To the surprise of nobody, Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon is moving on from Norman and is headed to the 2017 NFL Draft.
Reports from The Oklahoman and ESPN both reported the news on Thursday night ahead of an official announcement by the school.
The controversial tailback was the star of the team’s romp over Auburn in the Sugar Bowl, rushing for 91 yards and two touchdowns to go along with his game-high five receptions for 89 yards. Mixon wraps up his two year career with the Sooners with 2,027 rushing yards and 894 receiving yards on 65 receptions.
While Mixon was one of the best running backs in the country between the lines, his actions off the field largely defined his reputation. Just after arriving on campus as a five-star true freshman, Mixon punched a woman in a 2014 incident that forced him to take a plea deal with prosecutors and caused him to miss the entire season as a school-imposed punishment.
Fellow back Samaje Perine already announced his intentions to declare for the draft, giving Oklahoma two departures from the backfield in as many days. Rising sophomore Abdul Adams is expected to take over as the top option in the ground game for what should be a somewhat thin position for the defending Big 12 champions.