— NORMAN – Oklahoma’s coaching staff still tiptoes around questions concerning running back Dominique Whaley. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was the latest to play it safe Saturday at the Sooners’ Media Day at Owen Field.

“He looks good. We haven’t had any contact. We’ve only been in helmets and shoes, and Dom has looked good,” he said. “Hopefully that’ll continue.”

It’s been the typical response for any question about Whaley since he suffered a season-ending injury on the first play of the Sooners’ 58-17 romp over Kansas State last season.

The ankle injury, which caused even the most hardened of people to cringe, put his Cinderella story in serious jeopardy. The former walk-on, who energized the Sooners’ rushing attack by averaging 5.5 yards per carry and scoring nine touchdowns in six games, was going to have a hard time even getting back on the field.

The only one who doesn’t have doubts is Whaley. Things have changed since he went from unknown walk-on to a household name in Oklahoma. That scholarship finally came to fruition in the spring.

One thing that didn’t change is Whaley’s need to validate his spot in the Sooners’ running back rotation.

“Every day you have to prove yourself,” he said on Saturday.

What Whaley is out to authenticate is his belief that last season was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what he can do as a running back. He believes the ankle injury, which required several pins to help it heal and kept him on crutches for months, is fully healed. In fact, he believes he’s a better player now than he was when he last stepped on the field.

“I’m a lot stronger. My frame has gotten a lot bigger. I’ve put on even more weight than I had before. I feel like all that is helping me become a lot better,” he said.

The Sooners lost something when he went out last season. The short-yardage package with backup quarterback Blake Bell solved some of OU’s goal-line woes, but the offense lost a gear without Whaley. It’s no surprise that the Sooners went 6-0 with him on the field and 4-3 without him.

He was the running back who could pick up tough, between-the-tackles yards and keep defenses honest. Without him, the only way OU could be a physical offense was with Bell on the field.

“He’s looked really well,” fullback Trey Millard said on Saturday. “He’s another guy that had a really good summer, coming off  his injury. He’s cleared to do everything and is doing everything. He looks 100 percent.”

But the only way to go from looking the part to actually playing it to its fullest is getting out there in full pads and being a bruising running back. The chance to do that will finally come this week. No one is more eager for that day to arrive and that first opportunity to break a linebacker’s tackle than Whaley.

“I’ve been hungry since October when the injury happened. I’ve been counting down the days waiting for it,” he said. “I’m hungry.”

It will be the next chapter in Whaley’s career. Last season, he was one of the best stories in college football. He was a guy who went from walk-on to starting running back at OU and was ready for a breakout season.

This season, Whaley wants to prove the ankle injury won’t affect how he runs. He wants to prove that scholarship the Sooners’ coaching staff gave was hard-earned. He’s determined to show he’s better than before and write the final chapter of his college career.

“I don’t want to be looked at as one of the greatest walk-on stories; I want to be looked at as one of the greatest players out there,” he said. “That’s my goal.”

– John Shinn is a sports writer for the Norman Transcript.