Tag: Heath Ozaeta

Oklahoma Sooners Heath Ozaeta fighting for a starting spot

The fight for a starting spot on the Sooners offensive line will go on well into fall camp and a redshirt freshman is pushing hard to take a spot.

The Oklahoma Sooners are replacing five starters from the offensive line from a season ago. This offseason they’ve brought in several transfers to add competitive depth and compete for starting roles.

But that hasn’t discouraged the young players that were already on the team. They’re also fighting for those spots and not going down without a fight. A name that has received a lot of praise this offseason is redshirt freshman [autotag]Heath Ozaeta[/autotag]. He’s primarily been working at one of the guard spots.

It was expected that transfers would occupy the starting guard spots, but Ozaeta has really impressed. So much so that people think he has a chance to start this seaon.

Ozaeta talked about how his offseason is going so far. “It’s been good,” Ozaeta said. “It’s been a grind so far. But a lot of new guys. A lot of new faces in the building. Just trying to work together, mesh together. We’ve got a good group of guys, and we like what we’ve got going.”

Cohesion is key along the offensive line. They are a talented group but they have to be able to build that chemistry to enhance what they do on the field. As the Sooners work through the offseason, Bill Bedenbaugh is tasked with finding the five players that give Oklahoma the best chance to succeed offensively. Though Ozaeta might project to be a tackle long-term, he’s finding a home at guard.

Heath Ozaeta is a very athletic offensive lineman, something that Brent Venables praised at OU Media Days back in August. But he isn’t just an athletic player, from his high school film, he looked to punish defenders.

And if Ozaeta can showcase that athleticism and physicality along the interior the Sooners offense will thrive once again in 2024.

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Best photos from latest Oklahoma Sooners spring practice

Spring ball is heating up and here are the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners latest spring practice.

Spring practice is in full throttle as the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for the 2024 college football season. There are a number of intriguing storylines to watch this spring with [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] taking over at quarterback and the turnover along the offensive line.

The newcomers are making a strong impression on the media in attendance. [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] and [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] have stood out in the passing game as Arnold gets acclimated to life as the starting quarterback.

Defensively, true freshmen [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], and [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag] have mixed in with the first-team defense and looked good in the early going.

There are a number of players that the team is taking precautions with on the injury front, so it’s hard to know who exactly is leading the way in the most high-profile position battles.

What we do know is that this is a deeper team than what the Sooners took into the spring a year ago, especially at wide receiver, defensive back, and linebacker. The competitive depth across the board is better this spring than in any year of the [autotag]Brent Venable[/autotag]s era at Oklahoma, which should serve the team well as they try to work out their depth chart.

Here’s a look at the best photos from the Sooners most recent spring practice.

Oklahoma Sooners offer Oregon commit, 4-Star OL Fox Crader

The Oklahoma Sooners offer 2024 four-star offensive tackle, and Oregon Ducks commit Fox Crader.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the Oregon Ducks have created an intriguing rivalry on the recruiting trail since Brent Venables and Dan Lanning arrived in their respective spots.

Oregon flipped wide receiver [autotag]Ashton Cozart[/autotag] in the 2022 class, and the Sooners earned the signature of [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag]. Bowen was committed to Notre Dame but, during the early signing period, flipped his commitment to the Ducks before ultimately signing with the Sooners.

Just last week, Oregon pulled a commitment from [autotag]Aaron Flowers[/autotag], who had been trending toward the Sooners for several months.

Now they seem to be at the table again, this time for 2024 four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Fox Crader[/autotag]. Crader is committed to the Ducks, but just spent some time in Norman and earned an offer from [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag], and the Sooners.

Crader hails from Vancouver, Wash., and is a consensus four-star player. He’s the No. 151 player in the Top247 and ranks No. 72 in the On300. Oklahoma’s had some success recruiting Washington since Venables arrived with the additions of [autotag]Heath Ozaeta[/autotag] and [autotag]Jasaiah Wagoner[/autotag] in the 2023 recruiting class.

Crader has the athleticism, length, and physicality to be a dynamic player at offensive tackle. His basketball background shows up on tape, where he displays good lateral agility and the ability to play in space.

Fox Crader’s Recruiting Profile

Film

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Every offensive lineman the Oklahoma Sooners have offered in the 2024 recruiting cycle

Which offensive linemen have the Oklahoma Sooners targeted thus far in the 2024 recruiting cycle?

The Oklahoma Sooners have created a reputation for developing NFL-caliber offensive linemen thanks to the work of offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag]. [autotag]

Creed Humphrey[/autotag] and [autotag]Orlando Brown[/autotag] are prime examples of the work that is done at OU. Humphrey is arguably the best center in the game just two years into his collegiate career.

Even prior to Bedenbaugh’s arrival in Norman, the Sooners developed two of the best offensive linemen in the NFL today, [autotag]Trent Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Lane Johnson[/autotag]. The offensive tackles have starred in the league for much of the last decade and continue to do fantastic work at their tackle positions.

Oklahoma’s latest great offensive line talent is on his way to the NFL and has a chance to be a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Anton Harrison was a tremendous asset for the Oklahoma Sooners offense. He was as adept in run blocking as he was as a pass-blocker, and he takes great athleticism to Sundays.

Oklahoma’s 2023 signing class featured four-star [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag], who was one of the best interior offensive line prospects in the country at the high school level. Oklahoma is hoping to hit home runs with late-rising offensive line signees [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag], [autotag]Heath Ozaeta[/autotag] and [autotag]Logan Howland[/autotag]. All four of their signees to the 2023 class are athletic and physical players who will be difference-makers on Saturdays.

With the 2023 class nearly wrapped up with national signing day just a few weeks away, the Oklahoma Sooners turn their attention to a talented 2024 offensive line class. Here’s who they’ve offered thus far in the [autotag]2024 recruiting cycle[/autotag], according to 247Sports.

Breaking down the Oklahoma Sooners 2023 recruiting class by position

How does the Oklahoma Sooners 2023 recruiting class look broken down by position?

The Oklahoma Sooners have put together a really nice recruiting class through the early signing period of the 2023 cycle. We haven’t even made it to February’s national signing day, and Oklahoma’s sitting with the No. 5 class in 247Sports recruiting rankings.

The Sooners have added a four- or five-star player at every position save for tight end. Even there, the Sooners added one of the best players in the state to Joe Jon Finley’s room.

It’s an incredible collection of athletic, fast and versatile players that will, along with the 2021 and 2022 recruiting classes, be the foundation of Oklahoma’s journey into the SEC.

Let’s break it down by position group.

‘It just felt right’: Offensive tackle Heath Ozaeta signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

Making his commitment official during the early signing period, offensive tackle Heath Ozaeta signs with the Oklahoma Sooners.

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put pen to paper with their [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag].

Making his commitment official, Heath Ozaeta signed his national letter of intent with the Oklahoma Sooners on the first day of the early signing period.

On with Locked On Sooners back in July, Heath Ozaeta described his whirlwind commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners. After being in communication with offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, Ozaeta and his family went down for a visit.

“We went down there and visited, (Bedenbaugh) toured us around,” Ozaeta relayed. “I got to meet some of the guys. When we were there it just felt right. It felt like the place I wanted to be. So, he offered me that night and I committed that night. I committed on the spot. I’ve been a fan (of Oklahoma) my whole life. I was born there, I’ve got family there. Grandparents went there. I loved it and just didn’t want to waste an opportunity.”

Though Ozaeta wouldn’t commit publicly during his visit, the four-star offensive tackle in the On3 consensus rankings was sold on the Sooners.

An athletic and physical offensive tackle, Ozaeta is the No. 2 player in the state of Washington and the No. 26 offensive tackle in the 2023 cycle according to On3.

As things stand now, the Oklahoma Sooners are very young at offensive tackle. Tyler Guyton looks to be one of the answers for the departing Anton Harrison and Wanya Morris, but the other tackle spot will require an offseason competition between Jacob Sexton, Jake Taylor, and Aaryn Parks. As an early enrolee, could Heath Ozaeta make himself part of the two-deep depth chart at tackle in year one?

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Updated Oklahoma Sooners 2023 commitment tracker

Which players have committed to the Oklahoma Sooners for the 2023 recruiting cycle?

The 2023 class is about a month away from early signing day and less than three months away from national signing day.

Since Brent Venables’ arrival in Norman, the Sooners have been one of the top recruiting schools in the country over the last two cycles. After finishing eighth in 247Sports team recruiting rankings for 2022, the Sooners sit at No. 7 and have a great chance to move into the top five by national signing day.

With the recent additions of Ashton Sanders and Taylor Wein, Oklahoma has 22 players committed to the 2023 class. Recent projections favor the Sooners to add more talent if the Rivals Futurecasts come to fruition. Oklahoma received a pair of projections from Rivals analysts to land five-star safety and Notre Dame commit Peyton Bowen after he spent time in Norman for Bedlam.

Brent Venables, his coaching staff, and the recruiting support staff have done an excellent job over the last year building out their 2023 recruiting class and they don’t appear close to being done.

The final tally will come on national signing day, but the Oklahoma Sooners look well-positioned to have one of the country’s best group of signees.

Let’s take a look at the updated commitment tracker.

OU, Bedlam to play host to big names with a number of prospects descending on Norman

Oklahoma takes on in-state rival Oklahoma State for Bedlam and will be doing so with a massive group of recruits in attendance. From @thatmanbryant

There’s a fairly significant amount of importance surrounding Bedlam this year. The amount of games left between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State has been reduced significantly with Oklahoma’s impending move to the SEC on the horizon.

We may have 2023 and 2024, but the rivalry will cease as we know it in the next few years. Every game has always mattered but these last few, like the one on Saturday night, will mean a lot more.

Additionally, Oklahoma is fighting for bowl eligibility. They need one more win to participate in 2022’s bowl season.

Lastly and arguably most importantly, Oklahoma has its biggest recruiting weekend of the football season with Oklahoma State coming to town. We’ll revisit 2022 Bedlam several years from now and look back and remember it as a pivotal moment in Oklahoma’s last five to ten years.

There are some big-time names across multiple recruiting classes that will be in attendance for Oklahoma including five-star DT and Texas A&M commit David Hicks and recently dubbed 2024 five-star DT David Stone. More than 20 recruits have already committed to being in Norman, some via social media and others per OUInsider.com.

Final thoughts as the No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners prepare to face Kent State

More Marcus Major? Jalen Redmond breakout? Final thoughts as the Oklahoma Sooners face the Kent State Golden Flashes.

A 6 p.m. CT kickoff provides a fantastic opportunity to watch a great day of football as we get ready for Oklahoma’s week two matchup with the Kent State Golden Flashes.

The Sooners come into this game as heavy favorites and should come away with another decisive victory to start the season.

It was a dominant performance against UTEP, but there were still some areas that the Oklahoma Sooners needed to improve as they prepared for week two. Our Ben Dackiw looked at five things the Sooners needed to work on this week ahead of their matchup with Kent State.

Surrounding the game, the Sooners will be hosting several prospects from the 2023 recruiting class and beyond. Players like [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Heath Ozaeta[/autotag], who have committed, and four-star defensive line target [autotag]Jordan Renaud[/autotag]. Our Bryant Crews outlines the prospects confirmed to be in attendance Saturday night.

There are several players on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball that we’ll be watching in Oklahoma’s matchup with Kent State.

And as you get ready for tonight’s matchup, take a look at how we see this one playing out with our Sooners Wire staff predictions.

Oklahoma hosting several prospects this weekend for Kent State

After their first win of the season, Oklahoma will take on UTEP with some essential visitors in attendance.

After Oklahoma’s blazing summer on the recruiting trail, they kept that momentum rolling with a win to kick off the Brent Venables era in Norman. Recruiting is ever-changing and constantly shifting, so teams must remain in the process of recruiting players despite their verbal commitments.

Commits like Heath Ozaeta and Cayden Green will be in attendance Saturday evening, and the Sooners are still trying to land four-star defensive lineman Jordan Renaud.

Renaud is a player that has been trending to the Sooners for several months now.

Oklahoma carried a top-five recruiting class into the start of the season, per 247Sports. They currently sit fifth in 247’s overall and composite rankings. With the season in full swing, future prospects will visit during game weeks to understand what it means to be an Oklahoma Sooner on gameday.

We’ve taken the liberty of rounding up confirmations from multiple recruits and commits who plan to be in the Palace on Saturday night as the Sooners take on Kent State.

We’ll continue to update the list as we learn more.