Tulsa Football - Summer Position Analysis: Offensive Line

Inside Tulsa Sports' annual Summer Position Analysis series begins with the TU offensive line.

There probably isn't a coaching staff that will coach up offensive linemen better than Kevin Wilson's at Tulsa.

With Wilson's pedigree of being an old offensive lineman at UNC, and starting his coaching career as an offensive line coach, along with offensive line coach Ryan Stanchek, the Golden Hurricane offensive line is in good hands.

Especially with some experience returning. Last season, Tulsa's offensive line struggled because of almost no starting experience coming into the season. The O-line played better as the season went on as players got more experience.

"We've actually got four line coaches here,” Wilson said. "We've got me. Coach (Adrian) Mayes played line, coach (Greg) Frey has played offensive line and coached it, coach Stanchek played offensive line and coached it. So, we'll be lineman friendly. It's developing.

"It's got a chance to be, I think at our level, maybe pretty good. We'll see. I don't think it's too bad. I've been pleasantly surprised with our size, and I think they're buying into our work ethic."

Offensive line coach Ryan Stanchek is a 36-year-old who was a second-team All-American at West Virginia, where he started 48 consecutive games. He was a graduate assistant at Indiana under Wilson, and most recently coached the offensive line at Austin Peay, and at Southern Miss before that.

Current TU run game coordinator and tight ends coach Greg Frey coached Stanchek in college, and was co-offensive coordinator under Wilson at Indiana, working with Stanchek there. Running backs coach Adrian Mayes was a standout guard at Kansas, and coached offensive line at Texas State. He was at North Texas the last 4 years, where he coached tight ends.

As for Tulsa's returning offensive linemen, Tai Marks and Will Farniok are returning starters, while Darrell Simpson, Chester Baah and Kai-Leon Herbert started games last year for TU, and Bryce Bray is a former starter for TU and OSU.

Wilson is not the type to sugarcoat things. He likes his offensive linemen, but will not hesitate to say where he thinks they need to mature.

Also, there are no preconceived notions about who will start at any position. What happened in previous years doesn't matter to Wilson.

"I didn't watch any of last year's tape," Wilson said. "Several people they said couldn't play - were bad kids, just had 2.8's and 2.7's and graduated because we made them go to class. I didn't go off pre-existing. I went off of what I saw."

Herbert, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound senior transfer from Miami (Florida), began the 2022 season for TU as the starting right tackle, but got injured in the season opener and didn't return. He played 12 games for Miami, but his last game played there was in 2019.

Despite a lack of playing experience, the talented Herbert looks like he will be the starting left tackle for TU, and has as much potential as any Golden Hurricane offensive lineman.

Although Wilson has not guaranteed any will be starters in 2023.

"I thought Kai had a great offseason. Academically, he killed it," Wilson said. "He's got to get stronger, but he can run. He's a one-year guy left to play. We'll see how he does.

"He's an impressive talent, inconsistent as a player. But I think he has a chance to be a guy playing significantly. It's been nice to see Kai come and be what you thought he could be talent wise."

Marks looks like he will start at left guard. He was solid after taking over early in the season as a starter in 2021.

"Tai Marks, he's been okay, but a little inconsistent with body weight, a little inconsistent off the field, but he's tightening it up," Wilson said of Marks, who is listed at 6-2 and 300 pounds. "He needs to mature. He's a tough guy. 6-2 is kind, he's probably 5-11 and change.

"He is a tough, plays-hard guy. But we're looking for more consistency from him. But he should be a good player."

Will Farniok (6-3, 305, Sr.) was a solid starter at center last season for TU. He played the last half of Tulsa's bowl victory in 2021 after being a backup in 2020. The transfer from Nebraska is the brother of Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Matt Farniok. He is competing with Gabe Cantu (6-4, 298, Jr.), who played a little bit last season as a backup.

"Farniok is doing okay. He needs to be a little bit quicker," said Wilson. “Same with Cantu at center. Those two on paper look good. Guys that we need to play a little bit better than they've played."

At right guard, Jeremy Jones (6-5, 320. Sr.) is ahead right now in a competition with Walter Young Bear (6-3, 288, Soph.) and Edison HS grad Chester Baah (6-3, 308, Sr.). Jones got some experience playing as a backup last season.

"Jeremy Jones had a really good spring. He could be a guard or a tackle," Wilson said. "Kai-Leon, Tai, and Jeremy had really good springs.

"The same with Walter Young Bear. Walter is a walk-on from Norman North High School. We're going to try and get him a scholarship if we can. I've got to have scholarships available.”

Young Bear is an example of what hard work will do. Working his way from being a walk-on to possibly starting as a sophomore is incredible. He played a lot on special teams last season, and got limited playing time on the offensive line last season.

"He'll be one of our top 7 or 8 guys," Wilson said of Young Bear. "He's had a great off-season. He's a third-year player. I like his toughness. There will be some guys who are a little more skilled, but he's a big 6-3, almost 6-4. He's probably about 310. He's strong. Of the guys we said are going to be backups, he's the best one.

"If we went out there today, Walter might jog out there first. It's nice to see a walk-on guy kind of mature up."

Baah would have been the likely starter at right guard, but he is rehabbing a gruesome leg injury he suffered near the end of last season. He was a starter for most of last season, and mostly played well.

"Chester Baah is coming off a significant injury," Wilson said. "He's out there running right now. We're going to see after summer if he can hold up. It's going to be tough for him when you have an injury of that significance.

"It looks like he's got a chance to be healthy and get back into the mix. I would say because he started, if he's healthy, he'll be in the two-deep."

Bixby grad Bryce Bray (6-4, 305) is a wild card for Wilson. If he is eligible to play, he is likely the starter at right tackle. He started 8 games - 4 each at right tackle and right guard - in 2021 for TU after transferring from OSU, where he started 11 games as a redshirt freshman in 2019. He sat out last year due to academic issues.

"We need to get something out of Bryce," Wilson said. "He's the best guy running. He plays high, he plays narrow. We've got his attention and he's doing pretty good right now, but I don't know if he'll play good. He ought to, he's just been extremely immature.

"Right now, he's having the best workout of any lineman out there. It's not even close. But do I get that tomorrow? He's been up and down. I'm intrigued to see if Bryce really wants to be a good player or not."

Former four-star OU player Darrell Simpson (6-8, 348, Sr.) started some at guard last season in his first year at TU, but was mostly a backup. Simpson and Tanyon Zachary (6-5, 277, Fr.-RS) are listed as backups at right tackle.

"Darrell is a little bit overweight and heavy and doesn't move quite as well, but he's pretty smart," Wilson said of Simpson. "Darrell has played a little bit more guard, and Jeremy Jones has played a little bit more tackle just because of foot speed. Darrell is a little slow out there on the edge.

"Tanyon Zachary is a lot like Daniel Ademisoye. He's a young guy that needs time."

Ademisoye (6-4, 270, Fr.-RS) is listed as the second-team left tackle.

"Daniel Ademisoye, he's a young second-year player that's actually having a great offseason, getting stronger, but he's a backup," Wilson said. "I like the way he's working. The type of guy you need to get. He's going to take a year or two to get ready. I like what he's about."

Brody Wisecarver (6-5, 300, Soph.) is the only other offensive lineman currently on the depth chart. The Illinois transfer has skills but is not the most athletic lineman for the Golden Hurricane. Wilson calls him a "solid backup."

Another player who could figure into the mix is Florida International transfer Rey Burnett (6-5, 290, Sr.). The Edmond Sante Fe grad spent the last two years at FIU, and before that played for Houston Baptist. Burnett played six games in 2021 for FIU and nine games in 2019 at Houston Baptist.

Bennett Ringleb (6-5, 275) and Kasen Carpenter (6-3, 275) are Tulsa's high school recruits who Wilson thinks have incredible potential.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Carpenter makes a run at two-deep. So it looks like he and maybe Bennett Ringleb," Wilson said. "Both of those guys were bench pressing 225, 22 times. And that's stronger than the guys on our team right now.

"You don't count on freshmen linemen playing a lot, but I can see both of those guys being numbers 9, 10, 11, 12 based on some of these older guys."

Tulsa didn't lose much from last year's offensive line. Dillon Wade was a decent starter at left tackle who transferred to Auburn to follow former TU coach Philip Montgomery, who is now OC there. Jaden Muskrat, a part-time starter, also went to Auburn after spring practice. Muskrat was running second-team at TU under Wilson in the spring.

Wilson is going to start his best five linemen. Positions are subject to change.

"There could be a lot of flexibility. A guard could play tackle, a guy who could be right side could be left side. But when you're looking at the offensive line, you're looking at eight people,” Wilson explained. “You're looking for a second center, you're looking for a third guard, in a perfect world. And sometimes you don't have five. But you've got to throw them out there."

Overall, Wilson likes what he sees, but is realistic. He knows some of his players have limitations.

"Some of them are transfers from big schools and have a lot of hype. Some of them are slow-footed or had some overweight, lazy problems," Wilson said. "We're trying to chip away and knock off some of that. But sometimes a slow guy is a slow guy. You can lose weight and you're just a skinnier slow guy. So, you've got to have some foot speed.

"What surprised me was we had a little bit more size, depth, and maturity than I expected. We still aren't maybe as hard or as rugged or as mentally and physically developed. And that's what we're doing right now. They are showing up every day. And I think if they show up every day, your mind and body get harder with the training we do. I think we have a chance to be decent. We'll see."

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