Tag: Gavin Sawchuk

Sooners continue building recruiting board for 2024, offer RB Caden Durham

Oklahoma continues to cast a wide net at running back with an offer to 2024 prospect Caden Durham out of Duncanville.

[autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] has had no issues acclimating himself as a college football coach. He has been a calm and steady coach and is blossoming into a highly capable recruiter.

His 2022 haul included [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] and [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag], two backs we will see this fall. His 2023 class has two backs committed: four-star [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag] and [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag].

With presumably the 2023 class locked up, Murray is back on the hunt for his 2024 guys. While [autotag]Stacy Gage[/autotag] and [autotag]Tovani Mizell[/autotag] stand out early, the Sooners cannot get caught with their hands in only two jars. They continued casting a wide net and sent an offer to talented running back Caden Durham of Duncanville, one of Texas’ premier high school football programs.

Durham also has massive connections to Oklahoma, Durham’s mother is an Oklahoma alumnus, and he played his freshman season at South Moore High School before moving to Texas.

Durham is a smaller back, standing at 5-foot-9 and clocking at a reported 180 pounds. He has a knack for breaking the initial tackle attempt and continuing to plant and go, which, in Jeff Lebby’s power zone scheme, would serve him well. He runs track, and his top end shows when he’s able to get to the second and third levels of the defense.

Durham looks like a quality option to fit in the new Sooners run scheme, and he has the shake necessary to be a productive college running back. He’s not rated by 247Sports, Rivals or On3, but ESPN has him in its top 300, so he’s certainly a player to keep an eye on.

Caden Durham’s Recruiting Profile

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Sooners RB coach DeMarco Murray’s recruiting efforts noticed by ESPN

Retaining DeMarco Murray was a very good move by Brent Venables. The recruits Murray is getting are among the best in the country.

Since joining the Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff under Lincoln Riley in 2020, running backs coach [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] has been an invaluable asset on both the recruiting trail and on Saturdays.

The former NFL All-Pro was, of course, one of the coaches Brent Venables decided to hang on to when he came from Clemson.

It wasn’t all that long ago Oklahoma was known for its running backs instead of its quarterbacks. Jeff Lebby’s offense, which favors establishing the run, is yet another reason for young running backs to choose Oklahoma.

For the 2023 recruiting class, Murray has obtained commitments from No. 12 RB Daylon Smothers and No. 26 RB Kalib Hicks.

ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren has noticed Murray’s efforts to restock the Sooners’ running back room and believes the Sooners are among the best in the country recruiting running backs.

Brent Venables and the new staff came in with a tough task of replacing quite a few players who transferred out with the coaching change. Quarterbacks Caleb Williams and [autotag]Spencer Rattler[/autotag] both impacted the passing and run game, combining for nine rushing touchdowns. Leading rusher [autotag]Kennedy Brooks[/autotag] is off to the NFL, but the staff is returning [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag] and adding in [autotag]Bentavious Thompson[/autotag] as well as quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag].

The coaches signed ESPN 300 running backs [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] and [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] in 2022, and now have commitments from ESPN 300 back [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag] and three-star [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag]. – VanHaaren, ESPN

Murray seems to have a type. All four RB commits from the last two seasons are 5-foot-11 or 6 feet. All four are around the same weight. Murray weighed 220 pounds during his NFL days.

After landing Derrick LeBlanc, the Sooners have the No. 6 recruiting class in the nation for 2023.

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Running wild: Oklahoma keeps up their recruiting momentum landing 4-star running back Daylan Smothers

After releasing his top four featuring Oklahoma, Alabama, NC State, and Florida State, four-star RB Daylan Smothers picks OU.

The Sooners have broken into a full-out sprint on the recruiting trail in the month of July after getting their legs under them in June. Their recruiting exploits have taken them to the Pacific Northwest through the midwest and to the northeast.

These aren’t places a team like Oklahoma typically ventures into to find talent.

Another part of the country that is relatively untapped for Oklahoma is the state of North Carolina. The Oklahoma Sooners have had a bit more of a presence here in the last few years, with former Sooners like [autotag]Austin Kendall[/autotag], [autotag]Ryan Jones[/autotag], and most recently, [autotag]Jeremiah Hall[/autotag] all hailing from the N.C. Adding to that list is another Sooner, as the North Carolina High School Player of the Year by the Charlotte Observer and News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag] committed to Oklahoma on Thursday afternoon.

Smothers, a do-it-all four-star running back hoping to play his final year of high school ball at West Charlotte High School, received an offer from Oklahoma in March when he shined the brightest at the Rivals camp held in Charlotte, NC. Standing front and center was the trio of DeMarco Murray, Brent Venables, and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. They extended the offer and then proceeded to put the full court press on Smothers, who was considering Alabama, Florida State, and in-state school N.C. State. Smothers is the 15th commitment for the Sooners.

 

Projections came in fast and furious in favor of Oklahoma for the running back when he dropped his top four a few weeks ago, and that was the precursor to letting the recruiting world know who was the overwhelming favorite with a commitment imminent.

His combination of speed, power, and vision made him a coveted prospect by many teams on the east coast, and he’s now a Sooner. He pairs with Kalib Hicks, another four-star running back, to round out the Sooners’ recruiting efforts in the backfield. With Hicks and Smothers, the Sooners get dynamic playmakers with track backgrounds. Both have some legitimate acceleration and top-end speed and will only add to the running back room when they team with guys like Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk upon arriving on campus next year.

With recruiting all but done for 2023, DeMarco Murray can now look forward to 2024 as he seeks to build on this year’s work. Names to watch early on include four-stars Stacy Gage and Tovani Mizell.

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Each Quarterback and Running Back the Oklahoma Sooners have offered in the 2024 recruiting class

With the focus on 2023 this summer, let’s take a look at the quarterbacks and running backs the Oklahoma Sooners have offered in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Oklahoma’s had a lot of success recruiting the quarterback and running back positions since in the school’s history. Though the style of player has changed from the dynastic eras of the Bud Wilkinson and Barry Switzer days, Bob Stoops and Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma Sooners were able to attract some of the best skill players the country has had to offer.

Since the turn of the century, Oklahoma’s had some of the best offensive players the game has seen, as evidenced by their four Heisman trophies, several finalists, and highly productive rushing attacks.

And now with Jeff Lebby running the show, Oklahoma’s going to continue that run of highly skilled offensive players at the Palace on the Prairie.

The Sooners have a nice group of quarterbacks to work with over the next couple of years with [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Evers[/autotag], [autotag]Davis Beville[/autotag], and [autotag]General Booty[/autotag] on the 2022 roster and [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] coming in 2023.

At running back, Oklahoma is also looking really good with [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag]. [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag], [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag], and [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] on the depth chart for 2022 with four-start running back [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag] to come in 2023.

While the Sooners continue their push for the 2023 recruiting class, let’s take a look ahead to see who they’re targeting in 2024.

Oklahoma Sooners 20 highest rated running backs of all-time according to 247Sports

Oklahoma’s had their share of stars at the running back position and here are the top 20 commits of all time per 247Sports.

Norman, Okla. has been the home of some of the best college running backs over the last couple of decades. From Adrian Peterson to Kennedy Brooks, the Sooners have produced some fantastic running back seasons and that doesn’t look to be slowing down as OU looks to the future.

Jovantae Barnes made a splash in the 2022 spring game and there’s a lot of excitement about fellow 2022 running back, and summer enrollee, Gavin Sawchuk as well.

DeMarco Murray, a former five-star player, has become a fantastic recruiter for the Sooners, landing Barnes and Sawchuk and keeping them aboard despite the coaching change. In the last couple of weeks, he’s added a running back to the 2023 class in Kalib Hicks. While Dylan Edwards and Tre Wisner surprised everyone by going against the projections, the Sooners will add another running back in the next couple of months to continue to build the depth chart for the next few years.

As we look to the future, let’s take a look at the past with the Oklahoma Sooners’ top 20 running back recruits in the 247Sports database. Running backs like Seymore Shaw and Justin Johnson, who were originally Oklahoma commits but ended up playing elsewhere were not included. D.J. Wolfe, who was recruited as a running back but flipped to safety was included.

Oklahoma Sooners 7th in ESPN’s updated future rankings

Though the Oklahoma Sooners saw a ton of turnover after 2021, the future is still bright as ESPN ranked them 7th in their future rankings.

Change can be tough. The Oklahoma Sooners saw a lot of change in a short time in November and December. While it created many questions about the program’s future, new head coach Brent Venables provided a steady hand at the wheel to restore confidence in Oklahoma.

That’s why, despite all of the turnover, Oklahoma remains in high regard across the country and is considered a contender in the Big 12 and for a playoff spot. The Sooners will face challenges from Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas (as they do seemingly every year), but after the Sooners’ work in the transfer portal and in their 2022 recruiting class, folks are confident Oklahoma will be competing for the conference title at the end of the season.

Every offseason, ESPN takes a look at where each team stands in regard to the present and the future. After being ranked No. 4 in the 2021 version of these rankings, the Sooners fell to No. 7 in 2022. Let’s take a look at what Adam Rittenberg had to say about the Sooners’ rankings.

2023 4-star running back Cedric Baxter releases his Top 5

Late to the party with a January offer, the Oklahoma Sooners missed the top 5 for 2023 four-star running back Cedric Baxter.

It was a fantastic weekend in Norman for recruits, alumni, players, and fans. The Sooners went all out to put on a fantastic spring game weekend that drew more than 75,000 fans to Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for the festivities.

While the Sooners have begun to see those efforts garner them Crystal Ball projections for several players, they’ve had running back prospects opt to look elsewhere to play their collegiate career.

First, the news came down that Tre Wisner, a player the Sooners were the favorites to land before the weekend, changed direction and is headed south of the Red River to Texas. Now, another player Oklahoma only recently got in the race on, Cedric Baxter cut his list of schools in consideration to five and Oklahoma didn’t make the cut. Baxter included the Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies, Arkansas Razorbacks, Florida Gators, and Miami Hurricanes.

Late to the game with an offer back in January, it looks like the Sooners were never really in on one of the top running backs in the class. Still, they’re in good standing with the top player in Kansas, [autotag]Dylan Edwards[/autotag]. With his spring game performance, [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] showed he can be a bell-cow running back for the Oklahoma Sooners.

While they continue to look for a running back to add to their 2023 recruiting class, they can feel good knowing they have Barnes, [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag], and Tawee Walker available to them in 2023 and 2024.

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‘I’m extremely impressed’: DeMarco Murray shares thoughts Eric Gray, Jovantae Barnes and the RB group

Speaking to the media Wednesday, DeMarco Murray shared his thoughts on the state of the running back group.

Replacing a running back with three career 1,000-yard seasons is no easy task. [autotag]Kennedy Brooks[/autotag] will be missed as he departs for the NFL. But as the world turns, so does turnover in college football. Here today, gone tomorrow.

As they’ve been over the years, the Oklahoma Sooners are well-positioned to keep the good times rolling at running back with [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag], [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], Todd Hudson, [autotag]Jaden Knowles[/autotag], and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag].

It’s a really good and diverse group of talents that each could have an impact for the Sooners in 2022. In [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag]’s offense that will run more than 70 plays a game and aim for balance, the running backs will be put to work as the Sooners look to return to a balanced offense.

Speaking with the media on Wednesday, running backs coach [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] shared his thoughts on the state of the running back group as they near the end of spring practice.

Oklahoma Sooners 6th in ESPN’s future offense power rankings

The Oklahoma Sooners land at No. 6 in ESPN’s future offense power rankings.

As spring practice rages on for the Oklahoma Sooners, they’re in the midst of a turnover in the offensive system. Coming from Ole Miss, Jeff Lebby’s installing his up-tempo offense that has typically been in the top five in plays ran during his tenures with the Rebels and UCF.

Even with the turnover that Oklahoma experienced, they remain in great shape in 2022 and in the future on the offensive side of the football.

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN released his future offense power rankings for 2022. In 2021, the Oklahoma Sooners were first in the country, buoyed by former top quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams and a host of talented players. A third-place finish in the Big 12, a coaching change, and a transfer portal cycle later, the Oklahoma Sooners are now sixth in the updated rankings for 2022, just one spot behind the USC Trojans.

Let’s explore what Rittenberg had to say about the Oklahoma Sooners offense and its future.

Freshman Jaren Kanak one of 247Sports’ freshmen to watch this spring

247Sports lists Jaren Kanak as a freshman to watch in the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 spring game.

There are still about three weeks separating the Oklahoma Sooners from taking the field for their first spring game under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] but that hasn’t slowed the hype train.

There are a slew of new players that will make their Oklahoma debut in April’s spring game and 247Sports’ Sam Marsdale has their eye on a particular freshman on Oklahoma’s defense; linebacker [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag].

Kanak was committed to Clemson but followed Brent Venables to Norman after he accepted the head coaching job with the Sooners. Track guy who has run as fast as 10.37 at over 200 pounds,” Trieu wrote in his evaluation of Kanak. “Multi-positional player in high school but future projection is most likely outside linebacker. An explosive player who has good burst, acceleration, and obvious speed to pursue on defense. Ball skills he shows on offense should translate to defense where he should be a strong coverage backer if that is indeed where he ends up playing. Times his blitzes well, and when combined with his quickness, that allows him to penetrate and make plays in the backfield.- Sam Marsdale, 247Sports

Kanak’s journey to Oklahoma was a bit of a crazy one. However, the bond he forged early on in his recruitment with Venables won out. Kanak joins one of Oklahoma’s most talented position groups at linebacker. [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag], [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], [autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag], and four-star freshman [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag] all are competing for time at Oklahoma’s second level.

Kanak stands out as he may be the most athletic of them all and he’s only 18 years old. He will most likely see snaps in the spring game and it will be intriguing to see how he looks with those reps. How he diagnoses a play, reacts, what angles he takes, and how well he’s able to shed blocks are what to watch for as he tries to make a case for meaningful playing time in the fall.

While Kanak is the name that got highlighted, there are two other freshmen we look forward to watching on April 23; [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Evers[/autotag]. Even though neither is projected to be a starter, both will play critical roles as depth should the upperclassmen and players in front of them go down with an injury. In essence, both players could be one play away.

Barnes, a four-star running back out of Las Vegas, figures to see plenty of snaps as the Sooners won’t run [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] too much considering they are their two top backs. Barnes will get the opportunity to run the ball and show what he can bring to the running game. He’s a few steps ahead of his fellow 2022 signee in [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag]. Sawchuk won’t be joining the program until the summertime. Barnes can separate himself and earn the RB3 role with a great performance in the spring game.

Evers has an even more important role as he could potentially be the Sooners’ backup quarterback. He is a true freshman of course but with the Sooners not having another battle-tested scholarship quarterback on the roster that backup responsibility falls firmly on the shoulders of Evers.

The former four-star QB out of Texas is a talented dual-threat player that has already taken advantage of Oklahoma’s strength and conditioning program. Acclimating himself to the speed of collegiate defenses and reading defenses will be his biggest hurdle but he’ll get plenty of reps this spring and in the spring game to showcase how far he has come under Jeff Lebby’s tutelage. The Sooners hope he shows enough that they can trust him if need be to come in for starter Dillon Gabriel should Gabriel miss snaps at all this season.

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