Watch the Sooners train for the fall season in this highlight reel of practice footage from August 10, 2021.
Filmed by Collin McDaniel and Justin Jayne
Edited by Collin McDaniel
Kennedy Brooks feels comfortable again.
After opting out of the Sooners’ 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, the redshirt junior running back returned to OU in January, eager to be playing football again. During his year away, Brooks was sometimes frustrated when watching the Sooners’ 11 games from home.
Oklahoma’s ground attack initially struggled last season without him, failing to record more than 130 rushing yards in each of its first three games, while the Sooners went 1-2. Brooks wanted to return for his team, but he ultimately felt playing in the midst of a global pandemic was too much of a risk to him and his family’s safety.
But now, after getting vaccinated and with OU still implementing social distancing protocols as the COVID-19 delta variant affects the state, Brooks is focused on bettering the Sooners’ running back room. With Brooks feeling “more explosive” than ever before, redshirt sophomore Marcus Major coming back and the addition of SEC transfers in junior Eric Gray and sophomore Tre Bradford, OU’s running game is trending upward.
“Everybody’s making great strides,” Brooks said. “We’re just taking it day by day. It’s a long camp. … Everybody’s working hard. Everyone’s getting their communication down. It’s all going well.”
The Sooners will replace their top two rushers from a season ago after Rhamondre Stevenson departed for the NFL and T.J. Pledger transferred to Utah. The pair combined for 1,116 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2020. The team will also look to replace Seth McGowan and converted H-back Mikey Henderson, who head coach Lincoln Riley dismissed this offseason after their alleged involvement in an April 15 robbery.
Brooks’ extensive experience makes him a strong candidate to become OU’s leading rusher once again. He ran for over 1,000 yards in both 2018 and 2019, and has 18 career touchdowns. He also brings the group College Football Playoff experience from the 2018 Orange Bowl and 2019 Peach Bowl. Major has the second-most experience in the Oklahoma offense with 215 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Many expect Brooks to assume a leadership role within one of the team’s younger position groups. However, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t learned a thing or two from his new teammates.
Brooks credited Gray with helping him improve in the passing game. Gray totaled three receiving touchdowns and 43 receptions for 369 yards in his two seasons at Tennessee. Brooks has 20 career receptions for 136 yards with no scores.
“He’s a great competitor,” Brooks said of Gray. “He goes out there and gives it his all. … He does everything right. He’s a good person (and) I’m definitely happy he’s here. … He has helped me a lot just taking every play and just making it just that one play and nothing more.”
Summarizing what Bradford has brought to Oklahoma, Brooks is impressed with the former LSU running back’s “talent for finding the endzone.” During Bradford’s three games with the Tigers last season, the Lancaster, Texas, native totaled 58 rushing yards on 10 carries. He only recorded one touchdown which came one a four-yard reception in LSU’s 37-34 upset win over Florida.
Bradford was a four-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. In his senior year at Lancaster High School, he rushed for 1,563 yards and 23 touchdowns while tallying 242 receiving yards and three scores on 12 catches. He held offers from the likes of Ohio State, USC, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Oklahoma State before signing with LSU in January 2020.
“When the ball’s in (Bradford’s) hands, man, he does great things,” Brooks said. “He’s fast (and) strong. I see a bright future for him. … I can’t wait to see what he does.”
