Spring Preview: Oklahoma's RB Rotation Hit the Reset Button Behind Gavin Sawchuk

After a puzzling 2023 for the running backs, there will be a position battle behind Oklahoma's lead back when the Sooners open spring practice.

Oklahoma’s running back rotation was simply confounding in 2023.

Then-sophomore Jovantae Barnes and redshirt freshman Gavin Sawchuk both ran for 100 yards in the Cheez-It Bowl finale against Florida State, seemingly clearing a path for the duo to cement themselves as the Sooners’ workhorses.

But a hamstring injury hampered Sawchuk during fall camp a year ago, slowing his progression, and Barnes endured one of the more frustrating seasons in recent memory.

Walk-on Tawee Walker won the starting job for opening day, and Barnes never seemed to get going due to an injury.

By Bedlam, Sawchuk had emerged, closing the regular season with four straight games of 100 yards or more on the ground.

Walker hit the transfer portal, landing at Wisconsin, as did veteran Marcus Major, who ended up at Minnesota, leaving Sawchuk as the only sure thing for OU headed into the spring.

Sawchuk finished the year with 744 rushing yards and nine scores, adding another 94 receiving yards, earning him the spot as Oklahoma’s undisputed lead back headed into 2024.

But spring practice will be crucial for not only Barnes, but the rest of DeMarco Murray’s running backs.

Projected running back depth chart for Oklahoma entering spring practice

Spring ball will not only provide a fresh chance to impress new co-offensive coordinators Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley, but it will be an opportunity to build momentum as the calendar turns to summer workouts and Oklahoma’s first fall camp as the Sooners head into the Southeastern Conference.

As a true freshman, Barnes firmly established himself as OU’s No. 2 back behind Eric Gray. He took 115 carries for 519 yards and five touchdowns, adding physicality to Murray’s backfield.

Barnes never quite looked himself in 2023, totaling just 140 rushing yards a year ago, and throwing the pads back on this spring affords him the chance to get back onto the field and put a puzzling sophomore season in the rearview.

And Barnes will have plenty of competition every day on the practice field.

Murray added explosive Tennessee-Martin running back Samuel Franklin via the transfer portal, fresh off an incredibly productive 2023 campaign.

UT-Martin running back Samuel Franklin could prove to be a savvy pickup for Oklahoma running back coach DeMarco Murray.  / UT-Martin Athletics

Franklin rushed for 1,386 yards and 11 scores a year ago, shredding FCS competition.

He was a home run hitter, sprinting away from the pack to score four touchdowns of 60 yards or more for the Skyhawks.

Taking the field against Brent Venables’ defense for about a month will be Franklin’s first opportunity to get acclimated to the size and speed of major college football, while allowing him to compete against Sawchuk and Barnes for a role supporting sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold.

There will be plenty of youth looking to turn the practice field into an early proving ground as well.

Kalib Hicks didn’t get many chances thrown his way as a true freshman. The Denton, TX, product got just three carries last year, but spring practice will be a crucial step in his development.

Kalib Hicks finished 2023 with just three carries, something he'll look to improve on in 2024 starting this spring.  :: BRYAN TERRY / THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK

The Sooners signed three talented running backs in the 2024 recruiting class.

Taylor Tatum, who won’t officially join the program until the summer, was rated as the top running back in the entire class.

Xavier Robinson, a local product from Carl Albert High School, rumbled his way through Oklahoma high school football, and is ready to fight for playing time as a bruiser this spring.

Another talented local star, Andy Bass, will be delayed as well by his injury rehab, and won’t be a factor in spring practice.

Those three arrivals will add plenty of talent and depth to Murray’s room, heaping the pressure on Hicks to maintain his spot in the pecking order this spring.

Tatum's arrival ahead of fall camp looms large, as the star back flashed the potential for great versatility as a high schooler, meaning the handful of spring practices will be that much more important for Robinson to build a firm foundation within the group once practice begins in March. 

As Oklahoma ushers in new pieces all across the offensive line, proving early on to Murray that each running back has a handle on the new offensive system and responsibilities in pass protection could give guys an early leg up.

Murray has always placed great value on handling the mental side of the game, and that will be more important than ever to help Arnold stay clean in the pocket in his first year as the full-time starting quarterback in the SEC.

Those seeds will begin to get planted in Murray’s brain once the offense and defense start hitting each other in March as Oklahoma looks for Sawchuk’s running mate in the backfield. 

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