Where OU football stands as spring transfer portal window opens

NORMAN — The spring transfer portal is here.

OU football is gearing up for its annual spring game Saturday where fans will get their latest look at new starting quarterback Jackson Arnold and their first glances of potential impact transfers like former Purdue wide receiver Deion Burks and freshmen like former five-star defensive lineman David Stone. But roster retention and recruiting have become 24/7 concerns and the Sooners are likely to be major players yet again during the spring portal window.

Over 2,600 players have entered the transfer portal since August, a number that will only grow this spring. College football players nationwide have until April 30 to enter their names into the portal. Players can still choose their destination or return to their school after that date, their name just has to be entered into the database sometime in the next 15 days.

OU head coach Brent Venables hasn’t shied away from these realities.

“Well, you’ve just got to stay ready, I think is the biggest thing,” Venables said. “If that means that you, certainly always assessing your own team and where you’re at and you’re hoping that everybody stays but that’s not likely in this environment, so you adjust, be ready, prepared to adjust when it happens and be proactive from what that’s going to look like and where our needs might be and being prepared based on what, from an availability standpoint, who might be available.”

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OU’s main priority from a recruiting standpoint heading into the spring window is an obvious one. The Sooners lack depth on the offensive line and after the recent injuries to early enrollee Daniel Akinkunmi and Troy Everett, as well as Washington transfer Geirean Hatchett, who is still recovering from an injury, it’s become even more of a glaring weakness during spring practice.

At practice on Friday, the first team offensive line unit consisted of USC transfer Michael Tarquin at left tackle, Jacob Sexton at left guard, Joshua Bates at center, Febechi Nwaiwu at right guard and Jake Taylor at right tackle. Seeing Sexton move from playing tackle to the interior was surprising, but given the lack of depth and injury situations, offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh might be trying different looks.

After losing most of its starters from a year ago and adding some pieces during the winter window, Oklahoma should be first in line for any standout offensive linemen in the portal over the next 15 days. The No. 1 available offensive tackle in 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings is SMU’s Marcus Bryant, who has visited Washington and earned a follow from Bedenbaugh on social media, but it seems like the Sooners haven’t made a hard push for him.

A couple of offensive linemen who have already announced plans to enter the portal OU could target include SMU’s Branson Hickman and UNLV’s Alani Makihele. Hickman started all 14 games at center for the Mustangs in 2023, while Makihele served as UNLV’s starting left guard. The SEC's rules restricted intraconference transfer movement in football to athletes who entered during the NCAA's winter transfer portal and those rules will apply to OU and Texas in the spring. Center and right guard seem to be the two positions Bedenbaugh could use some help.

“Yeah, maybe goes without saying we’ve got to do that on the offensive line,” Venables said last month when asked about which position needs more depth.

Other positions OU will target in the portal? Defensive linemen are always desired nationally. Indiana transfer defensive lineman Philip Blidi, who has visited LSU and Washington, is scheduled to visit the Sooners for the spring game. Louisville transfer defensive lineman Jermayne Lole could be a name to watch.

More: OU football recruiting: Four-star DE Trent Wilson commits to Sooners' 2025 class

While the offensive line depth is thin, there are plenty of other position groups within Venables’ group stockpiled with talent that could see some departures. Wide receiver is a room that could see some movement.

While it’s no secret there will be some fluctuation on Oklahoma’s roster before it kicks off its first season in the SEC, the question is, how much? If it wants to bring in a few more offensive linemen, will it win bidding wars over other programs in need like Ohio State?

With OU’s focused collective Crimson and Cream, the program’s NIL is improving and will need to continue to evolve in the SEC. In March, the collective wrapped up its $2 million challenge where it grew its membership base with 791 new members, unlocking a total contribution of $750,000 for OU student athletes.

Stone is just one of the latest to announce an NIL deal to promote the collective. Venables’ tactic of using NIL essentially as extra scholarships is also a unique way the Sooners’ coach is navigating the evolving landscape.

But Venables and his staff know things change by the hour. A little over four months ago during a Sooners bowl practice, which several coaches missed due to recruiting, talented freshman offensive lineman Cayden Green, who was expected to start for Oklahoma in 2024, told On3 he intended to enter the portal. Teammate McKade Mettauer first learned of the news when media asked him about it after practice.

There have even been early enrollees from the 2024 signing class around the country who have announced they intend to transfer.

More: How Purdue transfer wide receiver Deion Burks has adjusted to life with OU football

“You don’t know,” Venables said. “If it was the NFL, you know who’s getting ready to be a free agent. You can have like a real board that says, ‘All right, these are the free agents.’ The window is a small window so you have to try to stay aware in college football.”

While there most likely won’t be as much movement as the winter window, the spring transfer portal provides teams like OU an opportunity to improve its roster ahead of the upcoming season.

The positive for Venables and the Sooners is they’ll get to evaluate the roster during their spring game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

“It’s always about finding and meeting our needs with this team's 130 and addressing those first. In many ways it’s kind of simple,” Venables said. “But there are some preparation things, you have a staff that is always prepared, they understand the landscape of college football and who’s doing what.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Where OU football stands as spring transfer portal window opens