Happy Friday, friends and fans!

This week, former Oklahoma Sooners Heisman Trophy winner and current Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray donated 60,000 meals to the North Texas Food Bank in an effort to help the people who were affected by the recent winter storm.

Murray — winner of the 2018 Heisman Trophy and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft — is a native of Allen, Texas, so this cause literally hits close to home for him, his family and many of his friends. For weeks, millions of residents across the Lone Star State were without water, power and in many cases, food. Fortunately, organizations like the NTFB and folks like K1 are doing their part to help the people from these communities bounce back.

If you want to learn more about what you can do to lend your support to all those who are still in need, visit NTFB.org for more information how and where you can make a donation.

Now for today’s Hot Links. Oklahoma looks like a team that should finally be ready to win it all, the case for Baker’s extension in Cleveland continues to grow, Dort beats the buzzer and more.

OU Links

• On Thursday morning, long-time assistant Cale Gundy shared news of the passing of former OU cornerback Darrius Johnson. ‘DJ’ suited up for the Sooners from 1992-95 before the Denver Broncos selected him in the fourth round of the 1996 NFL Draft. There, he eventually won back-to-back Super Bowls (XXXII and XXXIII) following the 1997 and 1998 seasons. His final stint as a pro came with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2003. He was 48 years old.

• ESPN’s Bill Connelly recently ranked college football’s top 60 QBs of the 2000s, and six OU signal callers made the cut, including Baker Mayfield at No. 1. Also on the list was Kyler Murray at No. 7, Sam Bradford at No. 15, Jalen Hurts at No. 23, Jason White and No. 30, and Landry Jones at No. 36. Did somebody say QBU? Because I wholeheartedly agree. To see the full list, you will need a subscription to ESPN+.

• USA Today’s Erick Smith recently examined the key questions each team in the Big 12 needs to answer this season. For Oklahoma, it’s expected to be loaded this fall, so returning to the College Football Playoff and finally winning there figures to be its most pressing matter.
• Sooners Wire’s Patrick Conn took a look at two class of 2022 recruits that OU ought to sign over the Texas Longhorns.
• Also from Sooners Wire, Brianna Dix ranked the top 10 players suiting up for Oklahoma in 2021. Not surprisingly, Spencer Rattler tops the bunch, but who else rounds out the list?
• By virtually every metric, WR Marvin Mims had one of the most impressive seasons for a freshman at his position in program history. At this rate, he’ll become a household name on a national level in no time.

• After leading the Cleveland Browns to the franchise’s first playoff win since 1994, Baker Mayfield has proven that he’s deserving of a substantial contract extension. Quite frankly, the pros for extending the former No. 1 overall pick far outweigh the cons. ESPN’s Jake Trotter has more.
• Former Sooner infielder Jack Mayfield has been sent to the Los Angeles Angels via the Atlanta Braves. Good luck in the Angels organization, Jack!

• In case you missed it, make sure you check out Allen Kenney’s breakdown of the offensive position battles to watch at Oklahoma during this offseason. The running back group as well as the tackle spots should feature some healthy competition between now and August.

Around the Sports World

• On Wednesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder stunned the San Antonio Spurs thanks to Lu Dort’s buzzer-beating three (courtesy of an Al Horford assist). OKC would win, 102-99.

• Clemson Tigers DE Justin Foster has medically retired from playing football, citing prolonged complications with asthma and COVID-19. In 2019, he was recognized as an All-ACC honorable mention. He did not play in 2020 due to health reasons.
• Former No. 1 overall pick shortstop Royce Lewis is expected to miss the 2021 season for the Minnesota Twins’ organization after reportedly suffering a torn ACL.
• Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament set to begin next week due to continued back pain that originally hampered him during the Australian Open.
• Brisbane, Queensland is reportedly the preferred host site for the 2032 Summer Olympic Games. The last time the Olympiad was held in Australia was in 2000, when the games took place in Sydney, New South Wales.

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