Oklahoma Sooners rushing attack key to success in 2026

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The Oklahoma Sooners will begin fall camp this week. They'll spend the next month preparing for a 2026 season that could be memorable. This is a team with a lot of talent and the pieces in place to do something special. However, there are still some lingering questions facing the team as they get ready for their season opener against UTEP on September 4.

We're not breaking any news here, but for the Oklahoma Sooners to play the type of football they want, they need a running game. Brent Venables wants this team to be a physical football team with the ability to dictate the pace of play on both sides of the ball.

Oklahoma ranked No. 113 in rushing yards per game last season. Tied with Oklahoma State, a team that didn't win a Big 12 game a year ago.

The Sooners found explosive runs throughout the season but averaged just 3.4 yards per carry. You take sack yardage out of the equation because the NCAA includes it as rushing yards for stat-keeping, and the number rises to 4.3 yards per carry. Better, but beyond the stat book, everyone could see that the run game wasn't what it needed to be last year.

Some of that was due to the physical limitations of the quarterback, making Oklahoma a bit more one-dimensional than they wanted to be. The other part was the youth along the offensive line.

True freshmen Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje played a lot of snaps for the Sooners last year. They were 18, making their way through the SEC for the first time. They played well for the most part, but that's a big jump, even from Texas high school football.

With another year in the Sooners' strength and conditioning program, Oklahoma's sophomore offensive linemen will be more physically prepared for the week-to-week grind of the SEC.

You could say the same thing for Jake Maikkula, who became Oklahoma's starter at center after Troy Everett's injury in Week 1. He arrived in Norman in the summertime and was thrown into the fire. He held up well in pass protection and showed a lot of promise, but comes into 2026 bigger and stronger after a full offseason in Norman.

Guard Eddy Pierre-Louis, known for his physicality and demeanor, has become a leader in the offensive line room, putting in the extra work to refine his game and build on his first opportunity to start for the Sooners.

Oklahoma also added veteran offensive lineman E'Marion Harris, who brings 1,600 snaps with him from Arkansas. His experience, size, and veteran presence will provide a boost for the Sooners up front, which should result in a running game that can take a step in 2026.

In addition to the growth of the offensive line, the tight end room underwent a makeover this offseason with Jim Nagy and Brent Venables bringing in veterans Hayden Hansen and Rocky Beers and former Tennessee standout Jack VanDorsalaer to remake a group that struggled to run block in 2025. That trio, along with the addition of tight ends coach Jason Witten, provides a lot of optimism that OU's run game will get a boost from the tight end group.

At running back, the Sooners may not have a lot of star power (yet), but they have better depth than they did a year ago with a group of guys ready to do whatever it takes to see a resurgent year for the Sooners' offense, especially on the ground. Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock will be ready to roll for fall camp. Lloyd Avant and true freshmen DeZephen Walker and Jonathan Hatton had strong springs to give Oklahoma confidence in their running back room heading into fall camp. The addition of Deland McCullough, widely regarded as one of the best running backs coaches in the game, should help the Sooners' ball carriers find success.

The Sooners weren't satisfied with their College Football Playoff appearance in 2026. So they went into the offseason motivated to improve their offense. They added talent, but they also brought back key players along the offensive line. That continuity up front, along with the work they've put in this offseason, will see a return to expectations for the Oklahoma Sooners' running game in 2026.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners rushing attack key to success in 2026

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