Tory Blaylock leaned forward, crossed the finish line and reeled in a first-place finish in the 2016 100-meter Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics.
Tory Blaylock’s accomplishment was one of two wins at the 2016 AAU Junior Olympics held in Humble, Texas; he also won the 200-meter event. At a young age, Tory Blaylock, who currently leads the Sooners in rushing yards as a freshman running back, set the tone with elite speed.
“He was like the fastest (10-year-old) in the nation at the time, … so we knew he was super fast,” Derrick Blaylock, Tory’s father, said.
Tory Blaylock, though, always had his eyes set on football more than track and used his track talent to show off while developing his game.
“He's always been a football guy,” Derrick Blaylock said. “I think track was just something that he did because he was good at it; he's always known that he (wants) to play football at the next level.”
Tory Blaylock’s beginnings were inspired from his father’s legacy.
Derrick Blaylock recorded 820 rushing yards over five seasons in the NFL, and he watched his son work tirelessly as a 6-year-old. Tory Blaylock performed footwork drills, developed an understanding of how to attack holes and laid a foundation for success.
"He was in the gym as young as 6-years-old, just sitting there, running around and messing around, doing a little stuff here and there,” Derrick Blaylock said. “And he just gravitated to it. He just really took to it and stuck with it, and now look at him, ... it's working now.”
Seven games in as a Sooner, Tory Blaylock comes off recording a game-high 101 rushing yards against South Carolina, his second 100-yard game of the season after reaching the milestone against Temple on Sept. 13.
“It feels good, just knowing that he's just worked so hard and to see him out there … having the game that he had,” Derrick Blaylock said. “It just feels so good; it's just so rewarding.”
His play in the South Carolina game earned him Southeastern Conference freshman of the week and solidified his status as OU’s No. 1 rusher.
“That's a big accomplishment, … especially as a freshman in the SEC leading the team, …” Derrick Blaylock said. “It just shows the hard work that (he has) put in.”
‘Show all the hard work’
At Atascocita High School in Humble, Texas, Tory Blaylock was a step ahead of many players in his development.
Tory Blaylock contributed to an 11-3 record with a state quarterfinals finish during his freshman year. He then followed his freshman campaign with another 11-3 his sophomore season that ended in a quarterfinals appearance and him winning the 2022 Texas District 21-6A offensive newcomer of the year.
“That's one of the things that, at our high school, that's very rare,” Derrick Blaylock said. “Freshmen usually don't make it to varsity. But also, he was on varsity and … playing a lot. (And getting) the (offensive newcomer of the year award), it was great to see because this goes to show all the hard work that you put into it.”
Tory Blaylock rushed for 616 yards and 11 touchdowns while recording 268 yards and three touchdowns in the air his junior year, finishing 11-3 with a quarterfinal appearance.
Tory Blaylock was also prolific on the track his junior year and showcased his speed on a national level. He was a part of a 4x100-meter relay team that set a high school national record with a time of 38.92 while winning a state championship.
The day serves as a fond memory for Derrick Blaylock. The championship was held at Rice University, and Atascocita was closely contested with Duncanville High School going into it. Fans were building with anticipation before being met with awe as it happened.
“It was them versus Duncanville, which Duncanville had the fastest time that year in the 4x100, … so everybody was really fired up and ready to run,” Derrick Blaylock said. “And they went out there and broke the record, and it was crazy. The stands went crazy because nobody could believe the time that was on the stop clock, on the watch, on the board that they had.”
He then took off on the football field his senior year, rushing for 1,262 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. He also recorded 304 receiving yards and three touchdowns and guided Atascocita to another state quarterfinal as well as a 9-5 record.
“They just had to win, battle and stick together and put up points. … It was exciting,” Derrick Blaylock said. “It's always exciting to go deep into the playoffs.”
After success on the football field and track, Tory Blaylock was rated as a four-star recruit and the No. 17 running back in his class and set his eyes on OU.
‘Didn’t flinch’
The OU coaches immediately talked about family when introducing themselves to the Blaylocks.
When Derrick Blaylock walked near the coaches’ offices, he saw pictures of their families as well, and the dynamic made an impression on him.
“When you visit OU, it's a different vibe, a different feeling that you get. It's a home atmosphere, …” Derrick Blaylock said. “They let me know, ‘Hey, family is very important here,’ and that was a moment that clicked with me. Like, this is where we need to be.”
Tory Blaylock graduated high school a semester early, enrolled at OU in January and joined the Sooners for spring practice.
Tory Blaylock’s talent and drive were quickly on display during the spring, and OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was quickly impressed with the freshman running back. He “circled the edge” of an outside zone, making an impact on his offensive coordinator. Later in spring practice, he followed the impressive moment with a sharp play against redshirt junior linebacker Kip Lewis, who had played 31 collegiate games going into 2025. Despite Lewis’ experience, Blaylock handled the matchup with little fear.
“I was like, ‘All right, kid can roll,’” Arbuckle said. “And then later on, in that same spring ball, Kip Lewis blitzed in the A-gap, and Tory stepped up and picked it up, didn't flinch at all.”
Arbuckle said that these two plays were a tale of consistency, which Tory Blaylock developed from a young age.
“Those weren't just one-off deals,” Arbuckle said. “It’s constantly doing the right thing, and when he does mess up, OK, he doesn't usually make the same mistake twice. And I think that speaks to a level of maturity for a kid so young to be able to take coaching, understand a mistake and then fix it. … He just has a great way that he carries himself and processes his preparation.”
In seven games as OU’s leading rusher, Tory Blaylock has taken charge in turning around OU’s run game. The Sooners averaged 122.3 on the ground going into the game against South Carolina but recorded 171 against the Gamecocks. Tory Blaylock inspired the shift with his 101 rushing yards and an 18-yard touchdown to start the game — a result of an attack mindset he established early in the season.
“Not everybody has this opportunity to be where I’m at, so I just feel like me taking it for granted would be me tiptoeing through the holes or letting somebody just tackle me,” Tory Blaylock said on Sept. 8. “I feel like every play, I'm trying to score.”
Tory Blaylock is set to play five ranked opponents to close out the regular season, and he carries his mentality and a message from his father with him.
“See everything that you dreamed of and worked so hard for, now, it's here,” Derrick Blaylock said. “It's right in front of you for you to go out and take advantage of it. … It's a blessing.”
This story was edited by Laurie Jones. Mary Ann Livingood and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.
