How Oklahoma RBs Jovantae Barnes, Tory Blaylock Earned Top Spots on Week 1 Depth Chart

Barnes missed part of spring ball due to the injury, but he was fully healthy by fall camp. And according to offensive lineman Troy Everett, Barnes earned the spot because of his offseason discipline.

“He’s stepped up,” Everett said. “He attacked it. He’s been a freaking workhorse. He’s taking a lot of reps, and he just… there’s never a complaint with him.”

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Freshman Tory Blaylock is also ahead of Ott as the Sooners’ second-string for the opener.

Blaylock was a consensus 4-star prospect and rushed for 1,262 yards and 26 touchdowns as a senior at Atascocita High School. He was also part of the school’s 4x100 relay team that broke the national record in the event with a time of 38.92 in March 2024.

Between his speed and his 5-11, 203-pound frame, Blaylock has turned heads during his first several months in Norman.

“That kid is an absolute monster,” Everett said. “I’ve never seen a freshman that runs the way he runs. But yeah, he’s a hardnosed kid. He’s another workhorse. He’s taking all the reps and never complained, just loved it.”

Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle expects both Barnes and Blaylock to shine when called upon against the Redbirds.

“Those guys were staples in fall camp, just in terms of they were there every single day,” Arbuckle said. “There were times where their bodies were probably hurting, but they knew we needed them in those moments. If they need to do something out of the backfield, they're going to do that, and they're going to do it to the best of their ability. So those two guys are awesome.”

Ott is technically tied as the third-string for the opener with sophomore Xavier Robinson — but that isn’t overly surprising.

The running back has dealt with a minor shoulder injury throughout fall camp, and he saw a smaller volume of carries in 2024 due to his nagging ankle injury. 

The Sooners are likely attempting to preserve Ott’s health ahead of next week’s game against Michigan, the No. 14 team — he will still, almost certainly, be OU’s featured back.

But Barnes and Blaylock have the chance against Illinois State to show how they can be used alongside the Cal transfer.

“You have to try and find the specific strengths that all of them have and put them in the situations to be successful,” Arbuckle said. “I think we’re fortunate that in the running back room, we have guys in there who are really talented who can do a lot of different things. If a guy’s hot, I’m not going to take him out of the game. But at the end of the day, you gotta play to the strengths of those guys and what the gameplan calls for.”