Happy Friday, friends and fans!

Oklahoma Sooners AD Joe Castiglione recently spoke with Toby Rowland on Sports Talk 1400 KREF, and in their discussion he provided an update on the status of Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray’s Heisman Park statues. OU Insider’s Joey Helmer broke down the radio interview in depth.

As of today, it’s been almost 20 months since Mayfield was announced the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner. Then of course, Murray took home the same hardware just last December. I think it’s safe to assume that whenever Mayfield’s statue goes up, you can probably expect to wait at least a full calendar year before Murray’s follows.

For a little perspective on a possible timeline, Sam Bradford won his award at the end of the 2008 regular season, and his statue was unveiled in May of 2011. If that process repeats itself with the two reigning winners, Oklahoma fans could see Mayfield and Murray’s statues around May of 2020 and May of 2021, respectively. Still, like Castiglione mentioned, there is no time table set in stone, but things are at least in motion.

Now onto this week’s Friday edition of Hot Links! Mark Andrews is a runaway train, Sooner rookies in the NFL make their debut, Cam Newton goes down and more!

OU Links

• A team of sweat testing consultants from Gatorade stopped by to monitor Oklahoma’s football players in regards to their water and sodium loss during practice. Ultimately, the findings in this study should help these athletes understand how much they should be hydrating to keep their bodies running at an optimal level.

• Second year pro Mark Andrews is becoming one of the best young tight ends in the league. Check out how many Philadelphia Eagles it takes to finally bring him down. My goodness.

• Former Sooners RB Rodney Anderson saw his first NFL preseason action with the Cincinnati Bengals. Just watching him make these moves on the field brings back memories of his fantastic 2017 season. OU fans wish him all the best of health and luck as he begins his pro career!

• Marquise Brown also saw logged his first snaps in the NFL on Thursday night. The Baltimore Ravens’ first round pick looks healthy and eager to let loose. Keep up the great work, Hollywood!

• I have a feeling this won’t be the last time five-star Sooners QB commit Brock Vandagriff sees others wearing an Oklahoma jersey in his honor. The nation’s top passer in the class of 2021 has already generated a ton of buzz about his commitment to OU.

Around the Sports World

• Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton went down early in Thursday night’s preseason game with an apparent ankle injury. The former Heisman Trophy winner was in noticeable discomfort while being tended to on the sideline.

• The Oakland Raiders squared off against the Green Bay Packers at IG Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Unfortunately, the game had to be played on a stretch of 80 yards as opposed to the standard 100 due to holes in the ground where goalposts normally sit in the CFL. Only in the preseason, folks.
• Former Maryland Terrapins QB Kasim Hill is joining the Tennessee Volunteers as a walk-on transfer after his first two collegiate campaigns were cut short with knee injuries. Per transfer rules, he will not be eligible until the 2020 season.
• Cleveland Indians outfielder Tyler Naquin must drink jet fuel for his pregame meal because he has an absolute rocket for an arm. Not only did he show off the power, he’s got the precision to put the ball on the money. Dude.

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