Hot Links: The State of OU’s Backfield, Early Enrollees, Press Virginia, and More...

Good afternoon! There remain only three football games left in the NFL (including the Super Bowl), but basketball season is in full swing. There are two games of high interest to Oklahomans tonight, even though they are both likely to be blowouts.

The Sooners travel to Morgantown to take on Press West Virginia at 6 P.M. The Sooners snapped their losing skid, but I don’t see them beating the Mountaineers—especially on the road.

The Thunder travel to Oakland (...again) to take on Kevin Durant and the Warriors. Without Steven Adams dominating the Dubs’ front-line, I don’t think the Thunder will be able to make it a close one. Unfortunately, he’s sitting due to a concussion. News recently emerged that Klay Thompson could miss the game due to ‘family matter.’ No matter the outcome, it’ll be must-see TV regardless—Westbrook + Durant= awkward forever.

OU Links

• As I alluded to earlier, West Virginia hoops coach Bob Huggins employs a mean press. The Norman Transcript’s John Shinn wrote about what the Sooners are doing to ensure they stay composed in a high-pressure, raucous environment.
• Switching gears to football: the first members of #SoonerSquad17 are enrolled and on campus starting this week. 12 members of the ‘17 class decided to enroll early. NewsOK’s Ryan Aber details their decision to come to Norman sooner rather than later.
• Baker Mayfield sent out some pretty confident tweets regarding next season. Many on a national level are expecting the Sooners to improve on a great season. What does OU need to do to make the jump to the CFP?
• The biggest question mark for OU next year is likely to be their stable of running backs. The Tulsa World’s Eric Bailey lists Kennedy Brooks as a player who could break out in the backfield.

National Links

• The recruiting process is tough for everyone involved, but a player’s feelings can often be glossed over by fans. It can be tough to decide where you want to spend the next 2-4 years of your life. Linebacker Jacob Phillips is one such player, torn between Oklahoma and LSU—reportedly 60-40 toward OU. Here’s an LSU perspective on Phillips’ recruitment.
• SI lists 11 early-enrolling players who could make a difference this fall. One such player is the aforementioned OU running back Trey Sermon. TCU’s Shawn Robinson also makes the cut, and for good reason: the dual-threat QB could easily unseat interception prone Kenny Hill. Think Trevone Boykin and you won’t be too far off from Robinson’s skill set.
• Speaking of early enrollment: the DI council voted not to add a June early signing period. However, a December signing period is still on the table. Bob Stoops has previously said he’d be in favor of a June signing period.
• It hasn’t exactly gone swimmingly for the San Diego Los Angeles Chargers since the team announced their plans to move. Although the two cities are only roughly 120 miles apart, the Chargers might have trouble with the actual moving part of moving. The aptly named wewontmoveyouchargers.com lists 24 different San Diego-area movers who refuse to help the Chargers out. Sports are so beautifully petty sometimes.

‘STICK TO SPORTS!’

• Produce stickers are the bane of my existence. Nothing ruins my day more than an apple with a sticker that just won’t come off...I’m not sure what that says about me. Regardless, I think it’s pretty cool that Swedish supermarkets have ditched the stickers in favor of laser etching.
• Years ago, Jon Negroni wrote an article postulating that every Pixar movie is connected by virtue of being in the same universe. Pixar played along by releasing a video yesterday showing ways in which various movies of theirs are connected. Really cool stuff.
• Rest in Peace William Onyeabor, Nigerian afro-funk innovator and legend. Here’s one of my favorites by him: