Baker Mayfield’s fingerprints are all over Oklahoma’s presence at SEC Media Days, and Eddy Pierre-Louis is one of the clearest examples.
John Mateer’s path to Norman is already familiar. Mayfield reached out last spring to help recruit the Washington State transfer quarterback to Oklahoma. Pierre-Louis, though, was drawn in years earlier - long before any recruiting pitch - by what he saw from Mayfield on TV.
“I seen them on TV, and I was just a football kid,” Pierre-Louis said. “I seen them on TV.
That red just lit up to me. I seen the passion that they had when they were playing a game.
So that was something that I wanted to be a part of. I just kept working for it.”
Pierre-Louis, a Florida native surrounded by local powers like the Gators, Hurricanes and, at times, the Seminoles, still set his sights on Oklahoma. When he was 7, he made a video to himself promising he’d play for the Sooners one day. That dream eventually became real when Oklahoma offered the four-star recruit, and now the redshirt sophomore is projected to return as a starter at guard while representing the Sooners in Tampa, his hometown, this week.
“It was really Oklahoma,” Pierre-Louis answered when asked about his fandom considering all the local options. “Oklahoma was my dream school since I was a kid.
I made a video to myself saying, like when I was 7, saying I was going to go to Oklahoma. And I'm blessed that I made that happen, for sure.”
When asked what pulled him in so early, Pierre-Louis didn’t hesitate.
“It was Baker Mayfield,” Pierre-Louis confirmed.
That tracks with the version of Mayfield Sooner fans came to know. He broke through in 2015, won the Heisman Trophy in 2017 and helped lead Oklahoma to two College Football Playoff appearances as a former walk-on. For Pierre-Louis, though, it was the edge, the fire and the way Mayfield played that stuck.
Now Mayfield is the Buccaneers’ quarterback in Tampa, and Pierre-Louis says the same kind of energy is part of what makes Mateer appealing, too.
“The thing that I liked about Baker is really the way he comes out. He has good passion, good energy,” Pierre-Louis said.
“That’s something that John Mateer has as well, like him having that good energy, good juice is very -- that’s good across the whole board because that brings me, too, and especially my offensive line group. That has us all being able to really go run through a wall for him as well, like, literally.
“Just him coming out with good passion, energy, juice, each and every day, that’s something that you need and what you want in your quarterback.”
Thank God for Baker Mayfield.
In Other News...
Sooners May Have An Unexpected Answer To Their Run Game Problem
Oklahomas rushing attack has been one of the biggest issues since the move into the SEC, and the Sooners spent the offseason trying to fix it with a reworked approach under Kevin Wilson, Bill Bedenbaugh, Deland McCullough and Jason Witten. The hope is simple enough: find a backfield answer that can help the offense stay on schedule and make the ground game a real part of the identity again.
One name drawing attention is Lloyd Avant, who reportedly made a strong impression in spring practice and has emerged as a possible X-factor heading into fall camp. The challenge for Oklahoma is sorting out how he fits in a crowded backfield that also includes Xavier Robinson, Tory Blaylock, Jonathan Hatton Jr. and DeZephen Walker, which makes the next few weeks especially important for a unit still searching for clarity. [Read more 🡒]
Taylor Wein Just Made A Fascinating Oklahoma Breakout Prediction
At SEC Media Days in 2025, R Mason Thomas put Taylor Wein on the radar as a breakout defensive player for Oklahoma, and the call wound up looking pretty sharp once Wein delivered a strong season. A year later, Wein was the one carrying the Sooners message in front of the league, and he was asked to identify the next defender who could make a similar jump as Oklahoma keeps reshaping its front.
The name he pointed to fits the profile of a player who has been around long enough to be trusted, but not yet fully unleashed. PJ Adebawore has appeared in every game over three seasons without making a start, and the Sooners are looking for more production off the edge as they move on from Thomas. With a larger role expected in 2026 and another year of eligibility potentially in play after that, Adebawore is one of the more intriguing developmental bets on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Brent Venables Thinks Oklahomas Tight End Room Just Took A Big Step
Oklahomas tight end room looks a lot different heading toward the 2026 season, and Brent Venables says the change has been more than cosmetic. The Sooners have rebuilt the group with transfers, and the early read from the head coach is that the room has gone from a question mark to a position that can actually move the offense forward.
Venables has been especially encouraged by the way the new setup has come together in the meeting room and on the field, with quarterback John Mateer also backing the direction of the offense. The bigger point for Oklahoma is practical: if the tight ends keep settling in, the Sooners believe it should give their run game a real boost. [Read more 🡒]