Skip to main content
All Sooners

Oklahoma RB Will Enter the Transfer Portal

The portal opens on Monday, and running back Chapman McKown will be the Sooners' seventh player to announce his departure.
John Hoover|
Oklahoma running back Chapman McKown
Oklahoma running back Chapman McKown | John E. Hoover / Sooners On SI

In this story:

Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma running back Chapman McKown gave it a shot.

But the walk-on from Norman North announced Saturday he will be entering the NCAA Transfer Portal when it opens on Monday.

McKown will be the seventh overall player so far to enter the transfer portal, and the third running back, joining Kalib Hicks and fellow walk-on Emeka Megwa. Five of those are scholarship players.

McKown was an outstanding all-purpose back in high school as a running back, receiver and return man. But he battled injuries in the 2023 season and couldn’t break into the on-field rotation in 2024.

“I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for allowing me to play the game I love at the University of Oklahoma,” he wrote. I am thankful for a family that has supported me through and through. I wouldn’t be here without them.

“I want to thank Coach Venables and the entire Oklahoma staff for believing in me and taking a chance on a hometown kid while they pushed me to be the best player and person I could be.

“To my teammates, I love y’all and I am going to miss each and every one of you. Thank you for supporting me and sticking with me through all the ups and downs.

“After a lot of prayer and communication with my family, I have decided to enter the transfer portal with 3-4 years of eligibility remaining.”

He told Sooners On SI in 2023 that despite growing up in Norman, playing at OU wasn’t always high on his to-do list.

“I grew up an Oklahoma State fan,” McKown said when he committed. “I wasn’t really big-time on the Sooners. I never would’ve pictured myself playing here. But Coach (Brent) Venables got the job in December and he called me — and I’ve been a fan ever since.”

The 5-foot-5, 171-pound McKown became an invaluable member of OU’s scout team offense, working against the Sooner defense in practice to give them a look at the upcoming opponent. His versatility and elusiveness drew frequent praise from his teammates.

As a junior at North, McKown rushed for 1,304 yards and added 156 yards receiving. He averaged 7.9 yards per rush and 22.2 yards per reception. He also ran 10.65 in the 100 meters in track. 

“I’m grateful to have this opportunity,” he said in 2023.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
John E. Hoover
JOHN HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

Share on XFollow johnehoover
Home/Football