What’s up, friends and fans? Before you answer that, I’ll go ahead and tell you what’s up. Rodney Anderson, because this dude has ups for days. With the Oklahoma Sooners pairing with Jumpman logo, it’s fitting that Anderson demonstrates the kind of ups he’s bringing to the table in 2018.

Watch out for the ceiling, Rodney!

We’ve seen Anderson jump over defenders and into the end zone. We’ve even seen him jump out of a pool with little effort. But to scale five feet like this really shows the kind of work Rodney has put towards his body to strengthen his natural ability. Shoot, I knew Oklahoma was going to be loaded with athletes in the backfield, but this is scary good.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! Lon Kruger’s squad will be sporting some Russ West flavor on the court, Caleb Kelly is on the Wuerffel Trophy watch list, KD further tarnishes his legacy and more!

OU Links

• Reason No. 473 why Baker Mayfield is the G.O.A.T: he’s not your towel boy, Texas Tech. Damn, this show is gonna be so good.

• The Big 12 Conference announced Baker Mayfield and Maggie Nichols won Male and Female Athlete of the Year. This is the second time in three years that a pair of Sooners have swept these awards. Congratulations Baker and Maggie! Boomer!
• Oklahoma Basketball will be rocking some ‘Why Not’ Jordans on the court this year. Why Not is a motto attributed to OKC Thunder’s Russell Westbrook. I’m a fan of these.

• Staying on the basketball subject, highly rated guard commit De’Vion Harmon is intent on bringing Oklahoma Basketball back to prominence, and he recognizes that it starts on the recruiting trail.
• For a refresher on who’s coming back, who’s making their debuts and what’s on the docket for the 2018 season, check out the season preview from the revamped Sooner Sports website.

• Caleb Kelly has been placed on the Wuerffel Trophy watch list. The Wuerffel Award is given to a player who exemplifies excellence on the field, in the classroom and most importantly through community service. Oklahoma’s Gabe Ikard and Ty Darlington each won the award in 2013 and 2015, respectively, and former Sooner Trevor Knight won the Wuerffel after transferring to Texas A&M. Just being placed on the watch list says a lot about Kelly. Congrats, my dude!

• With the start of training camp, Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson reiterated on Wednesday that Baker Mayfield would not be the starter if the season started right now. Tyrod Taylor is taking the first-team reps, and Mayfield has been practicing with the two’s.
• Defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks feels that although the Sooners’ secondary is relatively young, the talented unit could have a strong showing this fall.
• ESPN put together a list of the top national championship teams of the last 20 years, and the 2000 Oklahoma Sooners are ranked No. 13. Not bad.
• Trae Young is now teammates with Vince Carter in Atlanta, and this is notable because Carter was first drafted into the NBA just months before Young was even born. Wow.

• Four-star offensive tackle Jonah Tauanu’u out of Harbor City, California has set his commitment announcement date for his birthday on August 10th. Tauanu’u’s decision is expected to come down to Oklahoma and USC.

• Don’t forget to check out RJ’s thoughts on the versatility and athleticism of four-star receiver commit Trejan Bridges, as well as his takes on schematic changes for Oklahoma’s offense and defense.

Around the Sports World

• Kevin, Kevin, Kevin. Man, I don’t think he quite gets it. Durant already dug himself a public hole with the burner accounts fiasco, and now this. He’s justified for feeling slighted by McCollum for calling him soft, but is CJ wrong?

• Conor ‘The Notorious’ McGregor has finally been sentenced for attacking a bus, and he’s actually come out on the lighter side of things that will keep this ordeal from giving him a criminal record.
• The quest for television ratings around the clock has given college football fans more opportunities to watch games, but it’s come with a price that could soon backfire if it isn’t handled well. Many conferences and schools have been at the expense of such increasing measures, and it should only be a matter of time before ratings must take a back seat.
• Speaking of college football around the clock, a reality in which there are 43 bowl games is not that farfetched, but Chicago’s iconic Wrigley Field is not on the table on account of it being too damn cold.

Stick to Sports!

• Engineers at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute in Kyoto, Japan have created a prosthetic arm that can be controlled by a person’s brain. The motor functions are still at a basic and pre-determined level, but it’s one step closer towards bridging the gap between us and the technology we design.

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