Oklahoma Sooners Plan To Involve Talented Young Offensive Lineman Moving Forward
The Oklahoma Sooners have had to do plenty of reshuffling on the offensive line in just two weeks, with tackles flipping sides and multiple different centers in two games. The line play settled down in Week 2, but the Sooners are still battling injuries at multiple spots-especially at center. To combat this, the Sooners have […]
The Oklahoma Sooners have had to do plenty of reshuffling on the offensive line in just two weeks, with tackles flipping sides and multiple different centers in two games.
The line play settled down in Week 2, but the Sooners are still battling injuries at multiple spots-especially at center.
To combat this, the Sooners have begun to make plans for some talented freshmen to get more involved with the offense moving forward.
Eddy Pierre-Louis saw action in Oklahoma's first game, taking nine snaps at right guard against Temple.
Pierre-Louis was a four-star guard prospect in the class of 2024. Hailing from Tampa, Florida, Pierre-Louis was the 15th-ranked guard in the country per 247Sports Composite' Ranking.
Can the Oklahoma Sooners Fix Their Offensive Line Before SEC Play Begins?
Entering their 2024 season, the main worry on the minds of Sooners fans was the state of the offensive line. Fresh off of losing all five starters (four to the NFL, one as a transfer) and still recovering from the shambles of years of Lincoln Riley's recruiting, the offensive line brought in several transfers at […]
Head coach Brent Venables also highlighted Eugene Brooks and Daniel Akinkunmi working on the scout team.
Brooks hasn't taken a snap in the Sooners' regular season but was a top-three recruit in their 2024 class. Brooks was the third-ranked IOL prospect and the 73rd-ranked recruit in the country, according to 247Sports.
Akinkunmi is an interesting case, as he is an international recruit. The Sooners were able to pull him from the NFL Academy in London, England. A raw but intriguing developmental player, Oklahoma had to beat out schools like Clemson, Miami Ole Miss, and Penn State for his commitment.
Center has been a weak link for the Sooners' offensive line, given the injuries to three players, but I don't expect Pierre-Louis to play there barring an emergency. If there is a position he should take over, I'd argue he should play at left guard over Jacob Sexton.
Sexton has struggled at guard in both games, getting driven into quarterback Jackson Arnold repeatedly and struggling to sustain blocks in the run game.
It's evident Oklahoma is hesitant to hand the keys over to younger players, given the talent they'll play in the SEC, but at some point, the buck has to stop. If experienced players make freshman mistakes, what difference does it make not just playing the freshmen?
