Oklahoma football: Examining the makeup of the 2018 Sooners

The offensive line

The story with the Sooner offensive line heading into 2018 is the departure to the NFL of offensive tackle Orlando Brown. And while the 6-foot, 8-inch, 350-pound behemoth will be missed, there’s enough beef coming back for the Sooner offensive line to continue its nationally-recognized success. And never underestimate the ability of offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh to find outstanding line talent and coach them up to perform at a high level.

Senior left guard Ben Powers and senior right guard Dru Samia return in 2018, giving the Sooners some much needed continuity along the line. Also, redshirt junior Bobby Evans returns as well, probably moving over to the left-tackle spot vacated by Brown, along with redshirt senior Quinn Mittermeier. Expect the Sooner offensive line to be a seasoned and experienced group in 2018.

As usual, the Sooners recruited well in the trenches: For the class of 2018, linemen Brey Walker (6-foot, 6-inches, 320 pounds), Tramonda Moore (6-foot, 330 pounds) and Darrell Simpson (6-foot 7-inches, 310 lbs) come in packing almost half a ton of mass. Expect those guys to figure into the offensive line rotation sooner rather than later.

Barring any unforeseen injuries, the Sooner offensive line should continue to be a key piece of the Oklahoma offense in the trenches and be more than adequate for protecting whoever starts in place of Baker Mayfield.