What’s up, everyone?

The pipe dream of Kyler Murray returning to play for the Oklahoma Sooners this fall has been stamped out, but the magical run he leaves as his legacy will live on. During his incredible season, he added a lot of hardware to the trophy case, and recently he was awarded with one more — the Campbell Award.

The Campbell is awarded to players with a tie to the state of Texas, and since Murray is from there (and is a Texas high school legend), there really wasn’t a more deserving choice this season. K1 is the second Sooner overall to win the award, and the second consecutive Oklahoma player to do so. Baker Mayfield, an Austin native, was the first after his Heisman Trophy winning year.

College football has evolved over the past century in a countless number of ways, but one of the constants that has stood the test of time is the extraordinary talent that is born and bred in the Lone Star State. Fortunately for the Sooners, those elite players only have to cross a red river to don the Crimson & Cream. That’s mighty convenient geography.

Now let’s dig into some Hot Links! Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals could draft Kyler Murray if they really want to, Jalen Hurts is an intriguing QB prospect for Oklahoma to consider, an injured soccer player is run over by a cart on the field and more!

OU Links

• In case you missed it, the Oakland Athletics expect Kyler Murray to enter the 2019 NFL Draft. The A’s selected Murray in the MLB Draft during the summer, but after the kind of season he had on the football field, this development feels as if it were inevitable. Still, baseball is not off the table.
• With Jalen Hurts having entered the transfer portal, how would a potential union between the former Alabama starting quarterback and Lincoln Riley work out? As Berry Tramel points out, one thing’s for sure — Hurts’ leadership and character are unquestionable.
• Kliff Kingsbury once said he’d draft Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick if he had the opportunity to do so. Well... now he’s the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals, and do you know which franchise has the first pick of the upcoming draft? The Cards took a QB in the top 10 last year, and it should also be noted that he said this while he was still at Texas Tech and probably shouldn’t be taken at face value. This, however, doesn’t change the fact that the quote is hilariously ironic.
• Given all of that, this little soundbite from ESPN’s Adam Schefter is rather interesting. He says the Cardinals could still take Murray with the first overall pick, then shop Rosen around. I don’t know about that, but it’s an entertaining thought.

• Murray going to Arizona likely won’t happen due to team needs, but there are plenty of NFL teams who do need a dynamic playmaker at QB. This particular class of signal callers is relatively weak, which can only help boost the dual-sport athlete’s stock.
• If Murray is indeed selected within the first 32 picks, he will become the first athlete ever to be taken in the first round of both the NFL and MLB Drafts.

• Maybe Stephen A. Smith just spreads himself too thin, but man, it just does not seem like he has ever watched a minute of anything college football or college baseball related. Kyler Murray at shortstop? OK.

• Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s track record isn’t about completely turning a defense around overnight. Instead, if it’s going to happen, expect it to unfold gradually and incrementally.
• Now that it is being reported that Kyler Murray is entering the NFL Draft, it’s a great time to look back on the Heisman Trophy winner’s career through the images that captured his most memorable moments.
• Speaking of Heisman winners, Baker Mayfield will be joining a number of high profile athletes and celebs for a softball game to raise money and awareness following the wildfires that swept across California this past fall.
• Arkansas State officially welcomes former Sooner WR Malcolm Kelly onto its coaching staff as the outside wide receivers coach. Kelly had recently accepted a similar offer at Stephen F. Austin, but this is a nice move up. Boomer!

• In case you missed it, starting left tackle Bobby Evans has finally made a decision and declared for the NFL Draft. Oklahoma is down to one returning starting offensive lineman in Creed Humphrey, but Bill Bedenbaugh has recruited well there, so the cupboard is far from bare. Relatively inexperienced, but ultra talented.

Around the Sports World

• It’s still hard for me to believe that the 2018 college football season is all over, but this list wouldn’t be complete unless it was. With that said, here are the top 100 games from the season. As you might expect, OU is featured heavily.

• Check out ESPN’s All-Bowl team for the 2018-19 season. There were some record setting performances this postseason, and for some positions the selections simply came down to playing for the winning team.
• The jerseys for the 2019 NHL All-Star game are made from upcycled marine plastic debris. Adidas has done this before, notably with uniforms worn by the Miami Hurricanes football team last season. These are actually very sweet.

• In basketball, it’d be wise to keep your head on a swivel at all times. James Harden’s head appropriately demonstrated one of the many things that can go wrong in the event that one’s head is not on said swivel.

• Pro tip for all the cart drivers at athletic events everywhere: don’t run over anybody, especially the player who’s already on the ground because he is injured and needs medical assistance. C’mon!

Stick to Sports!

• Caper has developed a shopping cart that in concept is designed to eliminate check-out lines. You walk around the grocery store, fill up your basket, and as you fill it up, it adds your items on a register. Once you’re finished, all your selections are already added up and you’re given the total. I suppose you still have to go up front and bag up your things, unless you bring your own totes or something.

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