The Oklahoma Sooners are set to lose a veteran ballcarrier to the transfer portal. Senior running back Jovantae Barnes is expected to hit the portal when it formally opens on January 2nd, after spending 4 years in Norman, as he was a part of OU’s 2022 recruiting class.
Barnes performed in simply the primary 4 video games of the 2025 season, opening the yr because the starter, earlier than ceding enjoying time to the duo of Tory Blaylock and Xavier Robinson. He did not play for the remainder of the season, and preserved his redshirt, which means he’ll have yet another season of eligibility left. His departure isn’t an surprising one for the Sooners.
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Barnes carried the ball 294 instances for 1,281 yards and 12 touchdowns in his profession with the Sooners, including 28 receptions for 188 yards and a rating. His finest season got here in 2024, the place he led Oklahoma in dashing, regardless of lacking the ultimate three video games of the yr. During a dreadful season offensively, Barnes was the one dependable risk for the Sooners, earlier than being injured.
With each Blaylock (a freshman) and Robinson (a sophomore) unable to depart for the NFL Draft but, the expectation is that they’re going to each return to kind a one-two punch within the backfield for Oklahoma subsequent yr. On the opposite hand, Barnes will play his fifth season of faculty ball elsewhere, and he’ll look to end out his profession on a excessive be aware.
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This article initially appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma RB set to enter the transfer portal