Oklahoma Sooners make huge splash in transfer portal, nabbing elite playmaker who will transform their offense
New Oklahoma Sooners general manager Jim Nagy promised an aggressive approach to the transfer portal for Oklahoma, and he has already delivered on that.
On Tuesday, the Sooners announced a massive pickup out of the spring transfer portal, landing transfer running back Jaydn Ott.
Ott, one of the best running backs in college football, completely changes the face of Oklahoma’s offense.
Ott has rushed for 2,597 yards in his career with 24 touchdowns, tacking on another 736 yards and six touchdowns through the air. Ott battled an ankle injury in 2024 that limited his production, but his talent was still abundantly clear.
This marks another significant addition for the Sooners in the transfer portal on offense, joining quarterback John Mateer and wide receivers Javonnie Gibson and Isaiah Sategna.
Oklahoma was serious about completely changing their offense after their dismal 2024 season that was their worst in decades.
The Sooners love Xavier Robinson, who they believe can be a three-down back, and are encouraged by Tory Blaylock’s upside, but the rest of the room isn’t quite SEC-caliber. Adding Ott into this room gives Oklahoma one of the best 1-2 punches in the SEC, if not in the entire country.
Oklahoma has long made its identity through a high-octane passing offense, but to win in the SEC, you have to be able to run the ball at a high level. It seems both Nagy and Brent Venables took that lesson to heart after their first season in the SEC.
New offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is a creative run game designer. With Ott, Robinson, Blaylock, and a quality rushing quarterback in Mateer, the Sooners have the weapons to attack teams on the ground.
I would expect further moves to be made out of the portal for the Sooners, who will look to continue overhauling both sides of the ball by bringing players in and out.
