Under head coach Brent Venables, the Oklahoma football team has benefited from the preferred walk-on path. The Sooners have been able to target and recruit multiple players with scholarship offers elsewhere, and this has happened again. But this time, someone with a familiar name.
Gabe Sawchuk stated on social media and verified with Sooners Illustrated his intention to join the OU team as a preferred walk-on. He has formally enrolled in the institution and moved to campus.
According to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Player Rankings, Sawchuk is ranked No. 1722 overall in the 2024 recruiting class. The three-star running back is also ranked as the No. 11 player in Colorado and one of the top 130 in the nation. According to the 247Sports Network’s rankings, Sawchuk is the No. 160 overall ball carrier in the country and a top-15 talent in the Centennial State.
Sawchuk stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 185 pounds. He chose the Sooners over self-reported options at Oregon, Colorado, USC, and the Air Force, among others.
Sawchuk joins OU’s running back room, where he will find family ties. He is the younger brother of current Oklahoma running back Gavin Sawchuk, who will most likely be the Sooners’ leading ball carrier in 2024. The elder Sawchuk enters his redshirt sophomore season at OU after ending strong in 2023, with more than 100 yards rushing in five straight games. The younger Sawchuk reconnects with family at the next level and reclaims a crucial mentor as he begins his own academic career.
The younger Sawchuk won his spot on OU’s roster. Sawchuk finished his senior season as a three-phase playmaker for Valor Christian, a strong high school program in Colorado, with 920 yards. Sawchuk played running back, wildcat quarterback, returner, and defensive back, making 21 defensive tackles. Sawchuk supposedly concluded his career with 3019 total yards on offense and special teams, as well as 47 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, and one pass breakup as a defender.
Sawchuk joins an impressive incoming preferred walk-on class for the Sooners in the 2024 cycle. He will join Andy Bass, Jacob Jordan, Bergin Kysar, and Evan McClure, among others. Oklahoma also added another excellent preferred walk-on prospect just a few days ago, but this time through the transfer site. The Sooners signed transfer quarterback Steele Wasel, a former in-state recruit who left Akron after a year.
This is a significant milestone for Sawchuk and his family. Brothers reconcile, parents get to see both siblings on the same Saturdays, and another ambition of playing at a higher level comes true. But for Oklahoma, this means more talent in Norman. The Sooners can add even more.
