Happy Monday, friends and fans!

It was a chilly and windy weekend in Oklahoma, but that didn’t keep the fans from showing out in the most anticipated spring game in recent memory. The Oklahoma Sooners had a great weekend overall, but there was at least one person who was a bit unlucky. During the game, an errant pass from Austin Kendall connected with a cheerleader’s face, dropping her immediately to the ground. She’s totally okay now, and Kendall was able to contact her later and apologize for the accident. Still, that looked awfully painful.

Now onto today’s edition of Hot Links! Kyler Murray will eventually have to decide on pursuing either baseball or football as a professional, OU Softball is still streaking after sweeping the Jayhawks, ‘Playoff P’ is very real and more!

OU Links

• Perhaps the most riveting result of the weekend came on the recruiting front. Lincoln Riley’s efforts to use the spring game as a major recruiting tool paid off in a big way. Oklahoma received a total of six public commitments in three days, and the Sooners’ momentum doesn’t appear to be slowing down just yet.
• One of those six commitments wasn’t a high schooler, but was instead Notre Dame grad transfer defensive lineman Jay Hayes. Hayes started all 13 games for the Irish in 2017 and could really help in OU’s effort to stop the run.
• How did this influx of elite talent impact the Sooners’ class ranking? On Friday morning, Oklahoma’s 2019 class was ranked 18th nationally in 247Sports Composite rating at the time, but now OU is ranked 3rd. Meanwhile, OU’s Rivals ranking went from 12th to 1st. When we say recruiting is heating up in Oklahoma, this is what we mean.
• The elephant in the room when it comes to Kyler Murray is the decision the dual-sport athlete will ultimately have to make between baseball and football. On the collegiate level, Murray could have more success on the football field, but looking forward, his strengths might be better suited on the diamond.
• Redshirt freshman running back Kennedy Brooks ran for over 100 yards in the spring game, but that’s not necessarily an indicator that he’ll receive a ton of carries this fall, especially with how loaded the backfield is already. That said, how much can Sooner fans expect to see from Brooks in 2018?
• Oklahoma Baseball was unable to win the series over Texas, but the Sooners still got the win in the final game. Oklahoma is now back on top of the conference standings after a three game losing streak.

• Junior outfielder Steele Walker sat down for lunch with his brother, Sam, and in their conversation, Sam put the game of baseball in perspective for Steele. Since then, Steele has been playing his best ball of the season.
• After sweeping the Kansas Jayhawks, Oklahoma Softball has now won 29 straight games, quickly approaching the Sooners’ all-time record of 31 consecutive wins.

• Make sure you check out RJ’s 10 thoughts coming out of the Oklahoma Spring Game. Included are some guys on defense you need to pay attention to, Hollywood Brown being really fast, and Trace Adkins making bank.

Around the Sports World

• State by state, this country is slowly but surely embracing the legalization of marijuana, and the sports world is a microcosm of how people use marijuana for either recreation or self-medication. High-profile athletes have largely cast a mainstream spotlight on marijuana for decades, and now a transition seems to be in the works.
• The Oklahoma City Thunder torched the Utah Jazz in their opening playoff game, and Paul George re-introduced ‘Playoff P’ to the world. Wow, I think he might be pretty good.

• The Houston Rockets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1, but the ending was so bizarre and just a circus of confusion. I’m still not sure if I understand exactly what happened.
• The Boston Marathon is going on today, and despite the torrential downpour happening, the marathoners can’t be stopped. Speaking of the weather, looks like there’s a possible chance of some trolling. The Atlanta Falcons choked two Super Bowls ago, and it’s still unbelievable.

• This is one of those pure moments in sports that reminds me of what’s actually important. That little girl will cherish this moment for a long time, and that’s priceless.

Stick to Sports!

• The annual ‘See Spot Run’ is celebrating its 10th and final year on May 12th. The event is comprised of several different runs, and all proceeds are donated for animal sanctuary use.

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