All Sooners

Oklahoma Lands Highly Touted Offensive Tackle Through Transfer Portal

The Sooners picked up massive help on the offensive line Wednesday evening.

Ross Lovelace

Oklahoma Lands Highly Touted Offensive Tackle Through Transfer Portal
Oklahoma Lands Highly Touted Offensive Tackle Through Transfer Portal /
In this story:

Oklahoma still has a game left on the schedule, but the reinforcements are already piling in. 

The Sooners and Brent Venables added a big one on Wednesday, receiving a commitment from former Michigan State offensive tackle Spencer Brown.

Brown, a graduate transfer from Walled Lake Western High School in Canton, MI, has one year of eligibility and chose the Sooners over USC, Ole Miss, and a multitude of other big-name schools. According to PFF, the tackle graded out at 61.5 on offense with a 63.7 pass-block grade and a 60.7 run-block grade. The Michigan State offense was less than inspiring, though, and there's a reason he was a portal priority for the Sooners.

The 6-foot-6, 310 pound tackle will be a huge help on the offensive line, as Bill Bedenbaugh's group will have to replace experienced talent on both sides. He could provide an immediate replacement for Oklahoma as they look to replace fifth-year senior Walter Rouse on the left side of the line and possibly Tyler Guyton, who has been projected as a first-rounder in next year's NFL Draft after starting this season at right tackle.

After starting all 12 games at left tackle for the Spartans last year, Brown started nine games at right tackle and two at left tackle this season and was one of the lone bright spots in Michigan State's offensive operation. 

“I wanted to become a part of one of the blue bloods of college football," Brown told On3. "I feel as if Coach Venables and Coach Bedenbaugh are tremendous coaches and can make me an overall better player, teammate, and person off of the field.”

2023-24 Oklahoma Player Tracker

In his four-year career with the Spartans, Brown started 25 games and provided a spot of consistency up front while earning his degree in advertising management in May 2022. 

He has shown versatility to move around and slot in at different spots, but primarily played right tackle. That figures to be the spot he would likely fill in for the Sooners.

Coming out of high school in the 2019 class, Brown was a 247 Sports 3-star prospect, the the No. 77 offensive tackle prospect in the country and the No. 89 and the No. 525 overall prospect in the nation, according to the 247 Sports Composite Rankings. He chose Michigan State over Boston College, Florida, Iowa, Iowa State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Kentucky, Louisville, Missouri, Pitt, Tennessee and others. 

Oklahoma has been looking to add depth in the trenches as it transitions to the SEC, and a massive offensive tackle certainly fits the bill.

It's the first transfer portal commitment of 2024 for Venables and company, and it won't be the last.

Published
Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Experience Ross is a young, up-and-coming sports reporter who has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners over the past six years. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and has helped out with the All Sooners podcast whenever he gets the chance. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross worked for self-starter blogs and latched onto Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and was hired by All Sooners. Ross landed an internship with Sports Illustrated's Inside the Thunder and has since become a full-time contributor. One day, Ross hopes to work in the NBA. Work History Education Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Personal Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC, OK. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross is engaged to be married at the end of the year. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.

Home/Football