As Oklahoma spring practice has been halted by the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, SoonerScoop.com looks back to January interviews with the 11 mid-year enrollees from OU’s 2020 class and their thoughts as they were arriving for the semester.

Welcome to OU – OL Andrew Raym.

Maybe it’s not a huge secret, but it’s not as publicized about the way offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh handles his recruiting.

He knows what he likes, knows who he likes and makes his push. Nine times out of 10, though, if that recruit goes elsewhere, Bedenbaugh shrugs it off.

No subtweets on social media. No resorting to a Plan C type of player as a backup plan. He moves on and figures it out.

But for that 10th guy, a guy like Raym, it’s time to fight. Because although there is zero question Bedenbaugh would have found a quality interior lineman for the 2020 class, it’s hard to envision someone meaning more than Raym.

The big-time in-state prospect, who dreamed of being a Sooner. Commits a little too early for his liking, backs off, but the Sooners never go away. And in the end, he’s still where he wants to be, and where OU knows he should be.

“You mention Andrew, we’ve had a pretty good history of guys who have decommitted in the process and found their way back here,” said head coach Lincoln Riley on early signing day. “Andrew, add him to the list.

“He’s one of the better prospects we’ve seen in the state of Oklahoma in our time here at any position. He was extremely important to getting him here. We have a great relationship with him and his family, and I think that was a big part of it.”

There have been some quality offensive linemen from the state, but there’s just this feeling that Raym has the potential to be the best of the best. Even as a freshman at Broken Arrow, he was doing things you just don’t see from someone that young at such a high level.

Some kids reach the best of their abilities early and then start declining. Not Raym, as each year, it felt like he got better. He took the next steps that were required.

And OU was there every step of the way, even as he had to figure out the recruiting process for himself.

“I tried so hard to see if another school could pull me in their direction,” Raym said. “At the end of the day, I always came back to OU.”

Georgia was in the mix. Michigan was there, but the Sooners work paid off with his commitment, or maybe re-commitment is better.

Once that decision was made, he never looked back because OU showed he never had a reason to doubt the bond.

“Not one time during the whole process did they do anything or say anything about the decommitment,” Raym said. “They were loyal the whole way. They were talking to me, keeping in touch every day.

“That showed what kind of trust I can have in them.”

Raym has the ability to play center, or he could move and play guard. It felt like being a mid-year enrollee was really going to help because of how quickly Raym has picked up things in the past, but he’ll have to wait just a bit longer before he shows everybody exactly what he can do.