4-star RB Jovantae Barnes bumps Oklahoma's recruiting class to No. 8

Oklahoma has added another four-star recruit to its recruiting class.

Las Vegas Desert Pines four-star running back Jovantae Barnes announced his commitment Sunday to the Sooners right before the start of the Under Armour All-American Game.

It is a big win for new head coach Brent Venables and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. Barnes is the No. 93 overall player in the country, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

And his commitment gives Oklahoma a boost in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. The Sooners jumped from No. 10 to No. 8 in the rankings after the announcement, leapfrogging North Carolina and Michigan.

After not signing any running back out of high school last cycle, two of Oklahoma’s top three commits this cycle are dynamic runners. Littleton (Colo.) Valor Christian four-star running back Gavin Sawchuk is the top commit in the class, according to the On3 Consensus, as the No. 80 overall recruit in the country.

The Sooners don’t have any five-star commits, but have 14 four-star recruits and two three-star prospects in their class of 16.

Jovantae Barnes is a huge pickup for Oklahoma’s offense

Jovantae Barnes is the No. 8 running back in the country and No. 3 player from the state of Nevada. Only Las Vegas Bishop Gorman four-star safety Zion Branch and Las Vegas Bishop Gorman four-star EDGE Cyrus Moss are ranked ahead of him from the state of Nevada.

On3 ranks Barnes even higher. Barnes is the No. 4 running back, according to On3’s experts, behind only Reading (Pa.) Governor Mifflin five-star Nick Singleton, Lake Charles (La.) Lake Charles College Prep four-star TreVonte’ Citizen and Tyler (Texas) Tyler Legacy four-star Jamarion Miller.

He will enroll in Norman with an opening at running back after Kennedy Brooks announced he was declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft after the Sooners’ Alamo Bowl victory.

Brooks played in three seasons with Oklahoma and was a 1,000-yard rusher in all three campaigns. He is also the fourth running back in team history to have three 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

His absence creates a void at the running back spot that Barnes could theoretically fill.

Backup running back Eric Gray transferred in from Tennessee this past offseason and ran for 412 yards in 2021. He would likely be the main competition for Barnes and Sawchuk.

No matter which of the three is the starter, Barnes will likely play a role in the Sooners offense sooner rather than later. He has the skills and attitude to do so, as he demonstrated at the Under Armour All-American practices this weekend.

“The On3 consensus four-star back is never one to shy away from reps, or working to get better,” On3 National Recruiting Analyst Gerry Hamilton said. “And that has carried over this week to the Under Armour practices. Barnes will always jump to the front of a line to take an extra snap.”