Oklahoma football lost Trey Sermon to the transfer portal which only sets up a monster 2020 junior season for Kennedy Brooks.
Going from 164 carries in 2018 to 54 in eight games in 2019, Trey Sermon’s dip in production had to lead to his departure from Oklahoma. Sure, he injured his knee and missed the final month of the season, but he still had just 54 carries through two months.
Kennedy Brooks was growing as the team’s leading rusher and the rise of Rhamondre Stevenson also hurt Sermon’s numbers.
Though he averaged a career-best 7.1 yards per carry, his season felt lost and he entered the transfer portal in mid-March. He decided that it was best for him to find a team that could use him as RB1 instead of Oklahoma’s usage as RB2 or RB3.
And with that departure, one thing grows clearer: Brooks is going to have a monster 2020 season.
Entering his third season as the clear No. 1 back, Brooks is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and he reached that plateau with just 155 carries last season. As a freshman in 2018, he rushed for over 1,050 yards on 116 carries, averaging an eye-popping 8.9 yards per touch. If he approaches 200 carries in 2020 with a first-year quarterback under center like I think he will, he could approach the 1,400-1,500 range in terms of rushing yards.
No one knows for sure what kind of impact Spencer Rattler will have at the quarterback position, but hopes are high. Even if he has a Heisman-caliber season like some (including Vegas) expect, Brooks will still take some pressure off as that clear work-horse back.
We’re going to see a junior running back make a massive leap in production and, in my opinion, surpass the 1,500-yard mark on the season. He’ll be one of the nation’s best rushers.