What's the situation with RB Gavin Sawchuk ?

[CTOkie]

He was highly recruited but has played only in one game vs TCU.
Is he redshirting or injured?
I don't recall an elite running back outside of Tillman or Griffin (who redshirted during the first half of the 1999 season) being redshirted their freshman year.
If Gray or Barnes are recovering from injury, it seems to me that he could see some meaningful playing time....and he has too much talent to sit out his freshman year.

 

[Plainosooner]

Sawchuck is really fast and was a high quality hs running back. But he wasn't here in the spring and had some injuries in August camp. He just didn't have the time to learn the offense and has to learn how to pass block. OUr offense is complicated. He's capable of learning it, but he's well behind the other four or five guys who've been around longer and know the scheme better.

I suspect that if we get thinner at running back, they might put him out there. But it seems like not a great idea to burn his redshirt for limited playing time at this point. What I've written here comes from sporadic reports, but when coaches have been asked about him, they really haven't offered much optimism about any coming playing time.

 

[LAY THE WOODY]

Sawchuck is really fast and was a high quality hs running back. But he wasn't here in the spring and had some injuries in August camp. He just didn't have the time to learn the offense and has to learn how to pass block. OUr offense is complicated. He's capable of learning it, but he's well behind the other four or five guys who've been around longer and know the scheme better.

I suspect that if we get thinner at running back, they might put him out there. But it seems like not a great idea to burn his redshirt for limited playing time at this point. What I've written here comes from sporadic reports, but when coaches have been asked about him, they really haven't offered much optimism about any coming playing time.

Dare I question coaches decisions.

 

[Plainosooner]

I think you can. But they have a whole lot better look at the evidence than you do. On Coaches Corner this week, DeMarco Murray was asked about him specifically and he gave a typical coach speak answer. I believe they took him to Ames. But they want to redshirt him.

In the current college sports world, I don't think it's likely at all that Sawchuck is going to be a 5th year senior at OU. So I'm not sure there's any advantage to redshirting him.

 

[humblesooner]

In this day and age, I don't think red-shirting a healthy player makes sense.
if they are good, they wont be here 5 years. A redshirt year, in most cases, is just a waste of a year.
Get what you can from him while he is here.
Football, that is.