Also, Baker Mayfield needs offseason surgery to repair an injury on his non-throwing shoulder.

Happy Thursday, friends and fans!

It wasn’t long ago that FOX College Football analyst Joel Klatt came to the defense of Spencer Rattler after a large contingent of Oklahoma Sooners fans chanted for Caleb Williams to replace the former Heisman Trophy front-runner. A few weeks later, after ‘Superman’ wowed everybody in the Red River Showdown and in his first start against TCU, Klatt has changed his tune and has a new message for OU fans.

First of all, it’s pretty cool to see a college football pundit going public and owning up to his wrong take, although his point about the optics of booing Rattler remain valid. Nevertheless, it’s plain to see for everybody that this is a different team with Williams at the helm. The offense finally resembles a classic Lincoln Riley unit, and the players around him appear more energized and eager to make plays. Good on you, Klatt.

Now for today’s Hot Links! Bob Bowlsby continues to cry, Jadon Haselwood continues to impress, conference realignment continues to shift the college athletics landscape and more!

OU Links

• Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby recently stated that he believes the move to the SEC for OU and Texas ‘makes no sense’. Bless his heart. If he doesn’t get it by now, he never will.
• Pro Football Focus recently graded junior Nik Bonitto and the third-highest rated DE/EDGE player through seven weeks of college football. Boomer!

• Coming into the 2021 season, Oklahoma’s defensive line was viewed as the strength of the team, and for a while that unit played exceptionally well. However, the production from that group has since taken a dip as of late, and both the coaches and players have taken notice. SI Sooners’ John Hoover has more.
• This week, redshirt sophomore WR Jadon Haselwood caught up with the media to answer questions about his unselfishness on the field, Kennedy Brooks’ immeasurable value and more. OU Insider’s Joey Helmer has more.
• The Tulsa World’s Guerin Emig details one player, one problem and one prediction as Oklahoma prepares for its road trip to Kansas.
• On Thursday morning, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield will require surgery to repair a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder this offseason.

• In Oklahoma Baseball news, former Sooner Reggie Willits is expected to join Skip Johnson’s staff in a volunteer role after spending the past six seasons as an assistant for the New York Yankees. OU Daily’s Nick Coppola has more.

Around the Sports World

• Six schools from Conference USA — Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA — have formally accepted invitations to join the American Athletic Conference, and will join the league as early as the 2023-24 academic year. As this move takes place, the AAC will also be losing the memberships of Cincinnati, Houston and UCF.
• There’s been a lot of drama in the headlines surrounding Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers. Now it looks like he may not be available to take the court for quite some time, as he’s reportedly experiencing some tightness in his back.
• Indianapolis Colts starting free safety Julian Blackmon has reportedly suffered a torn Achilles tendon and will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 NFL season.
• Earlier this week, New York Mets right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco underwent surgery to remove a bone fragment in his throwing elbow.
• The 2021-22 NBA season is one game old, and SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell has seven overreactions to the games and performances freshly entered into the books.

Follow Crimson & Cream Machine on Twitter!