Michael Fasusi, Ryan Fodje have 'proven' they're ready to contribute

NORMAN — Bill Bedenbaugh has never been too excited about playing underclassmen, particularly freshmen.

But Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje might be forcing his hand.

During Monday’s media availability, the long-tenured OU offensive line coach made it clear that there’s still a lot for Fasusi and Fodje to learn. But the talented freshman duo have made compelling cases for playing time as soon as this fall.

“I hate to put unreal expectations on (them),” Bedenbaugh said. “You know me, I’m an honest dude… We’ve had good players, really good, guys that are All-Pros. I haven’t had anybody like them at that age, just overall. They aren’t afraid. They aren’t afraid who they’re blocking. Whether Fasusi gets his ass kicked by R Mason (Thomas) or not, he ain’t scared. He’s going out there to win. Ryan Fodje’s the same exact way. He’s going to line up again and he’s going to have confidence. He’s going to learn from that.

“Both of them just turned 18 three weeks ago. That’s it, they’re 18 years old. So are they going to make mistakes? Certainly they are, you know what I mean? It’s really, at this point, pretty impressive where they are for that age and being here eight months.”

Everything that’s happened in fall camp matches up with Bedenbaugh’s assestment.

Fasusi, a former five-star prospect, has clearly cracked the two-deep depth chart at left tackle. With Jacob Sexton missing Saturday’s scrimmage, Fasusi saw first-team reps. Fodje has been in the mix at right guard behind veteran Febechi Nwaiwu.

Their involvement has been noteworthy, particularly with the older options the Sooners have at every position on the offensive line. But over the last few months, both Fasusi and Fodje have been growing at a rapid rate.

The main thing Bedenbaugh has been looking for is consistency.

“It’s not the flash things that they do; it’s not the freaky athleticism,” Bedenbaugh said. “It’s doing things right over and over. That’s not any position, you know what I mean? As of right now, they’re going to play. Whether they start or not, we’ll see. We’ve still got — I think we’re in our ninth practice, but they’ve proved enough to have a chance to get on the field.”

It’s been difficult for freshmen offensive linemen to see the field for the Sooners in recent years. Even Cayden Green, a former 2023 five-star prospect, started just eight games as a true freshman before he bolted for Missouri.

But this is a new year, and Bedenbaugh is confident the Sooners have as many as seven guys who are ready to play meaningful, winning snaps this fall. And a big development is that the group includes both Fasusi and Fodje.

“I think we’ve got some pretty good competition, especially interior right now,” Bedenbaugh said. “The biggest thing with every guy is being consistent day in and day out, especially when you’re going against a really good defense, a really good D-line, you’re going to take some lumps, but you’ve got to learn from it and not make the same mistakes over and over again.”