Oklahoma offers Michigan State transfer OT Spencer Brown per 247Sports

Oklahoma is pursuing offensive line help in the portal, offering OT Spencer Brown, a grad transfer from Michigan State.

Oklahoma’s offensive line will look quite different when they get set to start their first season in the SEC.

The Sooners have lost or could potentially lose every starter from the line that took the field for the first game of this season. [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag], [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag], and [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] are headed to the NFL. [autotag]Savion Byrd[/autotag] and [autotag]Nate Anderson[/autotag] entered the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] today. [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag] has yet to make his plans known, but there’s a real chance he will bolt for the NFL.

The offensive line changed throughout the season, and true freshman [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] usurped the left guard spot. He looks like the only penciled-in piece heading into next year. [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag] took over at right tackle after Guyton suffered an injury and will have the inside track at one of the starting tackle spots.

So, how does [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] construct the offensive line for new play-caller [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag]? That’ll be something to monitor over the coming months, but we know that Oklahoma is unafraid of seeking help outside the building.

Oklahoma has offered Michigan State transfer Spencer Brown (subscription required), per 247Sports national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu. Ole Miss and USC are also contending for his services. No visits have been set up as of yet, per Trieu.

A grad transfer, the 6-foot-6, 315-pound Brown is a true mauler who could bring some nastiness and much-needed experience to the offensive line. He has one year left and could slot in at the other tackle spot that Sexton doesn’t occupy.

The Sooners look to be actively searching for offensive line help via the portal, and tackle is an excellent start. It’s conceivable they bring in possibly two linemen from the portal to add depth, at minimum, for the interior offensive line and tackle.

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Oklahoma Sooners 2023-2024 transfer portal tracker

Know who’s coming and going with our 2023-2024 Oklahoma Sooners Football transfer portal tracker.

The 2023-2024 transfer portal season is off and running, and we’ll help you keep track of all the movement here at Sooners Wire with our handy [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] tracker.

The Sooners have made a living off the transfer portal over the years. And while they will not be quarterback hunting in this year’s transfer portal season, the Sooners will have some areas they need to address.

Bryant Crews looked at five positions the Sooners should target in the transfer portal this offseason to supplement their ranks.

We’ll keep you updated with the transfer portal movement as it happens.

Updated: Dec. 18, 2023 at 11:00 a.m.

Sooners offensive lineman Nate Anderson enters the transfer portal

Oklahoma Sooners offensive lineman Nate Anderson enters the transfer portal.

The [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] opened Monday, and the Oklahoma Sooners had an unexpected name pop up. It was reported by On3 and 247Sports that Dillon Gabriel was entering the portal.

The Sooners are losing offensive lineman Nate Anderson as well. Anderson was the second-highest-rated player in the 2020 class behind Andrew Raym. A four-star interior offensive lineman out of Frisco, Texas, Anderson never really put it together for Oklahoma.

He played 72 snaps across seven games for the Sooners and didn’t start a game, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s someone who can play both guard and center and was someone highly thought of coming out of high school.

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How talented is the Oklahoma Sooners roster ahead of 2023?

According to recruiting rankings over the last 5 years, the Sooners should have one of the best rosters in 2023. But is that an accurate reflection of this roster?

We heard in the build-up to last season that the Oklahoma Sooners had one of the more talented rosters in the country. People (including me) pointed to that analysis as to why Oklahoma should be a contender in 2022. Some (not me) pointed to that analysis as to why 2022 was a coaching failure.

Based on recruiting rankings over the last five years, the Oklahoma Sooners should have one of the best rosters in college football. Based on recruiting rankings from the last five cycles, the Sooners have the eighth-best roster ahead of 2023. Brad Crawford of 247Sports explains:

Recruiting is the lifeblood of any successful program, and that’s no different at Oklahoma, a blue-blood accustomed to winning big. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen in Year 1 under coach Brent Venables, who came over to the Sooners following a lengthy tenure as Clemson’s top recruiter on staff under Dabo Swinney. The arrival of three five-stars in the 2023 recruiting cycle, however, is going to be a shot in the arm for Oklahoma prior to the school’s entry to the SEC in 2024. According to 247Sports’ recruiting rankings, Oklahoma has the second-most talented roster in the Big 12. You can probably guess who owns the league’s most lethal collection of talent. – Crawford, 247Sports

Oklahoma and Brent Venables have done a lot over the last two recruiting cycles to bring in talent from both the high school and transfer portal ranks. But as we saw last year when Oklahoma supposedly had one of the better rosters according to high school recruiting evaluations, it didn’t pan out to wins.

That doesn’t mean the analysis or rationale is wrong. The top of the list is carried by Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State, three teams that most would argue are the most talented teams in the country.

But given the turnover that Oklahoma’s undergone since Venables has taken over, do recruiting rankings prior to the coaching change accurately reflect the talent on the Sooners’ roster?

Oklahoma’s last two recruiting classes were strong, but there aren’t a lot of players left over from the three recruiting classes prior to Brent Venables’ arrival.

Oklahoma had the No. 4 recruiting class in 2019 on the strength of the signings of [autotag]Spencer Rattler[/autotag], [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag], [autotag]Trejan Bridges[/autotag], and [autotag]Theo Wease[/autotag]. All four of those players are gone. [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Grimes[/autotag], and [autotag]Nate Anderson[/autotag] are the top players remaining from the 2020 class but haven’t ascended into star players for the Sooners just yet.

The top three players in the 2021 class, [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Clayton Smith[/autotag], and [autotag]Mario Williams[/autotag], are gone as well.

So, while the recruiting at Oklahoma has been good, the strength of the Sooners’ recruiting classes from 2019-2021 isn’t reflected on the 2023 roster. Given the amount of roster turnover that Oklahoma has undergone since Venables has taken over, these “talent rankings” don’t adequately reflect where Oklahoma is as a roster right now unless you look strictly at the last two recruiting classes.

But that doesn’t mean this isn’t a group capable of reasserting the Sooners as Big 12 contenders. Oklahoma brought in one of the best transfer portal classes in the first phase of the portal. Specifically, on the defensive side of the ball, the Sooners brought in several impact players. [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag], and [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag] could all start for the Sooners, but at least will play significant roles for the Sooners.

Brent Venables and his staff have added talent over the last two offseasons. They have a better roster than they did a year ago, especially on the defensive side of the ball. There’s optimism that will reveal itself on the field in a wide-open Big 12 in 2023.

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Ranking Oklahoma’s last 10 recruiting classes

Ranking the Oklahoma Sooners last 10 recruiting classes.

The Oklahoma Sooners closed the early signing period of the 2023 cycle with a ton of momentum, earning a last-second flip of five-star safety [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag]. Bowen joined Guyer teammate [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and edge rusher [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag] in the 2023 class to give the Sooners three five-star players for the cycle.

It was a huge recruiting haul for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his staff, who worked their way into the top five of the 247Sports recruiting class composite. This class has Venables fingerprints all over it with a heavy emphasis on the defensive side of the ball.

The Sooners ended up with 16 four- and five-star signees, and 10 of those came on the defensive side. Six were defensive backs, two were linebackers, and two were defensive linemen. The three-star players they signed on defense can play. [autotag]Taylor Wein[/autotag], [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag], [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag], [autotag]Phil Picciotti[/autotag] and [autotag]Erik McCarty[/autotag] are athletic players with high motors. Each has a chance to outperform his recruiting status.

It was an historic class for the Sooners, marking just the second time in the 247Sports database (since 2000) that they signed multiple five-star defensive players, and only the second time they had three five-star signees. Looking back, let’s take a look at how it stacks up with the last 10 recruiting classes for the Oklahoma Sooners.

ESPN re-ranked the 2020 recruiting class: Where’d Oklahoma land?

Taking a look back at the 2020 recruiting cycle, where did ESPN rank the Oklahoma Sooners 2020 recruiting class?

The 2022 class has had a few splashes here and there, but we probably won’t have a good grasp on the impact of this group until 2024. A few years since the arrival of the 2020 recruiting class, what kind of impact is this group having for the Oklahoma Sooners?

In their third season in Norman, the 2020 recruiting class is playing a huge role for the Sooners this year. Marvin Mims is one of the best receivers in the country and Anton Harrison is playing like a player that could be taken in the top 50 of the 2023 NFL draft. Andrew Raym has developed into a solid starter at center helping anchor a fast-paced Oklahoma offensive attack.

In ESPN’s look at the 2020 recruiting class, the Sooners improved from the No. 10 class at the time to No. 7 in their re-rank.

How this class finishes under new head coach Brent Venables remains to be seen as the Sooners navigate a rough patch. Several signees are no longer with the program. Under previous head coach Lincoln Riley, with whom they signed, this group has offered some really good production. Pieces of this class helped generate more than 20 wins, a conference title their freshmen season and a pair of bowl wins. WR Marvin Mims was a key target on that Big 12 title team and remains a top receiver for the Sooners. DL Perrion Winfrey was the top junior college DL and was a disruptive starter while with the program. Top signee Reggie Grimes has developed into a good defender, leading the team in sacks. The Sooners signed several four-star OLs with in-state ESPN 300 Andrew Raym and Anton Harrison developing into solid starters. – Craig Haubert and Tom Luginbill, ESPN

The addition of Perrion Winfrey from the junior college ranks was the highlight on the defensive side. Though a bit up and down for the Sooners, Winfrey provided an interior pass rush and was taken in the

Reggie Grimes has been a good player, but hasn’t been the best player in the recruiting class. There’s still another level that he can go to.

Aaryn Parks and Nate Anderson have provided depth along the offensive line and Justin Harrington has become a rotational Cheetah player for the OU defense. D.J. Graham had some good moments at cornerback, but recently made the switch to wide receiver.

Chandler Morris won the starting quarterback job at TCU before suffering an injury in the season opener. Max Duggan’s played so well that Morris hasn’t been able to reclaim the starting quarterback job.

The biggest disappointments in this class were Seth McGowan and Mikey Henderson. Both players had promising starts to their Sooners careers in 2020 before being dismissed during the 2021 offseason amid assault allegations.

If we were re-ranking the players in the 2020 class, Marvin Mims or Anton Harrison would vie for the top player. Both have been among the best at their position in the Big 12 and have received some first round buzz in early mock drafts for the 2023 NFL draft.

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Where does 4-star OL commit Cayden Green rank among Oklahoma’s best OL recruits all-time?

Taking a look back at where 2023 four-star commit Cayden Green ranks among Sooners all-time according to the 247Sports composite ratings.

For years, the Oklahoma Sooners have been a hot spot for talented offensive linemen. With Bill Bedenbaugh leading the position, Oklahoma’s developed a reputation for putting together some of the best offensive lines in college football over the last decade.

And Bedenbaugh hopes to take this next crop of linemen and turn them into the next great Sooners’ offensive line.

The Oklahoma Sooners 2023 recruiting class got a jolt over the last week and a half, picking up six recruits (three along the offensive line) since June 27. Heath Ozaeta kicked off, but since they’ve added Cayden Green and Logan Howland to the mix.

Green was one of the more highly anticipated commitments for the Oklahoma Sooners and his pledge had social media buzzing. Green is a talented prospect that gives the Sooners a huge boost in their team recruiting ranking, which has risen to No. 13 in the wake of his commitment.

With Green’s commitment, let’s take a look at where he ranks among Oklahoma Sooners’ offensive linemen all-time in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

How to watch 5 Oklahoma commits in Under Armour All-American Game

High school All-American season is here. Here is how you can watch the OU commits and target play in the 2020 Under Armour All-American game.

High school All-American season is here.

The Under Armour All-American game comes first on Thursday night, and Oklahoma has five commitments who will be playing in the game.

Three come from the offensive line in four-star linemen Andrew Raym, Anton Harrison and Nate Anderson. Four-star defensive end Reggie Grimes is the lone defender in Orlando and national high school receiving record holder and four-star receiver Marvin Mims is in attendance.

Raym, Anderson and Mims have been standouts in Under Armour All-American practices this week, with Anderson being a top-five offensive performer twice, Mims making the list on Monday and Raym on Tuesday.

Raym and Mims will report from the Under Armour All-American to Oklahoma to early enroll in Jan..

Oklahoma may be adding another commitment playing in the game as four-star quarterback Chandler Morris will make his commitment announcement at 5 p.m. CT prior to kickoff.

Here is how you can watch the Oklahoma commits and target play in the 2020 Under Armour All-American game.


WHEN: 5 p.m. CT

HOW TO WATCH: ESPN 2

HOW TO STREAM: WATCH ESPN