How Oklahoma RB Lloyd Avant’s ‘Really Loud’ Playing Style Earned Him Week 1 Opportunity

NORMAN — In an offseason where Oklahoma's biggest transfer portal additions were wide receivers and tight ends, Lloyd Avant’s signing in January flew under the radar.

Avant, a running back entering his third college football season after stints at Colorado State and Tulsa, is listed as a co-starter on OU’s Week 1 depth chart, alongside junior Xavier Robinson.

According to coach Brent Venables, Avant is quiet by nature. But the running back’s work ethic and talent has beamed since his arrival in Norman.

“His play is really loud,” Venables said. “The way he competes is really loud. He’s a model of consistency and a low‑maintenance dude, and I love that.”

Avant was thrown into Tulsa’s rotation as a true freshman in 2024, appearing in 12 games and finishing the year with 259 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

He then transferred to Colorado State for the 2025 season. And despite the Rams’ struggles — they went 2-10 and won only one conference game — Avant was a standout, logging 417 rushing yards, 261 receiving yards, five rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.

During his two years, Avant’s teams have gone 5-19. The running back found ways to grow amid his teams’ struggles, and that landed him an opportunity with the Sooners.

And OU quarterback John Mateer believes that the transfer tailback is ready for the leap in competition that awaits him.

“He's done a great job every day and he's set the tone,” Mateer said. “If we need somebody to go hit somebody, Lloyd's gonna do it.”

Tight end Hayden Hansen, who came to OU from Florida in January, echoes Venables’ sentiment that Avant holds a quiet demeanor.

But Hansen also said that Avant has “come out of his shell” recently, leading to further improvement in the weeks prior to the 2026 season.

“My favorite thing about Lloyd — he’s not afraid of putting his nose in there in protection,” Hansen said. “If he ever needs to block, he’s a really physical guy. Really hard downhill runner, so I’m really excited to see what he can do.”

Avant will make his Oklahoma debut on Friday, when the Sooners open their season against UTEP at 7 p.m. The Sooners are 41.5-point favorites over the Miners, so each of OU’s healthy running backs will likely appear in the game, assuming the contest is as lopsided as the oddsmakers expect it to be.

Regardless of how many touches Avant gets in Week 1, his teammates and coaches are confident that he’ll be impactful throughout the season.

“It’s just his mindset,” sophomore offensive lineman Ryan Fodje said. “He thinks everything he does in life is running the football … I just love how he does everything.”

Venables said, “Lloyd looks very comfortable. I’m looking forward to watching him this weekend and this season.”

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