The #Sooners are entering the season ranked at No. 2, watch our best clips from today's practice for the 2021 season:
Filmed by Collin McDaniel and Justin Jayne
Edited by Collin McDaniel
From raising cattle and bailing hay to pulling weeds, Andrew Raym’s upbringing has prepared him for this moment.
Raym, the former offensive guard turned center, is competing to replace three-year starter and second-round NFL draft pick Creed Humphrey in just his sophomore year. But he’s not focused on filling Humphrey’s shoes — he wants to mold his own. Raym hails from Broken Arrow, just under two hours from Humphrey’s hometown of Shawnee, and hopes his days on the farm translate to becoming OU’s next star center.
“Being on a farm growing up, it really just taught me how to be tough and taught me hard work,” Raym said. “Honestly… my Dad made me do it for those reasons, to be tough and have a work ethic growing up, and it’s really stuck with me. Growing up on a farm has been pretty good for me.”
Redshirt senior Arizona transfer Robert Congel, redshirt freshman Nate Anderson, redshirt senior Ian McIver and senior Chris Murray are Raym’s competition at center. However, Raym’s name was the first mentioned by offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh when he listed the players vying for the job.
Raym played just 61 snaps last season, but the former four-star recruit and Oklahoma’s top-ranked player in Rivals’ 2020 class seems primed to slide into a starting role this season. Raym’s performance during fall camp impressed Bedenbaugh to a degree he said doesn’t happen often.
“Everything,” Bedenbaugh said on what he likes about Raym’s game on Aug. 10. “And I don’t say that a lot… he’s got every tool. He’s got every trait to be an elite center. He’s got the size, the athleticism, the smarts (and) he’s really, really working at it”.
Though he just made the switch during spring practice, Raym’s transition to center hasn’t been all that difficult. Bedenbaugh also compared Raym to Humphrey because he brings crucial intelligence to the position.
“He’s a really smart kid,” Bedenbaugh said. “And that’s the most important thing in that position is being smart. … Being smart enough to understand the offense, understand the blocking schemes, gets everybody going in the right direction.”
Raym has focused on increasing his leadership in his new role. He also coined himself and redshirt sophomore quarterback Spencer Rattler as leaders of the offense, adding they have built great chemistry.
Oklahoma’s offensive line was shaky at times last year, ranking No. 93 nationally with 24 sacks allowed. But the Sooners return four players with starting experience — redshirt seniors Marquis Hayes and Erik Swenson, sophomore Anton Harrison, and redshirt senior Tyrese Robinson, who has worked out at tackle after starting 25 games the past two seasons at guard.
Raym said his position change has forced him to become a vocal leader, after he led by example in season’s past. He also thinks the offensive line has improved drastically from last season and has rivaled the culture of OU’s 2018 Joe Moore Award-winning line, recognized as the best in the country.
“We got a lot of guys on the line that are just absolute killers,” Raym said. “Not just get your hands on someone and wall people off, but get your hands on and bury people in the ground. We’re trying to get that hardcore culture back in the (offensive line) room.”
Raym’s intelligence, matched with his size and relentlessness to revert OU’s offensive line back to glory, prime him for a chance to become a star in the future.
“I really like what he’s doing right now,” Bedenbaugh said. “But what I’ve seen from him up to this point, very, very impressive.”
