Hello once again, everybody!

On Wednesday, Oklahoma Sooners starting QB Jalen Hurts spoke with the media for the first time since Monday’s announcement. You can tell Hurts has been brought up to maintain his focus on the team’s goals rather than on any individual attention or goals. He also wants people to know that this amazing narrative he’s living is far from finished.

Just in case you needed a dose of wisdom today, here’s Hurts talking about why he aims to be a coffee bean, rather than an egg or a carrot. It’ll all make sense if you just listen.

If you’re wondering where he came up with that analogy, motivational speaker Damon West recently spoke with the football team and uses this to describe how a leader leads. Coming from Jalen Hurts’ soft-spoken, even-keel demeanor makes it a little more whimsical (in a good way), but at the same time I can see why his peers want to follow him wherever he goes. I’m just glad he’s on the side of the Crimson & Cream this fall, because I believe he can help unlock the next level of growth for the current players in the program.

In this interview with OU’s Jessica Coody, what I took away most from his answers was his complete and total business approach to the upcoming season.

Now for today’s Hot Links! Kennedy Brooks talks to the media, Jalen Redmond is ready to rock and roll, Jim Harbaugh calls SEC coaches cheaters and more!

OU Links

• This right here is quite interesting. Props to the Tulsa World’s Eric Bailey for sharing this incredible fact about Jalen Hurts’ final high school football opponent and the first opponent as a Sooner. Does Hurts perhaps have a bit of revenge on his mind? An opportunity to outduel D’Eriq King surely appeals to him.

• Rich Eisen is one of the classiest guys covering the game of football, and recently he interviewed Lincoln Riley to discuss naming Jalen Hurts the starter and what he can bring to Oklahoma’s offense.

• Tight ends and H-backs coach Shane Beamer made his ride along debut, and he talked about what he enjoys most when it comes to coaching the unique positions he’s tasked with. Also, Jeremiah Hall and Brayden Willis are both names to keep an eye out for this fall as possible key contributors.

• The OU Daily’s Caleb McCourry was present when redshirt sophomore RB Kennedy Brooks made his first media appearance since undergoing a Title IX investigation in the summer. As you might expect, he briefly addressed the situation, but politely declined to answer any questions regarding the investigation.
• OU Insider’s RJ Young detailed why Alex Grinch and the entire coaching staff are so high on JUCO transfer DE LaRon Stokes and true freshman DE Marcus Stripling. Both could be major impact types by the time they wrap up their playing careers in Norman.
• The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto relayed Alex Grinch’s recent news that redshirt freshman RUSH LB Jalen Redmond is totally healthy and ready to go in fall camp. If you recall, last season he was sidelined with blood clotting issues. If he’s on the field and isn’t held back, he could be a game changer for the Sooners’ defense.
• Every year, the football team welcomes in a guest speaker to address the players, and this year’s invitee was motivational speaker and author Damon West. It’s really a treat for these young people to have access to brilliant minds such as West. OU’s ‘Grow U’ department does a tremendous job in this regard.

• In case you missed it, don’t forget to check out Allen Kenney’s latest episode of the Blatant Homerism Podcast, where he was recently joined by The Athletic’s Jason Kersey to talk about DC Alex Grinch and what drives his intense passion for coaching. They also discuss more noteworthy news from fall camp!

Around the Sports World

• Coming in February of 2020, the revived XFL and its eight organizations will kick off its comeback season. On Wednesday, the team names and mascots were unveiled. Personally, I think the BattleHawks sound the coolest (by default?), and if you flip it upside down, you can see it spell out ‘S T L’ for St. Louis. Wicked.

• The Pac-12 has decided against 9 a.m. PT kickoffs for this football season, but is still open to the possibility of such games in the future. Basically, it’s about exposure and the fans. More people around the nation would see Pac-12 games at noon ET versus 10 at night. Also, fans have expressed their displeasure for such late contests.
• From an excerpt in his upcoming book, Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh referred to SEC coaches on the recruiting trail as ‘cheaters’. Yeah, that’s not going to sit well with a lot of folks, but college football is a lot more fun when coaches sound off like this.
• The MLB has recently issued a warning to all players about the potential risks they could be walking into if they choose to take over-the-counter grade sexual enhancement pills. The reason being is because several brands contain elements that would result in a positive test for performance enhancing drugs. And to think all these guys wanted to do is increase their batting average in the bedroom. Oh well.
• The Los Angeles Football Club’s Carlos Vela didn’t have to do these men dirty like this, but man am I so happy that he did.

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