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Michael Tarquin made seven starts at right tackle for USC in 2023. Gary A. Vasquez / USA TODAY Sports

Transfer Talk: What Oklahoma is Getting in OT Michael Tarquin

Originally posted on Oklahoma Sooners on SI
By Ryan Chapman | Last updated Feb 2, 2024 6:00 PM ET

Oklahoma clearly targeted experience in its offseason offensive line rebuild.

Bill Bedenbaugh will return just one piece, tackle Jacob Sexton, off the unit that started the Sooners’ regular season finale against TCU, as the offensive line was ravaged by graduation, draft exits and transfers.

OU’s first commitment of the offseason came from veteran Michigan State right tackle Spencer Brown, but Bedenbaugh didn’t stop there to bolster the ranks at tackle.

He also added Michael Tarquin, who brings three years of starting experience from both Florida and USC.

Tarquin, who grew up right down the road from Florida’s campus in Ocala, FL, played for the Gators from 2019-2022.

Throughout his time in Gainesville, he made 10 starts and 34 total appearances.

Tarquin made his first career start against Vanderbilt in 2021, one of the two games he started that year, before starting eight games in 2022.

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“(Tarquin) dealt with some early-season injuries (in 2022),” AllGators’ Brandon Carroll told AllSooners. “ … But he definitely worked a rotation and he was much more comfortable at right tackle.”

As a redshirt sophomore, he bounced between right and left tackle in 2021 before cementing himself on the right side of the line in 2022.

Per Pro Football Focus, Tarquin posted a 68.4 run blocking grade and an 82.3 pass blocking grade in 2022, allowing no sacks and just five quarterback pressures.

Tarquin played a large role headed into 2022 off the field as well while the Gators hit the program reset under incoming head coach Billy Napier.

“He was a leader,” Carroll said. “They praised him for that when Billy Napier and staff first got in. (Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach) Rob Sale actually said during the offseason before that 2022 year that he wishes he could get 20 Michael Tarquins. He said that he was just a guy that they kind of leaned on throughout the offseason.”

Tarquin’s voice wasn’t always at the forefront of conversations, Carroll said, but he held the respect of Florida’s offensive line room.

“He’s definitely a silent leader,” Carroll said. “I think he leads a lot by example. You’re not really going to hear him much, but I think it’s one of those things where when he does talk, the guys around him listen.”

The season didn’t go to plan, as the Gators finished 6-7, and Tarquin’s decision to hit the transfer portal wasn’t anticipated by those in Gainesville.

“He was a surprise portal entry when he left,” Carroll said. “He really was the only shocking one because they regarded him so highly off the field, which is why they also contacted him when he hit the portal again this offseason.”

After going through the process, Tarquin landed with Lincoln Riley at USC, working under offensive line coach Josh Henson in 2023.

Throughout spring practice, Tarquin was reportedly deployed at left tackle, but the decision was made headed into fall camp that he would slide back over to the right side of the line for the Trojans.

He proceeded to start the first seven games, but was a casualty of an offensive line shakeup following USC’s drubbing at the hands of Notre Dame.

In the regular season finale against UCLA, Tarquin filled back in for an injured Jarrett Kingston, closing out his tenure in Los Angeles.

Tarquin played 332 snaps last year at USC and finished with a 58.9 run blocking grade and a 59.0 pass blocking grade, per PFF.

Jerry Schmidt’s strength program at Oklahoma is vastly different than Bennie Wylie’s USC regime, and the offseason work in Norman should get Tarquin closer to his form at Florida, where he held up to the physicality of the SEC.

“He wasn’t a liability,” Carroll said. “ … He was consistent across all competition. He’d have his moments where he was better than others. … He was kind of giving the same thing every week.”

If Sexton slides back to left tackle, as he did during the Alamo Bowl, Tarquin can simultaneously compete with Brown to protect Jackson Arnold’s right side while leading a young offensive line into the week-to-week grind of the SEC.