Oklahoma RB Tre Bradford Getting Rave Reviews

Oklahoma has every reason to be confident in the running back tandem of Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray.

But apparently, the Sooners have gained early trust in a third option: Tre Bradford.

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

Bradford joined the Sooners on June 2 as a transfer from LSU. He missed spring practice, so he’s been cramming Lincoln Riley’s offense during the summer and through the first week of training camp as he tries to climb the depth chart.

It’s been a topsy-turvy offseason for OU’s running back depth, with T.J. Pledger transferring to Utah and Seth McGowan off the team after significant legal trouble.

Bradford, a sophomore from Lancaster, TX, who played only two games last season as a true freshman at LSU (he ran nine times for 53 yards against Ole Miss), was a welcome addition to compete with junior Marcus Major for the RB3 role.

“Tre came in a little bit later,” Riley said, “but we’re excited about him. Know about him certainly in high school, and how explosive he is. And he’s certainly fit the bill.”

Brooks is a two-time 1,000-yard runner at OU who opted out of 2020 but is back and hopes to become just the fourth running back in school history to surpass 1,000 yards three times. He needs reps just to get back into football shape, but his knowledge of Riley’s playbook is secure as he goes into his fourth football season and fifth year on campus.

Gray is a transfer from Tennessee who ran for more than 1,300 yards in his two seasons Knoxville, is considered a true dual threat and calls himself a fast learner. He said he’s picked up the offense pretty well so far says he’s still learning. He’s even taken on the role of teaching it to Bradford.

Whether it’s in a backup role or in emergency duty, the 5-foot-11, 211-pound Bradford will get his shot at some point in 2021 under DeMarco Murray. And when he does, coaches and teammates say Sooner Nation will like his game.

“His explosiveness,” Brooks said. “I didn’t know he was that explosive until he got onto the field. He has the talent to find the end zone. I can’t wait to see what he does. His ball-carrying vision is amazing. It’s pretty good.”

“He can really, really, really run,” Riley said. “Explosiveness probably a little bit different than what we’ve had in the running back room here as of late. So I think he’ll be a nice compliment to our guys.”