100 Days to Football Time in Oklahoma: #2 Jovantae Barnes

Player Profile

Position: Running Back

Height: 6’0″”

Weight: 204

Class: Sophomore

Seasons at OU: 1

Hometown: Las Vegas, NV

Previous School: Desert Pines HS

The Path to Norman

Jovantae Barnes comes 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.

Stats

Year: 2022

Games Played: 11

Carries: 116

Rush Yards: 519

Rush TD: 5

Receptions: 5

Receiving Yards: 26

Stats via Soonersports.com

Highlights

This Season

Jovantae Barnes was expected to be running back one this fall and was a leader throughout the offseason. However, this week’s depth chart had Marcus Major and Tawee Walker in front of Barnes, who was listed as an “”Or”” alongside Gavin Sawchuk. He’ll have ample opportunity to move up the chart, though, and is still expected to have a large share of the carries this season.