Tag: Jovantae Barnes

Jovantae Barnes back in the mix after injury riddled 2023

We now know what was holding Jovantae Barnes back last year after a promising freshman season.

Last year was supposed to be the season [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] experienced breakout years. Instead, it was [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] leading the way in the early part of 2023.

That was because Sawchuk was nursing an injury, but it was never clear why Barnes wasn’t playing much. He would suit up just about every game. He would even get in at some points but just never looked like himself.

Barnes met with the media after practice on Monday and shared what happened last season.

“It had a lot to do with my foot surgery and just the timing,” Barnes said. “Just me trying to rush it and make sure I can be back before the season and be out here for the coaches and make sure they can depend on me. I just wasn’t ready, and there would be times where I was like, ‘Okay, I feel good at practice, I feel good this week.’ Then I would go back out there, and I wouldn’t be able to burst.”

Barnes said he’s spent a lot of time in the training room this offseason and finally feels back to normal. A lack of playing time and Sawchuk’s breakout stretch to close the year brought a lot of speculation that he might hit the transfer portal after the year. Barnes said that wasn’t an option as he wanted to keep playing for running backs coach [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag].

If the Sooners can get Barnes back to what he was as a freshman, they could have a legit one-two punch heading into the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. But both guys have to get healthy and stay healthy this offseason.

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Oklahoma Sooners Snapshot Profile: Running back Gavin Sawchuk

2024 player profile of running back Gavin Sawchuk.

Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with running back [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] up next.

Continue reading “Oklahoma Sooners Snapshot Profile: Running back Gavin Sawchuk”

Gavin Sawchuk graded as a top 10 freshman running back by Pro Football Focus

Gavin Sawchuk had a really solid season for the Sooners which earned him a top 10 running back grade among freshman running backs per PFF.

The running back position for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023 was an up-and-down roller coaster. What was thought to be a strength of the team early in the season ended up being one of their weaker positions for most of the year.

That was until [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] emerged about midway through the season. After that, he gave the Sooners a running game and running attack they didn’t have for much of the season. So much so the redshirt freshman running back was graded as the seventh-best freshman running back by Pro Football Focus.

Sawchuk finished the year with 744 yards on 6.2 yards per carry and led all freshmen running backs with nine touchdowns. He ended the season on a tear after being plagued by an injury early in the season. He had five straight 100-yard games and averaged more than seven yards per carry in those five.

If he kept that five-game average for all 13 games last season, he would have finished with more than 1,600 yards rushing. Finishing at No. 4 in the nation and second in the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag]. He also would have finished tied for No. 6 in touchdowns.

It was a great ending to the season for Sawchuk but in 2024 he’s going to have to find a way to stay healthy. Even in their bowl game what appeared to be an injury he suffered in the second half really hurt the way the team finished. If he can stay healthy though, he could prove to be one of the better backs in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

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5 positions where the Oklahoma Sooners are better than they were a year ago

Every year there is roster turnover, but where are the Sooners better? Here are five positions Oklahoma’s better than they were a year ago.

Every offseason teams around college football have to deal with a significant amount of turnover to their roster. That’s been the case for the Sooners each season of the Brent Venables era.

No position group was hit harder than the offensive line. They lost the five guys that were starters for the majority of the season. Though they’ve been able to retool the lineup with transfer portal additions, it will be months before we know if those additions will work out.

Elsewhere, however, the Sooners look to be in really good shape, especially when you compare it to how several positions looked this time last year.

Here are five position groups that look better compared to where they were a year ago.

Sooners continue to add via the transfer portal with commitment from RB Sam Franklin

Oklahoma continues to add productive pieces via the portal as UT-Martin transfer Sam Franklin commits to the Sooners.

Oklahoma has lost three running backs to the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] in the last few weeks. In many ways, it was beneficial, given it is nearly impossible to keep six scholarship running backs happy.

[autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag], [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag] and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] entered the transfer portal. Walker is still practicing with the team, so there’s a chance he remains in Norman. [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] and the rest of the offensive staff decided losing three running backs was too much and offered multiple players in the transfer portal. One of those offers went to Sam Franklin, a talented and productive running back from UT-Martin.

After a visit with Oklahoma this week, Franklin cashed in that offer and announced his commitment to the Sooners. Franklin was a Walter Payton award finalist for the Skyhawks. The award is given annually to the national offensive player of the year in the Football Championship Subdivision of Division I.

For the 5-foot-10, 190-pound redshirt sophomore, 2023 was a massive year. With 223 carries, he amassed 1,378 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns. He caught 14 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown in 11 games. He’s decisive and quick enough to break away at the second level. Adding him to [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] and [autotag]Jovontae Barnes[/autotag] gives Oklahoma three game-ready backs who have produced significantly. It also allows Oklahoma to ease incoming freshmen [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag], [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag] and [autotag]Andy Bass[/autotag] into the collegiate football world.

Franklin has two years of eligibility remaining, and his commitment brings Oklahoma’s transfer portal commitment tally to four.

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Another Oklahoma running back enters the transfer portal

The hits continue as the Oklahoma Sooners lose another one to the transfer portal.

Transfer portal season is here. The Oklahoma Sooners had several players enter their names into the portal on Monday. The Sooners have lost three running backs to the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag]. [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] made his announcement earlier Monday.

Major came in as a highly touted running back from Oklahoma City, but injuries held him back. He came back this season and started for much of the year before getting injured once again.

Major finished his Oklahoma career with 194 carries for 833 yards and eight touchdowns. Major has one year remaining and will be a sixth-year senior wherever he decides to go next.

Most likely, this leaves the Sooners with [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag], [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag] and [autotag]Emeka Megwa[/autotag] for the bowl game.

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5 positions the Oklahoma Sooners don’t need to pursue in the transfer portal

The transfer portal opens on Monday Dec. 4 and while Oklahoma will address certain spots, there are several positions they don’t need to worry about.

The transfer portal is set to open on Monday Dec. 4 and the Oklahoma Sooners will be active to improve the talent on the roster.

Bryant Crews, here at Sooners Wire, highlighted several positions that should be a priority for the Sooners in portal season. However, there are a few spots that Oklahoma looks pretty good at heading into the 2024 offseason.

Brent Venables and his staff have done a great job building the talent base on both sides of the ball through both the high school and transfer portal ranks. And as the young talent on the roster continues to develop, there will be less need to attack the transfer portal for starters.

Here are five areas that look good to go for the Oklahoma Sooners as they head into the opening of the transfer portal.

Sooners RB Tawee Walker planning to enter transfer portal

Running back Tawee Walker announces his plan to enter transfer portal.

Oklahoma’s running back room just got slightly smaller as junior running back Tawee Walker announced plans to enter the transfer portal.

The decision comes as a bit of a shock, considering Walker is the clear-cut number two back on the team. Still, it’s understandable that Walker decided to seek opportunities for more carries as Gavin Sawchuk has tightened his grip as the bell-cow back towards the end of the season and into the offseason.

This year, Walker has been a significant part of the Sooners’ running game. While his numbers aren’t gaudy, except for a one-game suspension, Walker had multiple carries in critical moments in almost every game this season. Walker and Marcus Major were the duo that got the season started, while Sawchuk and his fellow 2022 classmate Jovantae Barnes worked to get healthy.

Walker, who walked on from Palomar College, appeared in 10 games and started one. This season, he rushed for 496 yards with seven touchdowns and zero fumbles, averaging a sturdy 5.2 yards per carry. He had two multi-touchdown games—one against Arkansas State to start the season and another against Texas in the Red River Rivalry game.

As new play-caller Seth Littrell attempts to start piecing together his vision for this offense next year, he’ll have to do so without arguably Oklahoma’s most physical runner.

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2023 Position Review: Oklahoma Sooners running backs start the season slow, finish strong

The running back position was a disappointment for most of the season but how they closed the year provided reason to be excited about 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ running back room had an up-and-down season in 2023. It was supposed to be one of their stronger groups led by [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag].

But both players battled injuries earlier in the season, so instead, it was the [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] show for the first half of the year. Walker and Major did a solid job in that role, but both have their limitations. Oklahoma needed Barnes or Sawchuk to get healthy and take the reins.

Barnes was never really able to get healthy or contribute, but after the bye week, Sawchuk took off. He finished the year with four straight 100-yard games and gave the Sooners a look at what they hoped to have all season.

Let’s take a look at their overall grade based on preseason expectations, who stepped up, their best performances, and what the future holds for the position.

More: 2023 Review: Sooners Quarterbacks exceed expectations.

Center Andrew Raym discusses two snap-related turnovers from Bedlam loss

The Sooners had two snap-related turnovers on Saturday and their starting center breaks down what went wrong.

The center-quarterback exchange is the most important play in all of football. It’s what starts the play and depending on how clean it is can also determine if the play stays in rhythm or not.

On Saturday, the Sooners botched that exchange twice, resulting in two turnovers. The first one looked like it was a direct snap to running back [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag]. It was a little high but Barnes needed to catch it but after the bobble, he should have just gone down instead of trying to hand it off to [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag].

The second one was a play where [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag] must have heard a clap and snapped it before Gabriel was ready. It hit him right in the shin and bounced forward also resulting in a turnover for the Sooners this time deep in their own territory.

Raym talked about those snaps after practice on Monday.

“I’ll take the blame on one of them,” Raym said. “On one of them, I maybe let the environment get to me. I heard something I shouldn’t have and went. I can’t take the blame for all of them.”

When plays like those go wrong, there are usually multiple factors as to why it didn’t work. Still having a three-year starter at center and a four-year starter at quarterback, you’d think those things wouldn’t happen. Especially not in a game like that. The shotgun snap has been an issue at different points this year. Whether it’s a bad snap or the running back direct snap, the Sooners have to clean it up.

Now Oklahoma has their backs against the wall. We’ll see if they can clean up the turnovers and come out swinging this week against West Virginia.

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