How’s it going, friends and fans? Some intriguing news has just come to light as former Notre Dame strong-side defensive end Jay Hayes has announced he will be visiting Oklahoma this weekend. Hayes, who started every game for the Fighting Irish last season and was one of the leaders on defense, announced a few days ago that he would leave South Bend as a grad transfer. D-line depth can never be stressed enough, and with Hayes’ experience, he would be a much-welcomed addition to the team.

Let’s make sure to show him and all the other prospects in attendance (more on that from Jack later) that Oklahoma Sooners love on Saturday! Now onto today’s edition of Hot Links! Lincoln Riley should have a pay raise coming in the near future, there’s been an emphasis on special teams this spring, Oklahoma Basketball schedules a home-and-home with Creighton and more!

OU Links

• Speaking of recruiting, SB Nation’s Bud Elliott spent two days at the Adidas 7-on-7 championship and made sure to take plenty of notes on a number of OU targets.
• Oklahoma Baseball returns home to L. Dale Mitchell Park tonight as Arkansas-Little Rock comes to town. For more on how you can catch all the coverage, check out the game preview linked below. The game begins at 6:30 pm CT.

• Oklahoma Softball completes the sweep over Iowa State with a run-rule in the final game and remain No. 2 in the rankings. This team is on a mission to three-peat as national champions, I can just feel it.

• Lincoln Riley received a couple bonuses for winning the Big 12 and reaching the College Football Playoff last season, and now he stands to receive an overall raise heading into his second season as head coach.
• The special teams unit wasn’t exactly special last season. The kicking game was solid for the most part, but Oklahoma didn’t produce much from either return games, and there were hardly any plays made as far as blocks go. Jay Boulware used a four-letter word to sum it all up, but he’s optimistic about improvement in 2018, especially with Shane Beamer on board.
• Oklahoma Basketball will have some interesting storylines to follow during a couple early non-conference contests. Lon Kruger will have to go against two of his former assistants in back-to-back games to open the season.

• Staying on the topic of Sooner Basketball, Oklahoma and Creighton have agreed to a home-and-home series starting this upcoming season. The first meeting will be in Norman, with the following game in Omaha during the 2019-20 season.

Around the Sports World

• TCU has added Northern Illinois graduate transfer Jawuan Johnson. Johnson was an All-MAC linebacker for the Huskies, and brings speed and playmaking ability to the Horned Frogs’ defense. It’s a solid addition for Gary Patterson’s bunch.

• The PGA Tour is now allowing walk-up music, much like baseball, so when players are set to tee-off, there’s going to be a little entertainment value added. Just for fun, check out some ideas of what some of the more notable golfers could be walking up to.
• A recent investigation reveals how strict the rules are against NFL cheerleaders when it comes to fraternization with the players, public appearances, and social media.
• Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double last season on his way to winning MVP, and after recording 18 rebounds against Miami last night, Westbrook now only needs 16 boards in his final game to reach ‘The Big-O’ territory once again.
• Anthony Davis is one long dude, and he couldn’t even touch the ball as Boban Marjanovic played keep away. Insane stuff.

Stick to Sports!

• Game show fails. There have been some epic failures in the past, but this one might sit right at the top. With literally the entire answer spelled out on the board, staring at him right in the face, this man, for whatever reason, said ‘flamingo’ instead of ‘flamenco’, and the rest will go down as viral history. Rules are rules, my dude.

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