Happy Hump Day, friends and fans!

Four Oklahoma Sooners were named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list on Tuesday. Redshirt sophomore RB Kennedy Brooks, senior QB Jalen Hurts, junior WR CeeDee Lamb and redshirt freshman QB Tanner Mordecai are now on the radar for an honor given to college football’s player of the year with a connection to the state of Texas.

All four of these Sooners are from the Lone Star State, with Brooks coming from Mansfield, Hurts from Houston, Lamb from Richmond and Mordecai from Waco.

After the award was established in 2012, two Sooners have been honored in the last two years. Baker Mayfield, an Austin native, was the recipient in 2017, while Kyler Murray, an Allen product, brought home the hardware in 2018.

I’d say at least three of these Oklahoma watch listers have a solid chance to pick up this award by season’s end. Depending on who comes out of the QB competition (which most likely will be Jalen Hurts) on top, I’d say they would have a very good chance to become at least a finalist.

Now for today’s Hot Links! We have a couple more ride-alongs with OU coaches, Curtis Bolton is vying for a starting spot in Green Bay, UT players get hypnotized into thinking they’re back and more!

OU Links

• The Oklahoma Breakdown Podcast is back with another Sooner Football-filled discussion from your hosts, Jack and Kamiar! In this week’s episode, the guys discuss several OU-related topics, such as key position units taking shape, Alex Grinch’s coaching style, and so much more! Also, special guest Alex Kirshner of SB Nation’s Banner Society joined the show to talk shop as the college football season nears kickoff. As a usual reminder, be aware of some NSFW language.

• Lincoln Riley knows what plays to call and what things to say to get the best out of his team. As young as he is considering his profession, he’s remained grounded throughout his career, and he recognizes how special it is to be an Oklahoma Sooner.

• Check out inside receivers coach Cale Gundy talking about the kind of student-athletes they look to bring into the OU family, and why the elite talent around the nation have the Sooners at the top of the list.

• From the inside to the outside, coach Dennis Simmons discussed the talent he’s working with going into the 2019 season. CeeDee Lamb is the clear leader of the group, but the younger pass catchers have also been as advertised while continuing to show progress.

• Former Sooners LB Curtis Bolton had a relatively strong season on defense in 2018 despite the unit’s overall statistics discrediting that. After joining the Green Bay Packers as an UDFA, it appears ‘Buzzy’ is making quite the impression, and could become a starter by the time the regular season comes around. Well done, CB!

• SB Nation’s FanPulse Top 25 debuted today with its preseason poll, and from the looks of it you know what you’re talking about! Especially those of you who are fans of the Oklahoma Sooners. The OU faithful was pretty spot on with their own team compared to the rest of the nation. Check out the entire poll here, and remember it’s not too late to sign up to become a voter yourself!

Around the Sports World

• The Texas Longhorns football team brought in a hypnotist for a little fun, and even though I’ve always been highly skeptical of hypnotism, I can’t get enough of these hilarious demonstrations. The player offended by the words ‘thank you’ had me rolling in my seat.

• There’s been a bit of controversy surrounding Michigan Football after former Wolverines lineman James Hudson had his waiver blocked before transferring to Cincinnati. Jim Harbaugh continues to claim he did not block his the waiver, and denies lying about the issue.
• The Washington Wizards have hired retired pro Antawn Jamison as its Director of Pro Personnel. The former forward played for this franchise from 2004-2010.

• Watching this live was either awesome or awful, depending on which side you’re rooting for. While Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager drilled three dingers in one game, his third one should honestly have never left the park. Unfortunately, the Detroit Tigers outfielders gave him a little boost.

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