Happy Friday, friends and fans!

It wasn’t long ago that Trae Young was shooting hoops for the Oklahoma Sooners. Less than two years after lighting up the college basketball world, he has officially been named a starter for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.

Check out the Atlanta Hawks point guard’s reaction when he found out he was named an All-Star starter. This is a priceless moment I’m sure he’ll never forget.

Here’s another angle of the special night Young shared with his family on Thursday.

Despite Atlanta currently having the worst record in the East, the voters couldn’t deny Young’s outstanding play throughout this NBA season. Coming into Friday, the second-year phenom ranks third in the league in points per game with 29.2, fourth in the league in assists per game with 8.6, and second in PER (player efficiency rating) among all point guards with a 23.95 grade.

From the courts of Norman North High School to the Peach City hardwood of the ATL, Trae Young’s career continues to skyrocket. Now he’s headed to Chicago — home of the 2020 NBA All-Star Game — to ball with the best of them. Oh, and Oklahomans will also be able to watch him play tonight as he faces the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Now onto this week’s Friday edition of Hot Links! PFF shows a trio of Sooners some love, a pair of Baltimore Ravens with OUDNA live it up in Hawaii, the QB carousel at ‘The U’ spins around again and more!

OU Links

• All week long ESPN’s Bill Connelly has been unveiling his top 100 college football games of 2019 piece-by-piece, and on Friday he revealed his official top 20. Oklahoma played in four of these games, including the upset at Kansas State, the escape against Iowa State, the epic comeback over Baylor and of course the Big 12 Championship.
• The folks from Pro Football Focus released their top 101 college football players in 2019, and three Sooners made the cut. QB Jalen Hurts at No. 8, WR CeeDee Lamb at No. 19, and CB Parnell Motley at No. 56 all graded out among the very best with their remarkable play.
• The 2020 NFL Draft is only a few months away, but it’s not too early to look ahead at who the top pro prospects are that will still be playing on Saturdays this fall. As this list indicates, one of those players is without a doubt Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey, who’s gained national attention for his outstanding ability as an elite center.
• The Athletic’s Jason Kersey caught up with class of 2020 QB signee Chandler Morris to discuss his decision on picking Oklahoma, his father’s firing from Arkansas and more. As a reminder, you must be subscribed to The Athletic to have full access to this article.
• Oh, this? Nothing but a couple of Pro Bowlers who have been teammates since their days at Oklahoma. It’s always great to see Orlando Brown Jr. and Mark Andrews cheesing around. Boomer!

• Speaking of Andrews, check him out showing off those hands at the Pro Bowl Skills challenge. That reaction from the on-lookers after the over-the-shoulder catch echoed my own, but that’s not a reviewable play in this game so too bad.

• In case you missed it, on Thursday OLB/assistant head coach Ruffin McNeill was announced to be leaving OU to tend to his ailing father in North Carolina. Sooner Nation wishes you and your family well, Coach!
• Also, Allen was joined this week by Stadium’s Michael Felder to talk about Alex Grinch, the future of the defense, Spencer Rattler and more! You’ll want to give it a listen.

Around the Sports World

• SB Nation’s James Brady broke down what has made the San Francisco 49ers offense so gosh darn dominant. Basically, their mantra is ‘Everybody Block Everybody’.
• Coco Gauff may only be 15 years old, but she’s already a giant in the pro tennis world. On Friday, she took down reigning Australian Open Champion Naomi Osaka in straight sets to move onto the fourth round. That’s big time.

• Three days after QB D’Eriq King announced his decision to team up with the Miami Hurricanes, former ‘Canes starter Jarren Williams announced his decision to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. More details are still to come, but this one smells a little like a spurned lover type of situation.
• Ed Orgeron and the LSU Tigers have agreed to a six-year, $42 million contract extension that should keep the national championship winning coach in Baton Rouge through at least the 2026 season. Geaux on with your bad self, Ed.
• Cleveland Browns WR Jarvis Landry put the whole AFC on his back in this epic dodgeball performance for the ages. Somebody check his gloves, I think they’re from Globo Gym.

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