NORMAN — Oklahoma offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh closed down a recruiting cycle to remember on Wednesday. 

When OU head coach Brent Venables took the podium for his National Signing Day press conference at 11 a.m., the Sooners had four lineman in the boat — 4-star offensive tackle Ryan Fodje, 3-star interior offensive linemen Darius Afalava and Owen Hollenbeck and preferred walk on Sean Hutton. 

By 3 p.m., 5-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi cemented himself as the jewel of the Sooners’ entire 2025 recruiting class by reaffirming his commitment and intention to sign with the program. 

Speaking of the group in general, Venables labeled OU’s new offensive line class as “mature”, and they’ll need to be. 

The 2024 season showed just how quickly linemen can be called into action as redshirt freshmen Logan Howland and Heath Ozaeta got thrown into the fire in the SEC. 

That duo improved throughout the season and gained valuable experience, and now Bedenbaugh’s new crop of linemen can file in behind them and prepare to take over one day. 

Fasusi, who has NFL potential written all over him, and Fodje might be the most talented pair of high school recruits Bedenbaugh has landed in the same class. 

And while Venables couldn’t officially speak about Fasusi at the time of his press conference on Wednesday, he was effusive in his praise for Fodje. 

“I think (Fodje’s) one of the most undervalued offensive linemen in all of high school football,” Venables said. “A guy that we identified at camp a few years ago, a few summers back and coach Bedenbaugh did a great job of putting his name on him and offering him. He’s developed and he’s one of the most dominant players in the country.”

Fodje rose through the rankings, finishing as the nation’s 68th-ranked recruit for On3 and the No. 87-overall player with 247Sports, and once he adds more muscle to his 6-foot-5, 275-pound frame, the Cypress, TX, lineman looks the part of a physical SEC tackle. 

Along the interior, Bedenbaugh signed a longtime commit in Hollenbeck. 

“(Hollenbeck) was forced out of position this year but probably will be a center for us and one of the strongest high school football players in the country,” Venables said. “He’s a powerlifting champ, this is a guy that can move mountains But a guy that we’re really excited about his physical attitude, mental attitude, all of those things. A really good player.”

The Melissa, TX, product played high school ball with defensive lineman Nigel Smith II, and will bring some muscle to the heart of Oklahoma’s offensive line. 

Bedenbaugh then trekked west to land Afalava from Lehi, UT.

“(Afalava’s) the top lineman in the state of Utah. Big, strong, powerful,” Venables said. “Comes from another great program and that group overall is just powerful, athletic, incredibly physical and physically tough.”

Fasusi’s high school teammate, Hutton, will be headed to Norman as well from the Lone Star State. 

“Sean Hutton from Lewisville, Lewisville’s been a good place for the Sooners over the years,” Venables said. “Sean’s a versatile inside-outside player being undervalued. Tough kid. Can really move his feet and really excited about Sean.”

This class comes at the right time for Bedenbaugh. 

Winning in the SEC starts at the line of scrimmage, and while his history of producing NFL talent is sterling, many factors came together to stunt the growth of the offensive line in 2024. 

Injuries struck, which when paired with small recruiting classes and recruiting misses in the final years of the Lincoln Riley era, meant the Sooners were thin up front and needed brand new transfers to quickly settle in Bedenbaugh’s unit. 

While the results were poor in the first half of the season, the experienced gained was invaluable in building an offensive line that is ready to compete in 2025. 

And despite Oklahoma signing a smaller 2025 class, finishing with 18 scholarship players, Bedenbaugh’s additions remained high in quality and quantity. 

The Sooners, under new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, will have a new quarterback in 2025 as Jackson Arnold is reportedly set to enter the transfer portal. 

No matter who is taking the snaps in Norman, Bedenbaugh took a major step toward supporting OU quarterbacks of the future with a competitive offensive line on Wednesday. 

Associated Press

Oklahoma City Thunder (16-5, first in the Western Conference) vs. Toronto Raptors (7-15, 12th in the Eastern Conference)

Toronto; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Toronto will try to keep its four-game home win streak intact when the Raptors play Oklahoma City.

The Raptors have gone 6-4 at home. Toronto is the top team in the Eastern Conference averaging 56.7 points in the paint. Jakob Poeltl leads the Raptors scoring 13.1.

The Thunder are 7-3 on the road. Oklahoma City is sixth in the Western Conference with 16.4 fast break points per game led by Jalen Williams averaging 3.9.

The Raptors make 46.9% of their shots from the field this season, which is 4.3 percentage points higher than the Thunder have allowed to their opponents (42.6%). The Thunder average 13.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.6 more makes per game than the Raptors give up.

TOP PERFORMERS: Poeltl is scoring 16.0 points per game with 11.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Raptors.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring 29.8 points per game with 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists for the Thunder.

LAST 10 GAMES: Raptors: 5-5, averaging 113.7 points, 48.0 rebounds, 28.3 assists, 7.0 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.4 points per game.

Thunder: 7-3, averaging 112.2 points, 42.5 rebounds, 25.4 assists, 11.4 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 102.9 points.

INJURIES: Raptors: Kelly Olynyk: out (back), Gradey Dick: day to day (calf), Bruce Brown: day to day (reconditioning), Immanuel Quickley: out (elbow).

Thunder: Chet Holmgren: out (hip), Ousmane Dieng: out (finger), Jaylin Williams: out (hamstring), Nikola Topic: out for season (acl), Alex Caruso: day to day (hip).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

A new initiative by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce aims to simplify the process of starting and running small businesses in the state through a centralized online portal called the Business Hub.

The website, launched in collaboration with several state agencies, provides entrepreneurs with a one-stop shop for resources and guidance to name, register, and operate their businesses. The portal also offers educational tools and assistance with tax forms.

“We’re incentivizing people to live, work and play in Oklahoma,” said Ray Little, director of entrepreneurship and small business at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

Starting a business can often feel overwhelming, a challenge the Business Hub seeks to address.

“A lot of states make it really murky,” Little said. “We wanted to create a one-stop shop.”

Traditionally, entrepreneurs in Oklahoma have had to navigate multiple state agencies to launch their businesses, including the Secretary of State’s Office, the Tax Commission, and the Department of Commerce. The Business Hub streamlines the process by consolidating all the necessary steps into a single platform.

“Go to the Business Hub and you can find out how to do all that in one place,” Little said.

The initiative is a collaboration between the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, the Oklahoma Tax Commission, the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, and the Secretary of State’s Office.

“We want to promote Oklahoma as the top state for business,” said Secretary of State Josh Cockroft, whose office oversees business registrations. “When you have those entrepreneurs that are looking at the state of Oklahoma, you want to make sure that you make the process as easy as possible.”

The Business Hub is designed to bolster a vital sector of Oklahoma’s economy.

“Small businesses is where we go to shop, is where we go to eat, it’s where we go to live,” Little said.

For additional support, the Department of Commerce offers direct assistance at 405-630-7455.

Click here to visit the business hub.