How’s it going, friends and fans? I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to get college football withdrawals. Fortunately, spring football will be resuming soon with spring break winding down, which means more news about our Oklahoma Sooners.

And speaking of football, the statues of Bennie Owen, Bud Wilkinson and Barry Switzer have been moved to the south side courtyard of the stadium. Now, that “four” in the caption is cryptic, no? Does it mean a Bob Stoops statue will be joining them soon? Of course it does. In fact, a ceremony for Bob is going down in OKC the Friday before the Spring Game. Pretty good indicator of things to come.

Now onto today’s edition of Hot Links. Austin Kendall needed a ride home after winning a QB battle against his brother, Jeff Badet’s draft stock is rising, scientists get to the bottom of the debate over the true color of tennis balls and more!

OU Links

• QB Austin Kendall is battling for the starting job with Kyler Murray this offseason, but this isn’t the first time Kendall has dealt with an intense QB battle. When he was 14, Kendall beat out his older brother for the starting QB job. Because of that, Kendall’s brother didn’t give him a ride home after practice for a few days. Sounds a bit salty, but that’s life in a QB battle, even when blood is involved.
• So now that Trae Young is officially not returning to Oklahoma next season, what kinds of options are the Sooners looking at as far as point guard is concerned? One of them is Maine grad transfer Aaron Calixte.
• Jeff Badet turned heads with his standout pro day, and now he’s meeting with NFL teams to work out privately. Looks like those numbers are earning him some legitimate attention.

• 2019 four-star wide receiver commit Trejan Bridges announced he’s been invited to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Congratulations, Trejan!

• If you haven’t yet bought a Baker Mayfield Pro Day Sensei t-shirt from BreakingT, you still can. I mean, if you want to be the coolest person at the upcoming Easter barbecue (or any barbecue), you wouldn’t want to be caught wearing anything else, right?

Around the Sports World

• The 2018 NFL Draft is going to be covered just about everywhere and in every way, and this time around ESPN’s College GameDay is joining the mix. It’ll be interesting to watch Rece, Kirk, Desmond and Lee talk about the draftees. Just... please keep Joey Galloway as far away from this as possible.
• Speaking of new NFL Draft coverage, here’s what it will inevitably look like in the future on as HGTV, Bravo and the Hallmark Channel. Read it. It’s hilarious.
• Texas Tech has been known to play some of the worst defense in recent college football memory, but on the basketball front, it’s been a completely different story. The Red Raiders are in the Sweet 16, and it’s their defense that has carried them along the way.
• Dallas Mavericks rookie Dennis Smith Jr. is coming into his own in the league, and a big adjustment he’s made has been to his diet. Smith says his eating habits and the type of food he eats is not only much more healthy and/or gourmet than he’s used to, he’s also had to make the change out of necessity.
• Have you ever wondered what color tennis balls are? Some say green. Some say yellow. Is neon a color? Like, just neon? In any case, scientists have gotten involved to put an end to the debate.
• Denver Nugget Malik Beasley just had one of those moments. I’m not the most clumsy person in the world, but I’ve lived long enough to relate to his embarrassment.

Stick to Sports!

• The Karate Kid Saga continues in the all-new upcoming series Cobra Kai. Looks like many of the same faces are reprising their roles in this too, including Daniel LaRusso (played by Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (played by William Zabka). The show will air exclusively on YouTube Red beginning May 2. I wonder if “sweep the leg” is in the script this time around. I’m sure it is. It would make for a neat Easter egg.

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