NORMAN

This is not the first — nor will it be the last — preseason honor for Rattler.

Happy Tuesday, friends and fans!

On Tuesday morning, Oklahoma Sooners QB Spencer Rattler was named to the 2021 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List.

During the condensed 2020 college football season, Rattler proved himself worthy of carrying the mantle as OU’s starting QB. After a rough 1-2 start to the campaign, the Phoenix, Arizona product led his team to eight consecutive wins to close out the year. Over that stretch, he completed 145 of 223 (.650) passes for 2,054 passing yards, 18 touchdowns while throwing only three interceptions. Additionally, he accounted for 144 rushing yards and five more scores on 60 carries across that same span.

In program history, four Sooners have received the coveted O’Brien Award. That group includes legends like Jason White (‘03, ‘04), Sam Bradford (‘08), Baker Mayfield (‘17) and Kyler Murray (‘18). Obviously, if Spencer Rattler goes on to win the award this season, he’ll be joining some prestigious company.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! Expectations for the OU defense continue to climb, Oklahoma’s recruiting momentum hums along and more!

OU Links

• The offseason is winding down as Oklahoma Football inches ever closer to the start of fall camp. With what the Sooners are working with, 2021 is arguably the most highly anticipated season in Norman in a decade. Fortunately for the rest of us, the wait is almost over!

• Going into the 2021 season, Pro Football Focus rates OU with the top pass rushing unit in the nation. Considering who all is returning, that’s honestly not a farfetched claim to make.

• Sooners Wire’s Matt Hubbard recently took a stab at how Oklahoma should use its stable of running backs. Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks look like they’ll receive the bulk of the carries, but other players will undoubtedly see some meaningful reps this fall.
• Sooner Scoop’s Bob Przybylo covers OU recruiting as closely as anyone, and recently he wrote about the roll that the coaches have been on this summer when it comes to landing the commitments of some of the nation’s most coveted prospects.
• If you’d like to watch Sydney Romero and Nicole Mendes do work on the Olympic diamond, check out Team Mexico as they take on Team Canada this Wednesday (tonight) at 1 a.m. CT on NBCSN.

Around the Sports World

• While training earlier this week, Los Angeles Rams RB Cam Akers suffered a torn Achilles tendon, which will cause him to miss the entire 2021 NFL season.
• Some time this offseason, the Green Bay Packers apparently offered Aaron Rodgers a contract deal that would have made the star gun slinger the highest-paid QB in the league. Interestingly enough, details have now emerged, reporting that he ultimately declined said offer.
• The Texas Rangers are discovering new lows with each passing day. Including their latest 14-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers, their losing streak has now reached six straight games. Now here’s where it gets really sad. In the last three games, the team has been outscored by a grand total of 29-0. Just how bad is that? Well, the MLB hasn’t seen such a stretch in 115 years. Yikes.
• After 30 years, Las Vegas Raiders team president Marc Badain has reportedly resigned from his position, effective immediately. Longtime executive VP Dan Ventrelle is set to take over as interim.

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Lincoln Riley and odd-year QB prospects are a match made in heaven.

Happy Monday, friends and fans!

It was a tremendous weekend for the Oklahoma Sooners on the recruiting trail, picking up an elite running back to kick-off the 2023 class in addition to landing one of the top tight ends for the class of 2022. If that wasn’t enough, OU also secured a verbal commitment from 2023 five-star QB Malachi Nelson out of Los Alamitos, California.

Currently, the 6’3 Nelson is rated as the No. 1 player from the Golden State in 247 Sports’ Composite Rankings of the 2023 recruiting class, as well as the No. 2 QB in the nation and No. 5 overall prospect. His pledge on Sunday, along with RB Treyaun Webb’s commitment on Saturday, momentarily gives Oklahoma the second-highest rated class with still another year and a half remaining before National Signing Day.

From watching his film highlights, there’s no question that the kid has the kind of supreme arm talent that Lincoln Riley has been known to do wonders with. If that’s not enough, he’s also well-versed in the art of throwing the horns down. Welcome to the Sooners, Malachi. Boomer!

Malachi Nelson 2020 Highlights

Now onto this week’s Monday edition of Hot Links! Awards Watch List season is here, OU hoops hero Austin Reaves is set to meet with the Sixers this week, Coco is a no-go for the Olympic Games and more!

OU Links

• On Monday, redshirt sophomore QB Spencer Rattler and true sophomore WR Marvin Mims were each named to the 2021 Maxwell Award Watch List. This annual individual honor goes to the nation’s best all-around collegiate player as per the Maxwell Football Club.

• In related news, senior DE Isaiah Thomas and junior EDGE Nik Bonitto have each been named to the 2021 Bednarik Award Watch List. This honor is annually given to the top defensive player in the nation.

• With the 2021 NBA Draft set to go down on July 29, former Oklahoma men’s basketball star Austin Reaves reportedly plans on visiting with the Philadelphia 76ers this Wednesday.
• Heartland College Sports’ Ray Dozier recently wrote about OU’s current streak of six consecutive Big 12 Championships and where that ranks among the program’s history of conference title runs.
• After one season at Oklahoma, former Sooner softball infielder Zaida Puni has officially transferred to SEC country, where she’ll join the Tennessee Lady Vols.

Around the Sports World

• American tennis star Coco Gauff will unfortunately miss the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after she recently tested positive for COVID-19.
• Speaking of COVID-19, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey opened media days with an announcement that conference game forfeits are in play for the 2021 season rather than postponements if a team is unable to compete due to a COVID-depleted roster in a given week.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly signed former Los Angeles Chargers DE and three-time Pro Bowler Melvin Ingram to a one year contract.
• A New York Yankees fan has been banned for life from every MLB park after throwing a baseball at Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo on Saturday.
• A vehicle belonging to Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo was recently stolen, along with all of his personal items inside the vehicle at the time of the theft. The NFL pro has since taken to social media, asking for the return of his football cleats if nothing else.

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Joe Jon Finley secures his first Sooner commitment.

Joe Jon Finley has secured his first commitment as an official member of the Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff as Kaden Helms, a flex tight-end from Bellevue, Nebraska, has announced his intention to continue his athletic and academic career in Norman. The athletic pass catcher has chosen OU over programs such as North Carolina, Auburn, Arizona State and Miami.

At Bellevue (Neb.) West High School, Helms plays a “tweener” role between being a receiver and a tight end. With that in mind, if I had to compare him to a previous Sooner I would say he seems like a taller Grant Calcaterra. Built with a 6’5, 222lbs frame, Helms often flips between playing on the inside and outside because of his athleticism. At this point of his progression, he’s still very much a finesse pass catcher with the tools to become a great blocker, but the amount of upside in his game within a Lincoln Riley offense is fun to imagine. I imagine that Helms likes to try to model his game after George Kittle, a former Norman resident (and Pro Bowl TE), who signed with Iowa at a frame of 6’4, 230lbs. What jumps off at the film is his athleticism and speed in the open field along with his basketball skills of high pointing the ball well after sealing off his opponent from the ball.

Helms is Oklahoma’s 15th commitment for the 2022 recruiting cycle and the second TE of the class. According to 247Sports Composite, Kaden Helms is the No. 3 player from the state of Nebraska as well as the No. 15 overall TE. Riley’s Sooners haven’t really had a consistent pass catcher and blocker at tight end in the lineup since Kyler Murray was throwing the ball to Grant Calcaterra and that is no fault to either Austin Stogner or Calc because of their own health struggles. Once both Helms and Llewellyn enter the Bennie Wylie training program, both have the capability of being dynamic playmakers in Riley’s offense as tall, long armed, athletic tight ends.

The Sooners start their 2023 recruiting off with a bang in the form of a commitment from a talented running back.

The Oklahoma Sooners have started a big recruiting weekend with a bang, as four-star 2023 ATH Treyaun Webb has announced his commitment. Webb, a standout at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Fla., is the first name on the board for the class of 2023 as Lincoln Riley continues to make in-roads to different regions in the USA — and particularly Florida as of late. Webb has chosen Oklahoma over other programs such as Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and a plethora of others.

Webb is a talented defensive back, he but is being recruited by Demarco Murray and many others as a running back. Standing at a frame of 6’0” and 188 pounds, he is elite running off-tackle and bouncing to the outside. He is also quite good at absorbing contact, making his yards-after-contact numbers look attractive, especially when he’s always falling forward. Interestingly enough, some analysts have compared Webb to another talented Sooners running back — Kennedy Brooks. As of now, he doesn’t always have the breakaway speed to separate himself, but that’s not to say he doesn’t have incredible burst out of the backfield.

Webb is Oklahoma’s first commitment for the 2023 recruiting class cycle. According to 247Sports Composite Rankings, he is the No. 4 athlete in the country, the No. 9 overall player from the state of Florida, and the No. 46 player overall. Murray has been able to secure Raleek Brown and Gavin Sawchuk in the 2022 class, and he’s only elevating the talent level with the addition of Webb in 2023. It is definitely a huge pickup for Lincoln Riley and the Sooners, but the weekend has just begun.

Porter Moser’s team will face three SEC squads.

Happy Thursday, friends and fans!

The Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball unveiled its completed non-conference schedule on Thursday morning. Officially, OU’s 2021-22 season will tip-off on Tuesday, Nov. 9 against Northwestern State.

The marquee matchups for this year’s non-conference slate include home meetings versus the Florida Gators (Dec. 1) and Butler Bulldogs (Dec. 7), plus contests against the UCF Knights (Nov. 27), Arkansas Razorbacks (Dec. 11 in Tulsa) and Auburn Tigers (Jan. 29).

The schedule also includes a trip to Conway, South Carolina for the Myrtle Beach Invitational from Nov. 18-21. In addition to the Sooners, the early-season, eight-team tournament will also feature Davidson, East Carolina, Indiana State, New Mexico State, Old Dominion, Penn and Utah State.

It’s a respectably strong slate for Porter Moser’s first season at Oklahoma, but one that’s doable for a team comprised of so many new parts. One way or another, a lot will be learned about this year’s Sooners by the time conference play rolls around.

Now for today’s Hot Links! More soundbites from Big 12 Media Days, Austin Reaves revs up for the draft, Nebraska names its new AD and more!

OU Links

• Lincoln Riley has emphasized one of his team’s primary goals is to strive toward becoming the best version of themselves. If they accomplish that, they can reach the heights they’ve been aiming for.

• At Big 12 Media Days, redshirt senior H-back Jeremiah Hall talked about what defines ‘OUDNA’ and how that mindset has created tradition and a winning culture at Oklahoma.

• Junior EDGE Nik Bonitto also represented the Sooners in Arlington on Wednesday, and he spoke about how the team handles preparation throughout the season.

• This whole ‘Horns Down’ penalty stuff is already ridiculous, but now it’s highly subjective. I know how to make it easy for officials — just stop penalizing against it altogether. Good grief, y’all.

• Former OU men’s basketball star Austin Reaves recently sat down with Bryan Kalbrosky of Hoops Hype to discuss his journey from humble beginnings in Arkansas to declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft. His story is unique, and one that he has fully embraced as he embarks on a potential career as a professional basketball player.

Around the Sports World

• On Wednesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Phoenix Suns, 109-103, effectively tying up the series at 2-2. Game Five is set to tip-off on Saturday at 8 p.m. CT on ABC.
• The Oklahoma State Cowboys men’s basketball program have added former Memphis Tigers center Moussa Cisse via the transfer portal.
• The Clemson Tigers have extended defensive coordinator Brent Venables with a $2.5 million contract through 2026. This deal officially makes the renowned DC the highest paid assistant in college football.
• The third installment between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, originally set for July 24, has been rescheduled for Saturday, Oct. 9 after Fury tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
• On Wednesday, former Nebraska Cornhuskers LB Trev Alberts was officially introduced as his alma mater’s next Athletic Director.

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