The Oklahoma Sooners running backs will play a big role in the football team’s success in 2024.
The Oklahoma Sooners football team has reason to feel good about several position groups on both sides of the ball, and their running backs are one of them.
Despite losing a few running backs in the offseason (Marcus Major, Tawee Walker, Daylan Smothers), the Sooners room includes a good blend of experience, depth, and potential. That starts with Gavin Sawchuk, who went on a tear to end last season. But Sawchuk is far from the only player to highlight.
Even with the offensive line being a question mark, there’s much to be excited about regarding the Sooners’ backfield. Here’s an overview of Oklahoma football’s running backs, and the questions facing it in 2024.
Projected Depth Chart
- Starter: Gavin Sawchuk
- RB2: Jovantae Barnes
- RB3: Kalib Hicks
- RB4: Sam Franklin
Biggest Questions Facing the RB Room
Who gets the spot behind Sawchuk?
Barring something unexpected, this will be Sawchuk’s backfield. However, the question remains: How will the playing time shake out behind him? The Sooners have several viable candidates for the RB2 spot.
The most obvious candidate is Barnes, who’s entering his third season and is tied with Sawchuk as the longest-tenured Sooner. He’s also a proven contributor when he’s healthy, rushing for 519 yards and five touchdowns on 4.5 yards per carry as a freshman in 2022.
But last year was a disappointing season for Barnes, who only logged 37 carries in seven games as he struggled with a foot injury. Barnes was fully healthy and primarily operated as the No. 2 running back in the spring, but it was notable that he didn’t log a snap in the team’s spring game.
That last point leaves the door open for other candidates. Hicks is the running back who arguably stood out the most during the spring, and the coaching staff buzzed about his progress.
Hick’s 30-yard touchdown was one of the highlights of the spring game, and he’s developed into a power runner who’s challenging to tackle in traffic while maintaining breakaway speed in the open field. He’s taken massive steps forward from a year ago.
That’s not to say Barnes and Hicks are the only two candidates. Sam Franklin hasn’t played at the Power 5 level, but he’s coming off back-to-back seasons of 1,000 rushing yards at UT Martin and could be given an opportunity early in the season.
It’s worth noting that while offensive coordinator Seth Littrell is primarily known for his Air Raid system, he’s also been known to use several running backs. In his last season as head coach at North Texas in 2022, the Mean Green had three running backs record 112 carries or more.
How much are the running backs utilized?
In addition to a (mainly) new quarterback and offensive line, there’s another new ingredient to OU’s offense. That’d be the promotion of Littrell as the offensive coordinator and signal-caller.
Just how much will he rely on the running backs?
The only sample size for Littrell’s tendencies at OU is last year’s Alamo Bowl. Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold threw the ball 45 times, while the football team’s running backs combined for 22 carries. However, it’s hard to put too much stock into that, considering the Sooners had limited preparation time following Jeff Lebby’s departure.
It’ll be interesting to see how much Littrell airs it out and how much he sticks to the ground game.
Analysis
The Sooners’ running back room feels in good shape. It’s about whether it can reach its potential and how much it’ll be utilized. With Sawchuk leading the way, running back should be a position of strength in 2024.
Can Sawchuk build on last season?
It took Sawchuk a while to find a rhythm. But once he took over, he never slowed down.
Sawchuk ended the 2023 season on fire, finishing with more than 100 yards in the last six games, averaging 7.17 yards per carry. Sawchuk was one of the most productive running backs in the country to end last season; and he and Drake Stoops were the two most productive players on OU’s offense.
The Sooners will need him to pick up where he left off.
While there can be confidence about some of the other options at running back, and the Sooners’ wide receivers could be the most profound position group among all SEC teams, OU enters next season with questions. It’ll be the first season as a starter for sophomore quarterback Arnold, and the Sooners are replacing significant production on their offensive line.
Among the running backs, Sawchuk offers the most potential production. If the Sooners are to succeed offensively, they’re going to need a big season from him.
