How Oklahoma's Big Guys on Both Sides of the Ball are Helping Each Other Prepare for the SEC

The Sooners' offensive and defensive lines have been competing in practice to prepare for the SEC, known for its physicality in the trenches.

Oklahoma defensive end PJ Adebawore / Ryan Chapman / Sooners on SI

It’s not classified information that success up front on both sides of the ball correlates to wins in the SEC. 

Oklahoma will be new to the SEC in 2024, but even the newcomer Sooners already know they need to improve on the offensive and defensive line, and immediately, if they want to triumph in the SEC as much as they did in the Big 12. 

“This is a league where the competitive depth in the trenches is probably unlike, again, top to bottom, there are other teams across the country that have competitive depth that would match up to the SEC, but the depth of it in our conference, the number of teams that have it week in and week out is gonna be a very real thing,” OU coach Brent Venables said at SEC Media Days, his first introduction to the conference.

“Fortunately, to me, that’s where the championships are won, are gonna be in those trenches. That doesn’t mean you can have crappy quarterback play and be amazing in the trenches and everything’s great, because that ain’t gonna happen either. The national championships that I’ve been fortunate to be a part of have been because of really good quarterback play and play in the trenches as well. You’ve gotta have a good team in order to do that.” 

The trick to all this, though, even while knowing what they need, is preparing for something the Sooners have never actually experienced, at least not a full slate of. This isn’t the NFL with joint practices, where OU’s big guys can go head-to-head with Alabama, LSU or Georgia to imitate what they’ll be facing on game days. Right now during fall camp, the Sooners just have their teammates across from them. 

The Sooners are opening Week 3 of fall camp, and Venables said Tuesday that the team has been competing against each other, starters vs. starters, to better prepare each individual and position. 

“I think that’s how you gotta get guys ready,” he elaborated. 

And that’s been especially helpful for the big men. 

“I think we have a lot of very talented D-linemen,” offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu said. “They are probably some of the most talented D-linemen I’ve gone against. They’re also a very close group, which makes them play harder. And when it comes to comparing to the other D-linemen I’ve played in the past, I think they compare pretty highly with the way that they can communicate on the field, it’s very elite. It’s how physical that they are, I love that about them too. 

“It also makes you better in return. Our O-line is better because now our O-line has to be more physical because of our D-line.”

OU’s offensive line is experiencing the growing pains of a position overhaul while also bracing for more physical competition. But although the offensive side seems to need the most development before the Sooners’ season opener against Temple on Friday, Aug. 30, this daily intrasquad competition has benefited both sides of the ball. 

“It’s been good for me, because these guys, they’re definitely SEC-ready tackles,” defensive end PJ Adebawore said. “Legit tackles who give me really good looks. Yeah, like, they’re going to have a season, too.”