Hello once again, folks! I don’t know about you, but I’m already itching to start the 2018 football season. College football’s brutally long offseasons are part of what make the seasons themselves so special. At least here in Norman, the Oklahoma Sooners are talented across several sports, so there will be plenty of excitement to keep fans distracted during down time. Basketball is going on now, men and women’s gymnastics both start later this month, and the softball and baseball teams return to the diamond in February. Add in the fact that spring practice is just around the corner, and things don’t look quite as boring.

Oh, and Baker Mayfield has won the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award! The award is given to the best player who was either born in the state of Texas, graduated from a Texas high school or played their college ball at a Texas-based university. Although the award is only five years old, Mayfield is the first player to attend a university outside the state of Texas to win the award. Congratulations, Baker!

Now, to help get you through the doldrums of the dreaded football offseason, take a look at what you can find in our Hot Links! On today’s docket, Trae Young was credited with another assist a day after the Texas Tech game, Orlando Brown’s father used the movie The Waterboy to motivate Orlando, Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood gets ejected then knocks a phone out of a fan’s hand and more!

OU Links

• Get your tickets while they last, folks! These home games are selling out quickly!

• Trae Young finished the Texas Tech game with 27 points and nine assists, but after a review of one of his passes that led to a Christian James three-pointer, Young has been credited with a belated assist, giving him nine double-doubles on the season.
• Check out Steven Parker’s episodic journey towards the NFL with the help from staff at the Tulsa World. Parker has played a ton of football in his life as well as for the University of Oklahoma. He’s also the legacy of a barrier-breaking grandfather. I know I’ll be eager to follow him throughout this next chapter in his career.
• Orlando Brown’s father had some unorthodox methods for unlocking Brown’s potential. Check out this interview with CBS Sports’ Jim Rome. Great stuff.

• So where does Oklahoma look for Jerry Schmidt’s replacement? Do they promote from within? Do they bring somebody in from outside the program? There is much to be decided in the following weeks, but one thing is for sure, Schmidt impacted a countless number of young men during his time with the Sooners. RJ Young wrote about the man we lovingly call Schmitty, and he also touched upon how fans should view the Du’Vonta Lampkin situation.
• Once again, Oklahoma seems poised to win the Big 12 in 2018. Check out Guerin Emig’s early poll on where he thinks each conference member sits heading into next season.
• Tank Jenkins is a four-star offensive guard from Alabama who has been on Oklahoma’s radar for quite some time. Now he will finally make an official visit to Norman this Friday. It’s long been assumed that Oklahoma was pretty done on the offensive end for 2018, but that may not end up being the case.

• Former Oklahoma Sooner hooper Darrion Strong-Moore is finally having success on the basketball court at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. After backing up and stepping in for Jordan Woodard last season, Strong-Moore suffered an injury that buried him on the depth chart. Strong-Moore has overcome a lot, and now he’s a pivotal piece for one of the top teams in D-II.
• Oklahoma football and basketball have proven to be top teams in their respective sports this season, and next month the Sooner baseball team will have its chance. What a year of athletics this could shape up to be.

Around the Sports World

• I don’t know about this decision, but I wish him the best of luck. Kyle Allen was originally a high-profile recruit and attended Texas A&M before transferring to Houston.

• UCF fans are going to troll college football for at least the next eight months, but they deserve to gloat after their impressive, undefeated season. In their latest act, UCF fans paid for an advertising billboard in Alabama, calling out the Crimson Tide for a home & home series. Will it ever happen? Stay tuned.

• Texas defeated TCU in a double-overtime thriller, 99-98, and the Longhorns were overcome with emotion with the news from earlier in the day about guard Andrew Jones being diagnosed with leukemia.
• Rodney Hood probably just wanted this man to get his money’s worth for that seat. Hey, it could have been worse, right?

• Many fan bases across sports enjoy poking fun at the Cleveland Browns for never winning, and even Browns fans find amusement in it to a degree. After finishing 0-16 this season, Browns fans decided to hold a parade in celebration of their (im)perfect season. Sure, it’s a silly thing to do, but something truly great came of this. Over $17K was raised for a local food bank. Well done, Browns fans.

Stick to Sports!

• This just blew my mind. After reading through the thread, it’s entirely believable, but it’s just a crazy way to think of time and generations. Wow.

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