Oklahoma C Branson Hickman lands on Rimington’s watch list

Oklahoma center Branson Hickman didn’t need long to acclimate to his new surroundings.

One week into training camp, he’s already landed on two preseason awards watch lists and is developing a good relationship with his new quarterback.

On Monday, Hickman drew praise from Jackson Arnold. On Friday, he was awarded a spot on the Rimington Trophy watch list as the best center in college football.

Since announcing his transfer to OU the day after the Red/White Game, Hickman has been looking forward to Aug. 30, when the 2024 Sooners kick off against Temple.

WR Nic Anderson on Biletnikoff
RB Gavin Sawchuk on Walker
P Luke Elzinga on Guy
LB Danny Stutsman in camp
RB Gavin Sawchuk on Wuerffel
C Branson Hickman on Outland
LB Danny Stutsman on Nagurski
S Billy Bowman on Nagurski
DS Ben Anderson on Mannelly
S Billy Bowman on Thorpe
QB Jackson Arnold on Maxwell

“Oh, that’ll be great,” he said last week. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently, actually. Playing in a stadium like this with all these fans cheering for me and not against me will be a pretty cool feeling.”

Hickman is one of 40 centers to earn a preseason nomination for the trophy named after Nebraska All-America Dave Rimington.

Of the 40, 10 play in the SEC.

Hickman, who played at OU last year for the Mustangs, was hurt by his first career start at Owen Field.

“I wanted to come to a big school and play in a big environment in the SEC, and OU is close to home, so I couldn’t be more excited,” he said.

“I remember it was red and white everywhere. It was pretty cool. I came out of the tunnel and I was like, ‘Wow, this is real college football, right here.’ I just knew it was something I wanted to be a part of one day.”

The 6-foot-2, 301-pound senior from McKinney, TX, he was brought in after spring practice to compete with redshirt freshman Joshua Bates, but his early returns would indicate he’s a good bet to win the job.

Hickman, who started 33 games at SMU over the past three years, was named to the All-American Athletic Conference third team in 2022 and received second-team All-AAC recognition in 2023, when he was also on the preseason Rimington Trophy chase. .

Watch: Branson Hickman post-workout interview

Hickman was previously among the 75 players on the Outland Trophy Watchlistwhich goes to the best interior liners in the country.

According to Pro Football Focus, Hickman showed drastic improvement as a blocker in his four years in Dallas, jumping from 52.7 as a freshman to 60.6 as a sophomore to 77.2 as a junior to 79.7 as a senior . Last year he scored 74.8 or better in half of the Mustangs’ games.

Hickman said another big reason he chose Oklahoma was legendary Sooners offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh and his history with developing players in the NFL.

“Yeah, Coach B is one of the main reasons I came here,” he said. “Obviously, he has a proven track record. He puts guys in the NFL and also has guys succeed in college. It’s like, why wouldn’t you want to play for Coach B?”

Hickman said he is looking forward to playing with Arnold, who he was familiar with long before he transferred.

“Obviously, growing up in the Dallas area, I knew who Jackson was coming out of high school,” Hickman said. “I knew he was a great player and a great person. I mean, I stayed with him on my official visit, and he’s one of the reasons I came here, honestly. You want to play with a good quarterback to have a chance to win. So it was great.”

They still have two more weeks of camp ahead, followed by a week of game preparation for Temple. But so far, Arnold has been equally impressed with his new center.

“It’s going well,” Arnold said. “He’s starting to get the same chemistry with him. It’s summer and it’s kind of hard to build a connection with offensive lineman in the summer. You have your OTAs, but you don’t put pads on, you don’t really with those guys. So now, building chemistry with them and making sure I get breaks in the center and in the shotgun.