Oklahoma’s offensive line has already been one of the more intriguing groups in fall camp, and freshman Noah Best is making sure it stays that way.
The Sooners came into camp with a clear picture of what the front should look like. Four starters are back from last season’s College Football Playoff team, and Arkansas transfer E'Marion Harris arrived with more than 20 career starts at tackle. That combination pointed toward a likely lineup of Harris, Jake Maikkula, Eddy Pierre-Louis, Ryan Fodje and Michael Fasusi.
But Best, a former three-star prospect from Midlothian, Tex., has pushed his way into the conversation.
Former Oklahoma All-American center Gabe Ikard said Best has stood out enough to make the competition feel real. On 'The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman,'" he said, "Those guys better be ready to battle for their jobs," Ikard said on 'The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman.'"
I've said this many times on here before. Bill Bedenbaugh does not care how old you are.
He doesn't. He does not care what you are being paid.
He is going to play the guys who go out there and play the way he wants them to play. I was continually impressed by Noah Best throughout the practice."
That kind of early praise says plenty about where Best is in the pecking order right now. He may not be the Week 1 answer, but he has added another real option to a group that was already expected to be stronger in 2026.
It also says something about the job Bill Bedenbaugh has done with the position. When a freshman can show up in camp and draw that sort of reaction from Ikard, it gives Oklahoma another layer up front.
The bigger picture is simple: the Sooners’ offensive line looks deeper, more competitive and more capable of becoming the kind of reliable, physical unit that can help address the offense’s biggest weakness from a year ago. Best’s emergence only makes that possibility more interesting.
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