100 Days to Football Time in Oklahoma 2025: #2 Jovantae Barnes
Posted on: August 28, 2025
Noteworthy Numbers
2021-2024 – Billy Bowman
2017-2019 – CeeDee Lamb
2000-2003 – Derrick Strait
Player Profile
Position: Running Back
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 211
Class: Senior
Seasons at OU: 3
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nev.
Previous School: Desert Pines HS
The Path to Norman
Jovantae Barnes came to OU from Las Vegas. He and the Sooners circled each other from some time, despite offers from about every major program in the country. The former staff wanted to have him at USC, but Coach Venables and his team were able to lock in his commitment not long after arriving. Barnes joined Gavin Sawchuk in one of the best running back classes in the country.
Career so Far
Barnes was a factor in the backfield during his freshman season. Eric Gray led the room, with Barnes second on the team in carries and rushing yards. He played in 11 games and gained lots of experience.
2023 featured one of the oddest seasons for OU running backs in recent memory. Barnes was limited due to injury for parts of the season and saw relatively little action in the games in which he played.
Barnes’ junior season was another strange season for the Sooners’ running back room. The group had a mixture of injuries and inconsistent rotations, coupled with a non-existent offense around them. Barnes played in nine games, earning six starts along the way. When healthy, he was seeing some of his best snaps as a Sooner. Unfortunately, he was injured late in the season and missed the final four games.
Stats
Years: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Career
Games Played: 9 | 8 | 11 | 28
Carries: 122 | 37 | 116 | 275
Rush Yards: 577 | 140 | 519 | 1236
Rush TD: 5 | 1 | 5 | 11
Receptions: 17 | 5 | 5 | 27
Receiving Yards: 123 | 23 | 26 | 172
Receiving TD: 1 | 0 | 0 | 1
Stats via Soonersports.com
Highlights
This Season
Jovantae Barnes looks to be healthy and ready to be a major factor in the OU running back room this fall. The group added Jaydn Ott over the offseason, who will likely be the featured back over the season, but Barnes and freshman Tory Blaylock are listed as the one-two running backs on the game one depth chart. In his final season in Norman, Barnes can be a consistent part of the offense.
