Happy Friday, friends and fans!

Oklahoma Sooners LB Caleb Kelly and former TE Grant Calcaterra are among 96 OU student-athletes celebrating this week as part of the 2020 graduating class. The commencement may be virtual this year, but that degree is as real as it gets. Boomer!

Both of these Sooners have been all class from the moment they arrived at Oklahoma, and while Calcaterra has since retired from the game, the collegiate journey doesn’t end here for Kelly. He’s set to lead Alex Grinch’s defense for one final go-around before he moves on. It might be a long shot, but here’s to hoping this upcoming college football season kicks off without a hitch!

Now onto this week’s Friday edition of Hot Links! CeeDee is set to take on all of his former QBs, Hollywood is ready to take over the NFL, live sports are back inside the octagon this weekend and more!

OU Links

• Here’s a bit of positive news for teams and fans from OU interim President Joseph Harroz. The Tulsa World’s Eric Bailey relays Harroz’s belief that fall sports will be a thing this year, but the exact nature of how that could look is still to be determined. If that means delaying the start of the season a bit, or playing football and basketball in empty stadiums and arenas, I’ll still take it.

• With the 2020 NFL schedule released, it looks like CeeDee Lamb and his Dallas Cowboys will be facing the three OU QBs who played with the first round receiver in college in less than a month’s span. First, Dallas will be hosting Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray in October, then they’ll travel to Philly to take on Jalen Hurts. It’s certainly shaping up for some exciting times in Sooner Land.

• SI’s AllSooners writer John Hoover is previewing the 2020 Oklahoma team by position, and this week he’s taken a closer look at the state of the offensive line, headlined by All-Big 12 center Creed Humphrey.
• Officially, former OU DL Mark Jackson will be playing for Gary Patterson and the TCU Horned Frogs as a grad transfer in 2020. Good luck in Fort Worth, man!
• Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown vows to make a big statement this NFL season, and if it happens like he’s capable of, he could end up changing the game in a major way.

• Joe Mixon has been doing his thing with the Cincinnati Bengals. Check this stat out. He’s the only RB in the league to carry the ball at least 500 times without fumbling since 2018. Talk about consistency. Way to go, Joe!

• Roy Manning is celebrating his twins’ second birthday this Friday, and if these tiny tots don’t put a big smile on your face then you might need to check your OUDNA levels. Happy birthday, little Mannings!

• Don’t forget to check out the Marvel themed post from Kamiar and I. We compared current OU players to superheroes from the MCU in an amazing crossover that you absolutely need to review for yourself.

• Additionally, make sure to vote in these first-round matchups! Which OU team that didn’t win a national championship was the greatest? Click on the tweet thread below to cast your ballot for each of the eight matchups.

Around the Sports World

• This Saturday, May 9, UFC 249 is coming to you live on PPV from Jacksonville, Florida, headlined by the main event between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. Check out this viewers guide for more information on an unusually loaded fight card in these highly unusual times.
• Former Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos QB Joe Flacco recently underwent neck surgery that will likely leave him unavailable through the start of the 2020 NFL season. He currently remains unsigned.
• Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh penned an open letter addressed to the football community at-large to suggest rule changes to the NFL Draft. For one, he believes the three-years removed from high school before being eligible to declare policy should be amended, and he also wants to see players who declare early but aren’t selected to have the option to return to school. I’m all for both of these things.
• It looks like the Houston Rockets are gearing up to part ways with coach Mike D’Antoni following the official conclusion of the 2019-20 season. Also, Jeff Van Gundy and Tom Thibodeau have reportedly emerged as replacement candidates.
• In case you missed it, the 2020 NFL schedule was officially unveiled in full on Thursday. You can check out the entire slate of games right here.

Stick to Sports!

• Critically acclaimed filmmaker Judd Apatow is back at it again with his latest title ‘The King of Staten Island’ starring Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson. This heartfelt dramedy is a semi-autobiography about this rising comedian and how losing his father at an early age arrested his development as he enters his mid-20s. The feature also stars acting veterans Marisa Tomei and Steve Buscemi, along with stand-up legend Bill Burr. Fortunately you won’t have to wait long to see this one, as it will be available on demand June 12.

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