NORMAN — Just a couple of days into the Sooners' fall camp, there's already been plenty of battles between Branson Hickman and Damonic Williams.

It's a competition that Hickman and Williams are both very familiar with.

The two linemen faced off each of the past two seasons, with Hickman as the starting center at SMU and Williams as a dominant defensive tackle for TCU. That meant both Williams and Hickman were often lined up directly against each other on nearly every play.

But both decided to enter the transfer portal during the offseason and, coincidentally, they both landed at Oklahoma, meaning the once-bitter foes would now be teammates in Norman.

With both players projected to be starters for either side of the Sooners' line of scrimmage, there's sure to be even more battles as fall camp continues. Even though there's a sense of relief that they're now on the same side, they still remember their previous battles.

"I can’t lie — me and him, we hated each other," Williams joked on Thursday. "I’m glad we’re on the same team now. We get to go against each other in practice every day."

Williams, entering his third collegiate season, became an every-game starter as a freshman at TCU, but found himself facing off against Hickman, then a junior, when the Horned Frogs traveled to SMU in 2022. Williams finished with two tackles as the Horned Frogs snagged a 42-38 win over the Mustangs.

Nearly a year later, Williams finished with four tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack in the Horned Frogs' 34-17 victory over the Mustangs at home.

"Me and Dam probably didn’t like each other much back in the day," Hickman said about their previous matchups. "But now we’re teammates, and we built a pretty good relationship in the summer. It’s good to go against a familiar face every day that’s also a really good player.”

Williams may have gotten the best of Hickman in those games, but now both unite as teammates in Norman. And both are expected to immediately play significant roles for the Sooners.

The offensive line was a huge question mark for the Sooners during the spring, particularly with the departure of five starters from last season. But with Hickman's acquisition, the Sooners landed a veteran with 33 games of starting experience who's heading into his fifth collegiate season. Landing Hickman also proved key considering Troy Everett sustained a significant injury early in spring ball.

If the offensive line was the biggest question, the interior defensive line wasn't far behind. The Sooners have talent there with returning veterans like Da'Jon Terry, Gracen Halton and high-potential freshmen like Jayden Jackson and David Stone, but OU coach Brent Venables referred to the lack of on-field experience at defensive tackle as "concerning" after the spring.

But Williams was one of the biggest portal acquisitions in all of college football, and he helps answer a lot of questions for OU at defensive tackle. Williams started 27 games in his first two seasons, totaling 60 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble, giving the Sooners a veteran presence and a day-one starter with two years of eligibility remaining.

It was a hugely important for the Sooners to land both players. And though they used to battle as foes, they can now battle as teammates who are hoping to make each other better.

That process is already well underway.

"He’s going to be good," Williams said of Hickman. "He’s a very quick center. And he’s very smart too. Once he gets his power with his speed, he’s a great center.

"(Williams is) good," Hickman added. "He’s really strong. Y’all have probably seen that before. He’s a big guy and strong but also moves well, so he’s a great guy to practice against every day, for sure.”

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