The deeper Oklahoma’s offensive line issues go, the less this looks like a temporary injury mess and the more it looks like a recruiting and development problem Bill Bedenbaugh has not solved.
Yes, the Sooners are banged up again. Heading into Week 8 against Mississippi State, OU is expected to be without Ryan Fodje and Eddy Pierre-Louis, while Michael Fasusi and Heath Ozaeta are listed as questionable. All four have started at least one game this season, and all four would be in the mix on Saturday if healthy.
That matters. But it does not explain everything.
The real concern is how often this keeps happening, and how little depth has been built behind the starters. Since recruiting changed in 2021 with the NCAA’s transfer rule overhaul, the offensive line room has been a revolving door. Bedenbaugh, who is supposed to be elite at both landing and developing linemen, has not kept enough of them in Norman long enough to become reliable pieces.
Look at the numbers from the 2020 class through the 2024 class, which is the first stretch that reflects the transfer portal era as we now know it. OU brought in 18 offensive line commits in that span, and only five finished their careers or remain with the Sooners: Ozaeta, Pierre-Louis, Daniel Akinunmi, Anton Harrison, and Andrew Ryan. That’s 28% of the group staying in the program long enough to develop inside OU’s system.
The 2022 and 2023 classes are especially rough. Bedenbaugh went 1-for-6 in keeping players from those groups, with Ozaeta the lone survivor. That’s a brutal miss for a position group that depends so heavily on continuity, experience, and bodies who’ve been through the grind.
Brent Venables said it plainly earlier this season when talking about offensive line development: "It's been incredibly inconsistent, very disappointing," OU head coach Brent Venables said earlier this season when asked about offensive line development. "As you build your football team, that's a critical place. That is a place that probably requires the most development of any position that you have on your roster."
The 2024 class was supposed to help, too. Bedenbaugh signed five linemen that year, but only two are still in Norman.
Pierre-Louis opened the season as a starter, then lost that role to Ozaeta and freshman Noah Best before getting hurt. Akinunmi has been slowed by injuries as well and has appeared in only seven games in his career, mostly on special teams.
That leaves OU staring at a group that does not have the kind of veteran backbone this season demands. The missing pieces would have come from the 2022 and 2023 classes, the exact classes that should now be stepping into senior or sixth-year roles.
There is also another layer to this. A lot of the linemen who left never looked like sure Power 4 answers in the first place, given how many wound up at smaller programs. Since 2020, 15 offensive linemen have transferred, and only two of them landed at another SEC school.
So yes, injuries are real, and they are wrecking the Sooners again. But the deeper issue is that Bedenbaugh has not built enough of a pipeline to survive them.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Heads Into A True Gut Check With Key Spots Under Pressure
Oklahoma heads into Week 8 with the kind of injury uncertainty that can quickly reshape a game plan, especially on offense. The Sooners are getting ready for Mississippi State while trying to navigate a battered front and keep enough stability around key pieces like Jake Maikkula, Noah Best and E'Marion Harris, a group whose availability could matter just as much as production this week.
There are still a few names worth tracking beyond the offensive line, starting with Manny Choice after his strong showing last week and Jonathan Hatton Jr. in the backfield, while Trystan Haynes remains part of the defensive equation. For Oklahoma, the challenge is less about the matchup on paper than whether the roster can hold together long enough to turn recent frustration into a needed response. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Has A Few Players Who Must Deliver In Starkville
Oklahoma heads to Starkville dealing with some familiar early-season uncertainty up front, and that makes the margin for error a little thinner than usual. With injuries on the offensive line complicating the Sooners preparation, the emphasis shifts quickly from comfort to survival, especially against a Mississippi State defense that will be looking to make the visitors work for everything.
On the other side, the Bulldogs bring their own question mark in the status of starting quarterback Kamario Taylor, which adds another layer to a game already full of moving parts. For Oklahoma, the bigger issue may be whether the right players can steady the offense while the defense does its part against a Mississippi State attack that has its own tendencies to sort through before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
OU Faces A Huge Defensive Question Heading Into Mississippi State
Brent Venables is planning for the kind of week that keeps defensive staffs up late. As Oklahoma gets ready for Mississippi State, the Sooners are preparing as if quarterback Kamario Taylor will be available, even though his recent injuries have left his status in question. Taylor has been central to the Bulldogs' offense and entered the matchup leading the SEC in passing yards and touchdowns, which makes his availability a major issue for an Oklahoma defense trying to sort out its game plan.
Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby has called Taylor day-to-day, and backup Billy Puckett stepped in to start last week when Taylor was out. For the Sooners, the challenge is less about who gets the first snap and more about being ready for both versions of the offense on short notice. With an SEC matchup looming, Oklahoma has to account for Taylor's explosiveness without losing sight of the possibility that Puckett could again be the one under center. [Read more 🡒]