Much has been written, discussed and scrutinized about Oklahoma's absence of a viable rushing attack in the 2025 season.
Despite the inconsistency and underperformance in the run game a year ago, a major contributor to the Sooners' uncharacteristically low offensive numbers, Oklahoma still managed to win 10 games and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. Everyone associated with the program, however -- from general manager Jim Nagy and head coach Brent Venables on down -- knows this is not a sustainable situation for future success.
Moreover, Oklahoma's lengthy history of success on the gridiron is largely based on its long-standing reputation as an offensive powerhouse with an explosive rushing attack like no other. There is an axiom in football that says you have to be able to run the football, stop the run on defense and play solid overall defense in order to win consistently at any level of the game.
Last season represented a complete reversal of what has been more the norm for Oklahoma football. In 2025, the Sooners were among the best teams in college football in stopping the run and total defense and among the very worst in moving the ball on the ground.
The success of the Sooners' run game is on more than just the running backs alone
This entire offseason, Venables and his staff have been laser focused on addressing and shoring up the flaws in the offensive system that led to the Sooners' blatant inability last season to effectively sustain drives, which is a fundamental necessity to putting points on the scoreboard.
Venables addressed the issue early on in his opening remarks to reporters at SEC Media Days earlier this month: "Make no mistake, we've got a lot of improvement to do there offensively, speaking in being able to run the football," Venables said. "We have to run it a heck of a lot better than we did a year ago. ... I believe not only in them (the running backs) but the other parts around them offensively."
The Sooners averaged just 118.5 rushing yards per game last season, the lowest average by an Oklahoma team since 2001 and the program's fourth-lowest total since 1937. The Sooners ranked 113th out of 134 FBS teams running the football in 2025.
Freshman running back Tory Blaylock led the team in rushing last season with 480 yards on 120 carries, an average of 4.0 yards per carry. Sophomore Xavier Robinson contributed 421 rushing yards and John Mateer ran for 431 yards along with eight rushing touchdowns. All three players battled injuries most of last season, limiting their ability.
To further compound the Sooners run-game problem, the offensive line was dealing with its own set of issues, breaking in three new freshman starters.
Venables and new running backs coach Deland McCullough, who comes to the Sooners from a one-year stint with the Las Vegas Raiders of the NFL and three years before that coaching running backs at Notre Dame, expect serious improvement in the Sooners' ability to run the ball this season.
Blaylock and Robinson are both back and should be healthy and ready to go for the start of the season. They were held out of spring practice but are expecting to be the lead ball carriers to start the season.
Three more additions to the running back room in the offseason should create competition for carries. Highly touted recruits Jonathan Hatton Jr. and DeZephen Walker join the mix from OU's 2026 recruiting class, along with Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant. Avant and Walker turned some heads with their performances in the spring game. Avant totaled 69 yards and a touchdown, while Walker rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown and averaged 10.1 yards per carry.
"We've got to be more aggressive, we've got to be more physical, we've got to be better technically sound," Venables said during SEC Media Days. "We've got to have all the right schemes, we've got to have belief, (and) we've got to have the toughness that goes along with that."
As the Oklahoma head coach judiciously pointed out at SEC Media Days, it's not just the running backs who have to improve for the Oklahoma rushing attack to get better. The supporting cast around them also must be better.
Venables believes they have addressed a number of those offensive issues with the moves they've made in the offseason.
"We've transformed the, really, the wide receiver and tight end room. We've got five really good backs. Up front, we've probably got nine guys that can play winning football for us right now," the Sooner head coach said.
"We're going to be a lot better around our quarterback."
If the Sooners can get back to running the ball well, like they have throughout most of their illustrious history, and with a defense that under Venables will always be top grade, Oklahoma will be a perennial College Football Playoff contender, if not a national championship contender.
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