2019 Position Preview: Offensive Line

Oklahoma has boasted one of the top offensive lines in the country for the last several years, but the unit this year will face the biggest rebuilding job of any on the team.

No OU position group lost more experience since last season than the offensive line, which won the 2018 Joe Moore Award. Bobby Evans (second-team All-Big 12), Cody Ford (third-team AP All-American), Ben Powers (consensus All-American) and Dru Samia (Big 12 Tri-Offensive Lineman of the Year), who were all selected in the NFL Draft, totaled 159 games played and 144 starts in their Sooner careers.?

Redshirt sophomore Creed Humphrey, a freshman All-American last year who is on the 2019 Outland Trophy and Rimington Trophy watch lists, is the lone returning starter. A 2017 finalist and 2018 semifinalist for the Broyles Award (nation's top assistant), co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh has a bevy of returning talent to continue to groom and welcomes several highly rated newcomers for 2019. OU also added Virginia graduate transfer R.J. Proctor, who played in 32 games the last three years (12 starts at guard) for the Cavaliers.

“They're getting better,” Bedenbaugh said Wednesday. “We're better than when we ended in the spring. The guys did a pretty good job this summer for the most part. I'm pleased with where we are. Just like everybody, we've got a long way to go, but we're getting better. We're improving every day. That's the biggest thing ? we can't have bad days. We have to be more consistent throughout every practice. We have some really good periods, we have some OK periods and some bad periods. We have to be consistently good throughout the whole practice.

“I want the same thing as every group. You just have to go do the best that you can do, whatever that is. You can't get more than anybody's best. You have to have 100 percent every day, every drill you do. That's all I can ask. If they do their best every day then we're going to be pretty good. They understand that there is a standard to live up to and the guys that came before them. This is a different group. They have to set their own standard, their own goals for each other, but I expect them to be the best and they understand that. I think they expect the same thing. We have to keep working at it.”

Lettermen Returning

Creed Humphrey

Adrian Ealy (R-So.) ? Played in five games last year in a reserve tackle role ... a four-star recruit out of high school by ESPN, Rivals and Scout.
Tyrese Robinson (R-So.) ? Saw action in six games in 2018 in a backup role at guard ... a consensus four-star recruit out of high school.
Creed Humphrey (R-So.) ? Missed spring season due to injury ... a freshman All-American by the FWAA and The Athletic last season when he started 12 of 14 games at center ... a second-team All-Big 12 pick by AP.

Humphrey Says

“You don't come to the University of Oklahoma and not be ready to accept that challenge. We've always put out great offensive lines and great offensive linemen, and they're expecting to do the exact same thing. All of the guys are extremely motivated and all hard-working individuals. Being a younger guy last year, I was more just trying to lead by example. Last year, we already had the guys to be vocal leaders, so I wasn't too worried about that. This year I'm a little more vocal.”

Ealy Says

“We're showing a lot of progress right now. We're just trying to get into the groove before the first game. Right now, we're doing it step by step, repeating the standard that we have in the room. The first thing that we need to have is the mentality and I feel like everybody is catching on to that really quickly. We're doing everything step by step, but we're showing progress, which we need to be doing.”

Non-Lettermen Returning

Clayton Woods (R-Sr.) ? Walk-on whose lone action as a Sooner came last year vs. Kansas.
Erik Swenson (R-Jr.) ? Saw action in four contests last year and six in 2017.
Marquis Hayes (R-So.) ? Played in three games in 2018 in a reserve role at guard ... a four-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals out of high school.
David Swaby (R-So.) ? Redshirted last season (did not play) after transferring from junior college ... originally from the Bahamas.
Dalton Bishop (R-So.) ? A walk-on from Oklahoma City ... redshirt sophomore who came to OU from Lewis & Clark College prior to the 2018 season.
Ian McIver (R-So.) ? A walk-on redshirt sophomore from Central High School in Keller, Texas.
Darrell Simpson (R-Fr.) ? An ESPN and Rivals four-star recruit who redshirted last season ... tabbed the No. 142 player in the nation out of high school by Rivals.
Michael Thompson (R-Fr.) ? A U.S. Army All-American as a defensive lineman in high school who moved to the offensive line this past offseason ... redshirted last season due to a knee injury.
Brey Walker (R-Fr.) ? A five-star prospect and No. 15 overall player as a high school senior by 247Sports ... redshirted in 2018 (saw action in one game).

Newcomers

R.J. Proctor

R.J. Proctor (R-Sr.) ? A graduate transfer from Virginia ... started six of his 11 games in 2018 at left guard ... made five starts in his 13 games in 2017 (three at right guard and two at left guard) ... started one of his eight games in 2016 at right guard.
Finley Felix (Jr.) ? Early enrollee ... consensus three-star recruit ... rated as nation's No. 21 junior college prospect by Rivals and No. 45 by 247Sports ... heralded as No. 6 overall JUCO offensive tackle by 247Sports.
Bryce Roberts (Jr.) ? Transfer from New Mexico State University who participated in 2019 spring practice at OU ... also worked out at tight end in spring ... played in 25 games as an Aggie (11 starts) with 19 catches for 149 yards and four touchdowns.
Marcus Alexander (Fr.) ? A four-star recruit by Rivals and a three-star prospect by 247Sports and ESPN ... rated as the country's No. 37 offensive guard by ESPN.
EJ Ndoma-Ogar (Fr.) ? Four-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN ... an All-American Bowl selection ...? rated as No. 217 overall prospect in the 2019 class by 247Sports and No. 225 by ESPN.
Stacey Wilkins (Fr.) ? Four-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals ... an All-American Bowl selection ... the No. 78 recruit in the 2019 class by Rivals and No. 168 by 247Sports.

Notes

OU's returning offensive linemen have 12 career starts among them (all by Humphrey) and have seen action in a total of 39 contests. The four departed offensive linemen compiled a total of 144 career starts.
Last year, the O-line paved the way for an offense that set the FBS record for yards per play (8.60) and became the first team since 1994 to finish in the top two nationally in both yards per pass attempt (11.27) and yards per rush (6.6). OU also became the first team to produce a 4,000-yard passer, two 1000-yard rushers and two 1,000-yard receivers in a season.
Seven offensive linemen have been selected in the NFL Draft since Bedenbaugh's arrival at OU in 2013. Six of those players were drafted in the top four rounds. Cody Ford (second round) was OU's highest offensive lineman draft pick since Lane Johnson went fourth overall in 2013.

Lettermen Returning

Humphrey Says

Ealy Says

Non-Lettermen Returning

Newcomers

Notes

Players Mentioned

Marcus Alexander

Dalton Bishop

Adrian Ealy

Bobby Evans

Finley Felix

Cody Ford

Marquis Hayes

Creed Humphrey

Ian McIver

Ben Powers

R.J. Proctor

Bryce Roberts

Tyrese Robinson

Dru Samia

Darrell Simpson

David Swaby

Erik Swenson

Michael Thompson

Brey Walker

Stacey Wilkins

Clayton Woods

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics