Oklahoma’s running back room is about to become one of the most interesting parts of fall camp, and general manager Jim Nagy isn’t hiding it.
With camp set to begin on Aug. 6, Nagy said the backfield battle is the one he’s watching closest as the Sooners start preparing for a brutal opening stretch. Speaking on The Franchise Morning Show at SEC Media Days, he pointed straight to that group when asked what stood out most heading into camp.
“I think (that’s) the position battle that I am looking forward to the most in camp,” Nagy said in an interview on The Franchise Morning Show at SEC Media Days.
Oklahoma brings back Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock, but the room looks a lot different than it did a year ago. The Sooners added freshmen Jonathan Hatton Jr. and DeZephen Walker, along with transfer Lloyd Avant, who came in from Colorado State and gives the offense another versatile piece.
There’s also a new voice leading the room. DeMarco Murray left for the NFL and joined the Kansas City Chiefs, and Oklahoma replaced him with Deland McCullough, who most recently coached with the Las Vegas Raiders.
McCullough has already had a chance to dig into last season’s film, and the numbers from Blaylock and Robinson show why this group still has plenty to work with. Blaylock ran for 480 yards and four touchdowns on 120 carries, while Robinson posted 421 yards and four scores on 83 carries. Both backs played through injury in 2025.
Spring gave McCullough a longer look at the full group, too. Injuries limited both Blaylock and Robinson again, but that opened the door for the younger backs and for Avant to get more reps.
“Last year we were banged up in fall camp. We were banged up again in the spring with Tory and X,” Nagy said.
“… But it gave some of the young guys and Lloyd Avant, who we got in the portal from Colorado State, a great opportunity to get run. I think Deland did an unbelievable job of splitting the workload up between all of those guys.”
Oklahoma also found a useful side effect when injuries hit the receiver group in the spring. The offense leaned more heavily into the run game and spent extra time in heavier personnel, which gave the staff a better look at the tight ends the Sooners added through the portal.
“The silver lining … It allowed us to do was go more heavy personnel and really get a good look at Hayden Hansen and Rocky Beers and Jack Van Dorselaer and what they can do,” Nagy said. “So that was exciting. That was really exciting.”
Now the Sooners head into camp with a crowded backfield and a clear need to sort out roles before facing Michigan, Georgia and Texas in their first five games. Nagy said that kind of competition is exactly what Oklahoma wanted to create.
“There’s going to be a lot of guys vying for that job and those carries. And competition brings out the best in everyone,” Nagy said.
“That’s the goal in the offseason is just to create as much competition in every single room as you can when you’re in my position in trying to build this thing. That’s all you’re trying to do and I think we did that.”
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