Happy Friday, friends and fans!

Class of 2022 TE Jason Llewellyn out of Aledo, Texas has announced his verbal commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners. With his commitment, he becomes OU’s sixth pledge in the current recruiting cycle.

Llewellyn boasts prototypical size for a tight end at the Power Five level. At 6’5, 240 pounds, he already looks the part of a serious offensive weapon. Fortunately for Lincoln Riley and company, he’s choosing to further his gifts at Oklahoma over offers from Auburn, Michigan, Texas and Yale.

Not only does he star as a TE for Aledo HS, he’s also seen extensive work at long snapper. Another fun fact is that his father, Paul Llewellyn, played LB for TCU in the late 80s.

With Joe Jon Finley entering his first season as the Sooners’ TE/H-backs coach this year, adding a prospect like Llewellyn should bode well for the future of that position group.

TE Jason Llewellyn junior season highlights

Now onto this week’s Friday edition of Hot Links! Lon Kruger receives well-deserved recognition, AD talks Heisman snub, this year’s NBA All-Star captains have been chosen and more!

OU Links

• On Friday, Lon Kruger was named to the 2021 Naismith Trophy Coach of the Year Midseason watch list. No Oklahoma coach has ever won this award that dates back to 1987. Objectively speaking, if Kruger isn’t at least announced as a finalist, throw the whole trophy away.

• According to Pro Football Focus, third-year TE Austin Stogner was the second-highest graded player in his position when lined up against cornerbacks during the 2020 season, just behind Florida Gators star Kyle Pitts.

• OU Baseball will have to continue to wait to open the 2021 season with its weekend series against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi now canceled due to the after effects of the severe winter storm in the area.

• Troy Aikman recently discussed his time at Oklahoma before transferring to UCLA. Even though the eventual No. 1 overall pick and Hall of Fame QB appreciates his time at OU, everything clearly worked out for all parties involved. SI Sooners’ John Hoover has more.
• In a recent interview with Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, Adrian Peterson opened up about the 2004 Heisman Trophy race. That year, a true freshman AD rushed for 1,925 yards and 15 touchdowns, but ultimately came up short to USC’s Matt Leinart. Was he snubbed? I absolutely believe he was.

Around the Sports World

• Fan attendance up to 25 percent of capacity will be allowed at every round of this year’s NCAA Tournament. March Madness is set to tip-off on Thursday, Mar. 18 in Indianapolis.
• The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant were named captains for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. On Thursday, Mar. 4, these two captains will draft from a pool of all-stars to fill out their teams for the glorified exhibition match.

• In order to make room for salary cap space, the Carolina Panthers have released three players, including safety Tre Boston, who was only one year into a three-year contract.
• The Alabama Crimson Tide has signed head men’s basketball coach Nate Oats to a contract extension that will keep him in Tuscaloosa through the 2026-27 season.
• The Michigan Wolverines have announced a five-year contract extension for Athletic Director Warde Manuel.

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