Growing up an Oklahoma fan, Sean Hutton always viewed the Sooners’ football program as a large part of his life. Now committed to OU and set to take his career on the gridiron to Norman as a preferred walk-on, a dream becomes reality for the talented offensive front-liner.
“The big thing with my dad going to OU, then always watching games growing up, watching those games was always a big part of my life,” Hutton said. “Guys like Kyler Murray, Sam Bradford, Jalen Hurts, they’re some of my favorite players. Growing up watching that, all those first-round picks, it’s just always been great watching OU do their thing every Saturday.”
“But I know my dad’s always referenced to me that it’s offensive line-U,” Hutton added. “Like if you want to go to the league, you want to get developed as an offensive lineman, that’s the place to be. Seeing all the draft picks Bill Bedenbaugh put in the league on the offensive line, how talented they are, I got to see all that come to life.”
Hutton has been a starter at the varsity level for the last few years and in playing for a program like Lewisville High School’s, he’s seen his fair share of recruiting attention. Naturally some offers came his way, but his process really got interesting once he was able to workout in front of Oklahoma’s coaching staff.
“I would probably say it started going into my junior year,” Hutton said. “I went to a camp and Bill Bedenbaugh really liked what he saw, but I actually had to leave camp early so I found out later he wanted me to take a tour. He was looking for me and when I heard about it, I gave him a call and we had a great talk. He said he really liked what I did, what I am, and that’s when I really started to think that this was actually going to be a thing.”
“Then once January of this year came around, Bedenbaugh was talking to me a lot,” Hutton added. “I got to know him better, had a lot of talks and calls with him, that’s when things really picked up.”
Hutton knew he had to approach this emerging opportunity with caution and careful consideration. But at the same time, to say containing his excitement was difficult would be a massive understatement. When you consider Hutton didn’t always think playing at OU one day would be a possibility, seeing something he’d only dreamed about become an option changed everything.
“At first, it was surreal,” Hutton said. “I kept thinking this is crazy, like, I’m talking to the greatest offensive line coach in college football. That was already the crazy part, but then I realize I’m talking to my dream school, too.”
As talks about this potential partnership grew, Hutton got to learn more about the people he’d potentially put his trust in. Those conversations simply got him more excited about the idea of landing in Norman.
“Talking to Bill Bedenbaugh more and more, finding how much of a genuine person he is, how much he cares for my family, it was great,” Hutton said. “He’s not just asking my family questions that don’t mean anything. He’s getting to know them and getting to know me, he was always giving us plenty of attention. Then Brent Venables, every time I talked to him I got fired up, I was ready to get on the field, I was ready to go to war for him.”
Hutton knew he loved Oklahoma. He knew he admired the coaching staff. But he had to be sure that he was willing to overlook other opportunities. The preferred walk-on path wasn’t one Hutton was overly familiar with and as programs like OU, Texas and Texas A&M presented it, he knew he needed to evaluate his view and a staff’s view of a PWO.
“The biggest thing was seeing if someone was treating me differently,” Hutton said. “Scholarship player versus walk-on, how would you treat me? If I was on a visit or came to camp, maybe even just on campus. I was always trying to see just how different they’d treat me and my family.”
“And that was the biggest thing about OU,” Hutton added. “When I first went and got the PWO offer at the spring practice, my guy Michael Fasusi was with me and they treated me like family. It was great. They took care of my mom then, too, so then I said I want to go up on my own and see how they treat me by myself. Everything was the exact same when I went back up. That’s kind of what separated OU from other schools that were in my process.”
As Oklahoma separated, there was a time or two prior to this announcement that Hutton wanted to make it official. But after employing some patience and taking time to be sure of his decision, Hutton found peace in his final call.
“There were a few times I wanted to commit, honestly,” Hutton said. “Even the day I was talking with (Fasusi) about it, I was like ‘Would it be crazy for me to commit right now?’. He said it wouldn’t be crazy at all, but I decided I wanted to wait and see how it played out. But then after the second time I visited, meeting with Bedenbaugh and taking it all in, it was just a feeling of wanting to be there. I knew it was where I wanted to be, I feel like I truly have a chance to come in and compete, earn my keep as a preferred walk-on guy.”
Hutton doesn’t just think that, either. He now knows that after a very important phone call with a familiar face. Before Hutton made the decision to take his PWO spot at Oklahoma, he was able to get on the phone with Erick Wren. The former walk-on turned multi-game starter at the center position for the Sooners took time to give Hutton any advice he could about being a walk-on lineman at Oklahoma. Wren’s perspective not only sold Hutton on the idea, but gave him added faith in himself.
“It was a really good conversation,” Hutton said. “When I talked to him, I was trying to figure out what life might be like as a preferred walk-on at Oklahoma, and he told me there isn’t any difference. He told me I’ll still get the same chance to compete for that number-one spot and compete for a chance to go to the next level.”
“Talking to Wren about that, it was very inspirational,” Hutton said. “Because once you see examples of something you may think is incapable of being done, you see other people doing it, it motivates you. His story motivated me. Then I did more research on other walk-ons that have come through OU and went to the league with it. It all motivates me, knowing that if I come in and do what I need to do, something like that can happen and Wren gave me a lot of insight on that.”
The only thing left to do was tell his future coaches the decision had been made. Hutton took a day-trip to OU and after getting one final look during an abbreviated unofficial visit, he was able to pull Bedenbaugh and Venables aside to share the news.
“Coach B, we were having a great conversation so I just asked him if he’d be interested in talking about a potential commitment,” Hutton said. “He obviously said yes, so then I told him I knew this was where I want to be. I’m ready to play here and get to work. He was fired up, gave my family a hug, gave me a hug and then we talked about what’s next for a bit. Even when I saw him on the way out of my visit he was excited and told me to get back up there whenever.”
“Then Venables, of course he was fired up,” Hutton added. “I just showed him my poker chip that he gave me when he first offered me the PWO spot, told him I’m ready to cash in. It was great, we hugged it out and took some pictures, that was a big moment and it fired me up.”
It wasn’t just Hutton’s future coaches celebrating him, though. One of the most memorable experiences from his on-campus commitment was a spur-of-the-moment move that proved to Hutton he’d found his home.
“Okay so, this was really the craziest part,” Hutton said. “One of the players I had just met on my visit, I had been talking to him at times during the day getting to know him, he came up to me after practice and said ‘Did you do it?! Did you commit?!’. When I told him I committed, he went and got the entire offensive line, almost the whole team and they all came over and started dapping me up. That’s what really showed me that this is a family, cause that was all love, and it set my mind on it. I came away from that saying I’m ready to be a part of that.”
Hutton is also ready to try and bring others with him. A couple linemen in particular will be at the center of his focus.
“Recruit wise, of course, you already know my brother Mike,” Hutton said. “I’m gonna try to get Fasusi, I talk to him about the process all the time. And when I was up on my visit at OU, I talked to Lamont Rogers about everything. He’s a great guy, great person.”
In Hutton, Oklahoma found a great fit. In Oklahoma, Hutton heads to his dream destination. Combined, a meaningful union is created that won’t be taken for granted anytime soon.
“Oklahoma is the place to be,” Hutton said. “It’s a great place to call home and it’ll definitely be the same way a few years down the road. We’ve got a great coaching staff, something special being built and it’s going to be great to be part of it.”
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