How’s it going, everyone?

We’re about a month into the college football offseason, so there will be plenty of time between now and the first kickoff to reflect on Kyler Murray’s impeccable run towards becoming the seventh Heisman Trophy winner in the history of the Oklahoma Sooners. As the program embarks on what will likely be another standalone campaign, this time from Jalen Hurts, these dog days will be a good time to reminisce on past quarterbacks who only used one season to etch their names in program lore.

The Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel compiled a list of the best one-year Sooner starters. The college football giant Darrell Royal was perhaps the first QB to thrive in his one and only season as Oklahoma’s definitive starter. Other notable signal callers that fit this unique category include the likes of Monte Deere (‘62), Dave Robertson (‘72), and Paul Thompson (‘06, although he did start the opener in ‘05).

If Jalen Hurts starts and finishes the upcoming season as the starter, he’ll undoubtedly place himself among those who have come before him and led Oklahoma for just a single go-around. Where he’ll rank on that list by the end of the year is obviously still to be determined, but with the team he’ll be surrounded with, he should have every opportunity to go down in Sooner history, one way or another.

Not on to today’s Hot Links! Alex Grinch will coach from the sideline in 2019, Baker Mayfield’s reasons for motivation are limitless, the Patriots are led by a pair of Jedi and more!

OU Links

• When Oklahoma hosts Houston to open the 2019 season, it’ll have been nearly five years (2014) since a Sooners’ defensive coordinator coached from the sideline and not the press box. Little by little, things appears like they’re going to be quite different under Alex Grinch than they were under Mike Stoops.

• 247’s Chris Hummer wrote about incoming freshman QB Spencer Rattler, the five-star signee whose game dazzles on the field as much as his personality does.
• The Tulsa World’s Eric Bailey caught up with Oklahoma baseball head coach Skip Johnson, who said Kyler Murray only practiced with the team about 10 times all season en route to being drafted ninth overall. Johnson and some of Murray’s former teammates also gave their thoughts on the direction they believe the dual-sport athlete will go.
• Guerin Emig from the Tulsa World wrote about the struggles that both the basketball team as well as the fans have had to endure since the Buddy Hield-led team made it to the Final Four. Is a close loss the best Sooner Nation can hope for these days?
• According to SB Nation’s Chris Dobbertean, Oklahoma would still have a spot in the NCAA Tournament if the Big Dance tipped-off today. Still, the Sooners need to right the ship fast before it sinks to the bottom.
• Senior guard Christian James spoke about what he’s learned over the four years he’s been in Norman and the message he wants to instill in the younger players on the team.

• Baker Mayfield was not named the NFL’s Rookie of the Year. For the 2018 season, that title will forever belong to New York’s Saquon Barkley. Although the former No. 1 overall pick is being recognized for turning around one of the most challenged franchises in professional sports, the chip on Mayfield’s shoulder is only growing (which is very on-brand for him).
• Out of all the No. 1 overall high school football recruits, who went on to prove they were definitively the best as they went to the college game and then the pros? You shouldn’t be surprised to see which Oklahoma Sooner is at the top of this list.

Around the Sports World

• If I had to guess, I’d say Tom Brady’s and Julian Edleman’s midichlorian counts are off the charts, much like Luke Skywalker’s. It certainly would explain a lot.

• It’s only Day 2 post-Super Bowl LIII, and already some of the fine folks at SB Nation came together to make some seriously serious predictions about the 2019-20 NFL season. Which Bill Belichick-coached, Tom Brady-quarterbacked team will win Super Bowl LIV? Find out their answers to that tantalizing question and more here.
• Four-star QB John Rhys Plumlee from the class of 2019 has flipped his commitment from Georgia to Ole Miss. He also intends to play baseball for the Rebels.
• LaVar Ball doesn’t want his son Lonzo to be traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the New Orleans Pelicans. Instead, he says he’d rather see his son in Phoenix with the Suns. This ought to be an interesting story to watch unfold, right?
• Patrick Mahomes is a stud on the field and on the court. No wonder he can complete a no-look pass on the gridiron, the guy has legitimate basketball skill.

Stick to Sports!

• The Chinese New Year begins today, as the traditional Chinese calendar enters the Year of the Pig. This animal on the zodiac chart symbolizes optimism, enthusiasm and hard work. Those who observe and welcome the new year celebrate with feasts, festivals and fireworks. Check out some of the most amazing captures from around the world as over a billion people ring in the Chinese New Year.

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