Jaydn Ott had plenty of options as the No. 1 running back in the Transfer Portal this spring, but he narrowed it down to two: the Oklahoma Sooners and Georgia Bulldogs.
Weighing his options between two SEC programs after transferring from California, Ott told reporters ahead of OU's fall camp on Wednesday that there was one deciding factor that pushed him to choose the Sooners over Georgia. Ott wanted to play with quarterback John Mateer, who had just transferred to OU from Washington State.
Ott credited John Mateer for transferring to OU
Mateer and Ott joining forces in Norman is a major reason why college football experts around the country believe the Sooners' offense can turn things around this year despite being so horrible last season. Mateer led all of FBS with 44 total touchdowns last season, and in 2023, Ott led the Pac-12 in rushing. Now, thanks to Ott completing the pair, they'll share the same backfield.
An ankle injury hindered Ott last season as he rushed for only 385 yards and four TDs. Ott admitted to reporters on Wednesday that he should have missed a few games last season, but the injury was mishandled at Cal.
When healthy in 2023, though, Ott led the Pac-12 with 1,315 rushing yards and 12 TDs. He also caught 25 passes for 169 yards and two scores, so he will not only take pressure off Mateer's passing game, but will also be another weapon for Mateer to dump a pass to.
Both are extremely versatile and dangerous at their positions. Mateer can also run in the backfield to return the favor and take more eyes off Ott. The two dynamic playmakers can grow each other into even bigger threats because of everything opposing defenses will have to worry about the two.
And apparently Ott saw the possibilities even before the rest of us knew he was coming to Oklahoma.
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