With Oklahoma's spring practices set to begin on March 6, OUInsider will project the depth chart for each position group and evaluate the biggest questions. This first installment focuses on the running backs.

Oklahoma's running back room has often been the most confusing position group on the team over the past two seasons. That could certainly be the case in 2025.

The good news for the Sooners? A lot of the pieces from last season are the same, giving them real continuity.

Despite another offseason of rumors about his future, DeMarco Murray is returning for his sixth season as the running backs coach. At his disposal, Murray has a quartet of running backs (Jovantae Barnes, Gavin Sawchuk, Xavier Robinson, Taylor Tatum) who have all seen playing time and have all proven they can be very productive. The Sooners also have returning pieces in Andy Bass (who missed all of last season with an injury) and veteran Sam Franklin, and four-star freshman Tory Blaylock enters the picture as an interesting wildcard.

The only issue is that the rotations were a question mark last season, and that could certainly be the case this year. With so many capable pieces, and a brand new offense under Ben Arbuckle, spring practices loom as a massive opportunity to bring some clarity on the running back room.

Here's an overview of where things stand with the running backs:

1. Jovantae Barnes (122 carries, 577 yards, 3 touchdowns)

2. Xavier Robinson (49 carries, 233 yards, 2 touchdowns)

3. Taylor Tatum (56 carries, 278 yards, 3 touchdowns)

4. Gavin Sawchuk (39 carries, 128 yards, 3 touchdowns)

DEPARTURES

Kalib Hicks

Emeka Megwa

— The projected depth chart could go a million different places. Last year's certainly did.

One thing we know for sure: Barnes was the clear go-to guy when he was healthy. Barnes logged 383 snaps, which ranked 11th most on the offense and first among running backs despite missing four games. The next closest running back? Sawchuk with 210.

In a year where everything was chaotic and dysfunctional on offense, Barnes was a rare bright spot through a lot of the season. He finished with 577 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 122 attempts (4.7 yards per carry). Of course, he had the 201-yard performance against Maine that proved to be one of the highlights of the season?

But heading into his senior year, does he automatically slide back into the starting spot? He clearly resonated with Murray, and while he doesn't have the highest upside of the group, he's proven he can be productive and he's a hard runner between the tackles. But he missed the last several games of the season, which forced the Sooners to find other options.

— One of those options was Sawchuk, who had a miserable season plagued by injuries. It still seems impossible that he finished the regular season with 26 carries for 59 yards (2.26 yards per carry). A lot of it was injuries, but Sawchuk just looked slow and was simply unproductive when he was on the field, particularly compared to Tatum and Robinson.

But it's impossible to ignore Sawchuk when evaluating the group in 2025. For one, Sawchuk was phenomenal down the stretch of the 2023 season. Two, even when his injuries kept him off the field late last season, Sawchuk (very unexpectedly) operated as the No. 1 running back in the bowl game against Navy. He logged 58 snaps; Tatum and Robinson combined for 34. This came even after he was projected to be an afterthought behind both of the young running backs. It also would've made sense to give those reps to Tatum and Robinson in a bowl game that wasn't, to put it nicely, very meaningful.

But was that purely a gameplan decision? Or did it indicate that Sawchuk still factors heavily into the rotation when he's healthy?

— Robinson wasn't anywhere near the rotation when the season started. He basically didn't play until the Sooners' basically-was-a-bye-week win over Maine.

But over the next two weeks, Robinson was electric. That included a nine-carry, 56-yard performance against Missouri before he exploded for 107 yards and two touchdowns against Alabama while averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Through those two games, Robinson showed he could blend both hardnosed running and explosive breakaway speed on the edge.

But Robinson's playing time was cut over the final two games. He played just 45 snaps in those two games and logged just six carries against Navy. It was head-scratching, considering what he showed against Alabama. But Robinson still led all OU running backs in yards after contact (3.59) and elusiveness rating (59.6), and he even caught 13 passes for 119 yards.

Robinson would (and maybe should) be the projected pick to lead the backfield. But he's got two veterans he's competing with, and his lack of snaps down the stretch casts some doubt on what his role can be.

— Tatum is electric with the ball in his hands. There's a reason he averaged five yards per carry and also showed promise as a pass catcher. But he had a glaring issue last season with fumbles. He fumbled three times in conference play, which made him difficult to trust on the field.

It'd be easy to chalk that, and his issue in pass protection, to growing pains as a young player. In theory, he should be better in both areas as a sophomore. But his role probably has the most flexibility compared to his counterparts. Could he establish himself a the No. 1 or No. 2 ball carrier? Absolutely. Could he be more of a situational playmaker where packages are built around him? Certainly.

Either way, Tatum clearly has the versatility and talent to make things happen.

— Maybe Blaylock or Bass shakes things up? If either one of them stands out in the spring, that could be interesting to monitor. However, Hicks appeared to be a spring MVP last season and that never materialized in the fall.

— It'll be interesting to see just how Murray manages this rotation, and how the running back is utilized in Arbuckle's offense. Could John Mateer be the primary rusher like he was last season at Washington State? Could Arbuckle opt to utilize two-running back sets, and does he prefer to utilize multiple running backs? Wayshawn Parker was the bellcow last season at Washington State with 137 carries. No other running back had more than 65.

But Murray needs to get a better handle on his rotations. For the last two seasons, OU's running back rotation seemed to be constantly in flux and it was a reason why it took the running game so long to find a rhythm.