Lloyd Avant has changed the conversation in Oklahoma’s backfield.
When the Sooners brought in the Colorado State transfer, the expectation was simple enough: a versatile piece, a useful option, someone who could fill a role when needed. Not the front-runner.
Not the guy Deland McCullough would point to first. But that’s where things stand now, at least heading into fall camp.
McCullough, Oklahoma’s new running backs coach, made it clear on Tuesday that Avant has surged ahead in the room. Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock were supposed to be the one-two punch after stepping into that role last season, but both were sidelined during spring camp with injuries. Avant took advantage of the opportunity and made enough of an impression that McCullough said if the Sooners were playing that night, Avant would be the first back on the field.
“Lloyd, man, you know what, Lloyd’s real good,” McCullough told media.
The praise did not stop there. McCullough said Avant has been one of the most consistent performers in the room and called him “a poster child for the details.”
That kind of rise is a sharp turn for a player whose college path has not exactly screamed lead-back candidate. Avant was not especially productive at Colorado State, and he also had a quiet stretch at Tulsa, where OU assistant Kevin Wilson was the head coach. Last season, as a sophomore, Avant ran for 417 yards and five touchdowns while adding 24 catches for 261 yards and another score.
His freshman year at Tulsa in 2024 looked more like a special teams resume than a featured offensive role. Avant averaged 28 yards on 14 kickoff returns and took one back 100 yards for a touchdown. He also handled kick returns for the Rams, which helped shape the idea that his best path to the field would be in a limited, multi-purpose role.
Instead, Oklahoma has gotten a different version so far.
That fits McCullough’s track record. He has a history of finding value in backs who arrive with less hype, and Damien Williams is the example he reached for when explaining Avant’s potential. McCullough coached Williams with the Kansas City Chiefs, and at the time, plenty of people around the team thought he was overhyping a player who had arrived as a special teams type while Kareem Hunt was still in the same backfield.
Then things changed. Hunt was released later that season, Williams moved into the lead role, earned a two-year extension and entered the 2019 season as Kansas City’s No. 1 back. He then delivered on the biggest stage, becoming the first player in Super Bowl history to post at least 100 rushing yards with a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game as the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV.
McCullough sees a similar opening for Avant, and he made that comparison directly.
“And here’s Lloyd,” McCullough said. “Coming in, he’s a transfer guy, this and that. He’s not pigeon-holed, but at least coming in, he was maybe to be this type of guy.
“And here’s an example of when you put detail and different things and different cultural points in front of somebody, it strengthens them and it bolds them. And that’s what it did for Lloyd.
Just the detail of what we’re doing. He’s like a poster child for the detail.”
Whether Avant is still the first name out of the gate when Oklahoma opens the season against UTEP on Sept. 4 remains to be seen. For now, though, he’s the one forcing the Sooners to rethink the depth chart.
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