The New England Patriots have been the most dominant NFL franchise for the past two decades, led by iconic names such as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. They’ve also been led by excellent running backs such as Kevin Faulk, Corey Dillon, James White, and LeGarrette Blount.
Now, Rhamondre Stevenson is the top man in the Patriots’ backfield. But how did he get here when he was never the featured back in college?
Rhamondre Stevenson’s Long Path to Oklahoma
As a junior in high school in 2014, Rhamondre Stevenson was named Las Vegas Player of the Year after a stellar season at Centennial High School, setting himself up for what seemed to be a clear path to big-time college football.
However, his trajectory took a turn during his senior year when he missed most of the season due to a broken foot. Compounding the issue, poor grades led to a lack of interest from college recruiters.
In his final game at Centennial, Stevenson struggled, recording just eight carries for 8 yards and losing three fumbles, further derailing his immediate college prospects.
The big-time DI offers never came, and Stevenson was left without a place to play in college.
In 2017, Stevenson contacted a friend who was playing basketball at Cerritos College in California, a junior college with a solid football program. The friend put him in touch with Cerritos’ offensive coordinator, and after watching Stevenson’s high school film, they were happy to welcome him to the program.
Once Stevenson was on the field at Cerritos, he made an immediate impact as a freshman, carrying the ball 68 times for 501 yards and three touchdowns. His strong debut quickly showcased his potential as a dynamic running back. But Stevenson was just getting started.
The following season, Stevenson dominated in the Southern California Football Association, rushing for 2,111 yards — 817 more than any other player in the league — and scoring 16 touchdowns.
In one standout game, Stevenson posted 339 yards and three touchdowns on just 18 carries, further solidifying his status as a top-tier running back.
Stevenson suddenly had many options to continue his football career at a top DI program, but his final three were narrowed down to Texas, USC, and Oklahoma. Ultimately, Stevenson chose Lincoln Riley and the Sooners.
Stevenson Thrives at Oklahoma
When Stevenson arrived at Oklahoma, there was a ton of talent in the running back room, including Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon. Stevenson was eager to get on the field and thrived on special teams on kickoff coverage. He led the Sooners with seven tackles as a junior on kickoff coverage.
In the same season, Stevenson made the most of his backup running back role, rushing for 515 yards and six touchdowns on 64 carries. However, his season was cut short when he received a six-game suspension after an NCAA drug test revealed marijuana in his system before the CFP semifinals against LSU.
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Despite this setback, Stevenson was a crucial part of Oklahoma’s rushing attack the following year, but it may have been a coaching hire that set Stevenson straight.
Going into the 2020 season, Oklahoma hired legendary Oklahoma running back Demarco Murray as the running backs coach.
As soon as Murray was on campus, he had Stevenson watch former Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount’s highlight tapes and running style.
That season, Stevenson recorded 665 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, adding 18 receptions for 211 yards, all in just six games due to his suspension.
Despite never being the feature back for the Sooners, Stevenson rushed for 1,180 yards and 13 touchdowns on 165 carries, averaging an impressive 7.2 yards per carry during that span.
This was enough to catch the attention of the Patriots, who drafted Stevenson in the fourth round, No. 120 overall, in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Stevenson has emerged as the feature back for the Patriots and has logged 2,466 yards rushing on 545 carries for 16 rushing touchdowns.
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