Star players do not typically double as return specialists, but that will not be the case for Oklahoma during the 2025 college football season. Head coach Brent Venables confirmed that star running back Jaydn Ott will double as Oklahoma's kick returner to begin the year.
Instead of protecting Ott from the dangers that come with playing on special teams, Venables sees the opportunity as another way to get the ball into the running back's hands. The Oklahoma head coach called Ott one of the “more explosive players in college football.”
“Jaydn, again, one of the more explosive players in college football the last few years,” Venables said, via On3 Sports' George Stoia III. “So we're trying to find ways to get the ball in our explosive playmakers' hands.”
Ott has returned five kickoffs in his three-year career — two in 2024 and three in 2023. Ott has 151 total return yards on his five attempts, most of them coming from a 100-yard kick return touchdown against UCLA in 2023.
love watching Jaydn Ott play football
NFL RB1 soon. Special talent @THEJAYDNOTT pic.twitter.com/TAZGISImN5
— Liam Blutman (@Blutman27) November 26, 2023
Using Ott as a kick returner appears to be one of the ways Venables is attempting to maximize the potential of his star transfer. Ott burst onto the scene in 2023 with 1,305 rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns in a first-team All-Pac-12 campaign.
Ott's sophomore outburst earned him a preseason All-American designation entering the 2024 season, but his production subsequently fell off a cliff. He managed just 385 rushing yards on 3.3 yards per carry on the year, nearly 1,000 fewer than he had in 2023.
John Mateer, Jaydn Ott look to lead new Oklahoma football team
Ott is one of two high-profile transfers who joined Oklahoma in the offseason. He arrived in Norman shortly after former Washington State quarterback John Mateer committed to becoming Venables' next leader.
Oklahoma went just 6-7 in 2024 and ended the year with a loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl. The result was disappointing for a team that began the season ranked No. 16, but the Sooners already have a higher bar to meet in 2025. Mateer and Ott lead a new-look squad that many expect to compete for an SEC title.
Entering year four, Venables has only led Oklahoma to one winning season in his three years with the program. As he transitions into his third different starting quarterback in as many years, Venables might have his talented team thus far. However, the journey will be challenging, as the Sooners' rough schedule includes an early matchup with Michigan in Week 2 and road contests against Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee.
