The transfer portal departures were one after the other for Oklahoma last week. Now, it may be time for the additions to trickle in.
The Sooners landed a commitment from former Stanford offensive lineman Luke Baklenko on Monday. Baklenko becomes the Sooners' second portal addition, joining former Kennesaw State punter Jacob Ulrich.
Oklahoma had been on Baklenko's radar almost immediately after he announced his entrance into the portal on Dec. 2. But the Sooners weren't the only one, as Baklenko was also pursued by Michigan State and Ohio State.
The Buckeyes ramped up their efforts to land Baklenko in the last few days. However, the Sooners sealed the deal during Baklenko's visit to Norman over the weekend.
“For me, a big part of it was O-line development," Baklenko told OUInsider. "And it doesn’t get much better than (OU O-line coach Bill Bedenbaugh) there. So that was a really impressive part of it. And then just talking to (OU head coach Brent Venables), the culture that they’ve set there and the expectations and relationships he has with his guys — it just really sets that family dynamic. That’s kind of the place we were looking for, and it set up perfectly.”
The visit to Norman, in particular, stuck out to Baklenko, but being coached by Bedenbaugh was the biggest selling point.
“Just the way [Bedenbaugh] talks about the game, he’s very technical, which is something that I was looking for in a coach — someone that’s going to break down every movement, every step," Baklenko said. "That’s what stood out most to me, and obviously his years of knowledge.
“Going around the town, there’s just so much OU football support. It’s pretty new to me. So it kind of got me excited for the season to roll around already. But yeah, the support they have for those guys is great, and obviously I’ve seen it on social media so far. That’s been pretty fun. But just excited to get there.”
Baklenko becomes a much-needed addition to the Sooners' offensive line. The California native was a three-star prospect out of Oaks Christian High School and landed at Stanford as the 82nd-ranked offensive tackle in the 2023 class.
Baklenko saw immediate time as a freshman, logging five starts and 370 snaps in 2023, per Pro Football Focus. He saw a bigger role this past season, starting 10 games.
Baklenko, who primarily plays at right tackle, allowed 16 quarterback hurries and four sacks in 676 snaps this season, per Pro Football Focus. He'll become an immediate option to start at right tackle for the Sooners next season.
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