On the eve of the NCAA spring transfer window for college football, Brent Venables and Oklahoma football have landed a big piece to their roster for the upcoming season.
The Sooners announced on the program’s social media platforms Tuesday that they have signed former California running back Jaydn Ott, who was ranked the No. 3 player in his position unit in the transfer portal according to 247Sports.
Ott’s signing with the Sooners comes less than one day after the 6-foot running back abruptly entered his name into the transfer portal ahead of the spring window, which opens on Wednesday, April 16 and closes on Friday, April 25.
247Sports listed Ott as the No. 3 running back and No. 50 overall player in the transfer portal. He was also ranked a four-star recruit in the transfer portal. The Chino, California native is now one of 17 players that have transferred to Oklahoma this past season according to 247Sports, and the 13th offensive player.
Ott is coming off a limited junior campaign with the Bears, as he battled an ankle injury throughout the season. In 10 games for Cal this past year, Ott ran for 385 yards and four rushing touchdowns, while adding a receiving touchdown vs. Miami on Oct. 5.
He rushed for 2,586 yards and 24 touchdowns over his three seasons in the Pac-12 and ACC with Cal. Of his three seasons in Berkeley, his best came in his sophomore season as he broke out for 1,305 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
The addition of Ott is a big one for the revamped Sooners offense under first-year offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, who previously held that position at Washington State. He joins a running back group with Jovantae Barnes, Xavier Robinson, Gavin Sawchuk and Taylor Tatum according to Colton Sulley of The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The Sooners also announced they signed former Stanford offensive lineman Jake Maikkula on Tuesday.