Happy Monday Big 12 Media Day, friends and fans!

It’s officially watch list season, and three Oklahoma Sooners were named to a couple major award watch lists on Monday. QB Jalen Hurts and WR CeeDee Lamb were named to the Maxwell Award watch list, while LB Kenneth Murray was named to the Bednarik Award watch list.

Three Oklahoma players have been named the Maxwell Award winner at the end of their respective seasons, which is given to the nation’s top overall player. The first Sooner to win was RB Tommy McDonald in 1956, followed by QB Jason White in 2004, and most recently it was QB Baker Mayfield in 2017.

Only one Sooner has received the Bednarik Award in program history. In 2003, LB Teddy Lehman brought home the coveted hardware for the nation’s best defensive player.

As more preseason award watch lists are unveiled, you can expect even more Sooners to be named among those groups, and if the team lives up to its potential this season, adding more of those individual honors to Oklahoma’s trophy case will be well within the realm of possibilities.

Now onto this week’s Big 12 Media Days edition of Hot Links! Lincoln Riley believes his offense won’t dip as much as others may presume, Neville Gallimore talks about being a total beast, Mike Gundy has a little fun but knows what’s up and more!

OU Links

• You’ll definitely want to make sure you check out the 2019 OU Football Media Guide to refresh yourself on the who’s who and the what’s what as we inch closer to the start of the upcoming college football season!

• In case you missed it, watch and listen to Lincoln Riley’s opening statement on Day One of the Big 12 Media Days press conferences. For his entire presser, you can read the full transcript right here.

• The Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel is on the record of assuming Oklahoma’s offense will take a dip from last season to this season, and I understand why he feels that way. Replacing Kyler Murray and four NFL offensive linemen is asking an awful lot, but I also understand why Riley would be confident in his offensive unit’s ability to continue to hum with the returning skill position talent, the brilliant coaching staff around him, and his own personal track record. Hopefully his expectations for the defense are also warranted.

• Redshirt freshman DE Jalen Redmond is reportedly progressing well after dealing with blood-clotting issues last fall.

• College football analyst Joel Klatt thinks Oklahoma’s offense will be fine with Jalen Hurts at QB, but he also doesn’t expect the former Alabama player to put up numbers like Baker Mayfield or Kyler Murray. I tend to agree with that as well, but I do think he has a chance to be nearly as efficient as his Sooner predecessors, if not matching them similarly in terms of volume.

• CeeDee Lamb was one of five player representatives for Oklahoma at Big 12 Media Days, and the junior receiver spoke about stepping up as a team this offseason as well as having a new QB to catch passes from.

• Neville Gallimore aka ‘Big Canada’ was recently identified as one of college football’s most freakish athletes, and by the weight room numbers, that certainly holds up. He was also at Big 12 Media Days to discuss his goals for the 2019 season as well as Oklahoma’s defensive overhaul with Alex Grinch now as the DC.

• Since 2018, Holly Rowe hasn’t been shy about her affinity with Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey, and on Monday she caught up with the star center to talk about how he’s prepared along his journey and what his role as a leader has developed into with him being the only returning starter up front.

• Mike Gundy is becoming more relaxed as he progresses in his coaching career. I enjoy this kind of light-hearted sarcasm, especially when most of Big 12 Media Days is coach speak on top of more coach speak.

Around Big 12 Media Days

• This legendary photoshop rendering of the always photogenic Gary Patterson has made its way to Arlington, courtesy of C&C Machine card-holding member Austin Brown. Job well done.

• Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby wanted all media members to make note of this very important factoid from last season’s bowl games. It’s kind of cheesy, but I’m right there with you, Bob. Let them all know, and don’t let them ever forget it.

• Les Miles is one strange and kind of funny fellow. I just wonder how much truth is behind this statement he made at Big 12 Media Days, because his Kansas Jayhawks might be one of the least talented teams in all of the Power Five if not the entire FBS.

• Mike Gundy, please never cut that glorious mullet. You absolutely look younger with it, and don’t let anybody tell you any different.

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