O-Line U: Lane Johnson and Creed Humphrey are doing Oklahoma proud at the Super Bowl

PHOENIX ―You’ve heard of “Linebacker U” (Penn State) and “DBU” (LSU) but when it comes to “O-Line U” that conversation is a lot more open to debate.

While it would be easy to point to Alabama or Georgia and the talent factories they’ve become seemingly at every position, or some may argue that the likes of Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, or even Wisconsin are the best at producing NFL linemen, only one school really can lay claim to the moniker “O-Line U” after the 2022 season: The University of Oklahoma.

It is Oklahoma that counts Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson and San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams, arguably the two best linemen in football, as alumni. Add in second-team All-Pro center Creed Humphrey of the Kansas City Chiefs, and OU can lay claim to 30% of the NFL’s All-Pro selections on the offensive line. This season, Williams (No. 1) and Johnson (No. 5) ranked in the top five among tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, while Humphrey graded out as the No. 1 center.

» READ MORE: How the Eagles’ Lane Johnson draws on his mother’s strength: ‘We’ve been through the road of hard knocks’

But what’s the secret behind the burgeoning O-Line pipeline in Norman, Okla.? We asked Johnson, Humphrey, and others to weigh in on the Sooners’ success in the NFL:

While Oklahoma has four linemen who were named either All-Pros or to the Pro Bowl, the Sooners have a long tradition of churning out talented hog mollies. OU’s history of Pro Bowlers on the offensive line ranges from Stan West and Jim Weatherall in the 1950s to Jammal Brown and Davin Joseph in the 2000s to Johnson, Williams, Humphrey, and tackle Orlando Brown Jr. this season. In all, regardless of position, Oklahoma put a record eight players in the Pro Bowl this season.

“We had a pretty good run this year,” the 32-year-old Johnson told The Inquirer. “The guys we have in the league generally are pretty well-regarded. They have a tradition of putting guys [in the NFL] that have very long careers. But it’s very, very cool, and we are very fortunate and highly blessed.”

That “pretty good run” will culminate Sunday when Johnson — and quarterback Jalen Hurts — will go up against two fellow Sooners in Humphrey and Brown in Super Bowl LVII.

“It’s crazy, you go back and look at it and we’re very fortunate to be where we’re at,” Johnson said about having so many Sooners in the Super Bowl. “OU sets that path for you to succeed and has put a lot of people in the NFL for many years that have storied careers, so shout out to my alma mater. We’re excited.”

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Guys like Johnson have paved the way for the next generation of players, including Humphrey, who is nine years his junior. Humphrey, 23, has leaned on those OU ties as he has tried to make a name for himself in the NFL. That included Johnson, who has provided him with invaluable advice and accessibility.

“I have a good relationship with Lane,” Humphrey said. “I’ve gotten the chance to work out and talk a lot of ball with him, hang out with him outside of football. He’s just awesome to be around, and I’ve learned a lot of things from him over the past few years. He’s just a special player.”

But what really makes Oklahoma so good at producing elite offensive linemen? It goes beyond technique, according to the former Sooners and many of their current teammates.

“They like certain traits; they like guys that are big and can move,” Johnson said. “In the Big 12, we threw the ball quite a bit, so as far as pass protection, it’s something we did a lot of and needed to be good at.”

» READ MORE: When Howie Roseman drafted Jalen Hurts he called the Eagles a ‘Quarterback Factory.’ Who knew?

Others think it boils down more to the type of players OU recruits. One common trait is toughness.

“What makes Lane truly great, it’s the stuff that takes no talent,” said Eagles running back Miles Sanders, who has run behind Johnson for the past four seasons. “It’s all gritty and toughness with him, and that makes me respect him more than ever. ... Yeah he’s an All-Pro, he’s a Pro Bowler, but you don’t see too many guys like him with a torn abdomen who need surgery but come in and literally lock down the defensive player of the year. That hasn’t been brought up publicly as much as it should be.”

Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, who has competed against Johnson in practice for over a decade is happy Johnson is starting to be recognized as one of the best in football.

“Lane is finally getting his respect,” Graham said. “I’ve been saying it over the last five years. Lane has been dominant when healthy, and I’m just thankful I’m on his team.”

Humphrey, who grew up rooting for OU in Shawnee, Okla., credits a lot of his success to his wrestling background as a kid. He says that helped define him as a football player, as not only did it teach him about leverage, but it taught him about being tough and fighting through adversity.

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He also believes OU’s pride in its history has helped forge the path for this generation and future ones to come.

“When you go to OU, you know the history of the offensive linemen,” Humphrey said Thursday. “You take a lot of pride in making sure you continue that tradition. But they’ve had incredible talent for their entire history, so that’s kind of a big thing we focus on. Representing the standard that’s been set there from past years.”

With three elite offensive linemen starting in the biggest game in football, that standard certainly has been raised.

The Eagles are one win away from their second championship. Join Inquirer Eagles writers EJ Smith, Josh Tolentino, Jeff McLane, Marcus Hayes and Mike Sielski on Gameday Central Sunday at 5 p.m. as they preview the game at inquirer.com/Eaglesgameday.