Tag: Febechi Nwaiwu

Febechi Nwaiwu could be the next star offensive lineman for the Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooners signed a pretty good transfer class but one guy flying under the radar is offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu.

The Oklahoma Sooners have spent their offseason trying to build their offensive line and make it SEC ready. They signed four from the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] and five in the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag].

The aggressiveness comes after they lost five starters from a season ago. Only two who started any games last season return: [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag] and [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag].

One guy I’m highest on and think could be Oklahoma’s next star offensive lineman is North Texas transfer [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag].

When I watch Nwaiwu’s film, this guy has power and moves really well. He has really good size at 6 feet, 4 inches and 326 pounds. He’s a perfect guard for the Sooners this season. I’ve heard nothing but praise so far in the offseason and that only increases my expectations for him.

Nwaiwu spoke about the pitch to him to come to Norman and how he’d fit into the current offensive line roster.

“He (Bill Bedenbaugh) told me he saw a lot of potential in me,” Nwaiwu said. “He also told me that there were a lot of things I could also work on that he thinks he could help me get better at. That’s what really helped sell me that it’s not just that I’m good but that he can make me even better.”

There is a world where Nwaiwu has a big season and is one and done at Oklahoma but I think he could be a two-year guy. I also think he could get some postseason conference recognition and be another draft pick along the offensive line for the Sooners.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on X @JaronSpor.

Bill Bedenbaugh’s offensive line getting acclimated

Sooners offensive line getting closer as spring football is here.

The 2024 season for the Oklahoma Sooners will be defined by how well the offensive line plays. Oklahoma has a five-star quarterback taking the reigns in [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], a deep wide receiver room, and a running back in [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], who closed the season with five straight 100-yard games.

But along the offensive line, Sooners are replacing five starters from last season.

They do return [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag], who started the last few games, and [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], who started a couple of games in the middle of the season. Even though they’ve added transfer players with starting experience like [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag], [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] and [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag], there are still jobs up for grabs.

Bill Bedenbaugh has made it clear in his career he will start the best five. So, what these guys did previously doesn’t matter. That means even some of the young guys like [autotag]Daniel Akinkunmi[/autotag] will get a look.

Akinkunmi shared what it’s been like being around the other offensive linemen so far. “Getting to know those guys is amazing,” Akinkunmi said. “I absolutely love every single one of them. I feel like we are just getting closer and closer as the weeks go by. I feel like we are all close because we are all different and have different backgrounds.”

Akinkunmi said that hasn’t stopped the competition because having a strong offensive line group is important. As for the thing he was looking for most, as spring ball started on Monday? To show people what he can do and prove the doubters wrong.

Akinkunmi has quickly become one of my favorite recruits. I’m not sure he will see much playing time this season. He may need a year or two to develop. But with his mindset, I wouldn’t put anything past him.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Sooners land commitment from Washington transfer OL Geirean Hatchett

The Oklahoma Sooners added more offensive line depth through the transfer portal with the commitment of Washington OL Geirean Hatchett.

Oklahoma’s approach to the transfer portal has been to address needs and bolster depth under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. But they have never looked at and tried to build their entire roster via the transfer portal. This is why Venables is adamant about his recruiting efforts through the prep ranks.

However, after seeing the five guys who started along the offensive line and few depth options depart this offseason, Venables and his offensive line coach, [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag], knew they had work to do. That’s why the Sooners have brought in three transfer offensive line options this offseason. [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag] came from Michigan State, [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag] transferred from North Texas, and [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] transferred in from USC.

That list just grew as the Sooners landed a talented interior offensive line transfer in Geirean Hatchett. Geirean is a junior offensive lineman transfer from the Sugar Bowl-winning and national champion runner-up, Washington Huskies. 

Geirean Hatchett has played over 25 games, including eight in 2023. In his fifth year, he still has room to add more strength and continue to develop. It’s likely that will be a point of emphasis this winter with head strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt. Geirean played well before an injury limited him in the second half of the season, posting some solid pass-blocking grades via Pro Football Focus. With time to heal, a return to his productive days before the mid-season injury seems likely.

Here’s what Roman Tomashoff, site editor for UWHuskies Wire, had to say about Geirean.

He’s a good run blocker but needs to continue to work in pass protection. He has all the tools to be a really good offensive lineman, but needs to get stronger as he gets beaten too often with power. He’s worked a lot at multiple positions but is best at guard. – Tomashoff, UWHuskies Wire

The Sooners are getting a talented football player who offers valuable snaps and experience to an offensive line room that lost the five guys who started for the majority of the year.

With another portal addition, the offensive line is retooled. The stage is now set for Bill Bedenbaugh to do what he does best: develop and get the most out of his offensive linemen.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Have the Oklahoma Sooners adequately addressed their needs in the transfer portal?

The Oklahoma Sooners were active in the transfer portal, but have they done enough to address their needs?

The Oklahoma Sooners went into the offseason with a number of needs to address via the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag].

Bryant Crews highlighted five positions that the Sooners needed to address in the portal, namely offensive line, defensive line, tight end, secondary, and kicker.

But how well did the Sooners address those needs and where else have they added talent?

With the coaching carousel extending into January with the Alabama and Washington jobs opening up, the transfer portal has heated up again for the next 30 days. Could the Sooners add more talent? We’ll see if they take advantage of the opportunity to add talent from the Crimson Tide or the Huskies.

But until then, let’s take a look at what they’ve done in the portal thus far and if they’ve addressed their needs.

Oklahoma Sooners take a dip in final AP Poll of 2023

The Oklahoma Sooners finish the 2023 season at No. 15 in the final AP Poll of the year.

As always with the Oklahoma Sooners, there are high expectations. Even coming out of a 6-7 season in 2022, there was a thought the Sooners would have a chance to “hang a banner” at the end of the year, according to Brent Venables.

The Sooners certainly had a chance after a 7-0 start, which included a win over Texas. But a pair of losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State knocked them out of Big 12 title contention. Still, the Sooners finished the regular season strong, with three straight wins over West Virginia, BYU, and TCU.

Even after their Alamo Bowl loss to the Arizona Wildcats, the Sooners finished the season as a top 15 team in the nation in the US LBM Coaches Poll. In the final iteration of the AP Poll, the Oklahoma Sooners come in at No. 15, falling three spots after their loss to the Wildcats.

National champion Michigan came in at No. 1 and Washington at No. 2. The Georgia Bulldogs climbed three spots to No. 3 followed by the Texas Longhorns at No. 4. Alabama rounds out the top five.

The Sooners are the second-highest ranked Big 12 team to finish the year. In 2024, they’ll face four teams ranked in the top 10 and six in the top 25 of the final AP Poll.

Oklahoma made some promising improvements, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and continues to make strong headway on the recruiting trail.

The Sooners will certainly have questions up front, but they’re attempting to address those concerns in the transfer portal with the additions of [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag], [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag], and [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] and the continued pursuit of Zalance Heard from LSU.

With their skill positions solidified and the belief in Jackson Arnold as a top tier quarterback in college football, the Sooners offense should still be among the best in 2024.

Still, they’ll face tougher challenges week-to-week when they arrive in the SEC. They weren’t as good as they could have been in 2023 and have to learn to get out of their own way. Each of their three losses were marred with turnovers. If the Sooners can consistently protect the football, they’ll have a chance to be a playoff team in 2024.

More: Sooners drop three spots in final US LBM Coaches Poll

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Portal target: LSU transfer OL Zalance Heard visits Oklahoma

The Sooners continue to try to build their offensive line, this time with a visit from a highly-touted offensive lineman.

The biggest question mark going into next season for a lot of people was the offensive line. The Oklahoma Sooners would have to replace the five guys who started a majority of the season.

They have to do that while also entering into the SEC, which makes that task even more daunting. The Sooners have gotten to work, signing a high school class that appears to be underrated. Also, they’ve gotten to work in the portal with commitments from [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag], [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag].

But the Sooners aren’t done there. They hosted former five-star and LSU Tigers transfer, [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag]. Heard was LSU’s highest-ranked recruit in the 2023 class and comes with three years of eligibility. He appeared in 12 games a season ago and made one start.

He would be a massive get for Oklahoma not only for this upcoming season but for the following season as well because it would almost assuredly solidify their left tackle spot for at least those two years. But it won’t be easy for Oklahoma to win his services.

Heard also visited the Tennessee Volunteers over the weekend, and rumors started to swirl about the [autotag]Ole Miss Rebels[/autotag] possibly getting involved as of Monday. But all reports have been positive for Oklahoma. He apparently is high on [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] and his track record of developing guys and getting them into the [autotag]NFL[/autotag].

We also know Oklahoma will play the NIL game. They just won’t overspend for a guy like other schools will. It also could be positive for Oklahoma that Ole Miss got a commitment from a transfer tackle on Monday evening and is hosting another tackle this weekend.

For now, it’s a waiting game, but if Oklahoma can pull it off, it could be a massive win.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Sooners pick up another offensive lineman via the transfer portal

The Oklahoma Sooners have added their third offensive lineman in the transfer portal, former Florida and USC tackle Michael Tarquin.

The Oklahoma Sooners had work to do heading into the offseason. Even prior to the transfer of true freshman [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag], Oklahoma was set to lose four starters along the offensive line heading into 2024.

They’ve made moves in the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] to add offensive tackle Spencer Brown from Michigan State and [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag] from North Texas. Now, the Sooners have added another experienced player to add to Bill Bedenbaugh’s group.

Former Florida Gators and USC Trojans offensive lineman Michael Tarquin is heading to Norman to join the Sooners, according to OUInsider’s Parker Thune.

Tarquin has started 28 games in his collegiate career with more than 1,110 snaps per Pro Football Focus. He’s predominantly been a right tackle at the collegiate level.

A former four-star player in the 2019 recruiting class, Tarquin has been on Bedenbaugh and the Sooners’ radar for a long time. Most recently, the Sooners attempted to recruit Tarquin to Norman after the 2022 season.

In the portal this offseason, the Sooners have added a trio of offensive linemen that provide a lot of experience to a young offensive line group.

With [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag], Spencer Brown and now Tarquin with experience at right tackle, Bedenbaugh and the Sooners’ offensive staff will have to make some decisions to make with how they deploy their offensive linemen. It’s possible one of their tackles will move inside to guard. Tarquin could be a viable option to bump inside to right guard.

In addition to the 2024 offensive line class, the Sooners have done a nice job retooling their offensive line room in the wake of their five departures up front. Now it’s a matter of once again making the pieces fit together as the Sooners head into the SEC.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Oklahoma Sooners must solve their offensive line problem heading into 2024

The Oklahoma Sooners have their work cut out for them with the offensive line but could any of the young guys be an answer?

There is no doubt the Oklahoma Sooners’ biggest question mark heading into 2024 and their inaugural season in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] is the offensive line. The Sooners lose five guys who started a bunch of games last season.

[autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag], [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag], [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] are gone. Four are off to the [autotag]NFL[/autotag]. The other found a new home in Missouri. That means the Sooners will have their work cut out for them to replace those five.

[autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag] played some at guard but started the bowl game at center, which is probably his more natural position. We’ll see if he wins that job, but it appears he’s the leader to take over for Raym. [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag] started the last few games after Guyton went down with an injury and did pretty well. The Sooners also brought in two transfers [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag], who look poised to take over at tackle and guard.

But that still leaves spots unfilled. The Sooners are almost certainly going to remain active in the portal, but it’s also possible an incoming freshman gets a look. Most people have assumed that would be [autotag]Eddy Pierre-Louis[/autotag], seeing how highly thought of he is. But a constantly mentioned top performer at the Under Armour All-American events is [autotag]Eugene Brooks[/autotag].

“I don’t know where it will start for me, but I’m just going to go in there and ball out,” Brooks said. “I’m going to work my butt off. I’m going to go in there every day and give it 110% and be the first one in and the last one out.”

It seems with Brooks, [autotag]Daniel Akinkunmi[/autotag], Pierre-Louis, [autotag]Isaiah Autry[/autotag] and [autotag]Josh Aisosa[/autotag], the Sooners have a class of offensive linemen that are physical and bring some nasty back to the offensive line.

That’s something they’ve been missing the last few years, and something we know Bedenbaugh wants out of his linemen. Combine that with what appears to be a strong work ethic from each, and Oklahoma could have a better offensive line class than many thought initially.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

5 takeaways from the Sooners 38-24 loss to Arizona in the Valero Alamo Bowl

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners season-ending loss to the Arizona Wildcats.

Team 129 had one final chance to play together on Thursday night in San Antonio. Brent Venables’ team tried to make the best of it, but it finished the 2023 season by losing to the No. 14 Arizona Wildcats, 38-24. Oklahoma ended its season 10-3.

The game was incredibly entertaining if nothing else. It had some head-scratching moments that will stick with fans for the next few weeks into the offseason.

Jackson Arnold was up and down, as one might expect for a freshman. He showcased some real talent and things that his coaches would love to build on in the offseason. He also made some decisions that someone who had fewer than 100 snaps in real game action would make.

Turnovers ultimately did the Sooners in. One of their six on the evening turnovers was returned for a touchdown.

In the wake of the Sooners’ loss, here are five takeaways:

Most intriguing transfer portal options at offensive tackle

Most intriguing transfer portal options at offensive tackle for Ohio State #GoBucks

We already broke down our expectations for how Ohio State could handle the quarterback position and then dived into the possible running backs and most recently covered the wide receiver position (if things break a certain way) and tight ends, but now we need to discuss one of everyone’s favorite positions, offensive tackle.

I try to keep up with social media and the recommendations we receive and it is very clear and obvious that everyone wants to know who are some of the top offensive tackles in the transfer portal. Josh Simmons will be back for 2024 and so will Josh Fryar, but rumor has it that the goal is to move Fryor to the inside and potentially find another option on the outside.

I don’t want to guarantee Ohio State will snag an offensive lineman in the transfer portal, but there are strong rumors circulating that it is a very likely outcome. The following are the top five most interesting offensive tackles for Ohio State that entered the transfer portal.