Gavin Sawchuk's highly enigmatic career in the crimson and cream appears to be over, as OUInsider.com has confirmed that the redshirt junior intends to enter the transfer portal.

A former four-star recruit out of the state of Colorado, Sawchuk had some spectacular highlights throughout his time as a Sooner, but endured a frustrating campaign in 2024 that prompted Oklahoma to fortify their backfield via the addition of Cal transfer Jaydn Ott. With Ott now ostensibly set to fill a bell-cow role for OU in 2025, Sawchuk will look for an opportunity to make a greater productive dent in a different uniform.

Sawchuk signed with Oklahoma in the class of 2022 alongside fellow blue-chip back Jovantae Barnes, and the pair was fully expected to comprise the Sooners' next great one-two backfield punch in the long run. In tandem, the pair gave the Sooner faithful a taste of that potential in the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl; Barnes and Sawchuk each eclipsed 100 yards on the ground and rushed for a touchdown apiece.

Come 2023, both backs struggled with injury throughout the first half of the campaign. But down the stretch, Sawchuk caught fire, and Oklahoma rode the redshirt freshman's hot hand. He rushed for 100-plus yards in each of the season's final five games, including a 130-yard, three-touchdown effort in a 69-45 win over TCU. Sawchuk's strong finishing stretch naturally set the expectation that he would lead the backfield committee in 2024, but what followed was a bizarre campaign for both the team and Sawchuk as an individual.

As Oklahoma struggled to an uninspiring 6-7 record, Sawchuk was an afterthought for the majority of the campaign as he battled a nagging hamstring issue. All told, he rushed just 39 times for 128 yards. His only touchdown of the season came in the Sooners' Armed Forces Bowl loss to Navy, a game in which he accrued the majority of his yardage total for the entire season (67 of the 128 yards, to be specific).

Now, amidst a crowded backfield picture, Sawchuk is on the move. He'll have two years of eligibility remaining at his next destination. In his absence, Oklahoma will primarily rely on Ott, Barnes and rising sophomores Taylor Tatum and Xavier Robinson. True freshman Tory Blaylock may also earn a share of the carries after a strong spring.

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