Happy Friday, friends and fans!

Steven Lassan from Athlon Sports ranked the Big 12’s projected starting quarterbacks for 2019, and two names close to the hearts of Oklahoma Sooners fans are featured on this list.

The first name being Jalen Hurts, who is expected to start the season opener for the Sooners come September 1st. Lassan ranks him second behind Texas’ Sam Ehlinger, and while some folks may want to argue against that, I’ll allow it since he’s the only returning QB in the conference with Big 12 Championship experience. Having said that... give me Jalen any day of the week. By year’s end, it’ll be interesting to see how this list shakes up.

The other name that should catch Oklahoma fans’ attention is Austin Kendall, who is now a grad transfer at West Virginia. He still hasn’t officially been named the starter in Morgantown, but by all accounts he has a great shot at solidifying himself during fall camp. That matchup between the Mountaineers and the Sooners might not be a close contest in 2019 (WVU could be in for a rough year), but it could be quite intriguing from the perspective of that storyline.

What really stands out to me when looking at who the Big 12’s signal callers could be in 2019 is how much potential the group has. Talented players like Brock Purdy at Iowa State, Charlie Brewer at Baylor, Alan Bowman at Texas Tech and Spencer Sanders at Oklahoma State are the present and likely the future of the league. Not to mention Spencer Rattler, who will have his chance to take the reins in Norman soon enough.

Now onto this week’s Friday edition of Hot Links! OU softball gears up for NCAA Tournament action, OU Baseball goes for the series win at Texas, John Daly is the G.O.A.T. (in his own way) and more!

OU Links

• It’s game day! The NCAA Softball Tournament gets underway in Norman this evening as Notre Dame takes on Wisconsin in the first game followed by top-seeded Oklahoma and UMBC at approximately 8:30 p.m. CT. If you’re not going to be at Marita Hynes Field to watch this one in person, tune in on ESPN2 to see the Sooners in action!

• Also, I recommend checking out my preview of the Norman Regional to catch yourself up on all the coverage details plus a little insight on UMBC. The Retrievers are Oklahoma’s first opponent of the weekend and are playing with house money, but the Sooners have been on a mission since the season began.
• If photos had speeds, I wonder where this one would clock at. Marquise Brown, Michael Vick and Kyler Murray can have conversations about flying on the field that the rest of us could never relate to.

• Oklahoma took Game 1 against Texas in Austin on Thursday night and in doing so clinched a spot in next week’s Big 12 Baseball Championship. If the Sooners win at least one of the next two, it’ll be the first time OU has won a regular season series versus the Longhorns since 2016.

• Speaking of the next two games of baseball’s Red River series, it’s double-header action today due to forecasted inclement weather on Saturday. Oklahoma will try to clinch the series starting at 1 p.m. CT, and depending on what happens there, Game 3 will either be for a Sooners sweep or a rubber match. First pitch of the later contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and both games can be seen on LHN.

• In case you haven’t already, make sure you give Allen’s Blatant Homerism Podcast a listen! On the pod he’s joined by Athlon Sports managing editor Mitch Light to talk about betting on college football’s over/under win totals. If you’re itching for some college football conversation, they’ve got you covered and then some. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice! We’re now on ITunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher. If you enjoy the podcast, make sure to give us a five-star rating on ITunes, as it will help it reach more listeners.

Around the Sports World

• Sage Northcutt once made a name for himself in the octagon of the UFC, but just 29 seconds into his ONE debut, all that past glory went out the window. Ouch.

• On Thursday, Steve Kerr confirmed that Kevin Durant will continue to miss at least the two upcoming games of the Warriors-Trailblazers series in Portland due to the calf strain he suffered against Houston.
• Florida State has been a college football power for decades, but last season was its first losing campaign since 1976. What does Bill Connelly expect from year two under Willie Taggart in Tallahassee?
• Even in his prime, John Daly was never the most buttoned up golf pro, and time has not swayed him from being himself. This is the stuff of legends, folks. I dream of having this level of swagger, confidence and don’t-give-a-f*** attitude.

• If there’s a sports call of the year award out there, this one at least deserves a nomination. Not only does this announcer catch a foul ball while calling the game, he does so without disrupting the flow of the broadcast. As he proceeds to gloat about how impressive he is, I can’t help but nod in agreement. Well done, sir.

Stick to Sports!

• Grumpy Cat — the feline whose face became a viral sensation and the source for countless memes worldwide — has passed away at the age of seven. Losing a pet is the hardest part of having a pet. At least Grumpy was able to put a smile on millions of faces before she moved on. It’s true, “some days are grumpier than others.”

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