NORMAN - The nerves hit Noah Best early.
There he was, a true freshman offensive lineman only 10 months removed from high school football, running out onto Owen Field in front of 84,315 fans and trying to steady himself for the biggest moment of his young career. Best grew up dreaming about Oklahoma, the SEC program three hours north of his hometown of Midlothian, Texas. Still, the first snap had a way of making everything real.
“But once I got that first snap off,” Best said, “it just felt like football to me. It felt natural.”
That first snap was the start of a day that said plenty about why OU trusted him in the middle. The Sooners had spent all of UTEP week sorting through the center spot after veteran Jake Maikkula, OU’s preferred starter, suffered a “short-term” injury during a scrimmage last month.
The depth chart released Monday of game week had sophomore Ryan Fodje listed as the starter at center, with Caleb Nitta behind him. Best, meanwhile, was listed as the backup at right guard.
But after a strong camp, the Sooners made the call to lean on the lineman they believed they could count on most. Best responded in a 51-0 win over the Miners on Friday by playing all three interior spots - 28 snaps at center, 12 at right guard and two at left guard.
That made him the first true freshman to start a season opener at center for Oklahoma since J.R. Conrad in 1992.
“He snapped the ball well,” OU coach Brent Venables said. “We had a couple that were just a little bit off, but that's gonna happen when lining up guys right over you, pinching in the A-gaps and things like that.
Just the cleanliness of his ability to execute and picking things up (was impressive). They pressured us a lot.
They send zero-blitz a lot and I thought he did a nice job.
“Everything starts when he touches the ball and I know from a defensive standpoint, if you're ever a guy making his first start snapping the ball, we're going to do everything we can to try to affect him. I thought that he played really well.”
What Best did Friday went well beyond simply handling the snap count. He had to learn the center position on the fly after never playing it outside of spring camp this year, while also absorbing the calls, technique and details that come with being an effective interior lineman.
For a true freshman, that’s a lot to carry. Best’s answer to the pressure is simple: he talks himself through it.
“You’re going to do this. You can do this,” he says under his breath.
The most striking part of his night may have been how quickly he kept moving around. Best played center, left guard and right guard on three straight drives, a level of flexibility that caught the eye of the OU staff.
“Talk about urgency, right?” offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said.
“Noah Best, like 10 months ago, was early graduating from high school. You kidding me?
He was like 290 pounds. That's just a credit to him and the mental fortitude, the consistency of being a freshman O lineman.
“It ain't easy. It ain't easy for a seasoned offensive lineman, interior guy. … Especially for an 18-year-old who stepped out onto The Palace for the first time, probably wide-eyed and bushy-tailed.”
Best finished with a Pro Football Focus grade of 80.1, which ranked fifth on the offense, after logging 42 total snaps.
“He's super impressive,” Sooners quarterback John Mateer said. “We all told him this morning, we were like, 'Yeah, we have your back,' but I don't even think we needed to tell him that.
He's super confident and good at what he does. He does a great job.“
He's a great kid and I guess, he grew up today, maybe I shouldn't call him a kid.”
OU’s belief in Best has been building for a while. His high school coaches saw the potential, and his game has taken another step since he started working with Bill Bedenbaugh, one of the country’s most respected offensive line coaches. There were still freshman mistakes Friday - some showed up in the game - but the Sooners clearly see a player who can keep growing with more reps.
Maikkula was in warmups before Friday’s game, and there is optimism he could be ready for next Saturday’s road game against Michigan.
No matter who gets the nod there next week, Oklahoma has already shown it trusts Best in a big spot. And Best sounds like a player who understands exactly what that means.
“Getting the opportunity, I’m blessed for it,” Best said. “I’m blessed that they had the trust in me - it was an amazing experience. I feel like if you work hard, you can do whatever you want.”
In Other News...
Oklahoma Just Got An Unexpected Late Boost In A Thin Secondary
A thin secondary got a little more help late in the cycle when Brent Venables landed a transfer commitment from former Wisconsin starter DYoni Hill. Hill brings a journeyman path through Miami, Marshall and Wisconsin, and he arrives with the kind of experience Oklahoma has been hunting as it tries to steady a cornerback group that needed more bodies and proven reps.
Jaydon Southard from Stephen F. Austin is another name worth watching as Oklahoma keeps working the transfer market for help on defense. The Sooners have been aggressive about adding depth where it matters most, and Southards fit could give Venables another option if the interest turns into a commitment. [Read more 🡒]
Red River Just Got More Personal For Oklahoma After One Transfer
The Red River rivalry has always carried enough emotion without any extra backstory, but the player movement between Oklahoma and Texas has given this years meeting a different kind of edge. Parker Livingstones move from Texas to Oklahoma adds a fresh layer to a matchup that already lives on history, bragging rights and every small detail that can tilt the week one way or the other.
Hollywood Smothers going the other direction only sharpens that feeling for Sooners fans, because these swaps turn a familiar rivalry into something more personal on both sidelines. Steve Sarkisians acknowledgment that some departures were made to create room for new transfers only underscores how modern roster building now bleeds into one of college footballs most traditional games, making the next Red River showdown feel even more charged. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Transfer LB Is Earning Praise Before A Very Personal Test
Cole Sullivan has settled into a useful role for Oklahoma as the Sooners continue building depth on defense, and his work in the 51-0 win over UTEP drew a little more attention than usual. The junior linebacker finished with one tackle and one pass breakup, and Pro Football Focus gave him a 71.2 grade, a small but encouraging sign for a player who has made his value by being athletic, reliable and quick to process the action in front of him.
Now comes a much more personal matchup. Sullivan is getting ready to face Michigan, the program he transferred from, and the Sooners will be watching to see how he handles a game that carries more meaning than the average nonconference date. He has been backing up at middle linebacker while fitting smoothly into Oklahomas defense, but this one gives him a chance to show how far he has come since leaving Ann Arbor. [Read more 🡒]