Oklahoma 2024 Report Cards: The Offensive Line Was Historically Bad, But Got a Little Better

After the Sooners replaced all five starters from last year, Bill Bedenbaugh's group struggled to protect the passer or generate anything on the ground.

Oklahoma offensive tackle Logan Howland / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Giving Oklahoma’s offensive line a grade when so many players spent time on the injured list would be like assigning a report card to a student who was out sick all semester.

All we can really grade is the performance from week to week — when they actually did come to school.

The fact is that Bill Bedenbaugh’s group had to replace all five starters and was in disarray from the very first snap of 2024. They did get nominally better late in the year — but only after the same starting five returned to work each week.

Even that modest improvement came with drawbacks, however, such as an SEC finishing schedule of South Carolina, Ole Miss, Missouri, Alabama and LSU. The first two included multiple All-America candidates on the defensive line, and the last two included multiple future NFL Draft picks.

Injuries were the scourge of the group. Starting left tackle Jacob Sexton had to play guard because of injuries to others, then missed the final four games because of a knee injury of his own. Starting right tackle Jake Taylor only played five games due to injury. And utility man Geirean Hatchett was down to play left guard or center if needed, but only got to play in the opener before a torn biceps muscle cost him the rest of the season. Transfer Michael Tarquin would have been the starter at either left tackle or right tackle, but he first had to keep shuffling back and forth, then went down with his own injury.

Oklahoma 2024 Report Cards

• Dec. 30: Special teams
• Dec. 31: Defensive tackle
  
• Jan. 1: Running back
• Jan. 2: Offensive line
• Jan. 3: Defensive end
• Jan. 4: Linebacker
• Jan. 5: Tight end
• Jan. 6: Cornerback
• Jan. 7: Wide receiver
• Jan. 8: Safety
• Jan. 9: Quarterback
• Jan. 10: Coaches

Center was the position that seemed truly cursed. Starter Branson Hickman was hurt in the opener and missed two games. Backup Joshua Bates played just three games and then got eight snaps against Maine before missing the rest of the season. Hatchett was slated for center duty, but wasn’t available after Week 1. And Troy Everett, who was slated to start before a knee injury claimed him in spring practice, missed the first five games before returning against Texas and then starting the final six.

Ultimately, all the shuffling produced a starting five that was young but battle-tested: Everett joined redshirt freshman left tackle Logan Howland, redshirt freshman left guard Heath Ozaeta, North Texas transfer right guard Febechi Nwaiwu and Michigan State transfer Spencer Brown for the final five games.

Sexton, a 6-foot-6, 322-pound junior from Edmond Deer Creek, played in seven games and made four starts at right tackle as a sophomore. This season, according to Pro Football Focus, Sexton totaled 511 offensive snaps and finished the year with an overall grade of 54.8 — 58.0 as a run blocker and just 46.3 as a pass blocker. In 306 pass blocking plays, Sexton allowed three sacks, two hits and six hurries.

Taylor, a 6-6, 309-pound redshirt sophomore from Las Vegas, got just four games this season and finished with 169 offensive snaps, per PFF. His overall PFF grade was 56.2 — 51.0 on running plays and 62.6 on pass plays. As a pass blocker, Taylor set up 99 times and allowed one sack and four hurries.

Tarquin, 6-6, 317-pound fifth-year senior from Ocala, FL, began his career at Florida and transferred to UCLA before coming to OU. He missed the final five games and finished with 570 offensive snaps, posting an overall PFF grade of 71.0 — 69.4 as a run blocker and 71.2 as a pass blocker.

Nwaiwu, a 6-4, 339-pound redshirt junior from Coppell, TX, transferred from North Texas. He played more offensive snaps than anyone this season, 865 total (plus 50 on special teams) and finished with an overall PFF grade of 60.7 — 55.5 on running plays and 71.8 on pass plays. As a pass blocker, Nwaiwu allowed two sacks and seven hurries. 

Hickman, a 6-2, 301-pound redshirt senior from McKinney, TX, transferred from SMU after OU concluded spring practice. Hickman wasn’t right all season after his injury in the opener and played just 201 snaps this season. He was hurt again versus Texas and returned to play just 14 snaps against Maine. He graded out at 53.3 overall — 48.6 on running plays and 67.0 on passes. Hickman allowed one sack and three hurries in pass sets.

Bates, a 6-3, 309-pound redshirt freshman from Durango, CO, only played in one game last season. For most of last spring after Everett’s injury, he was the starter at center, and was called upon early after  Hickman’s injury. Bates started just two games, then disappeared after an emotional meltdown against Houston and played just eight snaps against Maine the rest of the way. He logged 164 offensive snaps and posted a PFF grade of 52.8 — 53.7 as a run blocker and 58.0 as a pass blocker. On 85 pass plays, Bates allowed one sack and one pressure.

Brown, a 6-6, 321-pound redshirt senior from Detroit, was a two-year starter at Michigan State before he transferred to OU. Brown struggled early, playing 57 snaps in the opener, missing all of the Houston game and playing just five snaps against Tulane. His next game was Week 8 against South Carolina. Brown, however, finished the season starting the final five games and played a total of 363 offensive snaps. His overall PFF grade was 61.3 — 63.9 on run plays and 53.6 on pass plays. Brown allowed one sack and nine hurries on 189 pass blocking attempts.

Howland, a 6-6, 317-pound redshirt freshman from Westfield, NJ, may have been the Sooners’ third choice at left tackle, but once he settled in, he was one of the best. Howland played 502 offensive snaps and graded out at 66.5 overall, per PFF — 61.1 as a run blocker and 69.7 as a pass blocker. In 270 pass block setups, Howland allowed just one sack — at Ole Miss — and 10 hurries. 

Ozaeta, a 6-5, 318-pound redshirt freshman from Snoqualmie, WA, finished the season with 630 offensive snaps and posted a PFF grade of 56.2 overall — 52.4 on run plays and 69.0 on passes. Ozaeta set up to pass block 345 times this season and allowed four sacks and six hurries. 

Everett, a 6-3, 308-pound redshirt junior from Roanoke, VA, seemed to settle everyone with his return late in the Texas game. The former Appalachian State transfer played 211 snaps last season and logged 298 this season — graded out at 65.9 overall — 59.6 as a run blocker and 80.1 as a pass blocker. He allowed two sacks and three hurries on 298 pass blocking attempts.

The bottom line is while Oklahoma’s offensive line did show improvement over the course of the fall, they will go down as one of the most underperforming groups in recent memory. OU quarterbacks were sacked 3.85 times per game this season, which ranked 130th in the nation (and last in the SEC) out of 133 teams in FBS. The OU offense averaged just 3.78 yards per rush, which ranked 95th in the nation and stands as one of the lowest in school history.

Under constant and significant pressure when they dropped back to pass, quarterbacks Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins abandoned the idea of throwing deep or even intermediate passes. OU’s 4.81 yards per play ranked 125th in the country.

Bedenbaugh’s group should be better in 2025 — if everyone can get healthy and stay healthy. Only Bates (to SMU), Hatchett (back to Washington) and true freshman Eugene Brooks (UCLA) entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, and only Brown and Tarquin graduated. 

Sooners On SI Grade: D