Happy Hump Day, friends and fans! Don’t look now, but today is the final day of the final month without football!

Before Kyler Murray took over the college football world in 2018, he was making a name for himself on OU’s baseball diamond. With all the success he was able to capture during both ventures, it’s only suiting that both points of his collegiate career be commemorated and forever immortalized like a true champ — in bobblehead form.

These actually look very cool, and would make terrific gift ideas for that special Oklahoma Sooners fan in your life. I also wouldn’t blame you if you just wanted them for yourself!

The first time I ever saw K1 in live action was actually in his No. 7 uniform with the OU baseball team at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Way back then, you could obviously tell he was a special athlete who had some serious potential on the gridiron. Sure enough, that’s what played out last fall, and now of course he’s embarking on a professional career with the Arizona Cardinals.

Now for today’s Hot Links! Jalen Hurts receives preseason Heisman attention, Sooner defenders demonstrate some of their takeaway techniques, USWNT coach Jill Ellis will soon call it a career and more!

OU Links

• This Friday, Aug. 2, the annual Meet the Sooners Day event is taking place at the Palace on the Prairie. There is still time to make plans and attend this unique opportunity to meet and greet the OU football team in a fun, kid-focused environment.

• CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson explains a very realistic scenario that could have Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts in serious contention for the Heisman Trophy. He makes great points, but one more I would add is the underrated factor of likability. Sure, it doesn’t mean every winner was necessarily the most likable player, but if the team success and statistical angles are both there, likability could be the final determining factor.

• ESPN college football analyst Trevor Matich is taking a tour across the nation, visiting college football programs far and wide. This Saturday, his trip to Norman will air in its entirety. Below you can check out a clip from what’s to come, where he catches up with DT Neville Gallimore, LB Kenneth Murray and LB Caleb Kelly. Great stuff.

• Marquise Brown reportedly passed his physical and is ready to practice with the Baltimore Ravens without limitation, and just in time before the beginning of preseason, too. Way to go, Hollywood!

• Folks, you definitely don’t want to miss this week’s Oklahoma Breakdown Podcast episode. Our very own Kamiar Mehrabian linked up with VarsityPreps.com’s Demetric Warren to discuss OU’s transition from Bob Stoops to Lincoln Riley, QB’s Jalen Hurts and Sam Ehlinger and so much more!

• In case you missed it, Nike has produced and released the Air Zoom Pegasus 36, custom created for OU and Oklahoma Sooners fans. With the month of August on tomorrow’s doorstep, do yourself a favor and upgrade your gear now so that you’re rocking the best of the best in time for the 2019 season.

• Folks, if you haven’t signed up for SB Nation’s FanPulse Top 25, and you’re an OU fan who considers yourself well-versed in the state of today’s college football, then you need to check this out right away. This season, you have a chance to become part of a brand new polling survey that’s unlike the AP or Coaches polls, primarily because it’s constructed by and for you, the fans! Use this opportunity to let your voice be heard, and sign up now!

Around the Sports World

• The Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates have to play seven more times this season, but I don’t know if any of them will escalate to the level of Tuesday night’s game. Wow, that’s the craziest baseball brawl I’ve seen in a while.

• After winning back-to-back Women’s World Cups, USWNT head coach Jill Ellis plans to step down in October. What a phenomenal run it’s been for the legendary coach.

• New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas has become the highest paid non-QB offensive player in the history of the NFL after agreeing to a $100 million extension with $61 million guaranteed.

• The Cleveland Indians have traded pitcher Trevor Bauer to the Cincinnati Reds for Yasiel Puig as part of a three-team trade with the San Diego Padres.

• I don’t know how most casual viewers of the UFC feel about league president Dana White, but I’ve always thought he was a pretty chill cat. After Aalon Cruz delivered this epic KO via flying knee, White told him he was ready to sign a deal on the spot.

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