Tag: Tawee Walker

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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Wisconsin landed one of the best transfer running backs this offseason

Wisconsin landed one of the best transfer running backs this offseason

The Wisconsin Badgers were active in the transfer portal this offseason. Luke Fickell’s program landed 12 players, including new starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (Miami) and top-ranked linebacker Tackett Curtis (USC).

The transfer class ranks No. 18 nationally and No. 5 in the new Big Ten.

Related: You might be surprised where Wisconsin football is on ESPN’s early 2024 SP+ rankings

One under-the-radar name in the class is former Oklahoma running back Tawee Walker. With Braelon Allen gone to the NFL and Chez Mellusi coming off yet another significant injury, the Badgers greatly needed help at the position.

It seems they found it in Walker, who is ProFootballFocus’ third-ranked transfer running back this offseason:

Walker is 247Sports’ No. 350 overall transfer and No. 34 running back. PFF was more impressed at what it saw last season when the junior rushed for 513 yards and seven touchdowns on 102 carries.

The former Oklahoma Sooner is set to have a big impact for the Badgers this fall.

[lawrence-related id=70711,69921,70648]

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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Nic Anderson named a freshman All-American by FWAA

The accolades keep on coming as Nic Anderson was named a freshman All-American by FWAA.

We are nearly a month since the 2023 college football season for the Oklahoma Sooners came to a close. Still, the accolades keep on coming for the Sooners.

This time, it’s for wide receiver [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. Anderson was named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team, the FWAA announced Tuesday. Anderson joins [autotag]Marvin Mims Jr.[/autotag] as the only Sooners to be recognized by the FWAA as freshman All-Americans.

Anderson finished the year with 798 yards and 10 touchdowns on 38 receptions. His 10 touchdowns were a school freshman record, and his 798 receiving yards are the second most ever by an OU freshman, falling nine yards short of [autotag]CeeDee Lamb[/autotag]’s record.

He ranked fifth nationally with his 21.0 yards per reception and he registered at least 100 receiving yards three times on the year and 90 or more receiving yards in five games.

Anderson was a touchdown machine. He scored multiple touchdowns twice this season. His coming out party was when he snagged three touchdowns on three receptions with a season-high 120 yards at [autotag]Tulsa[/autotag].

He also scored twice while gaining 105 yards on five catches against [autotag]UCF[/autotag]. His most memorable play was when he caught the game-winning touchdown against the Texas Longhorns with 15 seconds remaining.

He had 119 yards on four catches against [autotag]West Virginia[/autotag]. He made his record-setting 10th touchdown on a great catch in the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag] against [autotag]Arizona[/autotag] on a great throw by [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag].

Anderson was also named a Freshman All-American by The Athletic and was a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.

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Wisconsin officially announces the signing of Oklahoma transfer RB Tawee Walker

The Badgers add a transfer running back

Earlier today, Wisconsin officially announced the signing of Oklahoma transfer running back Tawee Walker as the Badgers added to their postseason success in the portal.

Walker was Oklahoma’s change of pace back this past season, and had seven touchdowns to go with his 513 yards as a Sooner this past year. He comes to Wisconsin to play in a running back room headlined by Chez Mellusi, who will return to lead the way. Walker heads to Madison with one year of eligibility left in a running back room that will lose Braelon Allen’s services to the NFL draft after this season.

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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Oklahoma Sooners make final 4 for coveted transfer running back

The Sooners could soon get more good news in the transfer portal. This time a running back with SEC experience.

The Oklahoma Sooners lost three running backs to the transfer portal this offseason: [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag], [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag], and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag].

While they are expected to sign the No. 1 running back in the country, [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag], they would like to add someone in the [autotag]transfer porta[/autotag]l.

One of the running backs they are looking at is someone with [autotag]SEC[/autotag] experience, [autotag]Mario Anderson[/autotag].

Anderson played for the [autotag]South Carolina Gamecocks[/autotag]. He led the Gamecocks in rushing with 707 yards and three scores. If you watched the Gamecocks this year, you would know how impressive that is, given how poor their offensive line was.

Nonetheless, the Sooners will have to battle against three other teams for Anderson’s services. One of the teams they are competing against is a team all too familiar to Sooner fans. Anderson included Oklahoma alongside USC, Memphis and Cal.

If the Sooners are able to earn his commitment, Anderson would provide leadership to a really young room next season.

[autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] seems to have solidified his spot as the starting running back, but he’s a third-year guy next year with only one season of experience. The losses of Walker and Major were big in the sense that you lost your two veterans in the room. Anderson would come in and fill that void.

For now, the Sooners are in wait-and-see mode with a lot of their portal targets. Anderson is no different.

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Oklahoma vs. Arizona in the Alamo Bowl one of the best of bowl season

This year’s Alamo Bowl matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and Arizona Wildcats ranks as one of the best bowls this season per CBS Sports.

The Oklahoma Sooners were on the cusp of reaching the Big 12 title game but just missed out when BYU fell to Oklahoma State. Then, it seemed like they had a shot to sneak into a New Year’s Six bowl, but the committee felt like their losses outweighed their win over Texas.

Still, there’s one more game to make a statement in 2023 with a matchup against the Arizona Wildcats in the Alamo Bowl. An opportunity to finish with 11 wins and head into the offseason with more momentum.

And this matchup with Arizona has a chance to be one of the best of the bowl season. Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports put the Alamo Bowl at No. 5 in his ranking of every bowl game this season.

Arizona was one of my favorite teams to watch this season. Early in the year, the Wildcats were forced to turn to backup QB Noah Fifita, and it was the best thing that could’ve happened to them as Fifita has been one of the best players in the country since. He’s been the driving force behind leading the Wildcats to their best season since 2014. They’ll face an Oklahoma team that’s been up and down this year. The Sooners are 10-2, but the offense tends to disappear at times, and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby just left for the Mississippi State job. Still, my initial reaction to seeing this matchup is that it has the potential to be a thriller, which would be nothing new for an Alamo Bowl.

If you’re not familiar with our beloved Alamo Bowl’s history, it’s traditionally been a high-scoring game. The last 14 games have averaged 66.2 points with the winning team averaging 40.3. Both of these teams are more than capable of living up to the game’s past. – Fornelli, CBS Sports

The Arizona Wildcats were a really good team in 2023. Their losses to Washington and USC came by a combined nine points. They won six in a row to close out the regular season, which included a 42-18 win over Utah.

The Wildcats rank in the top 30 nationally in scoring offense and scoring defense. They’ve allowed just 20.8 points per game and are scoring 34.3 points per game.

The Sooners have been one of the best offenses in the country this year. They’re No. 3 in the nation in scoring, averaging 43.2 points per game. The defense finished No. 42 in the nation, allowing 22.3 points per game, which is an improvement from the 30 points per game they allowed in 2022.

The transfer portal departures of [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag], and [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] could have an impact on the outcome of the Alamo Bowl. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] will get the first start of his career, and with a month to prepare, he should be more than ready for the bright lights in San Antonio, Texas.

[autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] proved to be Oklahoma’s best running back down the stretch, notching four straight 100-yard days to finish the season. While Lawrence will be a loss on defense, the Sooners feel really good about their young safeties and future NFL-er Billy Bowman.

As Fornelli mentions, this is going to be a fun matchup that has the potential to be one of the best in this year’s bowl season.

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Oklahoma Sooners 2023-2024 transfer portal tracker

Know who’s coming and going with our 2023-2024 Oklahoma Sooners Football transfer portal tracker.

The 2023-2024 transfer portal season is off and running, and we’ll help you keep track of all the movement here at Sooners Wire with our handy [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] tracker.

The Sooners have made a living off the transfer portal over the years. And while they will not be quarterback hunting in this year’s transfer portal season, the Sooners will have some areas they need to address.

Bryant Crews looked at five positions the Sooners should target in the transfer portal this offseason to supplement their ranks.

We’ll keep you updated with the transfer portal movement as it happens.

Updated: Dec. 18, 2023 at 11:00 a.m.

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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