clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Oklahoma Sooners Football: Former Sooner Gerald McCoy featured in HBO’s Hard Knocks trailer

The year’s season of Hard Knocks includes a former Oklahoma standout.

The Players' Tribune Hosts Players' Night Out 2017 Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Players' Tribune

HBO program Hard Knocks, which gives a look inside an NFL training camp each season, features the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017. Former Oklahoma Sooners defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is one of the cornerstones of that franchise, and he is featured prominantly in HBO’s most recent trailer for the season.

It’s always cool to see former OU greats getting their share of national exposure — it’s good for the school’s brand and gives alumni and fans a sense of pride. The fact that it’s happening for Gerald McCoy — is quite possibly my favorite Oklahoma football player of all time because of his big personality — makes it even better.

At OU, McCoy was a two-time captain and All-American who started 40 games in the Crimson & Cream. Since being selected third overall in the 2010 NFL Draft and hugging Roger Goodell, he has been selected to five Pro Bowls and has been a first-team All-Pro selection on three separate occasions. He’s become the face of the franchise because of what he’s done both on and off the field in Tampa, so I think we can expect to see a lot of him when the season premieres on Aug. 10.

Outside of the fact that the show will feature an OU great, I’m not that excited about Hard Knocks. That’s pretty much been the case for the past five-plus years, as the show is simply seen as a burden for the franchise. Not as much access is given anymore, so the show has become a bit dull. It’s basically just the occasional F-bomb and a bunch of undrafted free agents being cut. However, guys like Jameis Winston and DeSean Jackson will make things a bit more interesting, so I’m willing to give it a chance this time.