What’s up, Sooner faithful? Gone are the days when trading cards were mainstream. Still, as the hobby has fallen into relative obscurity in the shadow of the technological age, there are those who keep the trading card tradition alive and new.

Just how new am I talking about? Well, Lincoln Riley has only been the head coach for the Oklahoma Sooners for about 14 months, yet the mega trading card company Topps has already created a card commemorating the young offensive mind.

Riley’s card is part of a particular line called Allen & Ginter, which features world famous figures like skateboarder Tony Hawk, President George Washington and rapper Biz Markie.

Basically, what this obviously means is Riley has transcended the college football world and is now part of an elite group of the most influential people in human history. How’s that for a recruiting tool?

Now onto today’s Hot Links! Brad Dalke is about to tee off at the U.S. Amateur, Trae Young continues to inspire, David Njoku couldn’t care less about Fortnite and more!

OU Links

• Brad Dalke is at Pebble Beach for the U.S. Amateur, and at 2:40 p.m. CT today he will be competing in the match play round of 64. You can keep up with all the action through the live scoring link, with television coverage beginning at 4 p.m. on FS1.

• (whispers) They’re here. Football is back at Oklahoma, and Boomer Sooner never sleeps.

• Lincoln Riley isn’t shy about putting some of his best players on special teams as return men, but with the direction football is going, the return game may be phased out anyway.
• Strong and consistent defensive line play is something Oklahoma has been missing as of late, but the underclassmen of this year’s group could bolster the unit as a whole.
• Baker Mayfield caught up with the legendary Jim Brown during practice. Mayfield has a lot of support in Cleveland, and Brown’s approval means as much as anybody’s.

• Ever since he became a basketball sensation, one universal criticism on Trae Young has been about his unassuming frame. Now in the NBA, he has a chance to inspire youth everywhere. If he can do it, they can too.
• Oklahoma men’s tennis sophomore Jake Van Emburgh won the Oracle ITA National Summer Championships singles title, and did so by winning every match in the tournament in straight sets. Boomer!

• Check out Erick Wren and Sam Bradford coming together for the first on the football field. It’s almost baffling to me that these two players’ Sooner careers are nearly 10 years apart. It’s nice to see that OUDNA transcends eras.

• The Red River Rivalry just became a lot tastier. If you plan on attending this year’s OU-Texas game, or at the very least are making the trip to Dallas for the Texas State Fair, then you’re going to have the opportunity to indulge in this mighty fine fried wonder and some funnel cake-flavored ice cream topped with more funnel cake.

• Don’t forget to check out Sam’s recap of the second episode of ‘Hard Knocks’. While Baker Mayfield wasn’t as heavily featured in this episode, his professional debut was on full display during the Browns’ preseason opener against the Giants.

Around the Sports World

• Duke big man Zion Williamson does things that shouldn’t be humanly possible, and this free throw line dunk is the latest example of that. Now you may be thinking, people do free throw line dunks all the time. Okay yes, but how many of them are 285 pounds? I’ll wait.

• Former Texas defensive back John Bonney is heading to Lubbock as a graduate transfer for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders return 10 starters on defense, including the entire secondary. Tech might actually pose a threat on that side of the ball this season, especially with David Gibbs back at the helm. Well, maybe not a threat, but perhaps they won’t suck. They did, after all, make strides on that side in 2017.
• It goes without saying that home runs are one of the most exciting moments in baseball, but the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. is taking it to another level after sending one out of the park in five straight games, including a dinger from the leadoff spot in three straight games. Truly amazing stuff right here.

• There were some massive moves made during this NBA offseason. Some teams made out better than others, and some teams’ decisions are too perplexing to interpret right now. Check out this quick summary of each NBA team’s offseason explained using emojis.
• Don’t talk to Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku about Fortnite, because he’s PUBG-for-life. When it comes to gaming, Njoku resents the popular battle royale style game for its cartoonish aesthetics and for how mainstream it’s become despite PUBG being released first. Hey David, I’m not much for change either. I choose nachos at every Mexican restaurant I go to.

Stick to Sports!

• For his 50th birthday (damn, I feel old), Will Smith will be bungee jumping out of a helicopter over the Grand Canyon. That’s a pretty epic way to celebrate the mid-century mark. I’m going to go out on a limb and make the prediction that my 50th will consist of less bungee cord and more cheesecake, but more power to you, Will! Folks will be able to catch all the thrill-seeking action live on YouTube next month.

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