A week into fall camp, Oklahoma has already found four players who have pushed their way into the conversation before the Sooners even kick off against UTEP on Friday, Sept. 4, at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
The biggest mover so far has been Lloyd Avant. What looked like a quiet transfer pickup from Colorado State has turned into one of the loudest stories of camp, with Avant climbing to the top of a crowded running back room.
He was initially viewed as a versatile piece who might help a little on offense and on special teams, but that’s not how things have played out. Over a week into practices, Avant still appears to be the Sooners’ top back after running backs coach Deland McCullough said he was at the start of fall camp.
Toby Rowland has also said Avant has surprised him, even with the expectation that he would eventually give way to Xavier Robinson, Tory Blaylock or Jonathan Hatton Jr. Instead, Avant has held his own even while practicing alongside those backs and has continued to stand out. Whether he stays No. 1 is still undecided, but he has clearly earned the right to be in that fight rather than fading into the background.
The offensive line has produced a rise of its own. Freshman Noah Best has taken advantage of injuries up front to work with the starting group at right guard, and he hasn’t looked out of place.
Ryan Fodje, who is expected to start at right guard but has moved to left tackle, even said he believes Best could start Week 1. Best may not end up in the lineup every Saturday with so much experience returning, but he has done enough in camp to lock down a place in the regular rotation after not being on any projected two-deep depth chart before practices began.
At cornerback, sophomore Trystan Haynes has made his case as well. Oklahoma already knows it has solidified starters in Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory, but the Sooners still need depth behind them.
Haynes, a Carl Albert High School product, has become a name to watch as camp has unfolded. Oklahoma had turned to the transfer portal for possible help there, but Haynes has shown enough this summer that the Sooners may already have had the answer in-house.
Then there’s linebacker Cole Sullivan, whose name has come up repeatedly despite media seeing only a handful of practices. Sullivan transferred from Michigan with the expectation that he would start at linebacker, but Owen Heinecke’s sudden return changed that outlook.
Even so, Sullivan has been so impressive that Brent Venables mentioned him by name after practice on Friday as someone who has had a great fall camp. He has worked at multiple spots as Oklahoma looks for ways to get him on the field, and that could include a start at cheetah.
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