Smart, Experienced and Big Only Begin to Describe Oklahoma OT Walter Rouse

A colorful background at Stanford (and before) laid the groundwork for a player who's started 39 major college football games and has "a thankful spirit to him."

NORMAN — The scouting report so far is incomplete on Oklahoma transfer Walter Rouse.

Rouse had shoulder surgery in December at Stanford and hasn’t been cleared yet for contact this spring.

But one word keeps coming up on the big left tackle — and it’s the word one might expect to hear about a biomechanical engineering major at Stanford.

“Really smart,” said head coach Brent Venables.

“Really, really smart,” said offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh.

Walter Rouse / Stanford University Athletics

That’s to be expected from someone who was a finalist for the Campbell Trophy — the “Academic Heisman” — as a Cardinal senior.

But that intelligence will serve him well beyond the classroom as he concludes his career as a Sooner. As OU is replacing both its left tackle and its right tackle in 2023, Rouse figures to slide right in behind Anton Harrison on the left side.

“He’s extremely smart,” Bedenbaugh said. “He’s played a lot of football. Out here, he’s not doing anything. I watched a lot of his tape and recruited him out of high school (in Silver Springs, MD). He’s smart. He’s intelligent. He understands the game. He’s inquisitive. He’s still involved. He’s doing some footwork things. He’s probably a little more athletic than I anticipated.

“But, again, we won’t know until we puts the pads and really start going. His learning, I don’t have any issue with.”

Rouse was a four-year starter at Stanford who played 731 snaps as a freshman in 2019, 437 (in just six games) in 2020, 732 in 2021 and 650 last season despite the shoulder injury.

Walter Rouse / Stanford University Athletics

Rouse may not be doing much yet in an OU uniform, but that much game experience is irreplaceable.

“No doubt,” Bedenbaugh said. “I think he’s started 39 games. That’s a lot of games. So yeah, no doubt. That obviously helps. And he’s a smart guy. He’s really, really smart. Even though he’s not doing it out here, he can answer questions, he asks questions, he wants to know all the details and all those things. So I think his experience is going to obviously help when he gets healthy. He’s done it in big situations.”

At Monday’s practice on Owen Field, Rouse wore a blue “no contact” jersey as he did some technique drills, what Venables called “a lot of footwork and conditioning and walkthroughs.” When practice was over, even as media interviews were dragging on, Rouse was the last one on the field, continuing to polish what few reps he could get.

“I’m waiting for him to get back, but our chemistry’s good,” said right tackle Tyler Guyton. “He’s still out there doing sets. I was just over there working with him. He’s a pro. You can tell he’s a pro. Look at him. Look. He’s still working. Practice been over.”

Walter Rouse :: BRYAN TERRY / THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK

At 6-foot-6 and 316 pounds, there’s another word that comes to mind when describing Rouse.

“Walter, that’s just a big boy,” said center Andrew Raym. “He’s strong, stout. I’m excited to see what Walter can do for us.”

Raym will be a third-year starter in the middle this year. Left guard McKade Mettauer is back, but Raym will miss three-year starter Chris Murray to his right. It’s almost an entirely rebuilt unit in 2023, which made it all the more important to land Rouse from the transfer portal.

“I was excited,” Raym said. “All I knew is we were losing a left tackle, and we needed one badly. Walter is one hell of a player. I’m very excited for him.”

Besides being smart, and experienced, and big, Rouse has a colorful background.

According to his Stanford bio, he was a two-time captain of his high school basketball team, was nominated for Washington, D.C.’s Gatorade Player of the Year, played defensive line (157 tackles and 10 quarterback sacks his final two years at Sidwell Friends School, is a pescatarian (doesn’t eat meat but does eat fish) and is the grandson of Walter V. “Vic” Rouse, who hit the game-winning shot in overtime to give Loyola-Chicago the 1963 NCAA National Championship.

Venables expounded on what he’s discovered about Rouse in the short time he’s gotten to know him.

“I mean, he’s just got a great attitude,” Venables said. “He’s got a thankful spirit to him, really smart, good teammate. He’s got a great perspective. Sharp guy.

“One of the reasons he wanted to come was he wanted to be challenged in a different way than what he was from a development standpoint. And he’s gotten exactly that with coach Bedenbaugh and coach Schmitty (Jerry Schmidt). But he’s making improvements in those areas, both in knowledge in what we’re doing and getting in shape as much as you can, again, both physically and being able to run. He was not able to run for several weeks after the surgery.

“But he’s got a great, hungry, tough-mindedness to him. Really good attitude, and he’s plugged right in with his teammates effortlessly.”