Oklahoma 2024 Report Cards: Once Again, Sooner RBs Were a Mess

DeMarco Murray wasn't able to identify his RB1, and the weekly guessing game meant different players made contributions at different times.

Oklahoma running back Xavier Robinson / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For the second year in a row, Oklahoma running backs were literally all over the place.

Not that there wasn’t talent. There was. A lot of it.

But just like in 2023, the depth chart was a scrambled mess. There was no hierarchy, no pecking order, no discernible pattern from one week to the next who would start, who would play — and who wouldn’t.

Last year it was Jovantae Barnes, then Marcus Major, then Tawee Walker in and out of the lineup before Gavin Sawchuk finally took over as RB1 over the final five games.

This year, Sawchuk opened as the starter but was supplanted by Barnes for five games as Barnes emerged as the Sooners’ most consistent running back. After Barnes’ season-ending injury late in the Maine game, freshman Taylor Tatum got two starts even though it was fellow rookie Xavier Robinson who has clearly become OU’s best running back. Then in the bowl game, Sawchuk was back as the starter.

Injuries were the obvious reason for some of DeMarco Murray’s shuffling. But he also kept turning to healthy players who weren’t effective — Sawchuk never got going all season, for instance, and Tatum kept getting chances even though he had recurring problems with fumbles. 

Barnes had the best overall stretch — 17 carries for 70 yards against South Carolina, 16 carries for 67 yards against Ole Miss, 18 carries for 204 yards and three touchdowns against Maine — but then sprained his ankle and didn’t play again.

Oklahoma 2024 Report Cards

• Dec. 30: Special teams
• Dec. 31: Defensive tackle
  
• Jan. 1: Running back
• Jan. 2: Defensive end
• Jan. 3: Offensive line
• Jan. 4: Linebacker
• Jan. 5: Tight end
• Jan. 6: Cornerback
• Jan. 7: Wide receiver
• Jan. 8: Safety
• Jan. 9: Quarterback
• Jan. 10: Coaches

Robinson had the most promising display — nine carries for 56 yards at Missouri, 18 for 107 and two touchdowns against Alabama — but then only got 10 carries at LSU and only had six against Navy.

Murray’s reasons for the unending shell game are his own. Head coach Brent Venables doesn’t allow his assistant coaches to talk to the media, so any questions about Murray’s thought process will remain unanswered.

For example, Robinson’s sudden and spectacular emergence late made it hard to fathom why he didn’t play in six of the first seven games and didn’t get his first collegiate carry until the Maine game in Week 10, but it was Robinson himself who said he wasn’t quite ready for the big stage when the season began and eventually grew into the role.

Murray, one of OU’s most accomplished running backs in the program’s proud history, has understandably high standards. He’s demanding and exacting of his players. For example, Walker fell out of favor at OU last year but then transferred to Wisconsin and was the Badgers’ best running back in 2024. Daylan Smothers never got any action as a freshman under Murray, then transferred to North Carolina State and rushed for 571 yards and six TDs this season.

Realistically, not much should have been expected from Murray’s running back room in 2024. Oklahoma’s entire offense was a disaster this fall. A promising receiver corps was gutted by injuries, and five new starters on the offensive line never quite turned the corner on their development. That set back quarterbacks Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins and also affected the backfield production.

Barnes topped the single-game charts with his 203 yards against FCS Maine, and Robinson’s 107 against Bama was the Sooners’ only other 100-yard performance (Arnold ran for 131 against the Crimson Tide).

FCS transfer Sam Franklin was hopeful of cracking the lineup, but he finished with just 132 rushing yards on 18 carries and contributed five pass receptions for just 18 yards. He also lost one fumble but  averaged a team-high 7.3 yards per carry.

Sawchuk, who closed last year with five straight 100-yard performances, finished this season with just 128 rushing yards and a touchdown on 39 attempts, plus eight catches for 28 yards. Sawchuk averaged just 3.3 yards per rush.

Robinson compiled 233 yards and four touchdowns on just 49 rushing attempts — in five games. He also caught 13 passes for 119 yards and unofficially led the team in broken tackles — and did so without a fumble. Robinson averaged 4.8 yards per attempt.

Tatum showed plenty of flashes with the football in his hands, rushing for 278 yards and three TDs on just 56 carries and catching five passes for 41 yards and another score. But he was frequently a liability in pass protection, and ball security (he fumbled four times and lost three) is an area that he needs to make major improvement. Tatum averaged 5.0 yards per carry.

Barnes ended up leading the team in rushing with 577 yards and five touchdowns on 122 carries. Barnes also caught 17 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. He ran strong as always, but later in the season developed the ability to make defenders miss. Barnes had 139 total touches and did not fumble, and averaged 4.7 yards per rush.

OU's last 1,000-yard rusher was Eric Gray in 2022, as the former Tennessee transfer (and now New York Giant) finished with 1,366 yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry.

A legitimate passing threat should create more opportunities for OU's running backs in 2025, and an offensive line with everyone back will obviously be a huge help against another demanding schedule. Will Robinson's upward trajectory continue? Will Tatum hold onto the football? Will Barnes or Sawchuk finish their careers strong?

It's likely next year that DeMarco Murray will again be the one who decides all that.

Sooners on SI Grade: C-