Fresh Faces: Oklahoma OL Owen Hollenbeck Embracing Team Chemistry

Because of that, Hollenbeck got more reps than he likely would’ve with all of them still in the mix.

“I’d say my physical game coming in was my strength,” Hollenbeck said. “I think coming in with my physical strengths and coming to learn at OU is definitely going to translate.”

Hollenbeck was rated a 3-star prospect by 247Sports, also earning offers from Florida, Texas A&M and SMU.

Much of the reason Hollenbeck chose OU is because of his relationship with offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh. He described the coach as authentic and someone not afraid to speak the truth.

Only a few months into his time in Norman, Hollenbeck’s impression of Bedenbaugh hasn’t changed.

“Something that stood out to me with him was he was very open with how he coaches,” Hollenbeck said. “He didn’t hide any facts about himself. Coming here and knowing that, I expected what he told me, and it’s 100 percent what I’m getting.”

Hollenbeck also appreciates the culture that Bedenbaugh has built within Oklahoma’s offensive line. He said Bedenbaugh has been instrumental in being vocal to his players while also turning over some of the authority to his more veteran players.

Even as someone who has been a college football player for just a few months, Hollenbeck believes he’s learned much about leadership and team chemistry.

“They push it out there that they want us all bonded together very closely,” Hollenbeck said. “They want us to be a very tight offensive lineman group so we can go into next season being better than we were previously. 

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“He tells us to get together and all that, but truly it’s our seniors and upperclassmen. All of us look forward to it, and it’s just something that helps. It’s just something that helps us grow our relationships.”

Oklahoma’s offensive line will have a combination of youth and experience in 2025.

The Sooners have several veterans back, including Jacob Sexton, Febechi Nwaiwu, Heath Ozaeta, Logan Howland, Troy Everett and Jake Taylor, and they also picked up three — Derek Simmons (Western Carolina), Luke Baklenko (Stanford) and Jake Maikkula (Stanford) — from the transfer portal.

Hollenbeck is one of four freshman offensive linemen on this year's squad, along with Ryan Fodje, Michael Fasusi and Sean Hutton. That freshman group’s hard work has caught the eye of some of the Sooners’ veterans.

“You’ve got Ryan Fodje, Michael Fasusi, Owen (Hollenbeck), Sean (Hutton), all those guys,” said Everett, a redshirt senior. “They’re all making a push. They’re all making really good progress so far. They work hard. I’m really happy for them, and we’re proud of them.”

Between connecting with his teammates and learning from Bedenbaugh, Hollenbeck said he feels prepared for his first college football season.

“It’s been pretty smooth overall,” Hollenbeck said.