Tory Blaylock Emerges as Unexpected Spark in Oklahoma’s Backfield
NORMAN - Heading into the season, Tory Blaylock wasn’t supposed to be the guy in Oklahoma’s backfield. In fact, there was a good chance he might’ve been wearing a redshirt instead of a helmet most Saturdays. But football has a way of rewriting expectations, and Blaylock’s story is a perfect example of that.
Despite battling through nagging shoulder injuries for much of the year, the true freshman didn’t just hang around - he led the Sooners in rushing. That’s right. In a room stacked with returning talent like Jovantae Barnes, Xavier Robinson, and Taylor Tatum, plus the high-profile addition of Jaydn Ott, it was Blaylock who ended the season as OU’s most productive runner.
He wrapped up his debut campaign with 480 rushing yards and four touchdowns, appearing in all 13 games. Not bad for a player many penciled in as a developmental piece for the future.
What’s even more impressive is how he did it. Blaylock didn’t get there by dominating a few cupcake matchups or padding stats in garbage time. He earned tough yards, stepped up in key moments, and made the most of every opportunity that came his way - all while managing a shoulder that wasn’t 100%.
His breakout came in a season where Oklahoma, in Year 4 under Brent Venables, returned to the College Football Playoff but fell to Alabama in the first round, 34-24. Even in that high-stakes environment, Blaylock’s presence was felt. He wasn’t just a freshman filling in - he was a contributor the Sooners leaned on.
For Blaylock, earning the trust of his teammates and coaches was just as important as the yards he racked up.
“Being a young guy coming in, you sometimes tend to be a little under a little shell, you're a little shy,” Blaylock said. “But those guys just let me be who I am, and they took me for it.”
That kind of locker room support matters, especially for a freshman navigating the physical and mental grind of major college football. But Blaylock didn’t just survive - he thrived.
His emergence gives Oklahoma a valuable building block in the backfield moving forward, and it sends a clear message: depth charts in August are just paper. What happens on the field is what counts.
Blaylock’s 2025 season might not have started with much fanfare, but it ended with him as one of the Sooners’ most reliable weapons. That’s the kind of development that can reshape a team’s future - and it’s a storyline worth watching as Oklahoma turns the page to next season.