Humphrey represents his home state on OL
NORMAN — When Creed Humphrey settled into his stance on Oklahoma’s first series last Saturday, the center from Shawnee represented the state in a manner unseen for quite some time.
Not since Gabe Ikard and Bronson Irwin were seniors in 2013 has an Oklahoman played a significant role on OU’s offensive line.
Not since 2012 has a freshman started at center for the Sooners. Ty Darlington made one start that season as a true freshman. Humphrey, a redshirt freshman, is likely to start at center for the rest of the season after winning the job in Week 2.
After an inauspicious false start on the first play, Humphrey settled in.
“For a guy's first start playing a talented front like them and all the different ways that they challenged us, I thought he handled it pretty well,” OU coach Lincoln Riley said.
Humphrey was a threestar prospect from Shawnee High School and the fifth-ranked center in the 2017 signing class, according to Rivals. He redshirted last season and entered the offseason in a position battle with fifth-year senior Jonathan Alvarez.
It was a battle between upside and experience. After the staff awarded the season-opening start to Alvarez, it was Humphrey who ran out with the first-team offense against UCLA.
A center is the quarterback of the offensive line. He has to call out the right defensive fronts and give his fellow linemen the correct assignments.
“Everybody’s gotta be on the same page and that goes back to the center,” OU offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh said.
Humphrey’s ability to do that is not unique among centers. It’s required. What’s rare, however, is manning the most mentally taxing position on the offensive line as a redshirt freshman. The guards flanking him are both seniors. Oklahoma’s two tackles are redshirt juniors.
Humphrey is the young man in the middle.
“If the coaches trust you this much as a young guy to start against a marquee opponent like UCLA, I’m already believing in you,” tackle Cody Ford said. “You’re my brother on the team, so as soon as they put you out there I’m like, ‘OK, let’s listen to him.’
“We treat him just like a fifth-year senior, with the same respect and trust.”
Humphrey’s leadership traces back to his high school career, where Shawnee football coach Billy Brown said he was one of the smartest kids in school.
“He’s like having an offensive line coach on the field,” Brown said.
Humphrey, even when he played tackle his junior season, would still call out the defensive fronts as a center would do.
But flipping between tackle and center was nothing compared to where Humphrey would sometimes line up in his sophomore season. He had yet to grow into his current 6-foot-5 and 325-pound frame, but even then he was a massive tight end.
Brown laughs as he remembers taking Humphrey to seven-on-seven camps in the summer.
“He can catch anything you throw at him,” Brown said. “In seven-on-seven he was phenomenal because they couldn’t get close enough to guard him because he’s so big. We just thought, ‘What the hell, we might as well let him do it in a game.’”
Humphrey caught a pair of touchdowns his sophomore season before blossoming into a full-time lineman the following year. Humphrey was not made available for an interview, but Brown offered a glimpse into his personality.
“He’s real quiet, but he has a real dry sense of humor,” Brown said. “He’s funny as all get up to be around but you’ve kinda gotta squeeze it out of him.”
But Bedenbaugh said it’s Humphrey’s high level of play rather than humor that’s gained the trust of his fellow offensive linemen. Not only that, but his leadership regardless of his lack of experience. Humphrey is expected to notch his first road start Saturday at Iowa State.
Brown was driving to Wichita Falls, Texas to watch his son coach last weekend when his phone blew up. There were 50 to 60 texts about his former Shawnee star earning a start for the Sooners. It didn't take him long to find the game on the radio.
“This whole town’s excited for him,” Brown said.