How’s it going, friends and fans? As more preseason award watch lists roll out, more Oklahoma Sooners find their names among the field. Today, both Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb have been named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list!

Dede Westbrook became Oklahoma’s first ever receiver to win the Biletnikoff Award in 2016. With both ‘Hollywood’ and Lamb now on the radar, both coming off of outstanding seasons, chances are good that at least one of them will make a strong run at the award.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! Baker Mayfield wins an ESPY, Oklahoma Softball welcomes back Jennifer Rocha, Toronto FC fans literally set Ottawa’s stadium ablaze and more!

OU Links

• Baker Mayfield took home yet another trophy at Wednesday night’s 2018 ESPY Awards for Best College Athlete. The other nominees were solid choices, but it would have been incredibly puzzling if Mayfield didn’t come away with the honor. Congrats, Bake!

• Yes, Baker Mayfield waved around and then planted his ESPY. The dude is the G.O.A.T. What else is there to say?

• In case you missed it, the conclusion of the ESPYS was about as powerful as it gets as far as moments in sports go. Hundreds of gymnasts, including Oklahoma’s Maggie Nichols, and their representatives were collectively presented with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
• After softball pitching coach Melyssa Lombardi left Oklahoma for the Oregon head coaching job, the Sooners have now named former player and graduate assistant Jennifer Rocha as associate head coach and pitching coach following 13 seasons at Florida. This is a major hire for Patty Gasso’s staff.

• Four-star cornerback Jaden Davis out of high school football powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas had a custom cake made for him following the announcement of his commitment to Oklahoma. Also, check out the Coke bottles to the right that say “Jaden @ OU”. So cool.

• Once upon a time, West Virginia QB Will Grier could have elected to become a Sooner instead of a Mountaineer after transferring from Florida. Clearly, it’s worked out for the best for all parties involved, but what a different reality that would be.
• Oklahoma’s loss to Iowa State last season doesn’t seem as terrible in hindsight compared to how it appeared when it was fresh. Part of that is how the Sooners rebounded, and the other part of that is how the Cyclones proved they were better than anybody predicted.
• Lincoln Riley took to the sea for some tuna and marlin fishing. I guess when he’s not reeling in recruits and wins, he’s still reeling in trophies of a different kind. Nice fish, coach!

• In case you haven’t already, make sure to check out my post about Kenneth Murray and his evolution of becoming a film room junkie. Murray is optimistic about the defense, and he believes the success of that side of the ball rests on his shoulders.

Around the Sports World

• Marcus Smart has agreed to a four-year, $52 million extension with the Boston Celtics. Smart has been a steady and consistent contributor for the rising Celtics, so this is positive news for Boston.
• Chicago Bulls forward Jabari Parker recently interviewed with a local radio station and stated “They don’t pay players to play defense.” His comments seem a little jarring at first, but Parker actually made some fair points.
• Shaquille O’Neal has a fancy new boat, so he went to social media to ask his fans what he should name it. Shaq should have known what he was setting himself up for.
• A group of Toronto FC fans smuggled fireworks into a game against the Ottawa Fury FC and nearly set the whole stadium on fire. Fortunately nobody was injured and the perpetrators were removed from the premises. And how about that explosion, eh?

• In the world of football uniforms, with time comes change. For some NFL teams, those changes have been subtle. For others, those changes have been drastic. So which throwback looks ought to make a permanent return?

Stick to Sports!

• The annual San Diego Comic Con begins today and will continue through Sunday. The event is widely considered the best of its kind by fans of all things fandom worthy. For live updates on breaking news, first looks and trailer reveals as they come out, keep up with The Verge.

Follow Crimson & Cream Machine on Twitter!