Raym is embracing change on O-line
NORMAN — This season is all about change for Andrew Raym.
When the Broken Arrow native committed to Oklahoma in 2019, he joined the team as a four-star recruit and the top-rated offensive guard in the country. But, after he was limited to 61 offensive snaps during his freshman campaign, the stars aligned for Raym to become the Sooners’ starting center.
The opportunity came with some high expectations.
Raym found himself tasked with replacing star center Creed Humphrey, who is now starting for the Kansas City Chiefs as a rookie. Despite not having any previous experience at center, Raym expressed his confidence in the days leading up to this season.
“I do get that comment a lot about filling (Humphrey’s) shoes,” Raym said on Aug. 18. “I always say I’m not filling shoes. I’m going to mold my own pair.”
The molding process has taken some time, though.
Health issues caused Raym to only play 21 snaps in OU’s opener against Tulane, and he only took 30 snaps against Western Carolina in Week 2.
Raym saw his snap count increase to 52 in Week 3 against Nebraska, but he struggled at the new position. The sophomore center recorded a season-low offensive grade against the Cornhuskers, and the Sooners’ offense got held to just 23 points.
The shaky showing didn’t help Raym, who still hadn’t pried the starting center spot away from redshirt senior Robert Congel.
“I don’t know if you can say (Raym) is taking over the center job,” OU head coach Lincoln Riley said after the Nebraska game. “It’s pretty close between (Raym and Congel)... We’ll let them continue to battle.”
So, Raym battled.
He started spending more time in the film room. He met with offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh repeatedly to learn what to look for, and the added preparation paid off on the field.
Raym claimed the starting center role over Congel the following week against West Virginia, but he faced another curveball against Texas in Week 6.
Riley benched star quarterback Spencer Rattler in favor of true freshman Caleb Williams, who led the Sooners on an epic comeback to earn a 55-48 win.
The strong performance by Williams established him as OU’s starter moving forward and left Raym to build his chemistry with a new quarterback. The change didn’t bother Raym, who was used to adjusting on the fly at this point.
“It wasn’t too bad,” Raym said about the quarterback change. “Our mindset as an offensive line doesn’t change for whoever is behind us. Caleb is doing a great job and leading the team well, but the offensive line is always going to have the same mindset.”
The offensive line’s mindset has been to improve every week, and it did just that in the following game against TCU.
The group allowed OU to run for an average of 6.6 yards per carry, and Raym recorded a season-high offensive grade in the process.
“(Raym) has learned,” Riley said. “He has started to grow up. He’s started to understand how to prepare. I think being in some position battles and having to really fight for playing time has been good for him because he’s had to really go after it... He’s got a chance to be a really good player.”
Riley isn’t the only person who is noticing Raym’s growth.
The sophomore’s improved play has helped OU’s run game tremendously, and Kennedy Brooks is the main beneficiary. The redshirt junior back is averaging 119.5 rushing yards per contest since Raym joined the first unit.
“(Raym) has matured a lot,” Brooks said. “His attention to knowing the defensive schemes and knowing where to go, understanding other peoples’ jobs... He’s getting better every single week. But we’ve all still got a lot to go, so I can’t wait to see what happens.”
Raym can’t wait either.
The former Broken Arrow star is getting better with every snap, and he isn’t satisfied just yet.
“I’m definitely not where I want to be,” Raym said. “There needs to be an improvement in every part of my game.”