It’s been a tumultuous 10 months for the Oklahoma Sooners running back position. A roller coaster ride that would scare off even the biggest thrill-seeker.
First, last year’s starter at running back, T.J. Pledger, left for Utah via the transfer portal. Kennedy Brooks returned from his COVID opt-out season. Rhamondre Stevenson declared for the NFL draft. Eric Gray arrived in Norman from Tennessee. Seth McGowan and Mikey Henderson were dismissed from the team. Then Tre Bradford arrived to provide depth for a Sooners backfield that saw a ton of turnover this spring.
But apparently, the turnover wasn’t finished. With just eight days until the Oklahoma Sooners open the 2021 season against the Tulane Green Wave, the Sooners were dealt another blow at the running back position with the loss of Marcus Major, who was deemed academically ineligible for the fall of 2022. A day later, the Sooners lost Tre Bradford, who presumably is heading back to LSU, returning to a team he departed just months prior.
The Oklahoma Sooners have options at running back in redshirt junior Jaden Knowles and redshirt sophomore Todd Hudson. However, they’re largely unproven players who haven’t touched the ball much for the Sooners in a game.
Though most of the significant workload will go to Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray, the Sooners have to find a reliable player to take those third running back snaps. The non-conference schedule will be a huge opportunity for the Sooners to find out who will take those third running back snaps.
Oklahoma has options in H-Back Jeremiah Hall, as well as Knowles and Hudson. Hall hasn’t carried the ball much in his career with the Sooners, but he’s an option that can be used as a running back in the passing game. He’s a good pass protector and has excellent hands.
If they’re able to get up big in games against Tulane, Western Carolina, and Nebraska as is being projected, Lincoln Riley and DeMarco Murray will have a fantastic opportunity to figure out their running back depth chart as they enter Big 12 play.
Brooks and Gray will lead the way, but in the event of an injury, the Sooners need to find a reliable option to run behind their top two runners. That answer may not be apparent at this point, but the Sooners coaching staff will need to work something out in quick order.