Oklahoma spent the 2025 season learning a hard lesson: even a team good enough to win 10 games and reach the College Football Playoff can still be carrying a flaw too big to ignore.
That flaw was the run game. And inside the program, nobody is pretending it can stay that way.
From general manager Jim Nagy to head coach Brent Venables, the message this offseason has been clear - the Sooners have to run the football better, and not just a little better. The way Oklahoma played on the ground a year ago was a major reason the offense never found a steady rhythm, and it’s not the kind of formula the program can lean on going forward.
Venables made that point directly 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 numbers tell the story. Oklahoma averaged 118.5 rushing yards per game in 2025, its lowest mark since 2001 and the fourth-lowest total the program has posted since 1937. Among 134 FBS teams, the Sooners finished 113th in rushing.
That was a sharp break from the identity Oklahoma has built over decades. The Sooners have long been known for explosive offense and a ground game that can overwhelm opponents.
Last season flipped that script. Oklahoma was one of the nation’s best teams at stopping the run and defending overall, but one of the worst at moving the ball on the ground.
The production was spread thin, too. Freshman Tory Blaylock led the team with 480 rushing yards on 120 carries, while Xavier Robinson added 421 yards.
John Mateer ran for 431 yards and eight touchdowns. All three were dealing with injuries for much of the season, which limited what they could do.
The problems didn’t stop there. Oklahoma’s offensive line was also working through its own growing pains, with three freshman starters being thrown into the mix.
That’s why the offseason overhaul has gone beyond the backs themselves. Venables and new running backs coach Deland McCullough, who arrived after a year with the Las Vegas Raiders and three seasons coaching running backs at Notre Dame, are both expecting a much better version of the offense in 2026.
Blaylock and Robinson are back and, according to the setup heading into the season, should be healthy and ready to go. Both were held out of spring practice, but they’re expected to open the year as the lead options.
The room also got deeper. Oklahoma added highly touted recruits Jonathan Hatton Jr. and DeZephen Walker from its 2026 class, and Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant joined the group as well.
Avant and Walker both flashed in the spring game. Avant finished with 69 yards and a touchdown, while Walker ran for 81 yards, scored once and averaged 10.1 yards per carry.
Venables said the fix has to be broader than just handing the ball to a different back.
"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."
He also pointed to the work done around the backs, saying the staff believes the offense has been reshaped in multiple spots.
"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."
For Oklahoma, that’s the path back to the kind of offense the program expects. If the Sooners can get the run game back to where it has been for most of their history, and keep playing the kind of defense Venables demands, they’ll be in the mix for the College Football Playoff again - and maybe more.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Just Got A Huge New Roster Question This Offseason
A federal judges latest ruling could create an unexpected layer of uncertainty around Oklahomas offseason roster, opening the door for some players to pursue a fifth college season even after exhausting four years of eligibility. The decision applies to athletes from the 2022 recruiting class and arrives despite the NCAAs planned five-in-five rule, which was not supposed to take effect until the 2027 recruiting class, giving programs across the country another potential round of roster movement to monitor.
For the Sooners, the issue is especially notable because several players on the 2025 roster could fall into that window and suddenly have a choice to make after the 2026 NFL Draft. If any of those players decide college is still the better move, Oklahoma could be dealing with a fresh wave of roster decisions well after the usual offseason business is supposed to be settled. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Enters Camp With One Huge Question Up Front
Fall camp is about to open for Oklahoma, and with Brent Venables heading into his fifth year, the Sooners still have a familiar source of intrigue up front. The defensive tackle room has been reshaped by NFL departures, graduation and transfers, but Jayden Jackson and David Stone are back as the anchors, giving Todd Bates at least a proven starting point in a unit that was among the better-regarded parts of the defense a year ago.
What comes next is the real test, because the Sooners need that group to hold up after losing so much experience. Oklahoma has blended in transfers and freshmen to help fill the gaps, and the early weeks of camp will go a long way toward showing whether the new-look interior line can match the standard the program expects, or whether this becomes the kind of spot that takes time to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas 2026 Offense Hinges On One Long Awaited Change
Fall camp has arrived in Norman, and with it comes a familiar offseason priority for the Sooners: making the run game and offensive line sturdier before the 2026 season gets underway. Oklahoma has spent the buildup adding experience on both fronts, bringing in offensive lineman EMarion Harris and running backs coach Deland McCullough as part of a broader push to add physicality and depth. The goal is clear enough, even if the work is just getting started, with the opener against UTEP serving as the first chance to see whether the changes are showing up where they matter most.
For Oklahoma, this is about more than just shoring up one phase of the offense. The Sooners have returning players mixed with new additions, and the challenge now is turning that blend into a line and backfield that can hold up over a full season. The identity they are chasing is a more dependable, more physical attack, and fall camp will reveal how close they are to getting it before the spotlight tightens in September. [Read more 🡒]