Early in fall camp, the Oklahoma Sooners running back group is in a much better spot, simply because it’s healthier. Last August, both Gavin Sawchuk and Jovantae Barnes were dealing with nagging offseason injuries, which kept them limited into the season.
As the Sooners prepare for 2024, the two four-star backs from the 2022 recruiting class appear to be healthy and ready to lead the way. But the running back position has better depth going into the season as well, with the development of Kalib Hicks and the additions of Sam Franklin, Taylor Tatum, and Xavier Robinson. Tatum was a summer arrival, but he’s already stood out with his teammates.
“I mean, he came in here day one ready to work,” Barnes said after practice via OU Insider. “You know, just sits in the meeting room. Make sure we don’t skip past anything… just making sure he understands everything. You can tell he’s a guy that’s ready to compete and ready to play.”
Every meeting and practice rep is critical for Tatum to get him up to speed after spending the spring on the diamond. The former five-star running back and No. 1 player at his position also stars in baseball. That he’s been able to make coaches and teammates take notice of his ability in just a few months speaks volumes to his talent.
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“I thought he’s been really good,” Jackson Arnold said after Monday’s practice. “And I think Taylor adds a unique passing element to our game. Whether you can line up in empty or do whatever put him in the passing game. He’s very versatile. He’s definitely gonna be a good option for us this year, sort of along those lines.”
Though there may be a couple of veteran players in front of him on the depth chart, Tatum has the speed and athleticism to be a dynamic .weapon in the Sooners offense. Even if he’s not a featured back, Seth Littrell and DeMarco Murray will find ways to get him on the field whether on offense or on special teams.
The sky’s the limit for Tatum, and his Oklahoma career is on the runway, ready to take off.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
The Oklahoma Sooners will be having a spring football game once again in 2026, after taking a one-year hiatus in 2025. On Wednesday, OU set a date for the spring game, which will take place on Saturday, April 18th in Norman.
The spring game will be the first opportunity for fans to see the ’26 Sooners, after a run to the College Football Playoff in 2025. Additionally, with no spring transfer portal window this offseason, the spring game will be a pretty good look at what OU’s final roster will look like come the fall.
Oklahoma did not have a spring football game in 2025, instead opting for the “Crimson Combine”, which was essentially just a brief practice in front of fans. Many programs have gone away from traditional spring games in the transfer portal/NIL era of college football, but it looks like the Sooners are going back to the basics in 2026.
Head coach Brent Venables’ team lost a lot from their ’25 squad that made the CFP, but they also return a lot as well. Add in new recruits and portal additions, and there’s plenty of promise for the Sooners in 2026.
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It’s been a busy day of news for OU Football. In addition to setting a spring game date, Oklahoma has hired Molly Jacoby as the program’s Director of Recruiting, filling the role left vacant by Jolie Ale, who left for a job at Auburn. The Sooners are also reportedly working to hire LaMar Morgan as the team’s defensive backs coach, though nothing has been finalized as of yet. He would replace cornerbacks coach Jay Valai, who was hired by the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
This is all in addition to the report that the mayors of Norman and Stillwater are co-authoring legislation to bring back the Bedlam rivalry between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, and make the Sooners and Cowboys play annually. OU also saw a total of ten former players from the 2025 team get invites to the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday.
The 2026 spring football game will take place on Owen Field at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and it will serve as the wrap-up for OU’s spring ball practices to prepare for the 2026 season.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions.You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.
Devon Energy to move headquarters from Oklahoma City to Houston
Devon Energy announces headquarters relocation to Houston following Coterra Energy merger, maintaining presence in Oklahoma City.
After both Expand Energy and Devon Energy recently announced relocations to Houston, Texas, one question arises: What makes the Texas city so attractive to Oklahoma City businesses?
The two moves stem from different circumstances — Devon through its merger with Houston-based Coterra and Expand through leadership shakeups — but together they’ve generated concern in Oklahoma City’s energy sector.
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But Devon and Expand are not the first businesses to move to Houston from OKC. Here a look at what the companies have said about the shift.
More: Harold Hamm says Continental Resources will stay in OKC as rivals move to Houston
Devon Energy announces move to Houston in merger
Devon Energy announced Feb. 2 that it plans move its headquarters from Oklahoma City and merge with Houston-based Coterra Energy.
Devon Energy spokesperson Michelle Hindermarch said in a call with investors that the headquarters relocation was a part of the merger.
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“This wasn’t an easy decision, but it was required for the success of the transaction and is the right one for a company of our scale to compete most effectively,” Hindmarch said.
As for Houston itself, Hindmarch noted that the city “provides greater access to commercial counterparties, many of our peers, and other industry resources.”
Hindermarch did not provide any information about how the move to Houston would impact employment numbers in Oklahoma City, only that the company will continue to have a significant presence.
As of Tuesday, Feb. 10, it is known that CEO Clay Gaspar and other executive positions will make the move to Houston.
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Expand makes move to Houston
On Feb. 9, Expand Energy, previously known as Chesapeake Energy, announced it would follow Devon Energy in moving its headquarters to Houston.
The company said the 500-employee workforce behind Expand Energy will remain in Oklahoma City, and the relocation will primarily involve the executive team to strengthen Expand Energy’s relationships with key industry and commercial partners.
In an email to employees, Chairman of the Board Michael Wichterich said Expand Energy’s move to Houston will be completed by mid-2026 but promised the Oklahoma City workforce will be unaffected by the relocation. Wichterich said he was set to visit the Oklahoma City campus on Feb. 9 to meet with employees.
Regarding the decision to move, Wichterich said the move will “allow us to capitalize on Houston’s leading role as a gateway to the global natural gas market.
“Houston offers unmatched proximity and connectivity to the global energy ecosystem. Establishing our headquarters in the Houston area is a natural evolution of our growing marketing and commercial focus and places leadership at the heart of this ecosystem,” Wichterich said.
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History of Oklahoma energy companies moving to Houston
Several homegrown energy companies have moved to Houston over the years.
Conoco got its start in 1913 when it was spun off as an independent company from Standard Oil. The company then moved its headquarters to Ponca City when it merged with Marland Oil in 1929. The company moved its headquarters to Houston in 1950.
Phillips 66 was started in 1927 by oilman Frank Phillips; it was acquired by Houston-based Conoco in 2002. The company retains a presence in Bartlesville with its 440-acre Phillips 66 Research Center. Another oil and gas company, Citgo, was headquartered in Tulsa starting in 1968 and then relocated to Houston in 2004.
Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma President Brook A. Simmons predicted the state will continue to see small oil and gas operators grow into major employers.
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“Oklahoma has long been fertile ground for independent oil and natural gas companies with big ideas and a willingness to take risks,” Simmons said. “Many of today’s industry giants got their start here as homegrown operations. Expand Energy (formerly Chesapeake Energy) began with two men and 20 wells outside Lindsay. Continental Resources was founded by an Enid wildcatter. Devon Energy itself started with just five employees and a handful of wells.”
NORMAN — Oklahoma’s successful opening weekend was even more impressive considering the Sooners went 3-1 without Jennifer Rocha.
The OU associate head coach and pitching coach took a leave of absence from the team due to a “health matter,” and Patty Gasso turned to former pitcherKarlie Keeney to fill in for Rocha as interim pitching coach.
“She’s definitely struggling with some health issues right now,” Gasso said of Rocha on Tuesday. “Pretty severe. But she’s OK, waiting for more information and when that happens, it’ll be delivered. We’re trying to bring her as much comfort as we can through our play. So she’s resting at home and has a lot of help and a lot of love.”
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Oklahoma associate head coach and pitching coach Jennifer Rocha embraces former pitcher Kelly Maxwell after the Sooners’ 2024 national title. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
No. 4 Oklahoma beat Arizona State thanks to a late two-run shot from freshman Kendall Wells last Thursday, then the Sooners took two of three games from No. 17 Arizona.
Keeney signed back on with the Sooners just days before the season opener after Gasso said that Rocha missed time in the lead-up to the season to learn more about her health.
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Once Rocha knew she would have to take her leave of absence, she quickly told Gasso that Keeney, who served on staff as a student assistant pitching coach last year, could step into the job.
“Jen Rocha said, ‘I want Karlie Keeney.’ And we went out to get Karlie,” Gasso said. “I felt like I was recruiting again.
“… She is a student, a disciple of Coach Rocha’s. She knows the system. She knows how to call like her. She understands how to set up hitters like Jen Rocha. So it’s the closest thing I could get to her in this pinch. We just have to continue to learn.”
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Karlie Keeney pitched for the Sooners in 2024 after transferring from Liberty. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
OU’s new-look staff ran into some trouble in the sixth inning of the series opener against Arizona, but Gasso said they quickly worked through the new dynamics with Keeney calling pitches.
“We learned a lot on the coaching staff and communication and just trying to give her her space to allow her to work,” Gasso said. “And she was nervous, and the coaching staff was nervous. The pitching staff wasn’t uncomfortable or afraid, really; the players weren’t. It was just like, let’s do right by Karlie. What does she need? How can we help her?
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“And I think we were trying to help her too much. … So we figured out some things, communication things, and I think we got it back on track.”
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Sophomore left-hander Audrey Lowry emerged as the star of the weekend, allowing just one run, nine hits and one walk in 15 innings of action while striking out six opposing batters.
Lowry said she was comfortable with Keeney after being around her throughout the 2025 season, and she has no doubt she will thrive as Oklahoma’s interim pitching coach.
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Oklahoma sophomore Audrey Lowry enjoyed a successful weekend in the circle for the Sooners. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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“I think the weekend was great. The competition, that’s the kind of competition you want the first weekend, because that’s like a Regional, Super Regional game, so that was really good experience for us,” Lowry said. “I was with Karlie last year, so I have a real personal connection with her. She’s great. She knows her stuff, especially working behind Coach Rocha last year. So yeah, it’s awesome to have her back.”
Replacing a presence like Rocha’s will be impossible, as she’s part of the glue that bonds the entire team together.
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“She is such a phenomenal balance for this program,” Gasso said. “… She is always the calm voice, the reasonable voice, the faith-based voice, the thoughtful voice.
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“… She’s one of the greatest people I’ve ever met. So I love working next to her. It’s very hard to look to my left and not see her there. But a familiar face is always helpful, and Karlie Keeney has stepped in graciously and really did a great job for us as our opening weekend began.”
Rocha isn’t totally absent from the operation. Lowry said the pitching staff still heard from her throughout the weekend.
“She’s a really big part of this team,” Lowry said. “We miss her a lot, but I know that she’s cheering us on at home and watching us on TV and texting us after games, so it’s really nice to have her.”
But as the Sooners enter the second weekend of the season, Lowry is excited for the pitching staff’s bond with Keeney to continue to grow.
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“She had a lot of confidence in everyone,” Lowry said of Keeney. “She’s just fun to work with, fun to talk to. She’s just easy to interact with, so it’s just good to have her in the dugout.”
