In the Face of Adversity, Oklahoma OL Coach Bill Bedenbaugh Signed his Best Class Yet

Oklahoma's offensive line got better thanks to Bill Bedenbaugh on National Signing Day.

Oklahoma offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

NORMAN — Oklahoma offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh closed down a recruiting cycle to remember on Wednesday. 

When OU head coach Brent Venables took the podium for his National Signing Day press conference at 11 a.m., the Sooners had four lineman in the boat — 4-star offensive tackle Ryan Fodje, 3-star interior offensive linemen Darius Afalava and Owen Hollenbeck and preferred walk on Sean Hutton. 

By 3 p.m., 5-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi cemented himself as the jewel of the Sooners’ entire 2025 recruiting class by reaffirming his commitment and intention to sign with the program. 

Speaking of the group in general, Venables labeled OU’s new offensive line class as “mature”, and they’ll need to be. 

The 2024 season showed just how quickly linemen can be called into action as redshirt freshmen Logan Howland and Heath Ozaeta got thrown into the fire in the SEC. 

That duo improved throughout the season and gained valuable experience, and now Bedenbaugh’s new crop of linemen can file in behind them and prepare to take over one day. 

Fasusi, who has NFL potential written all over him, and Fodje might be the most talented pair of high school recruits Bedenbaugh has landed in the same class. 

And while Venables couldn’t officially speak about Fasusi at the time of his press conference on Wednesday, he was effusive in his praise for Fodje. 

“I think (Fodje’s) one of the most undervalued offensive linemen in all of high school football,” Venables said. “A guy that we identified at camp a few years ago, a few summers back and coach Bedenbaugh did a great job of putting his name on him and offering him. He's developed and he's one of the most dominant players in the country.”

Fodje rose through the rankings, finishing as the nation’s 68th-ranked recruit for On3 and the No. 87-overall player with 247Sports, and once he adds more muscle to his 6-foot-5, 275-pound frame, the Cypress, TX, lineman looks the part of a physical SEC tackle. 

Along the interior, Bedenbaugh signed a longtime commit in Hollenbeck. 

“(Hollenbeck) was forced out of position this year but probably will be a center for us and one of the strongest high school football players in the country,” Venables said. “He's a powerlifting champ, this is a guy that can move mountains But a guy that we’re really excited about his physical attitude, mental attitude, all of those things. A really good player.”

The Melissa, TX, product played high school ball with defensive lineman Nigel Smith II, and will bring some muscle to the heart of Oklahoma’s offensive line. 

Bedenbaugh then trekked west to land Afalava from Lehi, UT.

“(Afalava’s) the top lineman in the state of Utah. Big, strong, powerful,” Venables said. “Comes from another great program and that group overall is just powerful, athletic, incredibly physical and physically tough.”

Fasusi’s high school teammate, Hutton, will be headed to Norman as well from the Lone Star State. 

“Sean Hutton from Lewisville, Lewisville’s been a good place for the Sooners over the years,” Venables said. “Sean’s a versatile inside-outside player being undervalued. Tough kid. Can really move his feet and really excited about Sean.”

This class comes at the right time for Bedenbaugh. 

Winning in the SEC starts at the line of scrimmage, and while his history of producing NFL talent is sterling, many factors came together to stunt the growth of the offensive line in 2024. 

Injuries struck, which when paired with small recruiting classes and recruiting misses in the final years of the Lincoln Riley era, meant the Sooners were thin up front and needed brand new transfers to quickly settle in Bedenbaugh’s unit. 

While the results were poor in the first half of the season, the experienced gained was invaluable in building an offensive line that is ready to compete in 2025. 

And despite Oklahoma signing a smaller 2025 class, finishing with 18 scholarship players, Bedenbaugh’s additions remained high in quality and quantity. 

The Sooners, under new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, will have a new quarterback in 2025 as Jackson Arnold is reportedly set to enter the transfer portal. 

No matter who is taking the snaps in Norman, Bedenbaugh took a major step toward supporting OU quarterbacks of the future with a competitive offensive line on Wednesday.