Football has changed. The days of most teams relying on one super-dominant running back are over. It can still be done, but let’s even consider last year’s two Super Bowl teams. TreyVeon Henderson carried the ball 180 times for the New England Patriots and Rhamondre Stevenson carried the ball 130 times. For the Seattle Seahawks, Kenneth Walker III rushed 221 times, while Zach Charbonnet carried the ball another 184 times.
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Oklahoma fans have longed for an elite running back since Dede Westbrook was named a Heisman finalist in 2016. In each of the last three seasons, the Sooners have used a committee approach. Two of the seasons resulted in 10-3 records and last saw OU in the College Football Playoff.
New running backs coach Deland McCullough hopes to continue the at least two-headed approach as well. He previously held the position at Notre Dame and last year in the NFL with the Raiders.
“I was teaching these guys, ‘Don’t get carried away with the extreme numbers,'” McCullough told ESPN. “You can have extreme numbers, but you can also have extreme wear and tear.”
McCullough said when he was scouting, he wasn’t looking for workhorses. He wanted running backs who could maximize their efficiency on touches. Less loads mean cooler bodies.
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Oklahoma would certainly like a little more efficiency in its backfield in 2026. The Sooners averaged just 3.54 yards per carry last year, ranking 118th among 136 FBS teams. Tory Blaylock, a rising sophomore, was strong early in the season but struggled late, giving up carries to Xavier Robinson in the second half. Together, and along with quarterback John Mateer, they gave OU a semblance of a running game, enough to make Oklahoma’s offense dangerous.
But improvement next year will likely come from increased efficiency rather than Blaylock, Robinson or Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant stepping up and taking full control of the job.
“They should have sat there and seen, ‘Wait a minute, this could work,'” McCullough said. “Audric (Estime) had 1,300 yards, 18 touchdowns, but up until Game 10, he only played 47, 48% of the offensive snaps. He set out for the guys to be very, very successful and efficient.”
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma’s Deland McCullough brings NFL pedigree