On Sunday afternoon the Oklahoma Sooners team was dealt a serious blow to the upcoming season. It was announced by Jason Kersey of the Athletic that two-time 1,000-yard rusher Kennedy Brooks would opt out of the upcoming season. This coming off the heels of the Sooners announcing that nine players had tested positive for COVID-19.
Kennedy Brooks was poised for yet another big season and likely to help out redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler. The other top running back on the roster Trey Sermon transferred to Ohio State prior to the upcoming season as a graduate. The tough question begins for Lincoln Riley, what now?
BREAKING NEWS: #Sooners running back Kennedy Brooks, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher, will opt out of the upcoming season, sources tell @TheAthleticCFB. https://t.co/Y85Yzco9Le
— Jason Kersey (@jasonkersey) August 16, 2020
According to many in the NFL Draft community, Brooks was viewed as one of the best draft eligible running backs for the 2021 class. He could in theory declare and spend the year prepping for his next move. The Sooners backup Rhamondre Stevenson is under suspension for the first few games. The next man up for Oklahoma would be T.J. Pledger.
Against the Longhorns in 2018, Brooks carried the ball 13 times for 62 yards in both games. This past year he accounted for 105 yards. Pledger will take up the mantle for now. He has 40 career carriers for 244 yards and one touchdown.
Likely Stevenson will take back over once he is re-instated from suspension. In his first season in Norman, he carried the ball 64 times for 515 yards and six touchdowns. It will be interesting to watch how Riley adapts his team after losing one of its top weapons before the season even started.