The running back position for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023 was an up-and-down roller coaster. What was thought to be a strength of the team early in the season ended up being one of their weaker positions for most of the year.
That was until [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] emerged about midway through the season. After that, he gave the Sooners a running game and running attack they didn’t have for much of the season. So much so the redshirt freshman running back was graded as the seventh-best freshman running back by Pro Football Focus.
Highest graded freshman RBs from the 2023 seasonđź’¨ pic.twitter.com/i85o6b3JDT
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 28, 2024
Sawchuk finished the year with 744 yards on 6.2 yards per carry and led all freshmen running backs with nine touchdowns. He ended the season on a tear after being plagued by an injury early in the season. He had five straight 100-yard games and averaged more than seven yards per carry in those five.
If he kept that five-game average for all 13 games last season, he would have finished with more than 1,600 yards rushing. Finishing at No. 4 in the nation and second in the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag]. He also would have finished tied for No. 6 in touchdowns.
It was a great ending to the season for Sawchuk but in 2024 he’s going to have to find a way to stay healthy. Even in their bowl game what appeared to be an injury he suffered in the second half really hurt the way the team finished. If he can stay healthy though, he could prove to be one of the better backs in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].
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