Sooners Walk-on Ben Tawwater is a 'Diamond in the Rough'

Incoming freshman played every position on the offensive line at Bishop McGuinness

Bishop McGuinness is used to having college coaches hanging around. The Irish just produced two big-time recruits in the 2020 class in linebacker Brynden Walker (Oklahoma) and running back Dominic Richardson (TCU).

But for preferred walk-ons, recruiting is a little different, said McGuinness coach Bryan Pierce.

“The coaches say, ‘Do you have anybody left? Anybody that hasn’t been picked up? Anybody that might be interested?’ ”

That’s how Bill Bedenbaugh and Cale Gundy found Ben Tawwater, and how Tawwater committed to the Sooners as a 2020 walk-on on Thursday.

I am blessed to say I will be continuing my football career at the University of Oklahoma. I want to thank my family and coaches for helping me get to this point! #OUDNA #committed @OU_CoachB @LincolnRiley @OU_Football pic.twitter.com/8EV1LrpvnA

— Ben Tawwater (@BenTawwater) April 16, 2020

“Coach Gundy came down and asked if we might have a kid that’s interested,” Pierce told SI Sooners. “He talked to Bill Bedenbaugh, they made a connection, he looked at some film, liked what he saw and gave him the opportunity to go down there and further things.”

“It was honestly pretty shocking,” Tawwater told SI Sooners, “because I was pretty (overlooked) in my class as an offensive lineman. I just really wasn’t expecting it. Then one day coach Bedenbaugh came and talked to me at school and we stayed in touch, and he told me it’d be cool if I came and walked on, preferred, or got a spot on the team, basically. I really wasn’t expecting it. It was really awesome that my hard work finally paid off and someone noticed. It’s such a big deal.”

Tawwater (6-3, 275) doesn’t have a profile with 247 Sports or Rivals. Pierce said Tawwater “got some smaller offers, but never did bite on them.”

Pierce called Tawwater “a diamond in the rough.”

Tawwater was introduced to football as a high school sophomore. At around 220 pounds, he began as a tight end/fullback. But going into his junior year, Pierce told Tawwater he needed him to play tackle. So Tawwater added about 40 pounds and started at tackle in 2018, but an injury set him back. When he returned, he moved to guard. Then Tawwater’s senior year, Pierce needed him to switch positions again.

“He was like, ‘You’re the center, you have to know what you’re doing, you have to direct these guys, so it’d be big for you do to this,’ “ Tawwater said. “So I was like, ‘OK.’ So at that point, I was playing center. I knew every guy’s position, I was helping the younger guys out and directing traffic as the center on the line.”

Tawwater got a late start, didn’t attend many recruiting camps and never had time to settle into one position. That’s why, once he gets to OU, Pierce thinks he can finally blossom.

“He’s extremely mobile,” Pierce said. “He’s got size. His intelligence is off the charts. That’s one of the x-factors. He’s your coach on the field. At center, he knows everybody else’s blocking assignments and does a great job as the leader on the field.

“We’ve sent guys from our offensive line position to play D1 ball,” Pierce said. “I think he has the ability to do that. It’s just gonna to take a little bit to get down there and work in to that position.”

Tawwater said he naturally lost weight over the winter playing basketball, and he’s been unable to replenish the pounds with the virus shutdown.

“I haven’t been able to leave my house at all,” he said. “So I’ve been doing a lot more body-weight stuff, agility stuff, running. Haven’t been able to hit the weights as much. … It’ll be good to put back on.”

His goal at OU is to play. If it takes more work and more time, so be it. He doesn’t care if it’s tackle, guard or center — or even tight end/fullback.

“I just wanna help where I can,” he said. “I’ll do everything the coaches need me to do and be the team guy that I’ve always been. I’ll put the work in and hopefully it’ll pay off.”

Said Pierce, “He could be one of those breakout guys you see starting for OU by the time he’s junior or senior.”

To get the latest OU posts as they happen, join the SI Sooners Community by clicking “Follow” at the top right corner of the page (mobile users can click the notifications bell icon), and follow SI Sooners on Twitter @All_Sooners.