The Oklahoma Sooners are headed into their matchup with Michigan with a familiar problem along the offensive line, but also a timely boost.
Oklahoma has been forced to keep shuffling bodies up front through the first two weeks of the 2026 season, and that usually spells trouble. This time, though, the Sooners are getting some help back.
Starting center Jake Maikkula is set to return, and starting offensive lineman Ryan Fodje is back in the mix as well. With Michael Fasusi expected to miss the game, Fodje is reportedly lined up to start at left tackle.
That’s a notable spot for a player Oklahoma already trusts. Fodje started six games as a true freshman, splitting time between guard and tackle, and the staff has leaned on his versatility whenever the line has been stretched thin. In August, when Maikkula was injured, Fodje shifted from guard and was preparing to start at center against UTEP before a practice injury knocked him out of the opener.
Even with the ability to handle every position on the line, Fodje may be at his best on the edge. That’s where he played in high school, and it’s where he earned a reputation as a top-10 offensive tackle in the 2025 recruiting class.
His rise has been a fast one. When Oklahoma first offered him, Fodje was an unrated prospect and the Sooners were his first scholarship offer.
Over the next six months, he added 16 Power Four offers from programs including Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Missouri, Nebraska and Arkansas. Not long after he committed to Oklahoma, he was upgraded to a four-star prospect.
Now he gets another chance to show why that projection exists, and why Oklahoma believes he can be a future offensive tackle when the Sooners line up against a strong Michigan defense.
In Other News...
Eddy Pierre-Louis Sparked An Awkward Oklahoma Viral Mystery In Ann Arbor
A routine close-up of Eddy Pierre-Louis during Oklahomas trip to Michigan turned into one of the stranger talking points of the day, after television cameras caught a visible brown mark on the back of the offensive linemans pants. The image quickly made its way across social media, where fans did what fans do and tried to figure out how it got there, even as the game itself kept moving and Pierre-Louis kept playing without any obvious issue.
It was the kind of offbeat sideline moment that can hijack attention away from the football, especially in a big neutral-site atmosphere like Michigan Stadium. Oklahoma had other viral material from the day too, including a ball boy who refused to hand over a loose football during a scrum, but Pierre-Louiss mystery mark became the detail people kept zooming in on long after the snap count had moved on. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Suddenly Has A John Mateer Concern It Cant Ignore
John Mateers return should have given Oklahoma a steadier hand at quarterback, but the early stretch of the season has instead left the Sooners trying to answer bigger questions about the offense. Against Michigan, Mateer never settled in, finishing with an erratic passing day and an interception that fed into a loss, and it only added to the unease that has followed him since coming back from hand surgery.
Oklahoma can point to a rebuilding offensive line and a play-calling structure that has not always made life easy on its quarterback, but the timing of the concern is the real problem. The Sooners are moving toward a run of games against highly ranked opponents, and if Mateers accuracy issues linger, the offense may have a hard time matching the level Oklahoma needs in those matchups. [Read more 🡒]
How Much Has Really Changed For OU Since That Michigan Loss
The Michigan loss at the start of the 2025 season now reads a lot differently for Oklahoma than it did in the moment. The Sooners used the rest of the year to show real progress, finishing 10-3 and punching their ticket to the College Football Playoff, with standout wins over Tennessee and Alabama helping reshape the conversation around where the program stood by seasons end.
For Oklahoma, the bigger question entering 2026 is not whether the season changed things, but how much of that change will stick. The Wolverines are also moving forward with Bryce Underwood settling in as a first-year starter, which only adds to the backdrop for a rematch of sorts in the college football conversation, even if both programs still have unfinished business to sort out. [Read more 🡒]