Happy Monday, everybody! We’re nearing the end of January, which means the second and final national signing day for the 2018 recruiting cycle is approaching. As some come in, others go out. The Oklahoma Sooners who are entering the draft are fully focused on refining their craft in preparation of next month’s combine.

On the basketball court, even for as amazing as Trae Young has been, if there’s been one area this season that has been most consistent, it’s how the team performs at home. Oklahoma is currently riding a 13-game winning streak at Lloyd Noble Center and looks to extend that streak tomorrow as the Baylor Bears come to town. The fan support has been a major part of this turnaround, so if you can, try to come out and support the team while you still can.

Now onto the Hot Links, where you’ll find out what went wrong in Alabama for the Sooners, why the Browns could take Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick, if Lincoln Riley will resume his play-calling duties next season and more!

OU Links

• 2018 safety signee Delarrin Turner-Yell, who has one of the most entertaining highlight reels in the country, has moved up 101 spots in the 247Sports rankings for the state of Texas. According to Barton Simmons, “There were so many senior seasons that needed to be rewarded. From Tyree Wilson to Delarrin Turner-Yell to Moro Ojomo, these guys have no-doubt film. I’m just glad we circled back and watched it”.

• One of the primary reasons the hoops team took the ‘L’ in Tuscaloosa on Saturday was because there wasn’t enough production from the bench. Trae Young can score as well if not better than anybody in the game, but he still needs contributions from the rest of the team in order to win, especially on the road.
• Just how possible is it that Baker Mayfield is selected with the number one overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft? There’s some interesting talk from both the Cleveland Browns’ GM and owner about taking an even closer look into considering the Heisman Trophy winner.
• These advanced stats show that not only will Baker Mayfield find success in the league, one of his main competitors leading up to the draft may not. Stats are all well and good, but even Baker would prefer to let his tape do the talking.
• Lincoln Riley has been one of the game’s brightest offensive minds since before he arrived at Oklahoma, but will Riley continue to call plays in 2018? John Shinn from Diehards shares his thoughts on the question.
• Get to know Oklahoma’s new strength coach, Bennie Wylie. The path that has lead him to one of the premier gigs in college football has not been without hardship and struggle, but it’s made Wylie into the man he is today.
• In case you missed it, 2018 RB commit Tavion Thomas announced that he won’t be signing with Oklahoma. You can read more about Thomas’ situation here.

Around the Sports World

• Ronda Rousey is joining the WWE family and she made it official with this look inspired by the late Roddy Piper. Cool stuff.

• There’s something brewing between UCF and Alabama players about the claim to being national champions. One Alabama player had a good point, though. Where’s their trophy?
• Offense at the college and pro levels has long been seen as part of almost entirely different sports, but now it’s becoming apparent that much of what was typically only seen in college is now finding its way into the NFL.
• A fan was trying to be sneaky and warm up with the New Orleans Pelicans, but after almost getting away with it, he was finally caught. Good try, good effort my dude.

• NHL ref Wes McCauley is at it again with the dramatics, and this one is classic Wes. There needs to be an equivalent of this guy in college football. Fans would lose their minds.

Stick to Sports!

• So there’s going to be a super blue blood moon on Wednesday. No, I’m not just throwing out adjectives to describe the moon, that’s really what they’re calling it. I know I want to see this for myself. Pretty rare stuff.

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