Tag: Taylor Tatum

DeMarco Murray to stay at Oklahoma and sign an extension per report

DeMarco Murray staying in Norman despite overtures from Ohio State.

The Oklahoma Sooners have dodged what could have been a big blow to their coaching staff. This comes after reports started circling earlier this week that running backs coach DeMarco Murray was being pursued by a number of college and NFL teams, including the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes are widely thought of as having the best running back room in the country this upcoming season with TreVeyon Henderson and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins. But the Sooners got some good news on Wednesday as On3’s Pete Nakos reported Murray would be staying at Oklahoma.

Murray and the Sooners agreed on a three-year contract extension.

Murray has family ties to Ohio, which made that job a real possibility. He’s currently the lowest-paid assistant on staff, making $575,000 annually. He’s expected to receive a pay bump with this new contract but those details have not been announced.

Murray is also one of the most tenured assistants on staff. He arrived back in Norman in 2020 and has been huge on the recruiting trail.

He most recently helped Oklahoma sign [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] as part of the 2024 recruiting class. The Longview, Texas, native was ranked as the No. 1 overall running back in the [autotag]2024 recruiting cycle[/autotag].

He’s also helped guys like [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Kennedy Brooks[/autotag], and Rhamondre Stevenson have career years under his tutelage. His room this year is loaded with talent, but it is also very young. If they can avoid the injury bug, Oklahoma’s running backs will play a pivotal role in the Sooners success in 2024.

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Oklahoma trending for four-star RB Tory Blaylock after OU Junior Day visit

Oklahoma received three FutureCasts for four-star running back Tory Blaylock after his Junior Day visit.

Fresh off landing the number one running back in the nation for the 2024 cycle in [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag], [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] is back on the grind for [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag].

The Sooners’ running back coach has been rock solid on the recruiting trail since taking over the role. In fact, it’s possible to say he’s getting even better.

2025 brings new prospects, new relationships, and new challenges for Murray. With the depth Oklahoma has at running back, likely, Oklahoma won’t take three backs like they did in 2024, but that doesn’t mean they’ll dip in quality.

[autotag]Tory Blaylock[/autotag], one of Texas’ best running backs, is on Oklahoma’s radar. Apparently, junior day went well for the Sooners. Three Rivals FutureCasts have been logged in favor of the Sooners landing Blaylock.

OUInsider’s Parker Thune and Brandon Drumm each logged predictions in favor of Oklahoma. As did Landyn Rosow, who covers the Texas A&M Aggies for Rivals.

Blaylock’s social media presence was active during the visit, and by and large, he seemed to enjoy Norman with his family as well.

Blaylock is a five-foot-eleven every-down back with a track background. As a freshman, he posted several sub-11.00 100-meter times, including 10.70 and 10.83. He also shows explosion, power, and the ability to be a pass catcher out of the backfield. In short, he’s a complete back.

Oklahoma’s efforts at Junior Day have seemed to resonate with Blaylock and his family. The Sooners have put themselves in an excellent position to land their first running back commit of 2025.

He’s got an NFL lineage. His father, Derrick Blaylock, played five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets after his collegiate career at Stephen F. Austin.

The Oklahoma Sooners don’t currently have a running back committed for the 2025 cycle, but if the FutureCasts hold, they could be closing in on their first runner in the class.

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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.

Brent Venables feels Skip Johnson deserves the credit for ‘2 Sport U’

The Sooners uniquely signed two players who will also be playing baseball but how does that work?

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a history of players playing multiple sports. The most notable one, of course, is [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag], who played football and baseball.

Murray became the first player drafted in the first round of both the [autotag]NFL[/autotag] and [autotag]MLB[/autotag] draft. He ultimately decided on a football career. In the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag], the Sooners have two more who are set to play both sports. [autotag]James Nesta[/autotag] will play linebacker for the football team and will pitch for the baseball team. [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] will play running back and then, most likely, in the outfield.

But this wouldn’t work if it wasn’t for the plan in place that [autotag]Skip Johnson[/autotag] has. He’s been through it with Murray and knows how to make this work. It was his plan that both Nesta and Tatum have talked about as to why they chose Oklahoma.

Brent Venables talked about how this plan came to be. “I wouldn’t say it’s as much as me. Skip and the baseball team is willing to do it,” Venables said. “I think the attractiveness of how well our baseball program has done. The history, the tradition, certainly they did a great job of selling those things. I think that attracted them as much as anything. That combination of the excellence of Oklahoma football and what it’s represented and the excellence of baseball. I personally don’t think we would have gotten either one of them had the football been a powerhouse and excellent and had the history and tradition and then the baseball program stunk. I don’t think we would have gotten either one of those guys.”

It’s a testament to how good of a job Johnson has done since taking over. It’s also why Oklahoma has become “2 Sport U.”

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.

Oklahoma Sooners’ 2024 signing class position outlook

A position by position look at who signed with the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2024 signing class.

The Oklahoma Sooners put together another top-10 recruiting class, signing all 27 of their prospects on the first day of the early signing period.

It’s a class that will help define Oklahoma’s success in the SEC. It’s a class that’s balanced, with 14 offensive signees and 13 on the defensive side of the ball. The defensive front is garnering all of the attention, but the Oklahoma Sooners brought in a number of really talented players on both sides of the ball.

Here’s a position breakdown of the Sooners’ 2024 signing class.

More: [autotag]2024 Early Signing Period[/autotag] coverage

7 Takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 2024 signing class

The Oklahoma Sooners locked in all 27 commits to their 2024 signing class and here are seven takeaways.

The Oklahoma Sooners found success on the recruiting trail in each of the three cycles Brent Venables has been in Norman. Because they signed all 27 commitments on the first day of the early signing period, the Sooners locked up a third-consecutive top 10 recruiting class.

It was a great day for the Sooners on the recruiting trail. It also was a stress-free morning: The Sooners had their class locked up by 11:30 a.m. CT.

Now they turn their attention to their remaining targets on the recruiting trail, namely Dominick McKinley, who isn’t expected to sign until the February’s national signing day.

Even if they don’t pull off an improbable flip with McKinley, the Sooners have put together another really strong recruiting class on both sides of the ball.

Here are some takeaways from the Sooners 2024 signing class:

Check out more from the [autotag]2024 early signing period[/autotag].

Social media reacts to the Oklahoma Sooners’ 2024 signing class

The Oklahoma Sooners had a great day with the opening of the early signing period and here’s how social media reacted.

The Oklahoma Sooners had zero worries on the first day of the early signing period. They received national letters of intent from each of the 27 players who were committed to the program entering December.

While several big-time programs across the country were dealing with losses, it was all smiles in Norman as the program put the finishing touches on what Brent Venables called the best recruiting class in his first three cycles in Norman.

The signatures of five-star prospects [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] and [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] headlined the day, but the class as a whole will infuse a lot of talent into Norman.

With the Sooners heading to the SEC in 2024, it was imperative they improve their offensive and defensive lines. With blue-chip prospects on both sides of the ball, it’s fair to call 2024 a success.

As we revel in the Sooners’ success in the [autotag]2024 early signing period[/autotag], let’s check in to see how social media reacted.

Nation’s No. 1 running back in the class of 2024 officially signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners add Taylor Tatum to the team after he officially signs his National Letter of Intent.

The [autotag]2024 early signing period[/autotag] is here, and the Oklahoma Sooners have received the signature from one of their most sought prospects. [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] is a five-star prospect and the nation’s top running back in the class of 2024.

Tatum could come in and immediately contribute to a running back room for Oklahoma that was up and down in 2023. He has a very similar playing style to former Sooners running back [autotag]Joe Mixon[/autotag].

He’s not as big as Mixon, though, listed at 5 feet, 11 inches and 205 pounds. He can help in the passing game as well as the running game. He’s also a dual sport athlete who is expected to play both football and baseball at Oklahoma.

Here is what Gabe Brooks, a national scouting analyst for 247Sports, had to say about Tatum:

Instinctive lane-finder. Plays with patience. Presses blocks to allow for holes to materialize. Also knows how to buy a couple more strides of time on perimeter runs to help blockers re-route defenders. Quick-footed in the hole. Regularly makes something out of nothing when penetration disrupts play in the backfield. – Brooks

More from the [autotag]2024 Early Signing Period[/autotag]

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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.

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.