The Oklahoma Sooners apparently have a running back conundrum on their hands with fall camp underway this week.
The Sooners return the 1-2 punch of Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock from last season so it was assumed they would again lead the backfield in 2026. However, both of them missed spring camp with injuries, so between that and new running backs coach Deland McCullough resetting the position, this all of a sudden seems to be the most open position battle at Oklahoma.
McCullough said right before fall camp started that if the Sooners played that night, Avant would be the first guy on the field. Freshman Jonathan Hatton Jr. has also already impressed and many believe he's ready to contribute right now. However, McCullough still hasn't gotten a chance to really see Robinson and Blaylock firsthand.
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So between those top four options, who seems to be McCullough's most likely choice to lead the backfield in 2026, at least as of now at the start of fall camp?
I will preface this by stating that I believe Jonathan Hatton Jr. is the most talented player in this group and has the highest ceiling for a breakout season. He also looks the part already at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds.
However, mostly because he's just a freshman, Hatton still doesn't seem to be the Sooners' best choice for this situation. McCullough is a stickler for the small details (and even has a grading system he uses), and doing things the right way is more likely to get a player on the field over talent. Hatton is also the one of the four that McCullough has talked about the least, even if media and other teammates have been gushing about him.
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Right now, Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant is the leader in the clubhouse, but that shouldn't last. No disrespect to Avant, but the two guys ahead of him just flat out have more talent, even if he is extremely versatile and doing all the right things. The others also have valuable SEC experience, while Avant makes the jump from the Group of 6 level.
Once McCullough sees Avant side by side next to Tory Blaylock and Xavier Robinson more, it will likely be a different tune.
Read more: Lloyd Avant is forcing Deland McCullough to rethink Oklahoma's backfield hierarchy
McCullough loves Avant and Hatton is oozing with talent and potential so either could surpass Tory Blaylock on the pecking order, but for now, he's earned the No. 2 spot and shouldn't do anything to lose a grip on it.
Blaylock broke out in his third college game with 100 rushing yards and a pair of TDs, then reached 100 yards again later against South Carolina. He finished with a team-high 480 rushing yards while averaging 4.0 a carry.
A year later, Blaylock has the SEC experience that the two guys below him don't and a year in Ben Arbuckle's system under his belt.
Free Xavier Robinson! DeMarco Murray leaving for Kansas City and taking his mind-boggling rotations with him could be the best thing for Robinson's career heading into his junior campaign. Hopefully, McCullough deems one of these guys a bell cow, and Robinson has earned that chance to take over.
Robinson has averaged 5.0 yards an attempt in his career through two seasons so far, yet has gotten double-digit carries only six times in the 19 games he's appeared in. That mark was at 5.1 last season. If a guy is getting halfway to the marker every time he touches the ball, then you should keep putting the ball in his hands.
This could be a breakout season for Robinson, and it will be simply because he gets more carries as the lead back.
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