Tag: demarco murray

Sophomore RB Jovantae Barnes named to Doak Walker award watch list

Oklahoma running back Jovantae Barnes named to the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker award.

Oklahoma had several players placed o preseason award watch lists this summer. Dillon Gabriel, Luke Elzinga, Ethan Downs, and Danny Stutsman have each been featured as players to watch this fall. They add to that total as sophomore running back Jovantae Barnes was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list.

The Doak Walker Award was created in 1989 to honor the nation’s most outstanding collegiate running back. The award recognizes a football player’s performance and achievements in the community and the classroom.

Barbes was a consensus four-star recruit out of Nevada, and in his first year on campus, he made his presence felt. He played in 11 games and carried the ball 116 times for 519 rushing yards (4.5 yards per carry) and five touchdowns. He figures to be a foundational aspect of Oklahoma’s offensive attack this season, along with fellow sophomore Gavin Sawchuk.

Under Jeff Lebby, Oklahoma isn’t shy about running the ball and will run you into the dust if you let them. It should allow Barnes to put together some serious numbers with an athletic and powerful offensive line that looks to improve upon last year’s efforts.

Despite its illustrious history, no Sooners running back has ever won the award.

Barnes’ top priority will be to help his Sooners put together a much better season than the 6-7 team he was a part of last year. Any awards that come his way will be because he was at the forefront of Oklahoma’s offensive success, tearing things up on the ground.

His position coach, DeMarco Murray, wanted someone to become a bell cow back for the Sooners. If Barnes can take that on, his path to winning the Doak Walker Award clears up significantly.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1366]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

‘We’ve got a lot more talent’: DeMarco Murray on this year’s running back room

Eric Gray had a great year last season but running back’s coach Demarco Murray thinks this room is even better than it was a year ago.

One of the strongest position groups at the [autotag]University of Oklahoma[/autotag] is the running back room. It’s a young group but one filled with talent.

[autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] played quite a bit last season. [autotag]Gavin Sawchuck[/autotag] played really well in the Cheez-It Bowl, which has a great many people excited about what he could do in an expanded role.

Freshman [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag] had one of the best offseason of any freshman [autotag]DeMarco Murray [/autotag]has seen. [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] is consistently being mentioned as the hardest person to tackle for the defense. [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag] was brought up as the best pass-catching back when Murray’s discussed his running back group.

This room has many different players that complement each other well. That should also help take a lot of the pressure off an unproven receiving room. Jeff Lebby wants to run the football. Having a deep stable of backs will give the offensive coordinator even more incentive to pound the rock.

While it will be a running back by committee, Murray said the Sooners hope to have one guy take over and be that “bell cow” back.

“You want to have a guy you can count on day in and day out just like I did with Eric,” Murray said at OU football media day. “Then obviously have some guys to spell him. I think at this point in our room, we’ve got a lot more talent than we did a year ago just overall.”

If you’ve followed Jeff Lebby’s career, you know how much he wants to run the football. For a team that finished 10th nationally in rushing a year ago, to know this room is deeper and more talented should be a scary sight for other teams.

It also should help them finish games better than they did in 2022. Something that should bring a smile to Sooner fans’ faces.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1366]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Five Sooners named to College Sports Wire’s Preseason All-Big 12 teams

5 Oklahoma Sooners were included on College Sports Wire’s preseason All-Big 12 teams.

Fall camp has started for many programs across America. Oklahoma is in that mix, with the Sooners starting practice this week. It’s been a long time coming, but the light at the end of the tunnel is here, and football is close.

With camp underway, figuring out which players will be the cream of the crop is what’s on everyone’s mind. College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn ranked the top 25 players in the Big 12 heading into 2023. Who are the players that have taken a step, and who will come out of nowhere to have breakout seasons?

College Sports Wire selected their preseason All-Big 12 teams. We take a look at the five Oklahoma Sooners that made the list.

Oklahoma 2024 Four-star RB target Caden Durham changes commitment date

Oklahoma Sooners running four-star running back target Caden Durham changes his commitment date.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been looking to add as much talent at as many positions ahead of their move to the SEC. For a time, it looked as if they’d bring three running backs into their 2024 class.

[autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] and [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag] committed in the last several months, but that didn’t necessarily take Oklahoma out of the running back market for 2024. The Sooners and [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] continued to push in their recruitment of 2024 four-star running back [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag].

Durham was originally slated to announce his decision at the end of August, but today, told Hayes Fawcett that he’ll be committing on August 10.

About Oklahoma, Durham told Fawcett, “DeMarco (Murray) has already been through it, so he knows what it takes to get there.”

Durham, out of Duncanville, Texas, was the Class 6A offensive MVP in 2022 and has the speed to be a game-breaking prospect at the next level.

Also, being heavily recruited by LSU and Texas A&M, the Sooners have been in a battle for some time. At one point, the Sooners were the perceived leaders for the speedy running back, but in the last week, multiple projections flipped to favor the LSU Tigers, including a Rivals FutureCast from Parker Thune.

While it’s looking unlikely that Durham will commit to Oklahoma, the running back room is still in good shape. Teams won’t win every recruitment, but they’re in good shape at running back for the next several years. Still, with what we’ve seen out of Brent Venables and DeMarco Murray, you can’t count them out of any recruitment until national signing day.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1367]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Versatile local three-star ATH Andy Bass has Oklahoma in his top three

Oklahoma makes top three for three-star athlete Andy Bass, a talented athlete from nearby Heritage Hall.

Three-star athlete Andy Bass is nearing the end of his recruitment. The release of his top three on Sunday highlights a pivotal moment in his recruitment and sends a message to the three remaining schools about where things stand.

Sunday afternoon Bass released his top three schools remaining. Joining the Sooners were Syracuse and Kansas State.

Oklahoma has plenty of experience in recruiting battles with Big 12 foe Kansas State. Especially for more regional prospects. Oklahoma fighting off schools from New York is a little different, though.

Nonetheless, Oklahoma has to like its chances being that Bass is a local product. Oklahoma allows Bass to stay close to home, surrounded by many friends and family. On the playing field, Bass told Rivals that he’d primarily be joining the running back room, but that wouldn’t be all.

“They have a pretty unique plan for me too, after what I got to hear from Coach Lebby and Coach Murray on Friday,” Bass told OUInsider’s Parker Thune. “I think I would be playing some running back; I’d be in the running back room. But I’d also be split out wide quite a bit, trying to get me one-on-one with linebackers. And they even said [I’d be] playing some quarterback inside the goal line. [I’d have] kind of my own package for that. So they definitely brought some interesting things for me to think about.”

Oklahoma has a plan to utilize Bass’ athleticism in a myriad of ways. Bass plays QB for his Heritage Hall High School team. Still, his most likely ceiling in college is playing multiple positions as a true offensive weapon that can run, catch, and occasionally play a little quarterback.

There is no set timetable for his decision, but it’s likely Bass will want to visit his other finalists throughout the season before making a decision. Most recently, Bass was at Oklahoma this weekend for Party at the Palace, representing Oklahoma’s last summer recruiting event as the dead period begins August 1st.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1367]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Oklahoma makes final three for four-star RB Caden Durham

Oklahoma makes top three for four-star RB Caden Durham ahead of his commitment on August 1st.,

DeMarco Murray has been a busy man this summer. He spent the last few months helping Oklahoma make up a lot of ground in recruiting five-star running back Taylor Tatum. It paid off with a commitment in July.

Well, Murray’s work isn’t done. The Sooners are pushing for one more running back this cycle. The running back in question? Caden Durham.

Durham is a four-star running back with ties to Oklahoma by way of his mother, a former member of OU’s track and field team. Durham grew up in Oklahoma before moving to Texas.

His recruitment has been a topsy-turvy affair, but clarity is coming. Durham announced he plans to commit on Aug. 1.

Oklahoma has slugged it out with LSU, but ahead of his commitment Durham released a top-three list with the Texas A&M Aggies in the mix as a third contender.

Many recruiting pundits believe this race has been Oklahoma and LSU for quite some time. After appearing in Baton Rouge this weekend for an unofficial visit, things seem to be trending in LSU’s favor ahead of a commitment early next week.

OUInsider and Rivals’ Parker Thune flipped his Rivals futurecast from Oklahoma to LSU on Sunday afternoon, all but confirming the Tigers have the upper hand.

DeMarco Murray can’t be counted out, and with the up-and-down nature of this recruitment, it would be wise to reserve any judgments until Durham reveals his decision on Tuesday, Aug. 1.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Twitter reacts: 2024’s No. 1 RB Taylor Tatum chooses Oklahoma over USC

Taylor Tatum, the nation’s No. 1 running back chose the Oklahoma Sooners over the USC Trojans and here’s how social media reacted.

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up a huge commitment on Friday morning with the pledge from the No. 1 running back in the country, Taylor Tatum. A big win for DeMarco Murray comes adds to the impressive run of running backs he’s picked up on the recruiting trail over the last several cycles.

Doing so by getting a win over his former boss provided an extra bit of icing on the cake.

For as long as [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] is at the collegiate level, there will always be an extra bit of satisfaction for any recruiting win the Sooners enjoy over their former head coach.

Though there’s belief in what Brent Venables and his staff are building at Oklahoma, Sooner Nation will not soon forget the way Riley left Norman.

So when a high-profile recruitment between Oklahoma and USC goes the Sooners’ way, you know social media will be buzzing.

Nation’s No. 1 running back prospect Taylor Tatum chooses Oklahoma over USC Trojans

Oklahoma lands 15th commit in 2024 recruiting class as elite running back Taylor Tatum commits to the Sooners over the USC Trojans.

The Oklahoma Sooners and running backs coach DeMarco Murray picked up another big-time recruiting win, earning the commitment of Taylor Tatum. Tatum is the No. 1 running back in the nation and a composite five-star prospect, according to 247Sports. Tatum committed to Oklahoma on Friday morning over Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans.

With his commitment, Tatum becomes the highest-rated recruit in Murray’s coaching career. The Sooners have been involved in a highly contested recruitment that has spanned well over a year. While Oklahoma wasn’t always considered the leader throughout, Murray and the Sooners staff remained steady in their pursuit of Tatum as he played out the process.

Oklahoma entered the race last summer by offering him in June. Tatum had a highly productive junior season where he was named Texas District 7-5A D-I Overall MVP, rushing for 1,891 yards and 33 TDs on 8.33 yards per carry. He also caught three touchdowns to help his Longview squad to a 14-1 record and the Texas 5A D-I state semifinals.

With his junior season behind him, Tatum’s recruitment took off. On April 24, he announced a top seven list of Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC, Texas A&M, Georgia and Texas.

Around that time, Michigan already had several predictions in its favor.

Eventually, the recruitment whittled itself down to the Sooners, Trojans and Wolverines. Official visits to Oklahoma, Michigan and USC came and went. All three schools sold Tatum on playing football and baseball. A significant factor in his recruitment was his ability to play both sports. He patrols the outfield or can slide down and play second base.

As the calendar turned to July, Oklahoma and USC stood tall as the final two.

Oklahoma surged in his recruitment, and predictions from insiders at 247Sports, On3 and Rivals overwhelmingly favored the Sooners. But it was the Sooners that closed it out. In doing so, Murray and Skip Johnson landed one of the best three-sport stars in the country. In addition to football and baseball, Tatum also stars for his track squad, winning district and area meets in the 200 meters.

By landing Tatum, Murray gets a three-down back capable of hitting the home run and one unafraid of getting behind his pads and fighting for the dirty yards. In contrast, Skip Johnson gets a dynamic athlete capable of roaming the outfield like former Sooners quarterback [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag].

Gabe Brooks of 247Sports had this to say in his evaluation of Tatum.

Enters senior campaign as an elite running back prospect in the 2024 cycle. Catalog of physical tools and play style should fit myriad offensive schemes. Projects to the high-major level as an eventual impact starter with a long-term ceiling as a possible NFL Draft early-round candidate. – Brooks, 247Sports

Now that Oklahoma has landed Tatum, the Sooners have passed rivals Texas and Nebraska in recruiting for 2024. Oklahoma sits 16th in the nation in team recruiting rankings.

Tatum’s commitment also makes him the highest-rated recruit for Oklahoma’s class, overtaking a spot held by four-star wide receiver Zion Kearney.

The work is not done for Murray. Next up in the 2024 recruiting cycle is four-star running back Caden Durham. Durham is set to commit on Aug. 25, choosing among Oklahoma, LSU and Texas A&M.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1367]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Oklahoma 2024 OL target Eugene Brooks sets commitment date

Oklahoma 2024 offensive line target Eugene Brooks sets commitment date as recruitment comes down to Oklahoma and Texas.

The Oklahoma Sooners are having a nice month of July. They’ve picked up three commitments and could earn another pledge on Friday when No. 1 running back Taylor Tatum announces his decision.

I addition, another target is looking to make his decision before the end of July. That is 2024 offensive lineman Eugene Brooks, a four-star prospect according to Rivals who ranks No. 12 among guards in the country.

Brooks plans to announce his decision on Tuesday, July 25. It is down to Oklahoma and Texas.

Brooks started his career at Las Vegas Desert Pines, the same school that produced Oklahoma’s Jovantae Barnes. Las Vegas is an area the Sooners have recruited very well with DeMarco Murray opening the door to talented prospects in the area.

Brooks will finish his career at Sierra Canyon in California, and he ranks as the No. 31 prospect in the state.

While Texas is still involved, each of the three major recruiting sites are predicting a win for the Oklahoma Sooners.

“I was there my sophomore year,” Brooks told 247Sports Greg Biggins. “I really like coach (Bill) Bedenbaugh and [autotag]Demarco Murray[/autotag] and connected really well with the whole staff there.

“I know some of the players on the team already, and they’re all excited about the direction the program is going in now. I see a lot of opportunity there, and just like with Texas, I have a great comfort level on campus.”

It’s a Red River Showdown for the talented offensive line target. At the moment, the Sooners have one offensive lineman committed in the 2024 recruiting cycle, Isaiah Autry. Though they took a big class in the 2023 cycle, and we’ve yet to see the 2022 guys take the field, you can never have enough good linemen.

They’ve been trending in a positive direction for Eugene Brooks for some time, but the Sooners could use another win up front to create an avalanche of commitments for Bill Bedenbaugh and the offensive line.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1367]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Trio of Sooners assistants named to 247Sports All-Big 12 first-team coaching staff

Three Sooners assistants were named to both 247Sports All-Big 12 first and second team coaching staffs.

The Oklahoma Sooners are less than seven weeks away from the start of the 2023 college football season. It’s a team that’s expected to improve from their 6-7 season after having one of the worst defenses in the country in 2022.

There’s a belief that this coaching staff can turn things around. The only question is how quickly can they. The staff has shown a proclivity for recruiting in Norman. While the results aren’t where everyone wants them, this coaching staff has proven their ability throughout their careers. Several assistants were named to 247Sports All-Big 12 team, including three first-teamers.

Here’s how 247Sports grades their assistants.

The All-Big 12 staff comprises the highest-graded coaches in the Coach Rating Index. The CRI is “a massive grading system with over 30,000 individual unit profiles and over 250,000 annual coaching result reports. If a coach was designated in an on-field role in that period in either the FBS or FCS levels, he is in the database with a career number rating and accompanying career star rating.”

  • All coaches must have at least four years of coaching experience at the position.
  • Two defensive back coaches on each team
  • Grades must only include on-field results and not their value as a recruiter, which is a separate grade. – Brandon Marcello – 247Sports
Here’s a look at the coaches recognized by 247Sports.