Erick Wren: Living a walk-on’s dream

Oklahoma offensive lineman Erick Wren sat in the locker room at the Cotton Bowl, daydreaming.

From the screaming fans dividing the stadium half crimson and half burnt orange, to the scent of fried food wafting from the Texas State Fair, distractions were everywhere.

These weren’t on Wren’s mind, though. Three weeks prior he was a second- string walk-on whose dad paid out-of-state tuition to fund his athletic and academic dreams. On this day, he was the Oklahoma Sooners’ starting center, on a scholarship, and about to play in one of the biggest games of his career — the Red River Showdown.

“Man,” Wren thought. “I’m really here.”

Unexpected obstacles

Wren’s path to OU wasn’t easy. It started at Dr. John D. Horn High School in Mesquite, Texas, when he began receiving college recruiting letters. It was an exciting time for Wren, and his dream of playing college football was within reach. Then he took the SAT his junior year, and the letters stopped coming. His score, combined with his GPA, didn’t meet Division I qualifying standards. If Wren wanted to play for a major college football program, he would have to attend junior college first, and hope for a scholarship offer later.

“It was a downer,” Wren said. “You work your whole life to achieve a goal and to fall short by a couple of numbers, it’s hard. You take it hard. Your character shows in how you respond to it and how you respond to adversity in life. You either get back up or you stay down.”

Wren didn’t stay down. Instead he pushed, practiced, played harder. He knew he was capable of playing for a DI program, even if he had to go to a junior college first. So when he arrived at Arizona Western Community College in (20xx), Wren was confident that his two years in (name city) would just a stepping stone.

“He’s always believed it,” Wren’s dad, Gregg, said. “He’s never had a problem with confidence. He doesn’t believe any kind of challenge is too big, no stage is too big.”

That confidence was instilled at a young age as a result of the competition that comes along with being one of four brothers.

“I could immediately tell, even as a young child, that he had a lot of confidence,” Gregg said. “Whenever he was faced with a challenge he wouldn’t back down. He was a quiet child and had older brothers and would play with them and challenge them and it just seemed like he was one with a lot of confidence.”

Confidence and faith

Wren’s confidence about achieving his college football dreams didn’t come from his brothers alone, however. It also came from God. Wren grew up a pastor’s son, in a strict but supportive household.

“It was good,” Wren said of his dad being a pastor. “It prepares you for what real life is going to be when you become a man. Him being strict on us and being as into the Bible as he was, it helps you later on in life.”

Wren said his mom, a nurse, has been just as big a part of his success and upbringing as his dad.

“There’s a tight bond between us,” Wren said of his relationship with his parents.

Wren has openly praised God repeatedly for his success, including his father’s support.

“My dad is an extremely wonderful man, and I couldn’t ask for anything else, and God blessed him financially and blessed his heart to give me this chance here at Oklahoma, and all I can do is run with it,” Wren said in August, when he was still walking-on.

The chance that his father provided came whenever it was time for Wren to leave Arizona Western. Wren wasn’t happy with his options, Gregg said, and asked if he could walk on at OU. The Wrens are longtime OU fans, but Gregg called the choice an “eyebrow raiser.”

Still, despite the elite history of Oklahoma and the $22,269 cost of out-of-state tuition, Gregg agreed to allow Wren to walk on.

“I told him he could walk on if he felt like he could do it,” Gregg said. “I told him that when he got down there he would have to work hard and do his best, but that I would support him.”

Wren became a walk-on for the Sooners, and while he was fighting for a scholarship and a starting position, Gregg was facing his own battle.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s been hard, but he hasn’t known anything about it. I did that on purpose,” Gregg said of the financial struggle. “The financial situation — I’m not down in the dumps, but he’s one of six kids I have.”

Wren knew what he was asking of his parents when he voiced his desire to come to Oklahoma, but he also believed in himself.

“I wanted to (come to OU) but I wanted a scholarship,” Wren said. “I didn’t want to put that stress on my family by having them pay $30,000 for me to go try out at a school.

When my dad gave me the OK, I put my head down and worked hard.”

The moment

The hard work Wren put in began to show the fall camp before his senior season. He began garnering praise from offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh and his teammates. He worked his way into the second string at center, behind his former high school teammate Jonathan Alvarez, who was replacing 2015 Campbell Trophy winning center Ty Darlington.

Wren felt his hard work and faith were paying off as the Sooners played Ohio State on Sept. 17 in Norman — the biggest game of Oklahoma’s regular season, and arguably the most hyped home game of the decade. OU’s offense moved down the field with ease on the opening drive until a injured player crumpled on the field calling a stop to the action. Oklahoma left guard Cody Ford was carted off with a broken fibula, and Bedenbaugh faced a decision.

Instead of putting in the backup left guard, Bedenbaugh moved Alvarez to Ford’s position, and Wren entered the game at center.

“It was a surprise,” Gregg said. “I looked at my wife and said ‘Erick’s going in’ because logic would say Ford’s backup would come in. I started praying because getting thrown in there against Ohio State, a ranked team, and that atmosphere, I was just nervous for him. But I was proud of him, and like Coach Stoops said, he played well. He did good.”

Wren’s teammates were impressed with his ability to come in and play well in such a big game, as well.

“I was really proud of Erick, and I knew he had it in him, I knew Erick had that mentality,” Alvarez said. “He always had the drive and the fight and the want to be out there with me, and I knew with how he stepped on that field, with how he came out, that he was going to be great.”

The Monday afternoon after the Ohio State game Wren sat in the team room as Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops addressed the players. Wren was oblivious to the life-changing announcement Stoops was about to make. The room was quiet as Stoops stood in front of the players.

“He’s going to be having the chance to start this week, he’s already earned it by the way he’s played this year,” Stoops said to the team. “Erick Wren, on scholarship.”

The team erupted in cheer, jumping on chairs and clapping. Wren’s offensive lineman piled on top of him, including the injured Ford.

“It’s something every walk-on dreams of,” Wren said. “A walk-on would be lying if he told you otherwise. You want that scholarship, you want that notice.”

When Gregg saw that Wren was calling him that Monday it didn’t surprise him, they talk on a daily basis.

“I said hello and he said ‘it happened’ and I was like ‘what happened’ and he said he got a scholarship.

“It was a shock for me.”

After multiple setbacks and years of hard work, Wren’s dreams came to fruition. As for Gregg, he always believed in Wren’s journey.

“The process was kind of tough, and I can’t describe it, but I believed good will would come, I’m talking beyond college. I was going to tough it out no matter what. I just believed good was going to come his way eventually, but I had no idea it would come now and this way.”