2022 Oklahoma Breakout Player: RB Tawee Walker

Leading up to the start of training camp in August, AllSooners examines OU players who could surprise and have a big year

Part 1 of a series exploring Oklahoma’s potential breakout players in 2022:

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Was Tawee Walker a spring game workhorse? Or does Oklahoma’s junior college running back have staying power into the fall?

Walker joined the Sooners for the spring semester and finished the Red/White Game with 13 carries for 52 yards and one impressive touchdown.

Only true freshman Jovantae Barnes (17 attempts, 60 yards, two TDs) carried the football more than Walker that day.

Given an opportunity, could Walker emerge when OU starts training camp on Aug. 4? Could he break into the regular rotation?

Physically, it seems Walker is capable of handling such a workload. He’s 5-foot-10, around 210 pounds and runs low to the ground — avoiding too much contact and utilizing adequate power.

In reality, Walker — a walk-on from Palomar (CA) College — will have to have a special camp to work his way into the rotation. That’s not asking too much. Not only did he run the ball with power and authority, but he also caught two passes for 31 yards, including a 19-yard catch-and-scamper.

But Walker will also need to catch some breaks on the depth chart ahead of him. Currently, senior Eric Gray is RB1, and he’s backed up by junior Marcus Major, who’s also poised for a breakout season. Behind them, 25-year-old UCF walk-on transfer Beno Thompson could emerge. And then there’s the Sooners’ fabulous freshman duo of Gavin Sawchuk and Barnes.

Sawchuk may be the furthest behind going into camp. A physical runner with top-end, track speed, he was in high school last spring and didn’t get to Norman until June. Barnes, meanwhile, got a full spring practice.

So did Walker.

Walker’s backstory is unique: running back in Las Vegas (he’s friends with Rhamondre Stevenson and regards his position coach, DeMarco Murray, as a Vegas legend), safety in Arizona, prep school in Massachusetts, out of football for almost two years, then junior college in California.

But make no mistake: Walker a Division I talent. His journey isn’t entirely unlike another walk-on running back who wasn’t recruited, bounced around small schools, sat out of football working a real job and walked on at OU before ultimately becoming a sensation: Dominique Whaley, who rushed for 870 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2011 and 2012.

If he works hard and catches a break or two in August and September, Walker could find himself with a similar opportunity.