High expectations loomed over Jovantae Barnes as he entered the 2023 season.
Barnes was fresh off a freshman campaign where he rushed for 519 yards and five touchdowns as the No. 2 back to Eric Gray, who was selected by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the NFL Draft the ensuing offseason. Barnes ended his season on a high note by tallying 108 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries in the Cheez-It Bowl.
After the impressive showing, many were surprised to see him listed below redshirt senior Marcus Major and walk-on junior Tawee Walker alongside redshirt sophomore Gavin Sawchuk on the Sooners’ initial depth chart.
After receiving 28 carries through the first three weeks, second on the team only to Walker’s 29, Barnes’ season took a turn for the worst. He appeared in just five of the Sooners’ final 10 games, totaling 18 yards on nine carries.
Barnes answered questions regarding why he was so limited last season after Monday’s practice. He underwent surgery on his right foot following the 2022 season and tried to speed up the recovery, ultimately resulting in major setbacks throughout the season.
“(I was) trying to rush it and make sure I could be back before the season, be out here for the coaches and make sure they could depend on me,” Barnes said. “I just wasn’t ready. There would be some times where I’d be like, ‘OK, I feel good at practice, I feel good this week,’ and I’d go back out there and wouldn’t be able to burst.”
He suffered the injury during his senior year of high school but elected not to have a procedure on it due to his desire to play his freshman year with OU. Barnes said prior to the 2023 season that the injury hindered his ability in his freshman season.
While he powered through for a solid showing in 2022, he was unable to do the same in 2023. However, Barnes is glad he faced adversity last season and knows it’ll help him moving forward.
“It was hard,” Barnes said. “... It was a big time in my life that I had to get. I’m happy it happened to me because now I’m just more motivated and more hungry to get out there.”
Barnes showed appreciation for Sawchuk, Walker and Major, all of whom continuously checked in on him and helped him to not get discouraged.
Above all, running backs coach DeMarco Murray showed support for Barnes throughout the season and offered advice on dealing with long term injuries.
“He had a lot of injuries in his past,” Barnes said. “So he just made sure I kept my head up and was making sure I knew that everything is going to be OK.”
Along with working closely with Murray and the other backs, he calls his family everyday for extra motivation.
Looking forward to his first season fully healed from the injury since arriving in Norman serves as his greatest motivator.
“I feel back to normal,” Barnes said. “I feel explosive, I’ve been working on that all offseason. I’m making sure I just keep my head up and get closer with all my teammates.”
