Instant reaction: Assessing Sooners’ OL room heading into 2024 offseason

On Saturday, Oklahoma saw two of its starting offensive linemen declare for the 2024 NFL Draft. A month ago, the prevailing opinion was that both Andrew Raym and Tyler Guyton would be returning for next season, but as with all things in the offseason, that changed rather quickly.

The pair of declarations on Saturday afternoon didn't come as a surprise to anyone tuned in to the situation, but the expected arrival of their announcements did put sharpie lines through the majority of Oklahoma's offensive line depth chart heading into the offseason.

Now, the Sooners will be forced to replace four of their five starting linemen from 2023. Walter Rouse's one-year tenure in Norman comes to a close. McKade Mettauer spent two seasons as the Sooners' plug-and-play right guard is now gone. Guyton forced his way onto the depth chart last season and was Dillon Gabriel's blindside protection this year. Add to that a departing three-year starting center in Raym, and you've got quite a lot of production to replace, and you're headed into the SEC.

So, how does the unit stack up? Is it something to be concerned about? Here's how things should play out over the course of this offseason, and why it's not time to panic just yet.

Perhaps the most promising thing that Oklahoma has going for it along the offensive line heading into 2024 is the play of Cayden Green and Jacob Sexton. Green's "coming out" moment in the Red River Rivalry showed just how high the upside is for the 18-year-old true freshman. Green regularly matched up with T'Vondre Sweat (who went on to win the Outland Trophy) and neutralized the 362-pound defensive tackle. From there, he only progressed, becoming more consistent as his game reps grew.

Over the final stretch of the regular season, we saw Sexton step in for an injured Guyton at right tackle, and his addition into the fold certainly showed up in the run game. The redshirt freshman was impressive enough that he dethroned Guyton, earning a start and more consistent playing time over the uber-talented Guyton to end the year. Sexton figures to slot in next to Green at left tackle next season, giving the Sooners a wildly impressive and young tandem on the left side.

While Troy Everett looked out of position at guard this season, there's a great chance that he's Oklahoma's starting center next season. Having a smaller stature than what you'd like to have at guard (6-foot-3, 294 pounds), Everett could be a great fit in the middle, especially if he's got Green on one side, and whoever the Sooners come up with to replace Mettauer at right guard.

If Everett can't prove to be the winner in the middle, it could be Josh Bates, who has already had a year of development under Bill Bedenbaugh. The center position looks like it has a couple of great options to work with.

There are also pieces like Jake Taylor and Heath Ozaeta, both of whom have caused buzz at one point or another in a crowded offensive line room. Add in Logan Howland, who will be a redshirt freshman alongside Ozaeta in 2024, and you've got some young pieces that could figure in as contributors for the unit next year.

We're not quite a week into the 2024 transfer portal cycle and Oklahoma has already landed one of the top available talents, with Michigan State transfer offensive tackle Spencer Brown choosing OU over other suitors line USC and Ole Miss. Brown has a mean streak that will be right at home in the SEC, and gives Coach Bedenbaugh an immediate plug-and-play option, similar to what Rouse was for this group in 2023.

Brown won't be the only addition that Oklahoma makes in the portal either, as there are a few other names still on the list. North Texas' Febechi Nwaiwu is regarded as one of the best available interior offensive linemen available in the portal and there's mutual interest there with the Sooners' staff. Geno Vandemark made 14 starts at guard for Michigan State over the last two seasons and also has more than a decent shot of ending up in Norman. It appears that OU is also in on the Chase Bisontis sweepstakes, and landing a freshman All-American who started all 12 games for Texas A&M this season would be a major boost as well.

If there is one portion of Bedenbaugh's talent acquisition that Sooner fans can't point to as a concern, it's been his ability to land big-time talent out of the portal. With Brown this season, Rouse in last year's cycle, and Guyton before that, Bedenbaugh has proven that he can land some of the top players in the country when their main concern has shifted to development.

Losing as many starts as the Sooners will this offseason isn't something that's easily overcome, but it's also a good time to remember who is in charge of that room. Coach Bedenbaugh is arguably the best developmental offensive line coach in the country, and the depth still remaining in Norman elevates the floor to a point that most programs could only wish for.

Hitting on one or two more pieces in the transfer portal will certainly be important if this group is going to reach the heights that we saw from the unit late in the 2023 season, but there should be little to no concern about whether or not that will happen.

Yes, losing four of five starting offensive linemen is a concern, and at most places, it would be time to sound the alarm. But most rosters aren't built like the one Norman, and being the destination that it is for offensive linemen, there's no reason to panic just yet. The staff feels good about the group that they've got in place, and will be adding some major pieces in the coming days and weeks.

OU will field a good offensive line in 2024 and yes, there could be some growing pains to begin the year with all of that youth showing up on the depth chart. But if what we've seen from Green and Sexton is any consolation for how the other young guys will look when thrust into bigger roles next season, this group will be just fine moving forward.