Tag: Tre Bradford

Lincoln Riley: “We flat out missed” on running back Tre Bradford

Tre Bradford’s decision to leave the Sooners left Lincoln Riley reflective when discussing the recent arrivals sudden departure.

It’s not often you hear Lincoln Riley talk much about players that were with the program and suddenly off the roster. Generally, it’s a short and sweet, “he’s no longer with the program” before moving on.

That wasn’t the case on Tuesday as the typically reserved Lincoln Riley was in a mood to speak on all sorts of situations with the team. It was most notable that he shared his thoughts on the Tre Bradford saga. Though he didn’t have an answer as to why Bradford left the program, it was evident that Riley was disappointed in his decision to reenter the transfer portal after joining the Sooners this Spring.

While they’ve had a ton of success in the past adding talent through the portal, when speaking with the media on Tuesday, Riley admitted that they missed on the former LSU running back.

“On that one, we swung and we obviously missed and we made a mistake,” Riley said.

Bradford transferred from LSU after last season. It’s been reported that he was exploring rejoining the Tigers.

“You’re not going to hit on every single one,” Riley said. “We missed on that one. I mean, we just flat-out did. And so, you know, you’re going to continue to go back, learn, evolve your processes, keep trying to figure out like we would in any situation … why did we miss? What did we miss? Could we have seen that?” – Ryan Aber, The Oklahoman

The timing is certainly strange as Bradford was staring at an increased role with the news that Marcus Major would be academically ineligible for the 2021 season. Bradford, who at worst would have been sharing carries in a reserve role with Major, looked to be in line for more work behind Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray.

Now, the Oklahoma Sooners will rely on walk-ons Todd Hudson and Jaden Knowles, each of whom had tremendous high school careers but haven’t been tested much at the collegiate level. Riley did mention in his press conference that the duo of Hudson and Knowles would have likely seen playing time before the attrition that hit the running back depth chart last week.

LSU looks to be Tre Bradford’s next destination as he enters the transfer portal, but who really knows where he’s headed at this point.

Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley: ‘we made a mistake’ on bringing in Tre Bradford

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley didn’t shy away from discussing Tre Bradford, calling it a mistake to bring in the former LSU Tiger.

Last week it was reported that former LSU Tigers running back Tre Bradford was no longer with the Oklahoma football program. Following spring football, the former four-star signee entered into the transfer portal. He landed in Norman, deciding on joining the Sooners.

Going into the season, Bradford was expected to be the No. 3 running back after Oklahoma had all sorts of issues going on with the position. Seth McGowan and Mikey Henderson were dismissed from the team. Marcus Major, who was expected to see time at the No. 3 back was ruled ineligible. This left Bradford as the guy behind Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray, which is out the window now.

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley recently met with the media and discussed the situation with Bradford. He definitely didn’t mince his words, calling it a mistake.

“On that one, we swung and we obviously missed and we made a mistake,” Riley said.

Bradford transferred from LSU after last season. It’s been reported that he was exploring rejoining the Tigers.

“You’re not going to hit on every single one,” Riley said. “We missed on that one. I mean, we just flat-out did. And so, you know, you’re going to continue to go back, learn, evolve your processes, keep trying to figure out like we would in any situation … why did we miss? What did we miss? Could we have seen that?” – Ryan Aber, The Oklahoman

The former LSU running back is back in the transfer portal, the early indications were that he wanted to return to Baton Rouge. There haven’t been any indications on if Bradford will indeed look to return to the team he originally signed with as part of the 2020 recruiting class.

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Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PatrickConnCFB

Former LSU running back Tre Bradford is back in the transfer portal

Former LSU Tigers RB Tre Bradford is officially back in the transfer portal.

After the initial report that Tre Bradford had left the Oklahoma Sooners football program, he is back in the transfer portal. This was tweeted out initially by 247Sports.

Bradford spent his freshman season with the LSU Tigers. He carried the ball just 10 times for 58 yards and one receiving touchdown. Following spring camp, the former 2020 signee put his name in the transfer portal and eventually joined the Sooners. Just days ahead of Oklahoma’s season opener against Tulane, he is back in the portal.

Given his familiarity with the running back room, could Bradford find his way back to Baton Rouge with LSU? This is pure speculation, but it would make sense if he suddenly had a change of heart. Bradford was expected to be the No. 3 for Oklahoma, but with the injury concerns surrounding Tyrion Davis-Price and John Emery Jr, he could see more playing time this season with the Tigers.

The Tigers could use some depth at the running back position, I originally pitched the idea when the news broke. According to Jason Kersey of The Athletic, NCAA rules would allow Bradford to return to LSU. Provided he participated in less than 14 practices with OU, he could return to the Tigers and be immediately eligible.

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Much ado about something? A look at the Oklahoma running back position over the last few years

A look at how things have gone for OU’s running backs and a look at what there is to look forward to going forward.

Like life, college football personnel has its highs and lows. There are times where you’re able to recruit, develop and send players to the league at an astonishing rate. Conversely, there are times when you experience turbulence within a position group seemingly every year.

It may be on field production (or lack thereof) or off the field issues that just deplete your position group.

The Oklahoma Sooners over the last decade have seen both sides of the coin.

From recruiting guys like Samaje Perine, Joe Mixon, Rodney Anderson and watching them go to the NFL to having running backs transfer in and practice for less than 14 practices and then transfer back out in less than 2 months, OU has seen it all of late.

Let’s take a look at the Sooners running back issues and where they are headed going into the future.

Jay Boulware, former Sooners running back coach helped recruit the men mentioned previously in Perine, Mixon and Anderson. Much to the chagrin of the Sooners faithful, he will be remembered for his misses in recruiting in the state of Texas more than anything.

He was let go largely due to the lack of production and development of guys he brought in. In stepped DeMarco Murray.

Murray, a former Sooners running back who went on to play for the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans took over after his first coaching stint at the University of Arizona.

Murray has suffered from some of the same issues Boulware dealt with. Failures to close on guys that were seemingly within reach (Camar Wheaton) or having to deal with suspensions/ineligible guys (Seth McGowan, Marcus Major, Mikey Henderson). The latest wave of running back problems has left OU with two scholarship running backs in a year where the Sooners are more equipped to win the national title than they’ve been since 2008.

How do they bounce back going forward to push this horrible string of mishaps and lack of depth behind them?

It starts with the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes first and foremost. OU is at a big disadvantage with a week until the start of the 2021 season. There’s no real solution for this year outside of hoping walk on Jaden Knowles can be serviceable and eat some carries to spell Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks.

That’s also contingent on Brooks and Gray remaining healthy. Things could get real desperate if one/both is injured at any point.

H-Back Jeremiah Hall will likely see carries this year too. Just maybe a receiver lower on the depth chart converts over or Micah Bowens (transfer QB from Penn State with some real mobility) steps up and becomes a RB.

Regardless, this year’s problems will have to be fixed in house.

2022 will see Raleek Brown, Gavin Sawchuk and possibly one more RB (high school recruit or grad transfer) come in to Oklahoma for next season. One of the duo of Gray and Brooks is almost a lock to leave for the NFL after this season with Brooks being the likely one. Gray could leave if he has the season that many anticipate and the Sooners win the national title.

In that scenario four running backs at minimum would need to find their way to OU next year assuming Marcus Major is eligible next year of course.

Four-star running back Jovantae Barnes out of Las Vegas, Nevada has a close relationship with RB coach Murray. Can Murray seal the deal and fight off Alabama and USC for the young man’s pledge?

In 2023, Treyaun Webb has gotten the ball rolling for running backs. Listed as the nation’s no. 3 RB on 247Sports, Webb is an excellent notch on the belt of Murray as long as he can keep him in the fold for the next two years. Guys like Richard Young and Reuben Owens are other names the Sooners are looking at for the class of 2023.

There’s no doubt some of the issues that OU has faced are completely out of the control of the guys in the program. But as we all know to be true, being proactive instead of reactive is the way to go.

Grinding on the recruiting trail and locking down these recruits will go a long way to providing stability in OU’s running back room and preventing such turnover and uncertainty heading into future seasons.

Twitter reacts to Tre Bradford’s departure from Sooners

Is it business as usual or are the #Sooners championship dreams already over? Twitter had a wide variety of reaction to the surprising news about Tre Bradford.

Just 24 hours ago, we discussed how Marcus Major’s ineligibility would impact OU’s backfield. Now, for the second time in as many days, Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma Sooners are suddenly without another running back in Tre Bradford.

Bradford’s unexpected departure leaves running backs coach DeMarco Murray in strange territory. On the one hand, there is no immediate cause for alarm as Oklahoma still possesses two starting-caliber backs in Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks (with two more four-star prospects on the way in 2022).

On the other hand, the Sooners have no immediate depth. And if something unthinkable were to happen to either Gray or Brooks, then a position of strength within the offense could become an unexpected liability.

As you could imagine, back-to-back blows to the running back room have sent social media into a frenzy. Especially with the season opener versus Tulane just nine days away.

While some are downplaying the Sooners’ bad luck, others declare their title hopes dead before the season even begins.

Others are simply choosing to smile through the pain.

While whispers that Bradford is returning to LSU are nothing more than speculation at this time, here’s what Patrick Conn of LSU Tigers Wire had to say about the notion: 

Given his familiarity with the running back room, could Tre Bradford find his way back to Baton Rouge with LSU? This is pure speculation but it would make sense if he suddenly had a change of heart. Bradford was expected to be the No. 3 for Oklahoma, but with the injury concerns surrounding Tyrion Davis-Price and John Emery Jr, he could see more playing time this season with the Tigers.

Both Bradford’s reason for leaving the Sooners and his desired landing spot is unknown. What we do know, however, is that we haven’t heard the last of this story.  Sooners Wire will provide updates as they are made available.

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Report: Tre Bradford, LSU Transfer is no longer with OU football team

In a bizarre turn of events, the Oklahoma Sooners find themselves down yet another running back.

Categorize this under the  “straight out of left field” category. In the most bizarre set of circumstances it looks like Oklahoma has lost yet another scholarship running back for the 2021 season.

Tre Bradford, who transferred from LSU to OU in June is no longer with the team. According to the OU Daily, the student newspaper at Oklahoma, Bradford had missed the last two practices. The paper reached out to the athletic department for details but received no response.

This news comes absolutely at the worst time as just this week the Sooners coaching staff received news that Marcus Major was ruled academically ineligible for this coming season. In the aforementioned article, Tre Bradford was directly mentioned as someone that would benefit most from the loss of Major. In less than 96 hours Bradford himself is gone.

The Sooners are left with two scholarship running backs in Kennedy Brooks, who returned after opting out due to concerns about COVID and Tennessee transfer Eric Gray. Jaden Knowles, a walk-on running back could see some meaningful carries going forward.

Could Bradford be heading back to LSU in a bizarre happening of events? Our friends at LSUWire speculated it as a very loose possibility. Is there a chance he still ends up playing at Oklahoma this year? That remains to be seen. Whatever the case may be, it’s certain that this is a very unfortunate turn of events for an OU program snakebitten by some tough personnel issues in their RB room.

With less than two weeks until the season, Lincoln Riley and DeMarco Murray are left trying to pick up the pieces as they get ready to try and make a run for a national title.

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Report: Former LSU RB Tre Bradford no longer with Oklahoma

Former LSU Tigers RB Tre Bradford has left the Oklahoma program according to reports from the OU Daily.

It has been another wild and wacky turn of events for another former LSU Tiger that was part of the 2020 recruiting class. After the on again off again situation surrounding Arik Gilbert, who eventually landed at Georgia, we have former running back Tre Bradford.

Following the spring camp, the former four-star running back entered the transfer portal in early June. Just two weeks later it was announced that he would enroll and play for the Oklahoma Sooners. Listed as the No. 3 running back for OU behind a returning Kennedy Brooks and Tennessee Vols transfer Eric Gray.

We now have a report that Bradford has left the Sooners. It was reported by OU Daily, the student newspaper.

According to the report, Bradford has missed the last two practices for Oklahoma. They have been hit with a lot of movement at the position with Marcus Major being ruled ineligible and the dismissal of Seth McGowan and Mike Henderson. No reports have suggested as to why the former Tiger signee is now leaving the program.

Given his familiarity with the running back room, could Tre Bradford find his way back to Baton Rouge with LSU? This is pure speculation but it would make sense if he suddenly had a change of heart. Bradford was expected to be the No. 3 for Oklahoma, but with the injury concerns surrounding Tyrion Davis-Price and John Emery Jr, he could see more playing time this season with the Tigers.

Last season Bradford carried the ball 10 times for 53 yards as a freshman. We will provide updates to this story as they are made available.

What Marcus Major’s ineligibility means for OU’s backfield

Sooners running back Marcus Major was expected to take the next step in 2021. What does his sudden ineligibility mean for the Oklahoma backfield?

Sooner Scoop reported Tuesday afternoon that redshirt sophomore Marcus Major had been ruled academically ineligible for the 2021 season.

The running back’s sudden removal from the offense comes as a shock to many. Major has been practicing in front of the media throughout fall camp and received high praise from running backs coach DeMarco Murray as recently as last week.

He made huge leaps individually last year just throughout practice. You could probably see it the last six or seven weeks of the season. Was probably practicing better than anyone. He’s a young guy. Obviously, he didn’t get a ton of reps last year, but he’s a guy that’s been around awhile, knows the system. His development… since I’ve been here has only been increasing. So, he’s done a good job for us.

With the season opener versus Tulane 10 days away, an unexpected opportunity has appeared for LSU transfer Tre Bradford.

Both Murray and Lincoln Riley love the versatility Bradford brings to Norman. While he has only been a Sooner since the middle of June, he possesses the speed and work ethic needed to bulldoze his way into the regular-season rotation.

Major’s ineligibility could also lead the Sooners to use Jeremiah Hall as more of a halfback (or at least pretend to). Hall had one rushing attempt in 2020 and has never had more than four in a single season. Though he may not have carried the ball much, his receiving prowess makes him a weapon in the passing game. The suddenly-depleted backfield could allow Hall to showcase his versatility in 2021 with increased work as a running back.

While starting running backs Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks were going to receive a ton of snaps regardless of Major’s eligibility, Hall and Bradford could suddenly be looking at a much different 2021 season.

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Sooners’ RB Kennedy Brooks on Tre Bradford: I see a bright future for him

Despite his standing on Oklahoma’s depth chart Tre Bradford’s size, speed, and explosiveness will allow him to make a big impact in his first year with the Oklahoma Sooners. 

The running back position has seen a ton of turnover this spring. The Sooners lost Rhamondre Stevenson to the NFL draft. Seth McGowan and Mikey Henderson were dismissed due to legal issues. Despite those three departures, there’s a lot of excitement about what the Oklahoma Sooners are bringing into the 2021 college football season.

In a tumultuous offseason that also saw the return of Kennedy Brooks and the addition of Eric Gray in the transfer portal, Tre Bradford came in with much less fanfare at the running back spot.

Coming over from LSU, Bradford has just 19 career snaps to his ledger and 10 career rushing attempts. Most of his work came at the end of the 2020 season against Ole Miss.

Bradford carried the ball nine times for 53 yards in that matchup, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. He picked up four first downs in the Tigers 53-48 shootout win over the Rebels.

Since joining the Sooners, he’s earned the praise of the veteran running backs on the depth chart. Last week, speaking to the media, Eric Gray had this to say:

Tre has done a great job acclimating. I’ve kind of been in charge of Tre. He’s been in my workout group. Getting him acclimated to the system. Getting him learning the system, the schemes, the protections. You should definitely expect a strong, elusive runner, who’s also fast, who can also breakaway and really show off some speed.

Yesterday, Kennedy Brooks added, “He’s a very explosive dude. When the ball’s in his hands, he does great things. He’s fast, strong. I see a bright future for him.”

Though he likely comes in behind Brooks and Gray on the depth chart, Bradford will mix in with Marcus Major for those third running back repetitions. Despite his standing on the depth chart, Bradford’s size, speed, and explosiveness will allow him to make a big impact in his first year with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Running Back Eric Gray on OU to SEC, new teammates, adjusting to OU

Speaking to the media, Eric Gray discussed a variety of things from his decision to come to Norman and acclimating to OU and the offense.

As the 2021 season inches closer, there isn’t a more anticipated debut than that of Eric Gray’s for the Oklahoma Sooners. After putting on an impressive display of athleticism and big-play ability at Tennessee and in the Oklahoma Sooners’ spring game, the buzz around Eric Gray has crescendoed over the last six months.

Soon, all of the hype will give way to what he does on the field. In a loaded backfield with Kennedy Brooks, Marcus Major and Tre Bradford, Gray and the Sooners will have opportunities for big plays out of the running back position.

Ahead of fall camp, Eric Gray was one of 10 players to meet with the media via Zoom, and he was asked about a host of things including his time in the SEC and the players he faced that are now teammates.