Brent Venables explains how Oklahoma can offset loss of Eric Gray

As Eric Gray is preparing for the 2023 NFL Draft, Brent Venables is hoping his running back room can adjust to his absence.

While Gray started his college career at Tennessee before transferring to Oklahoma ahead of the 2021 season, totaling 1,311 rushing yards and eight touchdowns over two seasons before taking his talents to Norman, he gained wide-spread recognition for his play with the Sooners. After rushing for 412 yards and two touchdowns in his first season with the program in 2021, Gray broke out in 2022, running for 1,366 yards and 11 touchdowns in his lone season under Venables’ watch.

Now, Oklahoma has to replace not just Gray’s production, but his leadership, and that’s weighing on Venables’ mind as spring practice ramps up.

“I like the group of running backs that we have. We lost half of our rushing yards. I think we have 32% of our receiving yards coming back. We have 50% of our rushing yards coming back, so it’s a little better than you probably think,” started Venables. “Eric was fantastic, but remember that was his first year starting. Everybody wondered going into last year too, how are we going to replace Kennedy Brooks?

“Eric really stepped up. He had his opportunity, and he was a great leader. Wasn’t real vocal, but he showed up and acted like a pro everyday, by his consistency, his toughness. Had a great mentality. Willingness to go to work every day. Responded to good, hard coaching that DeMarco [Murray] will give those guys.”

Nevertheless, Venables is excited about the current crop of Oklahoma running backs, including Jovantae Barnes, Gavin Sawchuk and Marcus Major.

“I love our running backs. I really feel good about where we’re at,” added the Sooners leader. “They need to continue to improve, so you have to practice. Guys get bumps and bruises, that’s part of the game. Nobody likes it, but that is a byproduct of developing your team. You can’t practice in a soft way and expect to play in a hard, tough, physical way. So that’s all going to be part of it on the journey, but it’s a really tough, hard group of guys, that I think are really looking forward to having their opportunity to being the guy, but for us to be at our best, we’re going to have to have good, competitive depth. I believe that we have that. That’ll be determined. And I like our leadership. These are guys that are accountable. DeMarco hasn’t recruited guys that aren’t accountable. That’s the challenge for everybody on staff. Find guys that value hard work, that value education, that value being a great teammate, that value going through something. Having to overcome something. Having to fight through something. They value that. They have a very clear vision, all the tough things that it takes to be great.

“As we say all the time, running towards the hard, that’s a part of it, and having some failure along the way. So these are good, tough mentally and physically players that we’re talking about at the running back position, and the test of time will tell, but I really believe that Eric, if he did anything, he did a great job of showing guys how to lead. Jovantae [Barnes] and Gavin [Sawchuk] being guys that are returning, along with Marcus Major, who we’re going to get back here to start things up, all have the right mindset, to continue to do what Eric did for us last year.”

Indisputably, Brent Venables is confident in his program, and his running back room. Eric Gray was fantastic for the Sooners, but Oklahoma is in good hands moving forward, especially due to the example he helped set.