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.
NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.
But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.
Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6.
The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.
In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.
The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.
Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.
Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.
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Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.
Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.
Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings.
After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.
OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.
The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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NORMAN — After an up-and down week that saw Oklahoma drop the lone Bedlam match of the season, and then split two tight games with Arkansas before blowing out the Razorbacks on Sunday, the Sooners remained No. 1 in the NFCA/Go Rout coaches’ poll released Tuesday.
But there’s far from a consensus.
Oklahoma received 12 first-place votes — the same total they had last week — but five other teams received first-place votes.
Texas Tech remained No. 2 with four four-place votes and Alabama No. 3 with seven. Nebraska moved up two spots to No. 4 with four first-place votes, followed by Florida with two and UCLA with two.
Texas is No. 7, followed by Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida State.
Texas A&M, the Sooners’ opponent for the final regular-season weekend in two weeks, comes in at No. 11.
Other SEC teams include Georgia at No. 15, Mississippi State at No. 17 and LSU at No. 20.
OU hosts the Georgia Bulldogs in a three-game series beginning Friday.
Other Sooners’ opponents this season in the polls include No. 14 Duke, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 19 Arizona, No. 24 Arizona State and No. 25 Washington.
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Oklahoma also remained in the top spot in the D1Softball poll, with Alabama No. 2 there followed by Texas Tech, Nebraska at Texas.
The Sooners dropped a spot in the Softball America poll, with Nebraska elevating to No. 1 behind the two-way stardom of former OU standout Jordy Frahm (formerly Jordy Bahl).
Frahm is 13-4 with a 1.36 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings in the circle and hitting .440 with 16 home runs and 42 RBIs. Another former Sooners player, Hannah Coor, is among the Cornhuskers’ regulars as well.
The Sooners have 158 home runs, just three away from tying their own season record in the category, but UCLA has closed the gap in a major way, sitting just four behind Oklahoma.
OU freshman sensation Kendall Wells leads the nation with 34 home runs, three ahead of UCLA’s Megan Grant. Wells tied Jocelyn Alo‘s program record for home runs in a season with her home run in Sunday’s win.
The Sooners host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m. Tuesday in their final non-conference game of the season before opening the series against Georgia at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Love’s FIeld.
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Putnam City West High School will shift to virtual learning on Tuesday after an incident involving two students prompted an investigation by the district and Oklahoma City police, according to Putnam City Schools.
District officials said administrators were alerted near the end of the school day Monday to an altercation involving two students in the school’s arena area.
Officials said the students left campus, and the case was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for investigation.
District officials said no students or staff were harmed and there is no ongoing safety threat related to the incident.
What we know
Putnam City West sent the following email to all families and staff at the school:
All PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st.
Today, an isolated serious incident involving two students occurred on school grounds. Near the end of the school day, administrators were alerted to an altercation between two students in the arena area. The individuals involved quickly left campus, prompting an initial fact-finding response by school administrators before the matter was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for further investigation. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be released at this time.
We understand this information may be concerning to students, staff, and families. Please know we are committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for all students. At Putnam City Schools, student and staff safety remains our highest priority. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and to allow for a thorough investigation, all PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st. Students will need to check Google Classroom for updates from teachers.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of PC West.
Putnam City Schools
All students and staff at Putnam City West will transition to virtual learning on Tuesday, April 21, while investigators continue their work, according to the district.
Students were told to check Google Classroom for instructions from teachers.
The district said it is withholding additional details because the case involves students and remains under investigation.
School officials have not said what triggered the incident or whether any arrests have been made.
This is a developing story. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.
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