Happy Friday, friends and fans!

Although the NFL Combine was not organized this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Oklahoma Sooners are still gearing up to host their annual Pro Day. This heavily scrutinized pre-draft event can make all the difference in where a player is selected during the NFL Draft. This year, OU will open its doors to scouts and reporters alike for such an event on Friday, Mar. 12.

According to the official release, a free live stream of Oklahoma’s Pro Day will be available on SoonerSports.tv and the Sooner Sports apps starting at 9 a.m. CT. There, several familiar names and faces will undergo physical tests with the eyes of the pro football world watching closely.

As of this Friday, the following Sooners will be participating in this year’s Pro Day:

• CB Tre Brown
• OL Adrian Ealy
• DL Dillon Faamatau (last played in 2019)
• OL Creed Humphrey
• DL Kenneth Mann (last played in 2019)
• DB Tre Norwood
• DE Ronnie Perkins
• RB Rhamondre Stevenson

One week from today, the biggest job interview of these young men’s lives will begin. Good luck to all the Sooners and to everyone else at their respective Pro Days!

Now onto this week’s Friday edition of Hot Links! OU scheduled to kick-off spring practice later this month, Oklahoma softball opens up its home slate, OSU’s AD set to step down and more!

OU Links

• Oklahoma has officially determined the starting date of its spring practice. On Monday, Mar. 22, Lincoln Riley and his six-time defending Big 12 champions will return to the practice fields in preparation for the 2021 college football season. SI Sooners’ John Hoover has more.
• Speaking of the spring, 247 Sports’ Dean Straka pinpointed one area of weakness each team from the Big 12 should address over the next month. For Oklahoma, that area is in its pass defense.
• OU is the No. 1 team in D-I softball, and tonight the Sooners play on Marita Hynes Field for the first time in 2021. At 6:30 p.m. CT, Patty Gasso’s red hot squad will square off against Sam Houston under the lights. The game can be streamed on SoonerSportsTV with a premium subscription and heard on The Franchise 2 in Oklahoma (1560 AM, 103.3 FM) or the TuneIn app.

• Newly hired tight ends/H-backs coach and former player Joe Jon Finley is walking into a situation where the cupboard is fully loaded with talent and experience. Jeremiah Hall, Austin Stogner, Brayden Willis and Mikey Henderson provide an abundance of versatility. Sooner Scoop’s Bob Przybylo broke down the exceptional depth as it stands today.
• Sooner great Joe Washington’s position at OU as executive director of the Varsity O Association has been eliminated according to a Board of Regents agenda report from The Athletic’s Jason Kersey.

Around the Sports World

• The 2021 NBA All-Star rosters have officially been set following a player draft between LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Check out the full line-ups for each team as they gear up to go head-to-head on Sunday, Mar. 7 at 7 p.m. CT.

• On Friday, the Washington Football Team officially released veteran QB Alex Smith. The former No. 1 overall draft pick spent the better part of two years rehabilitating a severe leg injury before finally completing his comeback in Week Five of the 2020 NFL season.
• The Oklahoma State Cowboys have announced that Athletic Director Mike Holder will retire this summer after 16 years in the role. Chad Weiberg is expected to take over as OSU’s next AD on July 1.
• An internal investigation conducted at LSU has found that former head coach Les Miles has been accused of behaving inappropriately with female students in 2013. Through his attorney, Miles denies these allegations. His current employer, the Kansas Jayhawks, is reportedly reviewing the findings of this investigation.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially reconstructed Ben Roethlisberger’s contract to a one-year, $14 million deal. While this move amounts to a $5 million pay cut for Big Ben, it frees up an estimated $15 million from Pittsburgh’s books.

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