Oklahoma coach Brent Venables called out the state of the program's offensive line development ahead of a battle against No. 1 Texas on Saturday in the annual Red River Rivalry.
"It's been incredibly inconsistent and very disappointing," Venables said. "As you build your football team, that's a critical place. That's a place that probably requires the most development of any position that you have on your roster."
Despite retaining highly regarded offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, Oklahoma's line has been among the worst in the nation for much of the past five years. The Sooners average only 2.9 yards per carry, while the offense ranks last in the SEC in total offense. According to Pro Football Focus, Oklahoma ranks No. 120 in pass blocking grade and No. 101 in run blocking grade.
Venables pointed to the transfer portal as a major driver of instability at the position group, especially in the first few years after he took over the program.
"Very uneven job when it comes to choosing the guys that we've brought in here," Venables said. "Way too many guys are coming and going at that position group. We need continuity and consistency to develop that group into what we want."
Broken pipeline
Oklahoma has long pointed to the end of the Lincoln Riley era as the primary driver behind its struggling offensive line play. The Sooners famously took only two high school offensive linemen in the Class of 2021, often cited as an indicator of deprioritization. Instead, the unit has only gotten worse under Venables.
The Sooners have dropped every year in yards per carry since 2022, bottoming out at an astonishing 2.9 yards per carry this season. The unit has allowed fewer sacks since transitioning to dual-threat quarterback John Mateer, but the Sooners allowed a nation-worst 50 sacks in 2024.
Out of five offensive line recruits in Venables' first two recruiting classes, four are no longer with the program. Three of the five recruits in the Class of 2024 have also transferred, leaving major gaps.
Now, the five starters on Oklahoma's roster include two transfers (E'Marion Harris and Jake Maikkula), two underclassmen (Eddy Pierre-Louis and Ryan Fodje) and one upperclassman (Heath Ozaeta). Offensive tackle Michael Fasusi would also factor into the rotation, but he has missed nearly the entire season with an injury, like many other Sooners before him.
Oklahoma lost six offensive linemen to the transfer portal after the 2025 season. All of them landed at Power Four schools, and four of them were named starters. Oklahoma has not turned a high school offensive line recruit into an NFL Draft pick since Anton Harrison after the 2022 season.
Attempted investment
Since the offensive line tanked, Oklahoma has made a concerted effort to invest more heavily in it. The staff landed blue-chip recruits Fasusi and Fodje in the Class of 2025, and both have turned into contributors.
However, the Sooners are hoping an incredible in-state recruiting class can further turn the tide. Oklahoma holds commits from native Oklahomans Kaeden Penny and Cooper Hackett, both rated as blue-chip recruits. The program has six commitments overall along the offensive line as part of a No. 6 national recruiting class.
Between the growth of Fasusi, Fodji and Pierre-Louis and later infusion of talent, there's reason to hope that at least the pipeline is being repaired. But after five years of disaster at the position, it's fair to wonder whether the investment came too late.
On Saturday at the State Fair of Texas, the Sooners face off against the No. 1 Longhorns. Oklahoma has been miserable against its top rival under Venables, losing three of four matchups and averaging a pathetic 3.0 points per game in the losses.
Texas holds the nation's No. 5 defense in SP+, a spot ahead of Oklahoma at No. 6. They're also more than 50 spots ahead of Oklahoma in offense, leading to a Vegas line of more than 10 points. Texas defensive end Colin Simmons recorded 5.5 sacks against Tennessee and now leads the nation in sacks per game.
Another putrid performance at the Cotton Bowl could spell disaster for the Venables era at Oklahoma. Unfortunately, it may be an inevitability.
