Happy Tuesday, friends and fans!

Class of 2021 five-star RB Camar Wheaton out of Garland, Texas was in town this past weekend for the Sooner Summit, and on Monday night/Tuesday morning he narrowed his list of possible collegiate destinations to three. As expected, the Oklahoma Sooners made the cut. Joining OU as the three schools remaining in the hunt are the Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers.

Going into Monday, the expectation was that Wheaton would be announcing a final two, but at the last minute he switched things up and provided a top three instead. So far, Oklahoma is in a great place with Wheaton, but OU running backs coach DeMarco Murray won’t be able to rest on his laurels with the likes of SEC recruiting powerhouses Bama and LSU involved.

What’s particularly interesting with Wheaton’s recruitment is that it would seem he has no qualms about leaving the Lone Star State. Living just a few hours from Austin, this is yet another blow to the Texas Longhorns, who have struggled to keep some of the top homegrown offensive talent from playing their college ball elsewhere. Add in the fact that Texas was considered neck-and-neck with Oklahoma a few weeks ago and this one stings even more.

Not only is Wheaton the kind of prospect who OU doesn’t want to miss out on from a talent standpoint, he plays at a position of real need with the running back room potentially losing both Kennedy Brooks and Rhamondre Stevenson by 2021 (even with the NCAA’s eligibility freeze). If the Sooners can land Wheaton along with a number of the other elite targets that have yet to announce their decisions, then the 2021 class could easily become Lincoln Riley’s most special group to date.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! OU releases more COVID-19 testing data, Oklahoma is QBU, Tech picks up an Aggies transfer and more!

OU Links

• Lincoln Riley spoke to the media via Zoom call, and he did not name a starting quarterback, although it sounds like there is a competition between Spencer Rattler and, I don’t know, the field or something. We’ve caught on to your ways, Mr. Riley. You can’t fool us this time.

• Sounds like sophomore WR Jadon Haselwood is recovering nicely from the knee injury he sustained earlier in the spring. Apparently he’s also stepping up as a leader, as well. Time will tell if he’s able to play at all this fall, but he’s going to positively impact this team regardless.

• On Monday, Oklahoma Athletics released its latest round of COVID-19 testing data, and on Aug. 17, 88 football players were tested with five coming back positive. Three days later, 78 players were tested, yielding one positive. Classes for the fall semester officially began at OU yesterday, Aug. 24, so if the numbers are going to fluctuate more than they did during the summer, being surrounded by thousands of students on campus will likely be the reason why.

• Good news following OU Athletics’ COVID testing numbers. Riley says many of the players who tested positive last week are now back with the team as of Tuesday.

• ESPN’s David Hale updated his series of top 10 lists for QBU, RBU etc., and OU is the only program to appear in the top six for at least six of the designated position groups (QB, RB, WR, TE, OL and LB). Boomer!

• Before hosting ‘Sooner Summit’ last weekend, five-star QB commit Caleb Williams worked with Oklahoma’s compliance office to make sure no NCAA rules were being violated. This is just one more reason why OU fans already love Caleb — the kid does his homework. Sooners Wire’s Steven Plaisance has more.
• Speaking of the aforementioned eligibility freeze, here’s what OU’s roster could look like in 2021 courtesy of the The Athletic’s Max Olson.

• Former Sooner safety and current free agent Tony Jefferson could be finding a new NFL home very soon with safeties around the league needing to be replaced for various reasons. He’s already proven himself as a valuable commodity for several years, so hopefully he’s fully recovered from that knee injury he suffered with the Baltimore Ravens last fall.

• No surprise here. OU Twitter is one of the strongest collegiate fan base presences on social media today, and Lincoln Riley is totally invested in maintaining the strength of his brand and the brand of the Sooners.

Around the Sports World

• The Texas Tech Red Raiders have picked up highly-touted Texas A&M Aggies transfer DE Tyree Wilson. Since the former TAMU defender is in Lubbock via a traditional transfer, he’ll have to earn a waiver to be eligible to play this fall.
• Before he retired, Kobe Bryant helped design a device that helps athletes recover quicker and more efficiently. Of course, being the competitor that he was, he enjoyed having the game-changing technology to himself, but nowadays, it’s become a staple in the NBA and for all athletes across the sports landscape.

• Eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt recently tested positive for coronavirus after attending a mask-free party celebrating his 34th birthday. The world’s fastest man is currently in self-quarantine at his home in Jamaica.
• FCS powerhouse North Dakota State previously announced it would not be playing football this fall, but on Monday officials decided to grant one game scheduled for Oct. 3 in Fargo against Central Arkansas. Bison QB Trey Lance is widely considered a slam-dunk first round talent, so this game could serve as a showcase for his talents before moving on to the NFL.
• During Monday’s 11-4 loss to the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels veteran slugger Albert Pujols moved up to second place on MLB’s all-time RBI list at 2,087, passing Alex Rodriguez.

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