Oklahoma spring preview: Offensive line

Bill Bedenbaugh has a lot to figure out as both tackle positions and the center spot appear to be up for grabs heading into spring practice

NOTE: Oklahoma starts spring practice starts March 22. This series previews the Sooners' spring position-by-position.

Oklahoma’s offensive line in 2021 will be as competitive as it ever has been under Bill Bedenbaugh.

Four players are vying for the starting job at left tackle. The center spot seems wide open. Right tackle could get interesting really fast depending on how things shake out on the left side.

Practice this spring will go a long way toward letting Bedenbaugh know who’s who. But expect most of these battles to continue well into the fall season.

First, know this: Bedenbaugh won’t play favorites. He’ll find the best five guys, or the five guys who perform best at their position.

At left tackle, that could be returning starter Erik Swenson. Or it could be surprise 2020 freshman Anton Harrison. Or it could be 2020 opt-out Stacey Wilkins, who’s back this year. Or it could be Tennessee transfer Wanya Morris, who has the only 5-star credentials as a recruit and was a two-year starter in Knoxville.

Ability-wise, Morris looks like the guy. It was no accident why he started in the SEC as a freshman. Swenson still hasn’t formally announced his intentions, although an OU source says he's on the spring roster and is planning to be a part of the team in 2021. (The NFL’s March 1 deadline for seniors to declare for the draft or return to school, given an additional year of NCAA eligibility, quietly passed. Swenson is still enrolled at OU as a grad student, according to online records). Count on Swenson to once again be in the middle of things at left tackle. Nobody knows what level Wilkins is at after taking last season off. And Harrison, who played in eight games in 2020, showed remarkable ability and maturity last season but also experienced growing pains.

Right tackle was ably manned by Adrian Ealy the last two seasons, but he declared early for the NFL. That spot could come down to which players don’t advance on the left side. Bedenbaugh will figure out much of that this spring, but going into practice, with Swenson and Morris both having two years starting experience at left tackle, that figures to necessitate Harrison shifting over and battling with Wilkins on the right side.

Meanwhile, the center spot is in flux.

With three-year starter and All-American Creed Humphrey also declaring early for the NFL, someone new will begin every play this year.

Will it be fifth-year senior Ian McIver? Will it be 2020 UCLA transfer Chris Murray? Or will it be 2020 freshman Andrew Raym?

With Humphrey entrenched, there was never a need to get the next guy ready. But Humphrey’s backup the last two years has been McIver, so he figures to have the lead there.

But Murray, who spent last season at guard — and spent the first half of the season in NCAA transfer limbo — has the versatility to play center, which he did some at UCLA. In fact, he was the first true freshman to start a season opener at center for the Bruins since at least 1982 (as far as records go back). He started his first three college games at center before playing the next 21 games at guard. Murray played four games at right guard last season behind Tyrese Robinson.

And then there’s Raym. One of the most gifted offensive linemen to come out of the state of Oklahoma in years, Raym was a high school All-American at left tackle, but he played that position out of need, his coach said. Raym’s natural spot is center, and he has the ability to dominate at that position at the major college level. He got training last year as a guard because Humphrey and McIver (five games in 2020) had the experience in the middle and the Sooners were full at tackle. But moving forward, his ideal position is at center.

Both starters are back at guard, although Robinson on the right side and Marquis Hayes on the left both know Bedenbaugh always has his eye on upgrading things.

Replacing those two would be hard. Hayes has started the last 24 consecutive games, and Robinson has started 25 in a row. Their jobs seem safe, although if McIver wins the starting job at center, Murray (five games in 2020) and Raym (nine) could be looking for playing time back at guard. Also, Brey Walker (four) is a junior this season and could challenge for snaps.

The reality is that although there is plenty of experience and ability, everyone needs to approach this spring as an opportunity to impress Bedenbaugh.

During the last two seasons, the 2020 group combined to start 113 of a possible 114 games together, and yet the run game last year didn’t get going until midseason (OU’s 4.72 yards per carry ranked 43rd in the nation), and OU quarterbacks were sacked 2.18 times per game (62nd nationally). Penalties also hindered the group’s efficiency.

Regardless of who’s back or who’s coming on, Bedenbaugh is always looking for improvement. That starts this spring.