Why Oklahoma HC Brent Venables is 'Really Excited' About Sooners' RB Depth

With Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock sidelined for the time being, the Sooners have leaned on their younger running backs during spring ball.

Oklahoma running back DeZephen Walker | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

NORMAN — The spring has given Oklahoma’s running back newcomers a chance to gain valuable experience.

OU coach Brent Venables revealed in March that incoming sophomore Tory Blaylock would miss the entire spring with an undisclosed injury. And last week, Venables confirmed that Xavier Robinson suffered a “strain.”

Blaylock and Robinson combined for 901 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025. Assuming they get healthy by OU’s season opener against UTEP on Sept. 5, both of them should be key contributors.

But in the meantime, Oklahoma’s other backs will get the brunt of the workload.

“We’re getting some of those young guys the reps that they need so they can play,” Venables said. “We’re going to have to lean on some of those guys.”

This situation poses the question, “Who are Oklahoma’s other options at running back?”

Venables has confidence in several other guys in the position group.

True freshmen Jonathan Hatton Jr. and DeZephen Walker both came to OU as highly regarded prospects.

Hatton, listed at 6-foot and 200 pounds, was a consensus 4-star and top-100 recruit in the Class of 2026, flipping his commitment from Texas A&M to Oklahoma just days before Early National Signing Day in December. Walker is a 5-10, 212-pound running back 

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Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant is another running back who has gotten plenty of reps throughout the spring. Avant rushed for 417 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore in 2025 while also catching 24 passes for 261 yards.

“We’ve had some really good explosive runs from Lloyd, from Jonathan Hatton and from my man DeZephen,” Venables said. “(Walker) was fantastic — he scored a touchdown, a really good run in our scrimmage a couple of days ago.”

Also on the depth chart will be redshirt sophomore Andy Bass, who has dealt with multiple ACL injuries since arriving at Oklahoma. Venables praised Bass’ resilience and development last week.

“Proud of Andy and how hard he’s worked to get back,” Venables said. “He’s done a great job — same thing of picking up our offense and plugging right in. He’s a weapon out in space, a really explosive athlete. Andy’s worked really hard for his opportunity.”

The other two running backs on the roster are Gabe Sawchuk and Ben McCreary. Sawchuk rushed twice for 21 yards in OU’s lopsided win over Kent State last year, while McCreary transferred in during the 2025 offseason after previous stops at Incarnate Word and West Texas A&M.

Even with Blaylock and Robinson sidelined for the time being, Venables believes that his running back corps — from top to bottom — will help the Sooners rush more efficiently in 2026.

“Their understanding of what we want to do in both the run game and the pass game and protection… really excited about that group,” Venables said.