Gavin Sawchuk committed last summer to play football for the University of Oklahoma, who earlier this week lost its head coach, Lincoln Riley, who bolted for the USC job.
What does that mean for the college future of Valor Christian’s stellar four-star running back?
Don’t ask Sawchuk until after the No. 1 Eagles take on No. 2 Cherry Creek in a Class 5A championship rematch Saturday at Empower Field. His only concern is winning a state title.
“I’m not talking about that right now,” Sawchuk said earlier this week about Riley’s sudden departure. “I’m just trying to focus on this championship game. We have a great team that we’re going to be playing. Itap going to be a hard game.”
Sawchuk is the most highly sought-after 2022 football recruit from Colorado with 20-plus scholarship offers including elite programs such as Alabama, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Those suitors are surely lining up to persuade Sawchuk to re-open his commitment. But the Sooners have wasted zero time reinforcing their commitment.
Interim OU coach Bob Stoops and multiple offensive assistants visited Sawchuk and his family on Wednesday in Highlands Ranch. Sawchuk’s father, Kevin, posted photos on Twitter (). He wrote: “Always good chopping it up with the OU Coaches!! #BoomerSooner.”
Always great chopping it up with the OU Coaches‼️
— Kevin Sawchuk (@ksaw75)
Sawchuk has lived up to the hype this season as the nation’s No. 5 ranked running back, . He enters the state championship game with 259 carries for 1,926 yards and 28 touchdowns.
“My team has been great supporting me,” Sawchuk said. “We have some other great players that have been able to open up the run game. People have to take them into account as well.”
The top-seeded Eagles are undefeated (13-0) and have revenge on their minds after finishing runner-up last season to 5A champion Cherry Creek. The now two-loss Bruins — Chandler (Ariz.) and Arapahoe — are back in the title game despite graduating 34 seniors from a year ago. A coveted three-peat for coach Dave Logan’s program likely hinges on its ability to slow down Valor’s run game.
The Eagles’ average margin of victory this season: 31 points.
“Gavin is a great player,” Cherry Creek junior outside linebacker Logan Brantley said. “If the whole defense buys in and we do our jobs, I think we can contain him.”
Itap a tall order against the player who surpassed Christian McCaffrey as Valor’s all-time leading rusher (5,646 yards and counting). Eagles’ second-year coach Donnie Yantis is confident Sawchuk’s pending college decision won’t be a distraction on Saturday.
“He’s handled it like a professional,” said Yantis, formerly the tight ends coach at Arizona State. “I told him: ‘Listen, don’t commit to a coach. Commit to a university. Itap likely that your position coach, coordinator or head coach — no matter where you go — there’s going to be a change at one or all of those spots.’ I think thatap part of why he hasn’t flipped. He’s committed to OU.
“Does that change based on who they hire? I don’t know. … I’ll be respectful of Gavin’s decision either way. We haven’t talked about it hardly at all. We had a good conversation right when (Riley left) to make sure that his mind is right and to be supportive. But he’s good. Itap not affecting him one iota.”
