With the season right around the corner, one area of uncertainty for the Sooners has been running back, but Oklahoma has been known to produce great backs, and they feel this year won’t be any different.
Losing almost their entire rushing production to the NFL Draft in Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine, the Sooners have a hole to fill at the tailback position. One name that continues to pop up as a candidate to replace Mixon and Perine is sophomore Abdul Adams.
“Abdul has progressed the most out of all of them,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “He’s very explosive and quick. The one thing I’ll say about all those guys is it takes more than just one guy to bring them down.”
Adams saw minimal playing time a year ago, rushing the ball 53 times for only 283 yards. Despite only being a sophomore, Adams has the most on field experience of any other running back the Sooners have. Coaches and players have raved about Adams’ progression from his freshman year, which has been all about “staying consistent” and developing off-the-field relationships with the offensive line and Mayfield.
“You’ve got a guy like Abdul who’s really, really accelerated his development the last year,” running backs coach Jay Boulware said. “All areas — as a receiver, as a runner, just in every single aspect of his game has improved. He’s probably our most improved player on our football team from his first year to his second.”
But Adams isn’t the only player that could fill the running back void. Redshirt sophomore Rodney Anderson is also hoping to see the field for the Sooners after suffering season-ending injuries in his first two seasons. Oklahoma also have some new faces in the backfield with freshmen Trey Sermon and Kennedy Brooks, along with junior college transfer Marcelias Sutton.
Adams and Anderson have been helping the younger guys adjust to their new system.
“We're all talking to each other, we're all helping each other out,” Adams said. “They're all looking good. You've got to get used to the speed of the game, but at the end of the day it's just football."
With Anderson, Adams and a solid group of freshman, Oklahoma will have multiple options when the first game rolls around in September.
“They all add a different element,” Mayfield said. “They’re all very talented so it’s exciting to see the different things they do well. It’s a deep running back room so I think the competition in that room is unlike any other we have on this team right now so it’s exciting to see.”
