very important that we do a great job of vetting the type of people that we’re bringing into that locker room because we’re trying to build a culture and protect the culture, continue to enhance the culture. It starts with making good decisions with those people,” Venables said.
In the form of Daniel Parker Jr. from Missouri and McKade Mettauer from Cal, it appears the Sooners have already found a pair of transfer players that Venables feels adds to the culture he’s looking to build at Oklahoma.
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