NORMAN – Oklahoma softball season ticket renewals for the 2022 season are available now at SoonerSports.com. An email regarding renewal information was sent to season ticket holders Tuesday morning.

The Bears are deserving of their ranking, but Oklahoma never backed down at any point.

The Oklahoma Sooners faced a tall task in the form of a road test against the No. 1 Baylor Bears, but they’re able to hold their heads high following an 84-74 defeat. The game was closer than the score would indicate, as the Sooners actually had the ball down five points with 50 seconds to go.

Offensively, the Sooners and Bears both came out on fire, with OU actually shooting over 68 percent from the field in the first half. However, turnover issues (9), some hot shooting from the Bears (63.3 percent) and a major disadvantage on the glass (14-4) kept Porter Moser’s team down nine at the half. In the second half, the Sooners flipped the script on the turnover front, with Baylor committing 13 after the break. OU’s shooting wasn’t as hot in the second half, but better ball control and defense allowed them to stay within striking distance until the very end. Clutch plays on both ends would win the day for the Bears, but this absolutely serves as a statement game for this OU team regardless of the outcome.

As the Sooners continue what is looking like one of the toughest month’s you’ll ever see on a basketball schedule, No. 11 Iowa State comes to Norman for a 5 p.m. matchup on ESPNU. This will be followed up by a trip to Austin to face No. 14 Texas, followed by games against No. 1 Baylor, No. 6 Kansas and No. 9 Auburn (with some tough road games against TCU and West Virginia sprinkled in, as well) before January’s end.

While this obviously looks daunting, this will give OU a needed boost to its SOS while providing the opportunity to pick up some quality wins its NCAA Tournament resume. Additionally, this team is mentally and physically tough enough to do much more than put a scare into these teams. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Sooners pull off multiple ranked wins during this stretch.

With Caleb Williams entering the transfer portal, ex-UCF QB Dillon Gabriel announced his commitment to the Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners saw their future at quarterback change dramatically in a matter of hours Monday.

First, promising freshman Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal.

OU then secured a commitment from ex-Central Florida QB Dillon Gabriel, who previously announced his intentions to transfer to UCLA.

Williams hinted this move was coming after OU’s 47-32 win in the Alamo Bowl over the Oregon Ducks, and it clearly puts his status with OU in doubt. However, he did leave open the option to come back to the Sooners. Entering the portal allows other schools to contact him in accordance with NCAA rules. As such, the Sooners can essentially re-recruit Williams now along with a number of other QB-needy teams.

But will they? Williams’ announcement prompted an uncharacteristic statement from OU head coach Brent Venables and athletic director Joe Castiglione about their hopes that the QB would remain with the program.

That could signal OU is hedging its bets by accepting Gabriel’s commitment while waiting for Williams to make a call on his future. Alternatively, Venables and Castiglione may just want it on the record for fans of the program that they made an effort to keep the freshman thrower in Norman.

Either way, Gabriel gives the Sooners a strong alternative at QB. New OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby coached the Hawaii native during Gabriel’s freshman season in 2019 at UCF. The rookie played in all 13 games of a 10-3 season for the Knights, finishing 13th nationally in passer rating. With Lebby gone to Ole Miss, Gabriel finished 16th nationally in passer rating in 2020 while throwing 32 touchdowns and four interceptions in 10 games. A clavicle injury cut his 2021 campaign short after just three games.

Overall, Gabriel has started 25 games at QB in his career. He has thrown for roughly 8,000 yards and 70 TDs during that span. He possesses ample experience in Lebby’s offensive scheme and, in theory, can play three seasons at OU. Gabriel may lack Williams’ upside, but the Sooners can still do plenty of damage with him behind center.

As for Williams, frankly, there isn’t much new ground to cover. The explosion of opportunities for college athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness will undoubtedly lead to speculation that Williams is looking for a marketing payday. However, the QB’s father, Carl Williams, told Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports that “professional development” for the NFL is driving his son’s calculus. Note that while we don’t have solid data on what college players are earning from NIL deals, the first pick in the 2021 NFL draft, QB Trevor Lawrence, signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars for $36.8 million, including $24 million guaranteed, over four years. (In other words, the real money comes at the next level.)

Assuming OU hasn’t given up on him staying in Norman, Venables and Lebby have to pitch Williams on how they plan to use him in Lebby’s offensive scheme. Lebby doesn’t have a long track record of developing NFL QBs – he has coached QBs for four years and served as offensive coordinator for a total of three years at Central Florida and Ole Miss. On the other hand, he did groom Ole Miss QB Matt Corral into a potential first-round pick this year.

As things currently stand, it seems highly likely the Sooners will enter Venables’ first season as head coach with Gabriel as the odds-on favorite to start at QB. Another twist or two in this story shouldn’t surprise anyone, though, given what has gone down around Norman in the last 12 months.

Demarco Murray had himself quite a 2022 recruiting cycle.

DeMarco Murray continues to prove his worth as a recruiter with the commitment of Jovantae Barnes, another elite running back and player in the 2022 class. Barnes is viewed as a top running back in the class and has announced his committed to the Sooners over several other programs such as Alabama, Florida State, and even Lincoln Riley going after him with the USC Trojans. Commitments are always fantastic news, but commitments that happen live on national television are even sweeter. Add in the fact that he’s actually already signed, and it provides even more hope for the future of the running back position.

Murray has gone from inexperienced coach and hopeful recruiter to rainmaker for the Oklahoma Sooners when they need him most. Not only has he previously secured the commitment of Gavin Sawchuk, he’s also been on the recruiting trail before Venables was even hired to try his best to keep the current recruiting class held together.

Although Barnes is from Vegas — and the trip to Southern Cal may have been easy — Murray is a Vegas man himself. He currently stands with a frame of 6’ and 200lbs. He’s not a finesse running back, he’s ready for contact. Not only that, he is also a very good backfield blocker for his age and somebody that has good hands. Lebby notably likes to run the ball more than the previous regime and can be an every down back. He’s an incredibly strong runner, but also a great climber when it comes to cuts going up field.

Since Tashard Choice spurned the USC Trojans and decided to coach at Texas less than 24 hours later, rumors suggested Lincoln Riley’s people reached out to the folks that represent Demarco Murray to hire him with more money and a fancier title. I would say Demarco was going to acquire a raise this year regardless, but after the recent commitment of Barnes and the signing of Sawchuk, it only furthers that he is a necessity on staff and not a luxury. According to 247Sports Composite, Barnes is the No. 10 RB in the US, the No. 3 player in the state of Nevada, and the No. 116 overall prospect in the country. Barnes is now the 17th commit to the Sooners’ 2022 recruiting class, which sits at No. 10 nationally.

Without Tanner Groves, Jacob Groves and Bijan Cortes, Porter Moser’s team still found a way.

The Oklahoma Sooners were without three contributors, but they were still able to claw out a 71-69 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats to open Big 12 play.

Entering the game without Tanner Groves — its leading scorer and rebounder — as well as Jacob Groves and Bijan Cortes due to health and safety protocols, Oklahoma knew it would have to rely on its defensive intensity to open the new year on a high note. That’s exactly what happened to open up the game, as OU held the Wildcats to 22 points on 32 percent shooting while forcing nine turnovers. However, K-State would catch fire in the second half, and the Sooners would need four clutch free throws from Umoja Gibson to pull it out in the end.

Offensively, Elijah Harkless carried the torch for the Sooners, scoring 21 points on 7-12 shooting and hitting all four of his three-point attempts. After Kansas State was able to tie the game at 65 in the closing moments, Harkless took it upon himself to make a play, and make a play he did with just 35 seconds remaining.

The importance of pulling out this win can’t be overstated, as Oklahoma’s upcoming schedule is as challenging as any in the country. Here’s the remainder of OU’s January:

• 1/4 at No. 1 Baylor
• 1/8 vs. No. 8 Iowa State
• 1/11 at No. 17 Texas
• 1/15 at TCU
• 1/18 vs. No. 6 Kansas
• 1/22 vs. No. 1 Baylor
• 1/26 at West Virginia
• 1/29 at No. 11 Auburn (Big 12-SEC Challenge)

If the Sooners can win three of these games, they’ll probably be in okay shape moving forward. Going .500 or better would have me over the moon.