Tyler Smith and Chris Paul are definitely two massive attention getters for TU in a position that usually garners the most notice along the offensive line.
With protecting the quarterback, especially against edge rushers, being a premium commodity, offensive tackle headlines an outstanding offensive line that returns intact after a wonderful year where Tulsa was ranked for most of the season.
Smith, quite simply, is a beast, and is an incredible talent. At 6-foot-5 and 332 pounds, Smith is already good enough to have gained first team All-AAC honors while playing left tackle in his first full season at TU.
"Tyler Smith, a consensus freshman All-American - he's got great feet, he's mobile, he's strong, he's very physical, and does a great job run blocking and pass blocking," said Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery. "Obviously, he has an extremely bright future."
With the prototypical size and athletic ability for a tackle, Smith should eventually be considered a legitimate potential NFL starter in the future.
The amazing thing about it is that Smith is still considered to be a freshman in his third season at Tulsa due to the extra year of eligibility granted to players because of Covid-19.
Smith played four games, starting two, as a true freshman out of Fort Worth North Crowley HS in 2019. As he was able to redshirt that year, this will be his third season as a freshman.
A finance major, Smith is also a history buff, as he lists the person in history that he would most like to meet as Hannibal Barca, a great military commander from Carthage who was born in 247 B.C.
Paul (6-4, 331, Jr., Cypress, Tx.) is a veteran mainstay of the offensive line who was a second team All-AAC selection in 2020 after making the switch to right tackle from left guard. Paul started at both left and right guard in his first two seasons after redshirting as a true freshman.
Besides being a leader on the football field, Paul is a campus leader at TU and in the NCAA, being named to the NCAA Committee to Promote Cultural Diversity and Equity (CPCD). He has been appointed as the AAC representative to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and serves as chair of the conference's SAAC executive board. Paul volunteers with several organizations and the computer science major has won seemingly countless awards.
"Tyler and Chris both set the tone for us up front, the two book ends," Montgomery said. "They're both big, they both can run, they can move, they're long, and they do an exceptional job. Both of those guys are very, very talented."
The top backup at tackle is Jaden Muskrat, who started a couple of games as a true freshman at right tackle late in the 2020 season, filling in for an injured Paul. Muskrat (6-4, 280, Fr., Bentonville, Ark.) played both tackle positions and could easily be a starter this season if it weren't for Smith and Paul.
"I think Jaden's got a chance to be really good," Montgomery described. "Obviously he's young, he's got a little ways to go, but he gained some valuable experience for us last year."
Another tackle with starting experience is OSU transfer Bryce Bray, a 6-4, 310-pound sophomore from Bixby who started 11 games for OSU in 2019 at three different spots - right tackle, left tackle and left guard.
"Bryce Bray is a very talented player that can play either tackle or either guard," Montgomery said. "A big kid that really has a knowledge of the game. He knows how to play up front. He's physical and nasty. Has got really, really good movement - that's what has been so surprising about Bryce."
The other backup tackle is Dillon Wade, a 6-4, 300-pound redshirt freshman from Jersey Village HS in Cypress, Texas who has impressed Montgomery.
"Dillon Wade had an exceptional spring," Montgomery said. "We moved him around at different spots but we have a tackle now. The light bulb really came on for him this spring, getting used to the speed and size of the game. I think in the years to come, he will have a bright future for us."
Tulsa's interior line starters at guard and center are all returning and were all Honorable Mention AAC picks last season. And don't think the AAC was just naming a bunch of random players at honorable mention since only 17 players total, including all positions on offense, defense and special teams, were named Honorable Mention.
At left guard is Dante Bivens (6-3, 322, Jr., Spring, Tx), who leads the way among a group of guards that has a lot of competition for playing time. He started seven games at right guard in 2019 before moving to the other side of center last year.
