"I don't even sit in the front seat no more when we ride around with somebody,” said the 6-foot-5, 330-pound Robinson, who is three inches and 20 pounds smaller than Loadholt. "I've got to sit in the back.”
The two will be side-by-side, making up the left portion of the Sooners' offensive line as Loadholt steps into the vacant tackle spot this fall.
As big as he is, Loadholt was sidelined last spring by an injured toe after joining the team in January from Garden City Community College. He took part in five practices and spent the other 10 watching. And learning.
During what could have been a major setback for any junior-college transfer, Loadholt focused his energy on the mental side of the game to make up for what he was losing on the physical side.
"It set me back just from missing actual reps,” Loadholt said. "I got some good mental reps in, got a lot stronger. It didn't set me back as far as I thought it would. They do a good job here of making you feel like you're still out there doing something.”
Now that he's healthy, Loadholt's primary shortcoming is his technique, like footwork and keeping his body low — things he never had to worry about before.
"I got by on raw strength,” said the Fountain, Colo., native. "The speed at (the NCAA Division I level) is so much better than the speed at the junior-college level. The linebackers are fast; everybody's fast.
"Now I've got to have that technique. If you don't have technique, you'll get beat every play.”
Offensive line coach James Patton has been stressing that point to Loadholt since the day he joined the team.
"He's got such long arms, and he's such a long-bodied guy that guys will try to get inside of him,” Patton said. "Being a good technician, being fundamentally sound, he'll know where he's vulnerable in some cases. He'll know how he needs to keep his pads down, body position, things like that. That's critical for him.
"He's seen those examples on tape. These first practices, he's done a good job of seeing it.”
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OU football notebook 08/08/2007 Saturday's scrimmage will be open to fans This Saturday, Oklahoma fans can catch their first glimpse of the Sooner quarterbacks and the rest of the squad...
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