Oklahoma
Newcomer Profile: How Seth Littrell ‘Helped the Transition’ for Oklahoma OL Febechi Nwaiwu
NORMAN — Coming out of Coppell High School (TX), offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu held a single Division I offer.
Instead of heading north to play for Illinois State, an FCS program, the Dallas-area product chose to stay home and walk-on at North Texas, who was led by then-head coach Seth Littrell.
After redshirting during his first year in Denton, Nwaiwu quickly showcased his talent to the Mean Green coaching staff, earning a scholarship ahead of the 2022 season.
In the season that followed, Nwaiwu made 12 starts for UNT, earning Conference USA All-Freshman honors and being named third-team All-Conference USA by Pro Football Focus. After the 2022 season, Littrell left North Texas and was hired as an offensive analyst at Oklahoma.
Nwaiwu, however, spent his redshirt sophomore year in Denton, where he played 713 snaps and earned a 70.4 overall offensive grade and a 75.5 run blocking grade from PFF. After the 2023 season, the standout interior offensive lineman entered the transfer portal, where he reunited with his former head coach after Littrell was elevated to offensive coordinator in Norman.
“You know, Seth Littrell he’s a great coach, (we are) very close,” Nwaiwu said in March. “He was my coach at UNT, my first two years over there. Just having him over here helped the transition even more because I had somebody that could be a friend on the coaching staff already. … Choosing OU, it was the people here, the coaching staff, I just felt really in tune with them. Their morals and their goals are the same as my goals.”
WATCH: Oklahoma OL Febechi Nwaiwu Interview
Going through his first spring at Oklahoma, Nwaiwu has been taking reps with the first-team offense, blocking for former 5-star quarterback Jackson Arnold. With a completely new offensive line set to take over for the Sooners after losing all five starters from the 2023 campaign, Nwaiwu’s experience will be crucial for OU as it heads into the SEC.
Being one of the only guards one the roster with more than a few starts at the collegiate level, the former Mean Green standout should be earn a starting spot when the fall rolls around, especially if he continues to perform well in spring practices.
Players within the program have already taken note of Nwaiwu’s mentality and toughness, which are both key traits to have along the o-line.
“Febechi… The aggressiveness. He got that dog in him,” junior defensive lineman Gracen Halton said after practice in late March.
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 326 pounds, Nwaiwu also has the size to be a solid offensive lineman in the SEC. Former Oklahoma All-American center Gabe Ikard has even said on “The Oklahoma Breakdown” podcast that Nwaiwu has looked like one of the Sooners’ best offensive lineman through the spring.
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Despite observers being concerned about Oklahoma’s offensive line with a brand new group, Nwaiwu is confident that he will give enough effort to help the team be successful this season
“OU fans are going to get a player that’s going to play 100 percent every snap,” Nwaiwu said. “He’s going to play for his teammates, he’s going to play for the people, for the fans out there, to make sure that we have the best season that we can. … My expectation for myself is to do the very best I can, every play, every rep. Hustle, run to the ball, just the key things that make you a fierce offensive lineman.”
If Nwaiwu is able to continue his success against SEC competition, the Sooners will have at least one hole filled in their front five. With renowned o-line coach Bill Bedenbaugh now working with the former All-Conference honoree, there is a good chance Nwaiwu’s play will improve from where he was in 2023.
Despite being one of four transfers along the offensive line, Nwaiwu said that the transition from UNT to OU wasn’t difficult, crediting the culture in Norman and the people within the Sooners’ program for helping him with any challenges he faced.
“Honestly I thought (the transition from UNT to OU) was going to be hard, but the people here made it very easy,” Nwaiwu said. “They’re very welcoming, any problem that I had they could help me. Any questions, they helped me.”
Oklahoma’s spring game is just one week away, so the former North Texas offensive lineman will experience his first live action at Owen Field, with plenty of fans in attendance eager to see how Nwaiwu performs in Crimson and Cream.
With 19 starts over the past two seasons, a good track record of production and leadership skills as well as a solid relationship with Littrell, the path looks clear for Nwaiwu to have a big impact on the Sooners’ offensive during his first year at OU.
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
Iowa State wrestling’s first commitment of the Brent Metcalf era will be a transfer portal addition.
The Cyclones added Oklahoma State transfer Brayden Thompson, who announced his commitment on April 18 via Instagram. Thompson is a one-time NCAA qualifier at the 2024 NCAA Championships, doing so as a true freshman. He redshirted in 2024-25, but competed in open tournaments at 184 pounds and was 9-0. He did not wrestle a match in 2025-26 and will have at least two years of eligibility remaining.
Out of high school, Thompson was ranked the No. 3 pound-for-pound wrestler and No. 1 at 182 pounds in the 2023 recruiting class by Flowrestling. He also won Powerade and Ironman titles, two of the more prestigious high school tournaments in the nation. Assuming Thompson returns to 184 pounds where he last wrestled, he should fill in nicely as a potential replacement for Isaac Dean after his graduation.
Thompson is Iowa State’s first transfer portal addition after several departures, including Anthony Echemendia and Christian Castillo, who also entered the portal.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
NORMAN — The Oklahoma Sooners liked their wide receiver room a year ago. They want 2026 to be even better.
Isaiah Sategna’s return helps that desire. Earning experienced pass catchers Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone via the transfer portal gives you added play makers. But after the Sooners Spring Game on Saturday, an unlikely hero emerged.
When Jahsiear Rogers flipped from Penn State to Oklahoma last December, he drew the usual excitement that comes with a new commitment. But few expected him to climb the depth chart this quickly, even with the injuries that hit Emmett Jones’ room.
Rogers did just that and more on Saturday. He led all pass catchers with five receptions for 70 yards in Oklahoma’s annual Red/White game.
“I knew it was time to showcase,” Rogers said after the game. “It was amazing to see the fans and get used to the OU way. I’m a playmaker. They really want to put the ball in playmakers hands. I pretty much knew I had to lead the white team.”
Rogers got the ball rolling early. On the second offensive play for the white team, backup quarterback Whitt Newbauer rolled to his right wide, then stopped and looked towards the middle of the field where he saw Rogers running open. Newbauer connected with Rogers for a 39-yard gain.
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With Rogers on the white team, he is running against (most of) Oklahoma’s starting defense. As fate would have it, on that 39-yard reception, Rogers beat his favorite teammate to compete against — Reggie Powers.
“He is just a leader, good guy,” Rogers said of Powers. “Me and him go after it every day in practice. Reggie is strong. When I come at him, I have to really come at him.”
Rogers’ big play over Powers was the second-longest catch of the spring game — Sategna’s 50-yard reception that appeared to be a touchdown before coaches pulled it back to set up a red-zone rep. The other four catches weren’t flashy, but they were important in their own way, and Rogers looked like he belonged on the field.
“I love it. As long as I can get the ball, I can be me. I love it,” Rogers said. “When I am on the field, I am ready to go. I am ready to be a playmaker.”
The season is still months away, and Rogers hasn’t earned a spot high on the depth chart yet. A strong spring and an encouraging Red/White Game can only lead to early playing time if he carries that momentum into summer and fall camp.
More experienced players will return from injury and receivers who’ve been in the program for a few years will have an extra leg-up.
But Rogers is taking everything in stride and leaving no stone unturned in his development.
“Just learning from the older guys,” Rogers said. “Manny Choice, Isaiah Sategna, Trell Harris, Mackenzie Alleyne. Really all of them. We lean on each other, learn from each other. That is kind of how our room is.”
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The Oklahoma baseball team is back in the mix and trending upward.
After a rough few weeks in Southeastern Conference play, the 14th-ranked Sooners have won three of their last four games to get to .500 at just beyond the halfway point of the league slate. Friday’s 9-6 win over Missouri allowed Oklahoma to move to 8-8, tied with three other teams for eighth in the standings.
Friday’s win wasn’t truly that close, even. OU took a 9-3 lead into the ninth before Mizzou made it somewhat interesting with three runs in the frame. Two of them came with two outs, though, and Mason Bixby induced a groundout with the bases empty to hold on.
The large edge came via a home run-happy night. The Sooners popped four over the wall at Kimrey Family Stadium, including three in a four-run seventh inning that gave OU a four-run lead.
Jason Walk, who hit one of the four homers, had the best day at the plate. He went 2 for 5 with the shot, three RBIs and a run. Camden Johnson, who also homered, went 2 for 3 with a walk, a double and two runs, and Dasan Harris went 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBIs, and three runs. Trey Gambill hit the Sooners’ other jack.
Oklahoma jumped out to a four-run lead in the second behind four hits and a walk. Missouri helped the Sooners out with an error that resulted in a bases-loaded situation and three unearned runs registered to Tigers starter Josh McDevitt.
The runs were more than enough for Oklahoma’s LJ Mercurius, who pitched six strong innings, giving up three runs on six hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.
Game 2 in the series is set for 4 p.m. Saturday and the finale will be played Sunday at 2 p.m., weather permitting.
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