SoonerScoop podcast: Tick tock, tick tock on OU defensive coordinator
(by Bob Przybylo) Another week in the books, and we’re still wondering about the OU defensive coordinator. Another week, and there doesn’t seem to be an ounce of panic from OU about it, either. Head coach Brent Venables hasn’t made any drastic moves yet. The boys are all back as classes began in Norman on Monday. We’re officially...listen to podcast from the SoonerScoop
Report: AFCA head coaches proposing transfer portal window change
(by Nick Kosko) AFCA head coaches are proposing to move the transfer portal window to January and make it 10 days, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger. “AFCA head coaches are proposing to move the transfer portal to a 10-day window in early January after bowl games with spring window eliminated (except for graduate transfers)...read more from On3.com
Oklahoma DL Jayden Jackson Earns Freshman All-America Honors
(by OU Athletics Communications) Oklahoma true freshman defensive lineman Jayden Jackson was named a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, the organization announced Tuesday. Jackson is only the second Sooners defensive lineman to earn FWAA Freshman All-America recognition since...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Report: Oklahoma Defensive Back to Withdraw From Transfer Portal
(by Carson Field) NORMAN — After spending a short time in the transfer portal, a young defensive back will return to Oklahoma in 2025. Safety Mykel Patterson-McDonald withdrew his name from the portal, according to a report from On3’s Pete Nakos. Patterson-McDonald initially entered the portal on Jan. 3. A native of Moore, OK,..read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
SIP Ep. 144 | Oklahoma RB's status report + Other football news & basketball recap
(by Josh Callaway) As the month of January rolls on, the Sooners Illustrated Podcast is back with a brand new episode. Sooners Illustrated's Josh Callaway, James D. Jackson and Tom Green open the show by continuing their position status report series with the Oklahoma running back room going into 2025. "I feel kind of perplexed by...listen to podcast from Sooners Illustrated
Baker Mayfield's best statistical season of NFL career comes to an end
(by Dekota Gregory) Another stellar Baker Mayfield season ended too early in the first round of the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Washington Commanders 23-20 in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs on Sunday Night Football. The loss concluded Mayfield's second season as the Buccaneers' quarterback. The game...read more from Stormin' in Norman
Sterling Shepard's Sunday Night Football intro will never get old
(by Dekota Gregory) Fortunately for all of us, the powers that be put Sterling Shepard and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in primetime again. The Buccaneers started their NFL Playoff run against the Washington Commanders in the Wild Card Round on Sunday night. As tradition at the start of Sunday Night Football on NBC, starters from...read more from Stormin' in Norman
OU football not changing much on defense heading into 2025, even with Zac Alley's exit
(by Ryan Aber) NORMAN — While OU’s offense was a trainwreck in 2024, the Sooners had their best defense in years. OU was 19th nationally in total defense at 318.2 yards per game, 24th in rushing defense at 115.1 yards per game, were 10th in tackles for loss at 7.4 per game, and were tied for sixth in fumble recoveries with 12...read more from The Oklahoman
Next wave of OU wide receivers arriving for 2025 season
(by Bob Przybylo) Some OU fans might have been waiting for 2025 as early as mid-October. Knowing the 2024 season wasn’t going to be something to remember, it was time to look ahead. The first step is now in the books. It is move-in weekend for OU. The Sooners bringing in plenty of help with the 2025 recruiting class and the transfer...read more from the SoonerScoop
'He's Special': Ben Arbuckle's Journey to Becoming Oklahoma's Offensive Coordinator
(by Carson Field) When Ben Arbuckle stepped foot on campus at Canadian High School in 2010, coach Chris Koetting felt like he had a crystal ball. A freshman quarterback at the time, Arbuckle made an immediate impression on Koetting, who mentally made a bold prediction. “I knew he was going to do big things in football,” Koetting said...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Oklahoma Sooners still own the Orange Bowl
(by Chip Rouse) Notre Dame defeated Penn State 37-34 in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night to advance to the College Football Playoff national championship game. The national semifinals matchup between the No. 7 Fighting Irish and No. 6 Nittany Lions was arguably the best of the 10 games in this year's new 12-team College Football...read more from Stormin' in Norman
Oklahoma 2024 Report Cards: OU's Coaching Staff Had an Awful Year
(by John E. Hoover) By almost no metric did the Oklahoma coaching staff have a good season. To find any good, the defense must be completely separated from the offense. And overseeing it all, in a difficult Year 3, was head coach Brent Venables. Venables struggled in a handful of areas this season, both in game management and...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Season review: Cornerbacks
(by Jesse Crittenden) Oklahoma's cornerbacks room saw a ton of change in 2024. Gentry Williams missed almost the entire season with a shoulder injury, prompting the Sooners to lean on Dez Malone and Kani Walker early in the year. Then true freshman Eli Bowen suddenly emerged as one of the team's best defenders and one of the...read more from the OUInsider
Gov. Kevin Stitt issues NIL executive order, OU president reacts
(by Hannah Bryant) Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order that allows institutions to direct payments to student athletes for the use of their name, image and likeness without using taxpayer dollars on the deals. The order, signed by the governor on Thursday, allows for the creation of foundations that will allow entities to contribute...read more from the OU Daily
Gracen Halton returning to OU, another key defensive piece
(by Bob Przybylo) Nobody really had any doubt about OU defensive tackle Gracen Halton returning, but he ended all doubts about that Thursday. Halton became the latest prominent OU defensive player to say, yep, let’s run it back in Norman one more time in 2025. Halton might be the example for head coach Brent Venables...read more from the SoonerScoop
SoonerScoop podcast: Let's talk OU defensive coordinator
(by Bob Przybylo) Another week, and another challenge for OU football. We take a mini-break from tracking the transfer portal. And now? All eyes go toward the defensive coordinator spot. What does being a defensive coordinator under Brent Venables really mean? Who might be some of the legitimate candidates?...listen to podcast from the SoonerScoop
Louisiana Tech transfer TE John Locke commits to Oklahoma
(by Nick Schultz) Louisiana Tech transfer tight end John Locke committed to Oklahoma, he announced via social media Wednesday night. He will have two years of eligibility remaining. Locke spent three years with Louisiana Tech, taking a redshirt as a freshman in 2022 when he made three appearances. He was a key contributor on...read more from On3.com
5 dream 'big name' defensive coordinator candidates for Oklahoma
(by Dekota Gregory) Let's dream a little bit. It's been nearly two weeks since Zac Alley packed his bags and took the country roads to West Virginia, opening up Oklahoma's defensive coordinator job. And there really hasn't been any leaks since of who Brent Venables could be after to replace Alley. There's a new rumor, though, that...read more from Stormin' in Norman
Sooners On SI Podcast, Ep. 278
(by John E. Hoover) Sooners On SI's John Hoover and Carson Field present episode 278 of the Sooners On SI Podcast: a deep dive on the latest comings and goings in the transfer portal and how they fit on next year's defense, the big news on who decided to stick it out at OU, the Sooners' latest recruiting news, an update on Brent Venables...listen to podcast from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Baker Mayfield has become comparable to Tom Brady
(by Dekota Gregory) Even the greatest quarterback in NFL history has been impressed by the guy who replaced him. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday clinched their fourth straight NFL South title -- a streak that began with Tom Brady at quarterback and that Baker Mayfield has continued the past two seasons. During the win...read more from Stormin' in Norman
