The worst-kept secret of the transfer portal is out, and Oklahoma officially, um, officially has a new running back for the 2021 season.
LSU transfer running back Kevontre “Tre” Bradford is coming to Norman as the former Tigers back announced his commitment to OU.
Bradford was a four-star running back out of Lancaster (Texas) High for the 2020 class, ranked No. 151 in the Rivals 250. He rushed for 58 yards on 10 attempts and had three catches for 13 yards with his sole career touchdown. All his numbers were accumulated in the final three games of the 2020 season.
OU had a chance to snag Bradford during his initial recruitment, but the Sooners decided that wasn’t the right moment. With a second opportunity, OU wasn’t about to let this one pass it by.
Bradford is sorely needed for OU’s running back room. The Sooners landed one of the biggest transfers in the country with former Tennessee running back Eric Gray, but developments in the spring made it a necessity for Lincoln Riley and DeMarco Murray to get back to the portal.
Sophomore running back Seth McGowan entered the portal following spring ball and then it was later revealed he is facing felony charges stemming from a legal incident in mid-April, the week before the spring game.
Without McGowan, the Sooners were left with three pure backs in Gray, Kennedy Brooks and Marcus Major to go with Mikey Henderson’s adjustment from H-Back to running back in the spring.
Bradford was known for his speed in high school, and there’s nothing to suggest he won’t be able to bring that facet of his game to Riley’s offense.
Bradford becomes the second big-time SEC offensive transfer since the end of spring. Former Arkansas wide receiver Mike Woods is already in Norman, and now Bradford is about to join him, too.
Worst-kept secret part of everything stems from the fact Bradford has officially been in the OU student database since last Friday morning. It was clear all was a-OK, but still, it was up to Bradford to go ahead and make the announcement.
He did, and Murray’s room got a whole lot deeper in a hurry.