How Transfer Michael Tarquin is the Epitome of Oklahoma's Offensive Line in 2024

Tarquin spent three seasons at Florida, then transferred to USC for a year before ending up at Oklahoma this past offseason.

Oklahoma OL Michael Tarquin / John E. Hoover / Sooners on SI

It was only the second week of Oklahoma’s fall camp, but expectations were already high and praises were rare from offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh. 

His group was going through an individual drill. A lineman would explode out of his stance to the dummy in front of him, swiftly move past the sled, then finish by blocking a teammate, who was acting as a linebacker at the second level of the defense. 

“Lower hands, lower hands,” Bedenbaugh exclaimed. 

“Run through them!” 

There was correction after every single rep, so any compliments from Bedenbaugh really stood out. Of the three times he praised a player during the drill, redshirt senior Michael Tarquin was on the receiving end twice. 

“That’s it! Good, good, good,” Bedenbaugh mumbled before reminding Tarquin to lower his hands. 

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 317 pounds, Tarquin is the epitome of what Bedenbaugh is working with this year on OU’s offensive line. He’s brand new to the program, but certainly not green to football. The same could be said for much of the Sooners' new-look offensive line, most of whom came from other places where they gained valuable experience. 

“Having a lot of guys that have a ton of experience, it helps not only us being on the same page, but it also helps us being good leaders and help the young guys, help develop them, and ultimately, like I said earlier, the chemistry has been huge,” Tarquin said weeks later after another practice. “I think that’s going to help us a lot and be really good this year.”

Tarquin transferred this offseason to OU from USC, where he played in 11 games and started eight at right tackle for the Trojans last season. He started the first seven games before coming off the bench, then was inserted back into the starting lineup for the regular-season finale. 

One season is all Tarquin resided in Southern California, though. He spent most of his college career on the other coast. Hailing from Ocala, FL, Tarquin stayed in his home state to play for the Florida Gators. 

As a 4-star recruit in the 2019 class, Tarquin redshirted his first year on campus while still playing in three games. In a shortened 2020 season, he played in all 10 games as a redshirt freshman. Then, as a redshirt sophomore, Tarquin cracked the starting lineup twice while appearing in every game. He was part of an offensive line that season that allowed only 14 sacks – tied for the second-fewest in the SEC. 

Tarquin transferred after three years at Florida, then after his brief stint at USC, he wound up at Oklahoma. 

“I think the biggest thing that stands out the most to me is the culture,” Tarquin said. “I think Coach (Brent) Venables has done an amazing job with that — Coach Venables, Coach Schmity (strength coach Jerry Schmidt), then obviously all the position coaches, Coach Bedenbaugh, etc. I think, ultimately, it’s the culture and how everyone’s on board with the same goal in mind.”

As of Thursday, Venables still hasn’t announced who will be starting up front for the Sooners. It’s not even sure where Tarquin will be playing on the line, although it's been widely projected he could start at left tackle. Tarquin has shown throughout his career that he’s versatile and can play anywhere up front, but like his coach, Tarquin, too, has been coy with the Sooners’ plans. 

“You can ask Coach about that,” Tarquin said of where he’ll play. “I’ve played a few different positions throughout my career, so whatever he asks me to do, I’ll be ready for it.”

Tarquin has picked up a lot of different football verbiage over the years, and the learning curve has continued since his arrival in Norman back in January. The transition hasn't been all that difficult, he said, but there has been a transition.

“I’d say so," Tarquin said. "I feel like I’m a pretty smart player, and then obviously, you know, learning from Coach Bedenbaugh has been outstanding. It’s helped me progress a lot as a player, and learning from the guys that have been here has helped me a lot with the offense as well.”

With so much experience coming from so many different places using so many terminologies from so many philosophies, Bedenbaugh spent spring, part of summer, and every day of preseason camp locked in teaching mode. Now, it's about finding "the best five," Venables said, and establishing a chemistry between the five on the field.

“I think it’s coming together really well," Tarquin said. "I mean, obviously, there’s a lot of things we’ve got to continue to work on. We can’t stay comfortable, but I feel like everyone in the room, we’ve jelled really well, have really good chemistry. So I think things are heading in the right direction.”