Attitude is everything, and confidence means everything when it comes to attitude. Despite losing Anton Harrison, Wanya Morris, and Chris Murray, from last year’s unit, the Sooners have the potential to return to the type of dominating play up front that we have seen from this squad in year’s past. The type of domination, where they don’t just beat the guy in front of them, they punish them over and again. The type of play that makes an opposing defender delete his social media account after the game.
The Anchor
Center Andrew Raym has 31 games of experience and was a second-team All-Big 12 selection by AP in 2021. He missed the final three games of last season with an injury but over the course of the 2021 and 2022 seasons he played a total of 672 pass-blocking plays in which he allowed just three total sacks. Raym was a former consensus 4-star recruit.
The Transfers
Walter Rouse is probably the most notable offensive line transfer to Oklahoma. The Stanford transfer looks to fill the spot left vacant by Harrison at left tackle, after starting ten games there last season. He started 39 of the 40 games that he played in for Stanford, with a total of 2,552 snaps, in his four season there. He doesn’t just give the Sooners a new option at left tackle, he gives them a season veteran at left tackle.
Troy Everett (Appalachian State) and Caleb Shaffer (Miami, Ohio) are going to push to be more than just depth in 2023. Everett was Named a second-team Freshman All-American by The Athletic in 2022 and Shaffer brings four year’s (three as a starter) of experience to the offensive line.
The Replacements
Redshirt junior Tyler Guyton is pretty much a lock to take over for Wanya Morris at right tackle. The former TCU standout started five games for Oklahoma last season and helped give OU fans a glimpse of what the future Sooner offensive line might look like by starting against Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl. In all, Guyton played 400 snaps and allowed two sacks and no hits on 191 pass-blocking plays according to PFF.
Savion Byrd has the potential be be the guy who sets the attitude of “nasty” for this group. He plays with the same type of punishing aggression that we saw from the likes of Cody Ford and Orlando Brown in the past. The redshirt sophomore played in ten games for the Sooners last season and, like Guyton, started in the Cheez-It Bowl. The Sooners ran for 253 yards in that game (4.2 YPC).
The Battle
One thing that we’ve learned from Bill Bedenbaugh is that no one really has a starting spot locked down before fall camp even gets started. That said, the most intriguing battle along the line is probably going to be at left guard. McKade Mettauer has the experience but he’s going to have to hold off Jake Taylor.
Mettauer was the only member of the offensive line to have started all 13 games last season. The first 12 were at left guard and then he shifted to the right side for the bowl game. In the last two seasons (2021 was at Cal.) he’s played 831 pass-blocking plays without allowing a sack. He’s the epitome of consistency but the problem is that Taylor is a rising power on the line.
The former consensus 4-star recruit played in eight games, as a backup, last season and is pushing for more action this fall. At 6-6/312 he’s only slightly larger than the 6-4/311 Mettauer but his advantage is in the nasty attitude that he plays with. He’s a mauler and a punisher which, again, is what Oklahoma needs to return to up front.
The Predictions
| 2023 Predicted Starters | ||||
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Walter Rouse R-Sr. 6-6/322 | McKade Mettauer R-Sr. 6-4/311 | Andrew Raym Sr. 6-4/309 | Savion Byrd R-So. 6-5/288 | Tyler Guyton R-Jr. 6-7/327 |
Final Thought
Oklahoma has the most experienced quarterback in the Big 12. The Sooners also possibly have the best duo of running backs in the conference and an impressive crop of receivers. The key to making it all work is going to be how the offensive line plays. OU should be outstanding in the run-blocking department but pass protection is going to be where they need to take the largest step. Dillon Gabriel was sacked 25 times, in 12 games, last season, including six sacks against Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl.
The Sooners were just outside of the Top 10 in total offense in 2022 (#13). Improvement along the offensive line is going to be the determining factor to how far they rise, or fall, in 2023.
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