Happy Friday, friends and fans!

So... TMZ caught up with (harassed) Sterling Shepard about a recent photo of former Oklahoma Sooners great Baker Mayfield that’s been circulating around social media, and some have said it appears Mayfield looks a bit hefty around his midsection.

Here’s the photo of Mayfield for reference. Mayfield is seen hanging out with the popular Twitch streamer known as ‘Ninja’, and the camera seems to be playing some tricks.

Shep said he’s been training with Bake’ this offseason, and that he’s actually in good shape. I think it’s just the oversized shirt and possibly the angle that gives Mayfield the look of having a surprisingly rotund belly. Mayfield looked great at the ESPYS recently, so Cleveland Browns fans should have nothing to worry about when it comes to Mayfield’s physique.

Now onto this week’s Friday edition of Hot Links! Lane Kiffin doesn’t want to see Kyler Murray, Grant Calcaterra makes the Mackey Award watch list, ‘Last Chance U’ is back and more!

OU Links

• In a very tongue-in-cheek way, Florida Atlantic head coach Lane Kiffin is all in favor of Kyler Murray hanging up his shoulder pads early and starting his professional baseball career.

• Kiffin also spoke about the upcoming matchup against Oklahoma at the Conference USA Media Days, and former Sooner QB Chris Robison could be the Owls’ starting signal caller come Sept. 1. I really hope it happens.
• Tight end Grant Calcaterra has been named to the Mackey Award watch list, given to the nation’s best tight end. Mark Andrews became the first Oklahoma tight end to win the award in 2017. I think Calc has a great shot at making a strong run at the award this season. The numbers could certainly be there for him, and he has a knack for making the highlight reels, as well. In previous days, Kyler Murray, Rodney Anderson, Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb have made lists.

• Additionally, center Jonathan Alvarez was named to the Remington Award watch list. Even if he doesn’t end up starting over Creed Humphrey this season, he’s a proven interior lineman whose presence is greatly appreciated for the purposes of both depth and leadership.

• Rodney Anderson checks in at No. 4 on NFL.com’s top running backs to watch in 2018, which is higher than Stanford Heisman Trophy finalist Bryce Love.
• Oklahoma sophomore forward Brady Manek has grown his hair out since the basketball season ended, but he’s not just sporting a new look. Manek has also worked on taking his game to the next level.
• In case you haven’t already, make sure to check out RJ’s thoughts on offensive line commit EJ Ndoma-Ogar and his performance at The Opening Finals.
• If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you’re definitely going to want to check out season 3 of ‘Last Chance U’, which is streaming now and features Oklahoma offensive lineman Tramonda Moore. The first two seasons of the hit reality series focused on Eastern Mississippi Community College. In this third installment, the focus shifts to Independence Community College in Kansas.

Around the Sports World

• The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded Carmelo Anthony to the Atlanta Hawks for point guard Dennis Schroder. The Hawks are expected to waive Anthony, making him a free agent.
• ESPN has revealed its season-long college football anthem for 2018. Personally, I think these kinds of anthems that play ad-nauseum grow old super fast, and on an even more personal note, I don’t find Imagine Dragons to be that dope. Very meh.

• So which rookies showed out the best during Summer League? Spoiler alert: Trae Young didn’t make the list.
• SB Nation’s Ryan Nanni explores how the game of football would change if it cost a point to punt. Some of the possibilities are insane, but it would add another dimension to games that is otherwise non-existent. I would not be a fan of this, but there’s no doubt it’s creative.
• Shiggy, the man who popularized the ‘In My Feelings’ dance challenge, pulled the ultimate power move on Russell Wilson at the ESPYS when he told Wilson to move out of his picture with Ciara, Wilson’s wife. Dang, that takes the highest level of confidence, but props to Shiggy. Wilson seemed cool with it, though, so all is good.
• Out of all the mascots in the NFL, which are the most terrifying to look at? The Chargers’ Boltman is easily the most frightening to me. I don’t want to look at that ever again.
• Athletes have made regular appearances on Sesame Street, but which appearances were the best? SB Nation’s James Dator ranks them all.

Stick to Sports!

• After almost 50 years, the iconic ‘Brady Bunch’ house is back on the market. Keep in mind, the interior of the home is not the same as what was seen on the television show, as the show itself was filmed in a studio in Los Angeles. This is the house that was featured in the opening and ending credits. The North Hollywood home is listed at just over $1.8 million. Any takers?

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