Oklahoma OT Michael Fasusi Lands on Shaun Alexander Award Watch List

Oklahoma freshman Michael Fasusi is much more than just hype.

A 5-star recruit and the highest-rated recruit of OU offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh’s career, Fasusi on Monday was revealed to be a co-starter at left tackle for the Sooners’ season opener on Saturday against Illinois State.

And on Tuesday, Fasusi was among 37 candidates identified for the 2025 Shaun Alexander Award as the Freshman Player of the Year in college football. Of those, just 27 are true freshmen, and eight play offensive line.

Fasusi, a 6-foot-5, 309-pound first-year player born in Nigeria and raised in Lewisville, TX, was a unanimous 5-star prospect for the Fighting Farmers and was a unanimous top-10 national recruit, rated No. 6 overall by ESPN, No. 7 by On3 and No. 8 by both 247Sports and Rivals. 

“It’s all just going to come down to my mental toughness, and if anything, that’s what I’m focused on most," Fasusi said. "Just working, working, working. Not being scared of anything. Not being scared of anybody. That’s what it’s going to come down to. Coach B talks a lot about that. Mental strength, mental toughness. He also talks about just straining, being in the pass, being in the run, straining and finishing every single thing. I think that’s what I’m really big on right now.”

The nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle arrived in the spring and steadily worked his way up the depth chart, and when the two-deep was released for the No. 18-ranked Sooners’ game against Illinois State, he was listed among three players who could start at left tackle, alongside senior Jacob Sexton and junior transfer Luke Baklenko.

Fasusi is among 12 SEC players on the Alexander Award watch list. That includes two players from Alabama (cornerback Dijon Lee and offensive guard Michael Carroll), two from LSU (cornerback D.J. Pickett and running back Harlem Berry) and two from Texas (wide receiver Kaliq Lockett and defensive end Justus Terry). Oregon, Ohio State and Clemson also have two freshman on the watch list.

The Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award has been presented to the College Freshman Player of the Year since 2018 and is named in honor of Shaun Alexander, a former standout at the University of Alabama and the 2005 NFL MVP with the Seattle Seahawks. 

Past winners include Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) - 2018, Kenneth Gainwell (Memphis)-2019, Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) – 2020, Brock Bowers (Georgia) – 2021, Drake Maye (North Carolina) 2022, Caleb Downs (Alabama) – 2023, and Colin Simmons (Texas) – 2024.