Happy Monday, friends and fans!

Oklahoma Sooners 2021 recruiting target Caleb Williams is in Nashville, Tenn. this week to compete in the 2020 Elite 11 quarterback camp. The nation’s top-rated QB prospect traveled south from his home in Washington D.C. on Sunday, and just prior to that he penned his final blog entry for Sports Illustrated’s ‘All on the Line’ series before his commitment announcement date set for this Saturday, July 4.

In this entry, Williams thanked many of the people who have helped him reach this point in his recruitment, from his coaches to his teachers, and also acknowledged the support he’s received from his family and friends. If you’ve kept up with his blog over the past few months, you should have a pretty solid understanding of how important this process is for him, as well as the kind of dedication he has for his love of the game.

As for The Elite 11, Williams tops the list of participants going into the event. Once the camp is completed, an MVP will be determined. Sooner fans might recognize the No. 2 ranked QB on the list as well — Brock Vandagriff. The Georgia native was previously verbally committed to Oklahoma until New Year’s Day of this year, when he re-opened his recruitment before ultimately choosing to stay home with Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs.

By all accounts, Caleb Williams appears to be the kind of recruiting prospect that not only can keep OU at a nationally elite level, but possibly lift the program to heights that haven’t been reached since the beginning of this century.

Now onto this week’s Monday edition of Hot Links! A number of signees from OU’s 2020 class could make waves on the field this fall, a trio of Big 12 running backs carry serious NFL Draft potential, the Lake Show has added a meme-worthy shooting guard and more!

OU Links

• SI Sooners’ John Hoover recently offered up his picks for Oklahoma’s top contributors from its 2020 signing class. The defensive line will look almost completely different from a season ago, but there are multiple players who figure to take over and make an immediate impact.
• USA Today Draft Wire’s Patrick Conn ranked his top 10 college football running backs in 2020 based on their pro potential. Oklahoma’s Kennedy Brooks checks in at No. 9, and is joined by fellow Big 12 backs Pooka Williams Jr. (Kansas Jayhawks) and Chuba Hubbard (Oklahoma State Cowboys).
• Redshirt sophomore LB Brian Asamoah has been putting in that work during this offseason. My guy is looking extra swole and twitchy as heck. The linebacker corps has to replace first-round pick Kenneth Murray, but there is enough talent left in the cupboard to help remedy that loss.

• Over the last seven seasons under Lon Kruger, Oklahoma men’s basketball has outperformed its two chief rivals in Texas and Oklahoma State both on the court and in the polls. Here’s to continued success. Boomer!

• Episode two of the CCM Recruiting Podcast with hosts Kamiar and Stephen has dropped, and the guys discuss the latest OU crootin’ news. Lincoln Riley and his staff potentially have a major week ahead of them with some big name prospects set to announce their commitments. Give this pod a listen right away to find out who you need to keep an eye out for as the Fourth of July weekend draws near. As per our usual warning, there may contain some NSFW language.

• Make sure you also check out this week’s Blatant Homerism Podcast with your host and resident college football junkie Allen Kenney. This time around he was joined by guest David Ubben of The Athletic to preview the Sooners’ non-conference contest versus the Tennessee Vols.

Around the Sports World

• The New England Patriots have signed former Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton to a one-year, $7.5 million deal, plus incentives. Things are certainly getting a lot more interesting in Foxboro.
• The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly expected to sign former LeBron James teammate J.R. Smith to a contract lasting through the remainder of the soon-to-be restarted NBA season. Let the memes flow.
• Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was the first NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus over three months ago, and recently it’s been reported that the two-time defensive player of the year has yet to fully regain his sense of smell following his original diagnosis.
• Colin Kaepernick will be the subject of a six-part scripted series on Netflix that takes a look back on the former San Francisco 49ers QB’s evolution since his youth, from being adopted by white parents and playing football at Nevada to becoming one of the most recognized activists in America today.
• The Korean Baseball Organization is preparing to allow fans to attend its games as early as this Friday. For a while now, the KBO has been using carboard cutouts of fans in its stadium’s seats, but this is a major step for the world of sports.

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