Ben Arbuckle sees a 'really deep' running back room behind Jaydn Ott

Star running back Jaydn Ott made a splash this offseason when he announced his transfer from California to Oklahoma a season removed from rushing for 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns. He now leads a talented running back room at Oklahoma, which ranked 11th in the SEC in rushing last season.

Ott, alongside Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer, look to build on what was a disappointing season for the Oklahoma offense in 2024. The Sooners totaled just 331.0 yards of offense per game last season, which ranked third-to-last in the SEC ahead of just Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

Oklahoma offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ben Arbuckle talked in depth about the running back room during a media opportunity on Wednesday.

“I think we have a lot of awesome players [in the running back room],” Arbuckle said on Wednesday. “I think we have a really deep running back room. The biggest word I like to use with those guys is that they’re all dependable. They’re sharp. They’re smart. They know exactly what to do and that’s a testament to how coach [DeMarco] Murray coaches them and holds them accountable too.”

“With Jovantae [Barnes] and Tory [Blaylock] and [Xavier Robinson] and Taylor [Tatum] and all of those guys, without Jadyn [Ott], are sharp and they’ve been here the whole eight months I’ve been here. They’re dialed on everything, so that’s the biggest thing I could say about them. Those guys are dependable.”

Oklahoma run game looks to lead Sooners to better offense in 2025

Barnes led the Sooners in rushing last season with 577 yards, while former quarterback Jackson Arnold was second on the team with 444 yards. Taylor Tatum and Xavier Robinson ranked third on fourth on the team in rushing as well, meaning that Brent Venables‘ team has three of its four leading rushers back along with Ott in the mix.

“I haven’t had Jaydn [Ott] in the same light with him not getting here until the summer, but he’s got a great presence to him and has shown tremendous work ethic,” Venables said about his new running back. “Again, the natural things that you see on tape — his pace, his speed, his explosiveness and his ability to break tackles as his instincts. His ability to do a lot of things out of the backfield. Pass protect, all of those things. He’s gonna have a chance to have success in this conference, which is again, a great conference. We know that.”

Oklahoma opens its 2025 campaign at home on Aug. 30 against Illinois State. Kick-off is scheduled for 5:00 PM on SEC Network+/ESPN+.