How Oklahoma OL Coach Bill Bedenbaugh Won Over 5-Star Prospect Michael Fasusi

The Sooners landed one of the best players in the country on Wednesday afternoon, adding to what was already a strong 2025 recruiting class.

Oklahoma offensive line commit Michael Fasusi / Randall Sweet for Sooners on SI

LEWISVILLE, TX — August 21st is an important day for Michael Fasusi and his family.

On the same date in 2019, the family moved from Nigeria to the United States and settled in Lewisville, TX, where Fasusi picked up football and quickly blossomed into an elite prospect.

After just a few years of playing along the offensive line, Fasusi became a highly touted recruit and received attention from schools around the country, allowing him to make the anniversary of his move to America a special day once again five years later.

To celebrate, Fasusi revealed his commitment to Oklahoma and Bill Bedenbaugh, citing the renowned offensive line coach's track record producing NFL offensive lineman as a major factor in his decision.

"So, my deciding factor was actually development," Fasusi said. "Who develops the best o-linemen? Coach B. Who puts the most o-linemen in the NFL? Coach B. ... To make that even better, he's a great person, he's a very humble man. You see the numbers that (are) put out, he's never going to talk about that. ... He still wants to get better every day, that's what it's going to do for me. ... I said this earlier, it's not going to hurt being with the best o-line coach in the country. I'm down with that."

Since his move to OU in 2013, Bedenbaugh has become known as an elite developer of offensive line talent, putting players like Cody Ford, Creed Humphrey, Ben Powers, and Anton Harrison in the NFL.

While the aforementioned players all had high-end traits, Fasusi has the athleticism and mentality to develop into a first-round draft pick if he takes to coaching well. To Fasusi, Bedenbaugh was the right coach to help the 5-star prospect grow his game and reach his full potential.

In addition to Bedenbaugh's success developing professional offensive lineman, Fasusi said that he has built a strong relationship with OU's o-line coach.

"It's amazing with Coach Bedenbaugh, that's what it's always been," Fasusi said. "Somebody you can rely on as a coach, as a mentor, as a father figure. That's what I see Coach B as. Our relationship has been tight from the beginning."

Fasusi's mentality and physical traits make him the perfect fit for Bedenbaugh's offensive scheme, and his personality seems to align with the Oklahoma assistant as well. The duo seems to be a perfect match, with Fasusi even announcing his pledge on Bedenbaugh's birthday.

In addition to his relationship with Bedenbaugh, Fasusi said that he bonded with a number of Sooners' offensive lineman and commits, naming freshman Daniel Akinkunmi and 2025 pledge Ryan Fodje as two players he has spoken with at length.

The Sooners beat out Texas and Texas A&M for the nation's No. 11 prospect, scoring a massive victory over two SEC opponents. Fasusi said that after visiting Norman and building his relationships with Bedenbaugh, a visit to Austin made him certain of his decision.

"I took that OU OV for sure, and I was like, 'I got to go to Texas'. I went to Texas, OU surpassed everything," Fasusi said. "It didn't take too much to make the right decision. ... Knowing that I'm committed to the Sooners, that gives me a lot of peace of mind."

Fasusi becomes Bedenbaugh's highest-rated pledge since arriving in Norman and marks the second consecutive year Brent Venables and company have landed a 5-star prospect in the trenches. Last August, the Sooners earned a pledge from 5-star defensive lineman David Stone, who is now a freshman on OU's football team.

As Oklahoma prepares to compete in the SEC, adding coveted trench players will be important for the Sooners' success in their new league.

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