With Febechi Nwaiwu’s transfer portal commitment, Oklahoma strengthens its offensive line.
There is no shortage of talent that becomes available to move whenever the college football transfer portal window opens. However, there is no denying that certain premium positions are prioritized within each cycle.
Offensive linemen are undoubtedly included in that category. All of the nation’s programs, including the Oklahoma Sooners, are searching for new front-runners.
However, OU has managed to secure a few. The program’s first portal commitment of the window was the former offensive tackle for Michigan State, Spencer Brown. Now, North Texas transfer Febechi Nwaiwu is expected to join the Sooners as another big man. He’ll be traveling to Norman with two years of eligibility remaining after he formally makes his pledge.
Nwaiwu formally opened the portal by saying, “First of all, I would like to thank God for allowing me to play the sport that I love at this level.” “After that, I want to express my gratitude to The University of North Texas for giving me the chance to grow both on and off the field, in addition to being a member of this organization. My bonds with my teammates and coaches here are ones that will last a lifetime, and for that, I will always be thankful. I’ve made the decision to use my remaining two years of eligibility to access the transfer portal after careful consideration with God and my family. Mean Green, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I’ll always be grateful, and I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Nwaiwu made his team debut at North Texas in 2022 after joining in 2021. It’s safe to say that Nwaiwu earned his fair share of honors after being named a Second Team Freshman All-American by The Athletic, a Third Team Freshman All-American by CFN, a Conference USA All-Freshman Team selection by the league’s coaches, and a Third Team All-CUSA selection by both Phil Steele and PFF. As a young player, he impressed with his consistency and durability, making appearances in 14 games (12 starts).
Despite suffering injuries during the previous season, Nwaiwu was selected as a third-team All-American Athletic Conference player. Bill Bedenbaugh, the offensive line coach at Oklahoma, has a preference for players with versatility and proven ability. He has played both guard and tackle in FBS competitions.
Oklahoma sought to improve its offensive line in preparation for joining the Southeastern Conference. Subsequently, OU unexpectedly lost Cayden Green, a key member of its offensive line. The exceptional player made clear that he intended to use the transfer portal, which created a huge void in the starting lineup for the future.
Nwaiwu takes care of the issue and more. His versatility in playing several positions adds a great deal of value. He can start at guard or even provide some swing tackle ability. Nwaiwu is therefore naturally eager to pursue the chance to advance his career to the Power Five and into the SEC.
The 30-day end-of-season transfer window opened on Monday, signaling the beginning of transfer portal season.
As programs navigate the transactions and roster management that come with playing college football in this day and age, there has already been a deluge of activity throughout the landscape. Naturally, Oklahoma is not an exception.
With a few players declaring their intentions to transfer before the transfer window opened on Monday, the Sooners saw the beginning of their roster turnover last week. Since the window opened, more have emerged, the most notable of which being starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who has helped Oklahoma get ready to move from the Big 12 to the SEC and set the stage for the Jackson Arnold era in Norman. Oklahoma will make more decisions this offseason regarding players leaving the program and new recruits joining the competition.
As Brent Venables and his team continue to get ready for the next phase of Oklahoma football, Sooners Illustrated will have you covered through it all. We intend to update this post every time a player joins the transfer portal, leaves it, or commits to the Sooners for the 2024 season, making it your one-stop shop for information about all things Sooners-related related to the transfer portal. Additionally, we’ll include links to every article we’ve written this cycle regarding the transfer portal and its transactions.
