NewWave19 Rewind: Stacey Wilkins
Their true freshmen seasons are in the books, and now it’s time to reflect on how things went for Oklahoma’s 2019 class.
SoonerScoop.com was able to catch up with a bunch of members of #NewWave19 during media day for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to get their thoughts.
#NewWave19 rewind – OT Stacey Wilkins
2019 stats: N/A.
There was a clamoring around mid-October or so from the OU faithful to give Wilkins a shot at left tackle. Injuries and inconsistent play from Erik Swenson and R.J. Proctor had a lot of fans wanting to turn the page to the future.
But in speaking with offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, that would be an emergency scenario only. Bedenbaugh made it clear that his dream is to redshirt every offensive lineman.
Wilkins played in four of OU’s first five games. But once Swenson and Proctor showed they could stay healthy and once Wilkins didn’t play in OU’s dominant win vs. West Virginia, it became clear he was going to be utilized in the four-game redshirt deal.
“Coach Bendenbaugh’s a good coach and is helping me prepare and stuff,” Wilkins said. “Really, it’s been me waiting my chance and stuff and learning and stuff from Adrian (Ealy) and all those other guys because I’ve learned a lot from them this year. So hopefully this spring I can compete for the left tackle spot and come in and be ready to work.”
Proctor has obviously graduated, and Swenson returns for his redshirt senior season. There’s no doubt Wilkins wasn’t quite ready to make that leap in 2019 and push those guys.
In 2020? Hmm, that could be a different story. Wilkins knew what he needed to improve on during his redshirt campaign, and he feels confident he has checked off those boxes.
“Really just me getting bigger and stronger and stuff,” Wilkins said. “I played at about 275 and right now I’m 310 (in December) so I’ve put on a lot of weight since I’ve been here. Coach (Bennie) Wylie and Coach (Bryan) Kegans have been doing a really good job of putting weight on me so really it’s just me working hard, putting weight on, being in the weight room and stuff, being ready.”
That’s the physical stuff. Equally important or maybe even more important would be the mental leap. There’s a reason why you seldom see true freshman offensive linemen dominate in college football.
There’s a heck of a lot more to the position than just being big. Wilkins admits he needed to mature on and off the field. Again, cross that off.
“I’ve matured a lot since I’ve been here,” Wilkins said. “Being under him (Bedenbaugh) and stuff, I’ve really learned a lot being under him. In my opinion, he’s the best offensive line coach in the country and he knows what he’s talking about so really I have a great opportunity to be here with him.”
You could look at some spots on the OU roster and understand why a young player might be a little miffed at the lack of playing time. However, you don’t question Bedenbaugh. You can’t, not with the track record that he has.
When you have four players selected in the initial four rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft (Orlando Brown, Bobby Evans, Ben Powers, Dru Samia), that’s all the credentials you need to let someone know waiting might be the hardest part, but it’s gonna be necessary, too.
“You know, I don’t want nothing handed to me, so I’m just waiting until my time comes,” Wilkins said. “Those guys they waited their turn and stuff so I’m not going to be selfish or nothing. They worked hard to earn their spots so right now I’m just watching them eat up on the field and be proud of them.
“It’s Oklahoma, you know. It’s Coach B. It’s one of the best offensive line coaches. There’s going to be talent here, it’s going to be stacked. You need to come in and work, wait your turn or you can come in complain or not work at all.”