Happy Monday, friends and fans!

Can you feel it? College football’s return is nearly here, and if you’re guzzling the Kool-Aid, OU’s defense could also be making a long-awaited return. Alex Grinch, Roy Manning, Brian Odom and Calvin Thibodeaux have been working relentlessly to restore the Oklahoma Sooners’ stout defensive ways of old. We’ll see the fruits of their labor soon enough.

Speaking of cornerbacks coach Manning, here he is bringing the inspiring energy as only he can do. Enjoy.

If we don’t get a mic’d up segment from Manning during a game this season, I will be mildly disappointed. Seriously, that needs to happen.

Now on to this week’s Friday edition of Hot Links! Jalen Redmond looks impressive, Lincoln Riley notices a difference from the defense, a TCU player was struck by a car while riding a scooter and more!

OU Links

• Sooners Wire’s Kegan Reneau was at Oklahoma’s first padded practice this Monday morning, and here are his observations from the first 20 minutes of the session. In his report are injury updates as well as standout players.
• It’s become the norm over the last few years, but it shouldn’t go unrecognized how great of a job OU has been with producing content for the fans while also providing chances to see and hear from the younger players like true freshman WR Trejan Bridges.

• The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto wrote about redshirt freshman RUSH OLB Jalen Redmond and how his coaches and teammates are overly impressed with his freakish ability on the field. If he’s able to overcome his medical issues once and for all, look out.
• The Norman Transcript’s Tyler Palmateer relayed Lincoln Riley’s assessment of the defense’s improvement at challenging the offense for turnovers. If Grinch’s group is able to make it tough for Oklahoma’s offense, that should bode well once the season kicks off.
• Oklahoma checks in at No. 4 in ESPN’s preseason power rankings. As I’ve stated before, I believe the Sooners will debut in the AP Poll anywhere in the 4-6 range, which is great positioning for a team with so many new faces on the field and on the sideline.
• After Mac Engel’s Twitter mentions were flooded by disgruntled Sooner fans when he wrote this absurd article over at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he decided to put together his own ‘Mean Tweets’ segment, read by his daughter. I, too, was hyper critical of his original article (and contributed to the clicks he was after), but I have to give credit for the hustle.

• In case you missed it, make sure you check out Allen Kenney’s post on why it’s vital for a team to have a QB competition through fall camp. Although the writing is sometimes on the wall (as is the case with this season and the last), the pros outweigh any possible cons.

Around the Sports World

• Tom Brady turned 42 over the weekend, but that didn’t keep the six-time Super Bowl champion from signing a two-year extension with the New England Patriots. The veteran QB will also be paid $23 million for the 2019 season, an $8 million increase from a season ago.
• Draymond Green signed a four-year, $100 million extension with the Golden State Warriors instead of waiting to become a free agent and going for about $50 million more for the same span of time. All that winning is worth the discount.
• Manchester City defeated Liverpool in an exciting match that went beyond regulation to claim the Community Shield, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Kyle Walker’s mad save. Check out that clearance!

• TCU was plagued with a plethora of injuries last season, and now another major hit to the team has been incurred. Starting kicker Cole Bunce was hit by a car while riding a scooter, and could be out for the rest of 2019.
• The Tennessee Volunteers are attempting to rise back into college football relevance under second-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Unfortunately, a scheduled open practice for the fans was canceled, leading to this hilarious soundbite from a young Vol (who is undoubtedly named Peyton).

Stick to Sports!

• Without any more of HBO’s Game of Thrones to look forward to, fans have been searching to fill the dragon-sized, medieval, fantasy-drama void in their lives with other alternatives. While some series have had marginal success or show a semblance of promise, none have come close to fully capturing the hearts and attention of millions in the way GoT did for so many years. Still, where there’s a demand, there will at least be an attempt to supply.

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