Tag: Gavin Sawchuk

Media weighs in on Oklahoma’s breakout player, toughest game in 2023

OU and College Football Media Personalities weigh in on which Sooners will have a breakout season for Oklahoma in 2023. Which game will be the toughest this season?

The 2023 college football season is nigh upon us. The Oklahoma Sooners open the season with the Arkansas State Red Wolves coming to town.

A new year creates new opportunities for players on both sides of the ball to experience breakout seasons.

While depth was an issue a year ago, the work of this coaching staff on the recruiting trail and through the transfer portal have helped create competition at a number of spots. The Sooners feel good about the “competitive depth” they’re carrying into the season across the board.

Oklahoma released its depth chart ahead of week one, which provided some answers to the position battles they’ve been working through this year. But how will that depth reveal itself on gameday and which players will experience breakout seasons in 2023?

We’ve gathered the opinions of a number of media personalities from across Oklahoma Sooners coverage. Here’s who they think will have a breakout year and which game will be the toughest in 2023.

From my days covering the Dallas Cowboys for Inside The Star, this has been one of my favorite pieces to create.

Hope you enjoy.

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners first official depth chart of 2023

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners first official depth chart of the 2023 season.

If there’s one thing that signals we are genuinely back for college football, it’s the release of the official depth charts for colleges across the country. .

Earlier Tuesday morning, Oklahoma’s official football account released the depth chart, helping paint a clearer picture of how this year’s team will be deployed. Several names who played sparingly last year or didn’t play at Oklahoma are now in starting roles for the Sooners.

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All offseason, Brent Venables stressed competitive depth as one of the biggest changes from last offseason to this offseason. It clearly shows up on paper as the depth chart has 21 different “OR” situations.

In many ways, the game against Arkansas State is a tryout for many players to solidify or leap someone at their respective positions. Below, we share our five takeaways from the first official depth chart.

Four Horsemen: Jeff Lebby, Oklahoma excited about running back depth

A deep stable of running backs will be on display for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023.

Like any team, the Oklahoma Sooners want to create balance on offense. When an offense has balance, it’s difficult to predict. At the same time, the Sooners want to run the football and run it a lot.

In 2022, they had a nearly even run-to-pass split. According to Pro Football Focus, run plays accounted for 52.4% of the Sooners designs. PFF doesn’t count a sack as a run play like the NCAA does.

But that nearly even run-to-pass ratio was largely due to the negative game scripts the Sooners found themselves in so frequently in 2022. The Sooners played a lot of close games a year ago. In several of those close contests, Oklahoma was forced to go to the air more frequently late in games as it played from behind.

Despite that, Oklahoma was a top-10 rushing team in 2022, and there’s a chance it could lead the Power Five in rushing this season.

With an improved defense heading into 2023, the Sooners should find more favorable offensive game scripts to lean on their running game. An improved depth chart provides the opportunity for it to be even more dynamic, as Oklahoma could roll four-deep at running back.

Speaking with the media on Monday, [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] mentioned a foursome that will contribute this year: [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag].

It has been expected that Barnes and Sawchuk would be the RB1A and RB1B of this team. However, the continued mention of Major and Walker can only mean they’ll be a factor.

“Those guys, the way they played in the bowl game obviously was huge with Gavin and Jovantae,” Lebby said. “Jovantae, obviously, was sprinkled in a little more throughout the season than Gavin was, but both those guys look to do big things this fall.”

In the Cheez-It Bowl, both Barnes and Sawchuk ran for 100 yards against a tough Florida State defense. They were the key to Oklahoma’s offensive performance that day, providing optimism they were ready to carry the rushing load.

But Lebby was quick to add Major and Walker’s name to the discussion.

“Obviously, with Marcus, again, he’s had a really good camp,” Lebby shared with the media. “I’ve talked a lot about him, excited about where he’s at.”

Major has shown flashes in his Sooners career, but injuries have kept him from making a more consistent impact. But the big-play ability is there. It was on display in the Sooners’ Cotton Bowl victory over the Florida Gators at the end of the 2020 season. Healthy and ready to roll, Major could be a breakout player for the Sooners in 2023.

That brings us to Tawee Walker. Walker was a junior college transfer ahead of the 2022 season. He saw limited work last year, but after a strong offseason, looks to be in the mix for touches.

“And then you’ll see Tawee as well,” Lebby said. “Tawee’s had an incredible camp had a great spring. And this dude plays the game the way you want it to be played, you know, with a ton of toughness, and excited for him.”

Walker looked really good in the spring game. The Sooners’ offensive staff rode him in that contest, and he was up to the task, running tough and bouncing off would-be tacklers.

But how will Jeff Lebby manage his four horsemen of the running back room?

“You talk about target touches for sure,” Lebby shared. “But as you get into the flow of the game, understanding who’s got the hot hand, and when we need to sub when guys are tired, and inside the flow of drives. It’s different week to week, series to series, and that’s a that’ll play out a little differently every single week.”

While there might be a hierarchy on the running back depth chart, the Sooners are going to give opportunities to all four. Game flow and performance will dictate how it works out. But as Jeff Lebby attempts to play offense at a breakneck pace, the Sooners need depth they can rely on to keep their running backs fresh and more effective late in games.

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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.

23 Bold Predictions for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023

A little over a week away from the start of the 2023 college football season, here are 23 Bold Predictions for the Oklahoma Sooners.

With week zero just days away, game week begins on Monday for the Oklahoma Sooners. That’s right, it’s “football time in Oklahoma.”

It’s the time of the year when final predictions are coming out for the national and Big 12 title races.

For Oklahoma, the expectations remain sky-high despite what happened a year ago. A new year means a new team with a chance to write their own story. And although there are some things that will carry over from 2022 to 2023, this has the feel of a team that’s going to write 2022 out of the history books with their performance this season.

With a little over a week away until kickoff against Arkansas State, I took a shot at 23 BOLD PREDICTIONS for the Oklahoma Sooners this season.

These are in no way meant to be safe or necessarily reasonable. We’re coming RufNek cannons blazing and speaking things into existence.

We hope you’re as excited for the start of college football as we are. So let’s get hyped together with this years BOLD PREDICTIONS.

Marcus Major feels the running back group brings out the best in him

Marcus Major has become the forgotten man in the running back room, but many believe he can still make a big impact this season.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] have a running back problem. The problem is there’s only one ball.

That’s a good problem to have if you’re [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag].

The Sooners return [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag], who as a freshman was second on the team in rushing with a little more than 500 yards. They also bring back [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], who didn’t get a lot of playing time but when he got his chance in the Cheez-It Bowl he took advantage of it.

The forgotten player in the mix is [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag].

Major has dealt with injuries it feels like every year he has been at Oklahoma. However, when he’s played he’s been a big play waiting to happen. Through three games last season, there were many who thought he was the best running back on the team. That includes [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], who ran for more than 1,300 yards.

Major told reporters, the competition between him, Sawchuk and Barnes has been great.

“They’ve progressed so much since they’ve been here, it’s only made me better, it’s making each other better,” Major said. “Iron sharpens iron. I appreciate them for being here and making me go every day and making me be my best every day.”

Major is a talented running back who, when healthy, can play a big role on this team. Some feel he could be the starter in the group as long as he is healthy.

“Me being available for the team so I can do whatever I can to help this team out and just going 1-0 every week.”

For now, it remains to be seen. But the way coaches have talked about Major this offseason, don’t be shocked if he doesn’t run out on the field first on Sept. 2nd.

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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.

Jovantae Barnes ‘more comfortable’ going into year two

After a solid freshman season, Jovantae Barnes is ready to take the reins from Eric Gray and be the leader for the running back group.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] sent out one of the best running games in the nation last season. That was headlined by [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], who had a career year gaining more than 1,300 yards and 11 touchdowns.

That performance helped Gray get drafted in the fifth round by the New York Giants. Much was made about the performance freshman [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] put together in the bowl game, but a player who isn’t being mentioned much is the guy who also ran for 100 yards in that game, [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag].

Barnes is thought to be the guy who steps into the Gray role. Someone who can be a leader for the group. He told reporters he’s up for the challenge.

“Some people say I did okay my freshman year but I’d say that wasn’t really me,” Barnes said. “I was just getting a feel for college and just getting my feet wet.”

Barnes rushed for more than 500 yards and had five touchdowns, including a pair of 100-yard games and two multi-touchdown performances. He feels this year, he’ll be more comfortable on the field.

“I feel like last year was a rough side trying to get to know who I’m reading or who I’m supposed to cut off of just stuff like that. Getting to the next level and I feel like now I’m more comfortable with that and I know more. I just feel more comfortable on the field. I feel like I’m having more fun because I know everything. I don’t have to worry about who is coming or who is pulling or anything like that, I know it already.”

That improvement, along with the emergence of Gavin Sawchuk, is why many feel this group could be the strength of the team. It’s a group the team will almost assuredly rely on, especially when games get tight.

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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.

’A lot of confidence’: Gavin Sawchuk hoping to build off impressive bowl game

2022 was a year of learning for Gavin Sawchuk but once he got his chance, he let the whole country know he’s ready for what’s to come.

The Oklahoma Sooners should have one of the best running games in the entire country. The Sooners ranked 10th nationally a year ago averaging 219.4 yards per game.

That was with one guy, [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], taking the bulk of the Carrie’s. Gray ran for 1,366 yards and 13 touchdowns. The next highest was true freshman [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] with 519 yards and five touchdowns.

There were going to be a lot of questions about the running back room heading into this season but then came the bowl game. In the Cheez-It Bowl, Barnes and fellow true freshman [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] both ran for more than 100 yards against a defense that ranked 15th nationally.

Sawchuk told reporters he feels the confidence he gained from that performance could help him have a big year this season.

“Just being able to have that experience of actually being out there on the field, especially against a team like [autotag]Florida State[/autotag], you know, a lot of confidence,” Sawchuk said. “Same thing preparing for the offseason. Still building that confidence and building the skills necessary to perfect my game and be ready for week one.”

It’s that one-game performance that makes a lot of Sooner fans feel the running back room could be the strongest on the team this season. But Sawchuk feels he has to build off of that momentum.

“Just confidence in knowing that I’ve already done it,” Sawchuk said. “Just being hungry for the opportunity, being ready for the opportunity. I know that when my time comes, I have to be prepared and I know what I have to do so that I am ready when it does come. So, come week one I’m ready for the game, I know what to expect and excited for what’s coming.”

There are a lot of expectations for these two running backs. But if that bowl game was any indication, this could be the best running back duo Oklahoma has had since [autotag]Joe Mixon[/autotag] and [autotag]Samaje Perine[/autotag]. Not bad company to be a part of.

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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.

Four-star running back Caden Durham chooses LSU over Oklahoma and Texas A&M

Oklahoma misses out as four-star running back Caden Durham chooses LSU over the Sooners and Texas A&M.

While Oklahoma has been scorching hot this summer on the recruiting trail, they suffered a loss on Thursday afternoon as four-star running back Caden Durham decided to commit to LSU over the Sooners and the Texas A&M Aggies.

Oklahoma had been a staple in Durham’s recruitment for a year. The Sooners’ connections to Durham gave them a premium opportunity to land the speedster who plays his high school ball at Duncanville High School right outside Dallas, Texas.

Durham was raised in Oklahoma. His mother was a member of Oklahoma’s track and field team, and Durham has friendships with other 2024 Sooners targets. Oklahoma had a fair shot but a massive selling point in Durham’s recruitment was the ability to be a two-sport athlete and run track in addition to playing football. LSU has one of the nation’s best track programs.

When all was said and done, Oklahoma fought to the very last minute, even reportedly reaching out late the night before his commitment to try and swing him, ultimately to no avail.

In Durham’s commitment to LSU, the Sooners miss out on the No. 95 player in the  247Sports composite rankings and a consensus four-star player across the board.

The loss will sting, but DeMarco Murray has shown in the last few recruiting cycles that he has a good handle on recruiting running backs.

Earlier this summer, he landed the nation’s number one running back commitment when Taylor Tatum, another two-sport athlete, chose Oklahoma over the USC Trojans. Murray’s running back coup from the class of 2022 (Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk) figures to carry a significant portion of the Oklahoma rushing offense this year, so he is recruiting well and developing them into impactful players.

Considering the background, losing out on Durham should sting, but Oklahoma should and will bounce back in the long term. To round out this running back class, the Sooners will look to close on three-star athlete Andy Bass, who can play running back and line up as a slot receiver.

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Oklahoma Sooners have the weapons to be great on offense

Though the Sooners lost a lot of talent to the NFL draft, there’s still the talent for the offense to be dynamic in 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the midst of a minor retooling on the offensive side of the football. They’re working to replace three starters along the offensive line, their top two pass catchers ([autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] and [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag]), and their leading rusher ([autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag]).

[autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] led the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving yards each of his three seasons in Norman.

Despite all of the turnover, the Oklahoma Sooners are still an incredibly talented offense.

Replacing [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] at left tackle is [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag]. Rouse started 38 games at Stanford, a program known for producing good to great rushing attacks. That should play well in a [autotag]Jeff Lebby [/autotag]offense that wants to run the rock and run it a lot.

At right tackle [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] is replacing one-year starter Wanya Morris. There may not be a player in Oklahoma’s starting lineup that has as high a ceiling as Guyton. Jared Verse, a future top 10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, called Guyton the best tackle he’d faced. Though he doesn’t have a ton of experience, the expectations are high for the incredibly athletic offensive tackle.

[autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] slides over to right guard to replace Chris Murray, and at the moment, it looks like [autotag]Savion Byrd[/autotag] is the frontrunner at left guard. Byrd has just one collegiate start under his belt but was good in the Sooners matchup with Florida State. Byrd helped the Sooners have a fantastic day on the ground against the Seminoles.

Oklahoma is hoping for a similar breakout from [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] that Willis experienced a year ago. In a thin tight end room, Stogner has to have a big season. He has the athletic prowess to be a game-changer in the passing game. His only question is his health. If Stogner can stay healthy for an entire season, there’s a chance he surpasses Willis’ receiving totals from a year ago.

Wide receiver still has some questions. Namely, who will start on the outside opposite [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]? [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] will likely start in the slot in three or more wide receiver sets. Then it comes down to a host of wide receiver talents that are vying for that No. 2 spot. There are a lot of really good options, like [autotag]Brenen Thompso[/autotag]n, [autotag]Andrel Anthon[/autotag]y, [autotag]LV Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. There’s a good chance the Sooners roll two deep at each wide receiver spot in games to keep everyone fresh in the Sooners’ uptempo offense.

But they have a good amount of depth to work with.

Speaking of depth, there’s no position on the offensive side of the ball as deep as the Sooners running back room. Led by [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], the Sooners are loaded with talented runners. In addition to the sophomore running backs, the coaching staff is high on [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] and the roles they’ll be able to play this year. Throw in true freshmen [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag] and [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag], and the Sooners have six guys they feel can help them run the football.

Featuring guys like Farooq and Barnes provide a physical dynamic that should allow Oklahoma to pick up dirty yards after contact and after the catch.

In addition to becoming a more physical team, the Sooners emphasized adding speed this offseason. Freeman and Sawchuk return and Oklahoma also added Smothers, Thompson, and Pettaway to their ranks. That’s a group of guys that are threats to score from any spot on the field any time they touch the ball because of speed.

At quarterback, the Sooners have an experienced veteran who threw for more than 3,100 yards and 25 touchdowns in Dillon Gabriel last season. 2022 was his first at the Power Five level and he was good. Now, he needs to take a step to improve the Sooners fortunes on third and fourth down and in the red zone.

The Sooners lost a lot of talent to the draft this offseason, but that doesn’t mean their devoid of talent. It’s a deep offensive roster that can help the Sooners be even better than they were in 2022.

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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.

Offseason Stock Up, Stock Down for the Oklahoma Sooners

Taking stock of certain aspects of Oklahoma’s football team after a long offseason. Who is trending up and down?

The offseason is coming to a close, and the 2023 football season is right around the corner. When the pads go on, teams take the intensity up a notch as they dig deeper to prepare for the season.

Oklahoma’s offseason has been pretty quiet, all things considered. Conference realignment isn’t dominating headlines for Oklahoma. Its focus is on being the best Oklahoma team it can be in its final Big 12 season.

Each week during the season, we take stock of where the Sooners are as a team and which way individuals within the program are trending. Here’s an offseason look at the stock report.