Happy Monday, friends and fans!

For all you Oklahoma Sooners fans on Twitter, make sure you cast your vote for OU’s Connor McGinnis in the ballot for the 2019 Mortell Holder of the Year. He won the award as a sophomore in 2017, and now he’s back in contention as a senior to become the first two-time winner of this extremely prestigious honor.

Ask any elite college football mind and they’ll tell you that the main reason why Gabe Brkic is 14 of 14 in field goal attempts and 45 of 45 in PATs this season is because of McGinnis’ masterful holding skills and abilities. Not everybody can perform at the highest level with the consistency and discipline he shows with every appearance. Check out this beautiful job he did last Saturday in Bedlam.

Stats don’t lie, but sometimes they don’t always tell the complete story. However, in this case, they do. Simply put, Connor McGinnis is the prototypical holder. He’s what every NFL GM is looking for to alter the trajectory of a franchise. Unlike dominant defensive linemen or franchise QBs, top-of-the-line holders don’t grow on trees. You’re either born great or you have to pick a different position. C-McG is one of those greats, so help him prove it again with your vote.

Now onto this week’s Monday edition of Hot Links! CeeDee Lamb was named a PFF All-American, OU Volleyball is headed to the big dance, the Texas coaching exodus has begun and more!

OU Links

• After having what was surely his best game as a Sooner, senior CB Parnell Motley has been named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.

• This ought to be fun. I just hope Oklahoma doesn’t decide it wants to reset the record for largest comeback victory in program history again. On Saturday, Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. CT, it’s round two of OU-Baylor for all the Big 12 marbles and a potential spot in the College Football Playoff.

• After playing a clean game offensively and a dominant game defensively in Bedlam, Oklahoma appears to be hitting its stride going into postseason play. Will that be enough to boost the Sooners into the CFP committee’s final four? OU Daily’s George Stoia has more.
• The headline story of this regular season should read something like this: How Alex Grinch stole the fourth quarter. Aside from the Iowa State game (yikes), the Sooners’ defense has been incredible in the final 15 minutes of games, especially in the last three contests. From both a points and yardage given up standpoint, it really doesn’t get much better than this in the Big 12. What’s scary for everybody else is that year two of the Grinch era could very well deliver even more improvement.

• CeeDee Lamb was named an All-American by Pro Football Focus College. The Biletnikoff Award finalist eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards on Saturday for the second season in a row, and has been one of the nation’s biggest threats to make a highlight play throughout 2019.

• The ABC commentating crew for Oklahoma’s Big 12 Championship bout against Baylor will be Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe. I’ve said this before, but personally, this is my favorite crew in college football. Into the action, but not too over the top, superb college football insight and the highest quality of sideline reporting. I’m pumped.

• Check out the OU volleyball team’s reaction when they found out they were picked to compete in the 2019 NCAAVB Tournament for the first time since 2014. The first round begins Dec. 5. Click here for more information on where the Sooners are headed and who they’ll be playing.

• After leading Jenks HS as the winningest head football coach in the history of the state of Oklahoma and being inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, Allan Trimble, 56, lost his life to ALS on Sunday. He’s a legend in the state and for this game we all dedicate our precious free time enjoying on Fridays and Saturdays. He also molded many a future Sooner, including Rocky Calmus, Kejuan Jones and Steven Parker to name a few. To learn more about his amazing story, read Bill Haisten’s wonderfully constructed column on the Tulsa World. This man positively impacted the lives of countless individuals, and that’s his greatest legacy of all.

Around the Sports World

• Tom Herman and the Texas Longhorns have parted ways with DC Todd Orlando. Also, OC Tim Beck was re-assigned to a lesser role on the coaching staff. Yep, everything’s fine in Austin.
• Charlie Strong has reportedly been fired from South Florida after a 21-16 record in three season with the Bulls.

• After an initial deal fell through, Rutgers and Greg Schiano have finally agreed to a deal that will make him the Scarlet Knights’ head coach for the second time in his coaching career.
• I don’t know what I’m more entertained by while watching this clip: the absolute posterizing dunk from Georgia Southern’s Elijah McCadden, or the announcer’s strange reactionary noise he made. Either way, I need to watch this about 10 more times.

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