Open Post | Wednesday, Jul. 22nd (UPDATE 12:33 pm)

Image of Brey Walker via @BrandonTFB

Team Notes | Prentice McKinney: During yesterday’s Big 12 media days, Bob Stoops mentioned Prentice McKinney as someone who has been standing out during summer workouts. Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, the names we’ve heard most are PJ Mbanasor and Kahlil Haughton. We’d actually heard very little about McKinney (just folks saying that he’s consistent, no mental errors, etc.).

In asking around about why Stoops may have singled McKinney out, I came to find out the true freshman defensive back has been putting in quite a bit of extra work with Coach Schmidt. There are other young guys doing extra work as well of course, but they may be doing the work with a GA or someone else on the support staff. It just so happens McKinney does a lot of his extra work with Schmidt, so it comes as no surprise he’d be a player Stoops would hear the most about. As most of you know, Stoops isn’t allowed to be around the players in the summer so he relies heavily on progress reports from his support staff.

It’s very encouraging to know OU has guys like Mbanasor, Haughton, and McKinney who are not only impressive athletes and players, but also diligent workers at such a young age. – (Super K)

Clifford Chattman: Yesterday I had a chance to catch up with 2016 LSU safety commit, Clifford Chattman (6’4″ 190 – New Orleans, LA). It sounds like Kerry Cooks is doing some work with Chattman, who let me know he will be taking an official visit to OU on October 24th for the Texas Tech game.

Chattman told me Cooks came by to see him in the spring and offered him at that time. Chattman is a tall safety standing around 6’4″ and despite that height, he says that Cooks is recruiting him as a DB.

As the season approaches OU is already starting to put together a nice list of prospects that will be taking official visits. – (Super K)

Ashton Julious: JUCO 2016 offensive lineman Ashton Julious (Lackwanna CC) also let me know he will take an official visit to OU for the Texas Tech game (October 24th). Julious is originally from South Carolina so the Gamecocks are seen as the biggest competition for the Sooners. But as most of you recall, Bill Bedenbaugh pulled Jamal Danley out of Mississippi last year so there is certainly a precedent. – (Super K)

Brey Walker: Speaking of Bedenbaugh, the man is simply a tireless recruiter. So it comes as no surprise that he and Southmoore 2018 offensive lineman Brey Walker have hit it off so early. OU offered the 6’5″ 300-pound sophomore last spring and since then he has picked up offers from Alabama, Michigan, Arkansas, along with a host of others.

Yesterday, Brey, his dad, Corwin, and mom all took a spur of the moment unofficial visit to Norman. According to Corwin, “we pulled up to the Switzer Center since his mom hasn’t been able to go on all of the visits. We got a hold of the staff and Coach Drew Hill showed us around.” He went on to add that Bedenbaugh was down in Dallas, so he was unable to accompany them on their campus tour.

But the Walkers’ enjoyed their tour of Headington Hall and said that it is the best living quarters they’ve seen on all their visits. Walker is also planning a to visit the Arkansas campus this Friday. With both the prospect and family continuing to show interest in the Sooners, on their own accord mind you, it can only be seen as a good sign for OU in their pursuit of the potentially one of the top offensive tackles not only in the state, but possibly the entire 2018 class. – (Brandon)

– UPDATE (12:33 pm): Sooners extend new offer to 2017 WR Ryan Jones (6’3″ 200 – Charlotte, NC).

 

279 Comments

  • Cole says:

    First. Three days in a row.

  • cdzendolet says:

    And the season creeps ever closer…

  • Matt says:

    are we expecting the starting safeties to be Thomas and Byrd this year with Parker at the nickel?

    • Super K says:

      As of now yes but it’ll be interesting to see if Haughton or McKinney can push either Byrd or Thomas. Parker is a lock.

      • Matt says:

        Even Byrd and Thomas could improve drastically. I think Javon Harris is a great example of that. His play in ’11 to what he did in ’12? HUGE

        • Robertson / Robertson 2016 says:

          Gabe Lynn too. But his was a position change.

        • Jordan Esco says:

          Was a HUGE fan of Byrd coming in. So disappointed he hasn’t been able to really put it together thus far.

          • Brad Warren says:

            Me too. Was expecting so much. Maybe this will finally be his breakout season.

          • HoustonChiver says:

            I’m the same way. He was so high on us, recruited for us, coaches were a big fan. These are the guys that always make me scratch my head and say “what’s not clicking?” unless they are just getting out played of course…

          • Indy_sooner says:

            Same here. Fav commit of 2013

          • Sooner_Ace says:

            Indeed, i want to be able to say/type/exclaim ” The Byrdman Cometh” more damn often 🙂

      • Jason Vos says:

        Also with Shannon in the fold, you could see a true 3 LB line up instead of 2 allowing Parker to shift to safety alongside Byrd

      • Randy says:

        I was thinking Will Johnson at NB ? I like Parker on the back end, take out Byrd.

  • EasTex says:

    Thanks for the updates, Super K.
    Walker is one huge young man. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like keeping a growing kid that size well fed.
    Mom’s stamp of approval for Headington is a very good sign.

    • Exiled In Ohio says:

      It looks like pretty good weight he’s carrying. Really surprising for a kid that young.

    • BleedCrimson says:

      Wow, Do not think I have ever seen a kid that age, that large. Hope they have a large garden planted and ready for harvest. 🙂

      • hOUligan says:

        Does OKC allow domestic chickens to be kept in the backyard? How about a cow? LoL

      • Eric Hoffpauir says:

        I’ve seen that large at that age, but usually the type to come home, play video games on the couch, and eat whatever food they can get their hands on.

        • Exiled In Ohio says:

          That was exactly my point below about “good weight.” He looks really good!

  • Jason Vos says:

    Wouldn’t it make sense to move Stanvon Taylor to WR? He has done nothing at CB, but he could be a productive WR imo

  • Robertson / Robertson 2016 says:

    I’m glad to hear about the young safeties, but I’m pulling for Thomas and Byrd. Thomas is a sure tackler (so long as the ballcarrier is in front of him) and Byrd is an athletic freak.

    I also want to see what the linebackers are looking like after a long OUffseason with Schmitty and Coach Tiff. I’m starting the “No more skackers!”* faniac movement.

    *Skackers = skinny ‘backers.

    • 47 Straight OU Know says:

      I will second the motion.

    • JB says:

      Yes!!! We need more LBs like Torrence Marshall, Rocky Calmus, Teddy Lehman, Lance Mitchell…big 240-255 LB guys that were fast and could tackle!

      • L'Carpetron Dookmarriot says:

        Yes. And so would every team.

        OU has quite a few who are “listed” in the 230s. For example, I do think that Jordan Evans is “about” 6’3″ and “about” 240. That’s big.

      • Coach K says:

        Was this a sarcastic comment since you included Rocky Calmus in there? He was a skinny linebacker and played on season under 210.

  • KJ1123 says:

    Just curious, who are some of the other young guys putting in extra work?

    • Jordan Esco says:

      Mbanasor for sure.

      • KJ1123 says:

        That’s great to hear that some of the young guys are taking it seriously. Some guys get it, others want to show up and party as soon as they get on campus. 3-4 years is not a long time to chase the dream, glad these guys are getting after it.

    • Indy_sooner says:

      s/o to the kickers as well. Stoops specifically called out Hodgson

  • Soonerfandave84 says:

    We’d actually heard very little about McKinney (just folks saying that he’s consistent, no mental errors, etc.).

    No mental errors is a huge step up for the secondary. That is a step in the right direction

  • EasTex says:

    They are playing the OU win at OSU from 1977.
    Quick some one tweet Big Seib to watch Von Schaman in action.

  • Randy says:

    It’s July 22… Here is how OUr Sooners will get in the CFP this year.
    The 4 Things that get OU in the CFP :

    1. Lead the nation in Red Zone Offense (have to have TDs inside the 10)

    2. Lead the B12 in rushing (shouldn’t be too difficult).

    3. Lead the nation in Sacks (causes TOs, and changes field position).

    4. Lead the B12 in Pass Defense (might be 40th in the country but having the best in the B12 will have to be a goal).

    • Robertson / Robertson 2016 says:

      5. Don’t screw it up.

    • Eric Hoffpauir says:

      I like the list as goals, but I hope that #4 doesn’t come about because of schematic changes that leave us open to the run. In 2012, we had a solid pass D but teams ran all over us, especially Tavon Austin.

      • JB says:

        And for all that running yardage, tavon & his team lost. OU was 12th in passing defense that year. That heavy man coverage we used in 2012 is why. We were 89th in rushing defense. We went 10-3.

        Now we have gone back to heavy zone coverage (just like Venables), and teams are throwing all over us again. Last year we were 10th in rushing defense but 55th in passing D and 117th in passing yards allowed. We lost 5 games.

        I’m not saying we should ignore the run, but stopping the pass is more important in today’s game.

        • Eric Hoffpauir says:

          True, but they lost because we managed to score 50 points. And maybe we will again this year!

    • Sooner 76 says:

      1. Lead the nation in turnover margin (take aways minus turnovers commmitted).

      • Randy says:

        That was my original goal but decided on sacks, they (QB pressure) start everything in motion..

        • Sooner 76 says:

          If we protect the ball on offense, especially the QBs, and get turnovers on D, we will win the conference. Everything else is there, IMO.

    • Cush Creekmont says:

      Considering last year’s defense, your #3 & #4 appear to be the most important. For me, the #5 is – Coach SMARTER! (The DBs all meeting together is an improvement, so there’s a start – And please NO re-punt!)

    • L'Carpetron Dookmarriot says:

      Good thoughts here.

      I’m not sure that leading in sacks, as a general stat, really means much. You can’t sack a QB if he throws it quickly. You can’t sack a QB if they run the ball.

      Also, what if a sack for 6 yards occurs on first down? Does that sack have the same effect on a possession or the opposing OC’s play calling than if a sack occurred on second and 10?

      A sack on third down is kind of a big deal because it can end the opponent’s possession, unless the sack is for 1 yard and the opposing team is on our 23 yard line. This wouldn’t remove the opposing team’s opportunity to score 3 points. It might, however, largely affect the opposing team’s decision to go for it on 4th down.

      Overall, OU needs to be efficient. They need to convert higher probability scoring opportunities at a high rate and limit the probability of our opponent’s scoring to a low rate.

      Football Outsiders gives a good, but long treatment of sacks: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2003/fun-sacks

      • Eric Hoffpauir says:

        Those are some good points, but I’d still take a higher sack total as a goal. If we are getting more sacks, it would probably come from facing more pass attempts, meaning that the opposing team is not sitting on a lead with a run game/short passing game.

        • L'Carpetron Dookmarriot says:

          If that’s true, then sacks/pass attempt would probably be a better indicator of defensive ability or pressure.

          Also, if a team is or is not sitting on a lead, then that would mean OU is losing.

          A partial example of sacks lacking specific meaning is OU’s 2008 vs 2009 teams.

          In 2008, we were 3rd in total sacks with 42, but 68th in total defense and 58th in scoring defense. Some or many of those points could have come from OU already being up 35 on teams. Thus, the points were meaningless. The same thing might apply to the sacks.

          In 2009,we were 7th in total sacks with 38, but 8th in total defense and 7th in scoring defense.

          All good stuff. OU needs to have a good defense, however that is indexed.

    • Brent says:

      I’ve always believed if the Sooners outscore their opponents in every game they will get into the playoff.

    • John Garner says:

      Not to be a smart ass, but #6 — score more than the other team.

  • Jason says:

    Just curious, saw the JUCO 100 came out and Chris Baccus a LB we could definitely use is at #21 and a 4* rating. Could any of the brainiacs give us an idea of where OU is with him and has M.Stoops/Kish officially offered him yet hopefully this rating will light a fire? He is currently rated higher than our current JUCO commits! I know you all have reported he has visited Norman several times, but an idea of where things stand? Seems like a no brainer with teammates Roberts and Chandler already committed! Thanks for this website, I don’t post often, but I check and read daily!

    • Boom says:

      It’s a numbers game due to the amount of scholly’s available in 2016.
      Baccus has 2 years to play 2. That said, he would come in next year as Alexander & Evans would be Srs. He would be a jr with Bolton/Tay Evans. Also, you have McGinnis & DeBerry that will either be RF or Sophomores. Terry is committed and they want Caleb Kelly and a couple more.
      I would like him here too but may want a freshman for more years in the system.

  • Matt says:

    I was skeptical about last year before it even began just
    because of how young the secondary was going to be and in the B12 young
    secondaries get eaten alive. I think we can expect big improvement this year
    just from the experience factor alone. The whole secondary has at least half a
    season of extensive playing/starting time now. Last year with really young
    safeties, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that it could be a rough year and
    this year with experience in the secondary, I can’t shake the feeling that this
    will be a really good year. But I’m a hopeless optimist when it comes to Our boys.

    • Fear The Magic says:

      I hope that you’re right about this being a good year. I’m pretty sure that I read that there seems to be better communication between the DBacks under Cooks. That alone should be a major plus.

      • Finney56 says:

        I had read somewhere that the Corners and Safeties were meeting in different rooms. That makes me think that there was a reason they were not communicating well under the previous coach *cough* Mike Stoops *cough*

        • L'Carpetron Dookmarriot says:

          If true, then it wouldn’t be outlandish to suggest that Bob knew about the Secondary being divided like that.

      • AlvinMack55 says:

        I have high hopes for what Cooks will do with this secondary. Two of his former players at Notre Dame, Harrison Smith & Robert Blanton, were both ranked as top 10 safeties in the NFL.

    • EasTex says:

      Experience certainly matters. Development matters even more, IMHO.
      I like our players, just want to see them be at their best when they snap the strap.

      • Matt says:

        This same line of thinking that I mentioned above leads me to think that TCU won’t be the juggernaut people are predicting this year. How do you feel about the Frogs?

        • EasTex says:

          Kind of jumpy. 🙂
          I think they will have a very good starting 22 and a big drop off in talent after them, just like in the past. They were a tweaked Boykin ankle away from being a mediocre team last year.

          • Boom says:

            Thank goodness someone said this. For all of the hits Boykin took, he never got hurt and good for him. However, if he gets hurt, season will be done. Think Sam Bradford. Sure Landry did OK at times, but……

          • EasTex says:

            Take away Boykin’s threat to run and the D plays the frogs in a much different manner. Take him out of the game entirely? I don’t even know who his back up is.

          • D Hunter Sanchez says:

            Bet you’d take LJ now…

          • Boom says:

            Never wanted him and he’s not my style of QB. Good guy but don’t miss him.

  • vargo05 says:

    Hope we start hearing about Will Sunderland as much as we are about these other 3 freshman DBs.

  • Coach JK says:

    Brandon, there is a report going around that Dalton Wood enrolled yesterday. Any truth to that rumor? Or Jordan or anyone?

    • Oklahoma Updates says:

      Dalton Wood has been enrolled for awhile

    • KJ1123 says:

      His enrollment probably won’t drop off until the fall semester if he doesn’t show up. All the players had to enroll for the summer.

      • Sooner 76 says:

        I don’t know if that is correct. The players have to enroll if they want their scholly money for the summer, but they are not required to attend summer school. They are not required to report until fall camp begins. They would probably fall behind their peers in that event, however. So Dalton is not required to be in Norman until the first day of fall camp. That is my understanding of the rule.

        • KJ1123 says:

          Im not sure about the rule. But all the incoming freshman were to report for the summer and check in to Headington, which Dalton did for a day (or less than a day). He needed to be enrolled before that happened.

    • Jordan Esco says:

      false. he has been “enrolled” at OU for weeks. this is coming from 247 for whatever reason just now updating their player database & someone noticing and posting it on a message board.

      nothing more to it.

  • Steve W says:

    Super K, you do know that progress reports from the S&C staff is against NCAA rules don’t you?

    • KJ1123 says:

      Where does it say he got reports from the strength and conditioning staff?

      • Bevo Burgers! says:

        Second paragraph in, “As most of you know, Stoops isn’t allowed to be around the players in the summer so he relies heavily on progress reports from his support staff.”

        • KJ1123 says:

          I thought he was saying that K was getting reports.

          • Steve W says:

            You thought Super K was getting progress reports from the S&C staff? How did you get from Stoops not being allowed around the players in the summer so HE relies heavily on progress reports from his support staff to Super K being the HE? And that’s not totally correct. Coaches are allowed 8 hours per week to be with the players. Just cant do anything with a football.

    • Jordan Esco says:

      Not saying you are wrong, but can you direct me to the specific NCAA rule to which you’re referring?

      • Steve W says:

        That has been a rule for a VERY long time. S&C coaches are not allowed to give coaches “progress reports”.

        • Jordan Esco says:

          Again, I’d love to see the specific NCAA rule on this. I think “progress reports” may be taken to literal in terms of how it was used here, fwiw.

        • JD says:

          Two years ago the ncaa change the summer rules…the summer practices are now mandatory up to 8 hours a week for 8 weeks…including film study…they don’t study film with the S&C

      • JD says:

        two years ago the ncaa change the summer rules…the summer practices are now mandatory up to 8 hours a week for 8 weeks…including film study…they don’t study film with the S&C

  • thill says:

    Not that it means much, but in a season of no real football, something interesting. Poll from players at media day:

    Who is the best quarterback in the Big 12 other than Trevone Boykin?
    “I don’t know” 59%
    Trevor Knight 29%
    Also receiving votes: Baylor QB Seth Russell, Iowa State QB Sam B. Richardson
    (Apparently his peers on other teams have more faith in TK9 than our fan base)

    Which opposing Big 12 coach do you respect the most?
    Bill Snyder 33%
    Art Briles 17%
    Charlie Strong 17%
    Gary Patterson 11%
    Also receiving votes: Paul Rhoads, Dana Holgorsen, Bob Stoops, Kliff Kingsbury
    (This is a bit bothersome – Stoops 7th out of 10)

    • SoonerMGB56 says:

      Based on the dirty hits Baylor routinely delivers, multiple times a game, every game, I have little respect for Briles.

      Then top it off with his whiny rants about no respect, etc., and I have no respect for him.

      • ccmosaic says:

        That is the thing though. It does not matter who we respect as fans but who the players respect. Obviously the players love Snyder and Briles. Stoops has lost his Big 12 mojo.

      • Robertson / Robertson 2016 says:

        Oakman. Enough said.

        • OohRah Mama says:

          I will never wish injury to anyone. I will however be mighty pleased if Oakman is drilled into the turf so often that he is picking turf out of his crack for weeks after our game.

      • ToatsMcGoats says:

        Watched the Baylor vs. WVU game…Baylor’s players acted like a bunch of spoiled brats that didn’t get their pink iphone for Christmas.

      • D Hunter Sanchez says:

        That’s right. Let’s kick their ass this year.

    • Robertson / Robertson 2016 says:

      Briles? Gross.

    • SoonerSouthoftheRed says:

      What in the world would drop Bob down into the dregs of that group? Charlie Strong has more respect after one losing record season plus the way he has treated that kid (can’t remember his name right now) by not releasing him from his LOI, but yet Bob Stoops stands with his players in unity after the SAE incident, never blocks a kids transfer to any school, etc. I can understand it maybe costing him some spots due to keeping his brother on staff? Is that it? Can someone shed some light?

      • NBatt says:

        Na, don’t think it was Mike… My guess is that it’s now too politically incorrect to vote up Stoops these days given his support of Mixon and Shannon. Crazy, because I love the fact that Stoops has shown the support. Wish Shannon had gotten more.

      • boomersooner says:

        They must have asked less than average fan who frequents here and landthieves. Any other person who could put one foot in front of the other knows he has earned respect

      • D Hunter Sanchez says:

        It’s that some people think BS is rude. I don’t the media asks dumb questions.

    • KJ1123 says:

      Imo, who cares what other players think? I’m sure Bob isnt trying to win the respect of anyone other than his players, coaches and OU nation.

    • SoonerinLondon says:

      Silly.

      Wasn’t he number 1 or 2 in the poll last year? I believe he was.

      I know he was number 1 in last year’s poll asking college coaches who they would want their kid to play for, if not themselves.

      • thill says:

        Yea, he and Mark Richt were the top guys on that poll.

        • Mr. Jones says:

          That was a national poll of other coaches… My bad, I wasn’t seeing SoonerinLondon’s entire comment when I posted this.

      • soonerthunder says:

        Exactly LondonSooner. A person is dumb if they pay ANY attention to what ANY media people say.

        *2012 preseason media prediction: KSU 6th place–actual finish=1st place.
        *2013 preseason media prediction: Baylor 5th place–actual finish=1st place.
        *2014 preseason media prediction: TCU 7th place–actual finish=1st place.

        I have always reckoned if you wanted to pick who would win the Big 12, look at who they pick around 5th-7th place and you probably will come closer to picking the Big 12 champ than the media.

        BTW, Boykin’s #s:
        2012: 2100 yds, 15 TD, 10 int
        2013: 1200 yds, 7 TD, 7 int
        2014: 3900 yds, 33 TD, 10 int

        I wonder what made the difference? Anyone believe me when I say the system? There was a system change between ’13 and ’14.

        • EasTex says:

          I agree the system change made a big difference for him and the frog offense last year. It’s also important to remember he worked all last summer at a QB guru school, which is where I think his improved accuracy came from.

        • SoonerMGB56 says:

          Or the QB coach?

        • thill says:

          Who’s dumb and who said anything about what the media said?
          You went a bit off topic on the team polls. This was a player poll about a coach and a QB.

          • soonerthunder says:

            You are correct, I went off topic, and I was just using what LondonSooner to knock the media, not what you pointed out actually. I don’t listen to the media very much at all but have heard where they picked and think this every year. I was off topic on the media pick, too, really. I should have started a new thread.

          • thill says:

            Oh, I absolutely agree. Media polls mean nothing to me at all. I would put in small bit of stock in a player poll or a coach poll like London mentioned though. They are living the life.

          • soonerthunder says:

            I always laugh when they come out with their preseason predictions and think: “Who did they pick #5? That’s probably who is going to win it.” They have zero credibility and I think one reason is they have no backbone. They all jump on bandwagons. They pick UT #5, WV #6, KSU #7 this year. I reckon if anyone was betting on this they ought to pick one of those three teams. It’s laughable how far off they are and how they never mention how bad they are (selective forgetfulness) but never forget the slight misspeak or mistake of a coach or player.

    • Rick says:

      Last September ESPiN did a poll of college coaches, asking which coach they would most like their son to play for by their peers. Brett McMurphy polled 128 FBS coaches, the winner’s tied were Mark Richt and Bob Stoops.

    • Rene Goupillaud says:

      Couldn’t be a more stupid, silly poll in history. Ask a few guys brought by their coach to a media day. Really meaningful. Blah, blah, blah.

      • thill says:

        Thanks for your awesome contribution to the conversation

        • Rene Goupillaud says:

          Sorry if the point flew over your head. Do you always fall for polls and statistics? Those who don’t have conversations, they just post out their personal bias. That’s what this was just folks ranting about their feelings on the coaches, not really a conversation.

          I’ll take a pass on your sarcastic reply.

          • thill says:

            Did you read the initial post stating “not that it means much”, etc? Not following where I “fell” for anything.
            I’m struggling with why you felt the need to point out anything if you saw nothing but a rant, but hey you win. Congrats to you!

  • Jeff says:

    Thought Hill played for Dallas?

  • BleedCrimson says:

    Previously posted on news, but will post here also
    G-Day minus 45
    2 All-Americans plus a couple of other great players wore this jersey!

  • Randy says:

    DE/DT Nick McCann commits to Texas Tech good pick up from them.

  • Jason Vos says:

    Good season probably upcoming?

  • Krys Allen says:

    Not really sure what you are even saying with your post, however I was following that thread and I don’t believe that was the line that Jordan was referring to FWIW

    • ComancheJoe says:

      I thought that was the real time response. What line was Jordan referring to?

      • Krys Allen says:

        I don’t have the greatest memory but I thought there were other names being called.

      • hemisooner says:

        All I know it happened pretty fast

      • EasTex says:

        I scanned over that exchange last night when I was catching up. When I saw he had been banned I was like “finally.” It wasn’t his first time stirring the pot.
        What really disappointed me was how that one person was allowed to completely hijack the Media Day thread and so many here egged him on. Were I swinging the “ban hammer” I would have smashed him early and often, as it was almost certainly the miscreant Soonerlove using a sock puppet.

        • KJ1123 says:

          Agreed, hijacked threads are most annoying, that was ridiculous.

        • Krys Allen says:

          Agreed, I think he and others last way tooo long. I hate having to scroll through 50 comments of arguing with trolls to get to the real comments worth reading. IMO leaving these trolls around is going to eventually run off the people you want to have around.

          • L'Carpetron Dookmarriot says:

            Sorry about that. Some of it was me, because I like to poke people with sticks.

          • Exiled In Ohio says:

            I agree. Posters have to be held to some standard if we don’t want to become LT, and I think we are in danger of losing some thoughtful folks because of trolls just trying to stir up trouble.

            Some posters tend to be pretty negative all the time. That’s ok; last year was a pretty rough year and recruiting is going slow right now. I don’t think most people around here mind those who are a bit discouraged and make some strong statements..

            Some of us are “sunshine pumpers” and maybe we are unreasonably optimistic. Some may think we’re dumb, but most typically don’t want us banned (at least I hope).

            The ones we need to police are the ones that are purposely making outrageous comments just to provoke a reaction. They aren’t trying to share a thoughtful (or even an emotional) opinion; they are just causing trouble. And occasionally we’ll have someone make a racially insensitive comment; there’s no second chances for that stuff.

            One other point I’ve tried to make in the past: part of the fault for these hijacked threads goes to those who respond to the troll. It’s like a little kid misbehaving just for the attention: the best thing to do is ignore them, not give them what they are looking for by responding to them.

            There’s one other category I want to call out, led by EasTex. we need to do something about those who post pictures of food when I’m still a long time from dinner.

          • Finney56 says:

            I agree! No food posts when I’m hungry 😛

          • Finney56 says:

            Those look amazing, EasTex… I want some!!

          • BleedCrimson says:

            The tots get me everytime. I think it may now be time for totchos!

          • Sooner Ray says:

            I must be tired to be thinking about this but, We eat french fries and hash browns in the diner and can also make them from scratch. Have you ever heard of someone making “homemade” tot’s? I can’t come up with a good way in my head to make them.

          • BleedCrimson says:

            I have made potato latkes (potato pancakes). I am guessing a very similar process. shred potatoes and form into small balls. But, that would make them potato hush puppies? Not sure how to make them cylindrical.

          • Sooner Ray says:

            We need to make a tot mold and become wealthy!

          • EasTex says:

            Lots of home made tot recipes, you just form them by hand.

          • SamSooner says:

            Yum!
            I was in Joplin, Missouri for three days. We a had dinner at a burger joint that had a donut burger on the menu. Yep, a burger with two donuts as the buns.

          • EasTex says:

            Uhh…non, monsieur.

          • SamSooner says:

            I had to try it. I have to say it was good.

          • EasTex says:

            I would be too conflicted.
            I love burgers with sweet tea or a soda, I love donuts with coffee.
            I wouldn’t know what to drink with such a mess.

          • SamSooner says:

            You crack me up. I know you don’t drink anymore but I washed it down with an IPA.

          • OohRah Mama says:

            Redd’s Apple Ale?

          • EasTex says:

            Don’t drink alcohol.
            The sammitch just seems…wrong.

          • OohRah Mama says:

            Sorry, Doll, forgot. Yeah, I don’t think I can do sweet with meaty either.

            But lots of people love chicken and waffles. What do y’all drink with that? Chocolate milk maybe?

          • EasTex says:

            I’ve never had chicken and waffles, just the idea of putting syrup on fried ‘gospel bird’ is unappealing.
            I’m with you on sugary sweet with meat, though I do like sweet pickles on my burger instead of dill.

        • boomersooner says:

          Exactly right. It was about time. Cbusta deserved it. The one guy nobody could stand deserved it. The soonerlove clown deserves it. There’s several who come on and don’t have one good thing to say about anything ever. Conversation will be about pancakes and some idiot will say Trevor sucks

        • hOUligan says:

          cbusta = Soonerlove…don’t think so. Poster using the same handle ‘cbusta’ over on the Scout board. Pretty pessimistic, as I recall, but was someone I had learned to just scroll past; which is a pretty pretty useful ‘tool’ when hanging in these forums.

  • EasTex says:

    So is the guy that got punched called “El Guapo” now? 🙂

  • hemisooner says:

    vato isn’t a bad word. I’m of Mexican decent and that doesn’t make sense

    • ComancheJoe says:

      I know that it’s not a bad word, just not a word that he wanted to be called. I guess it made him feel like he was being associated with the street gang culture. All I do know is that it sets him off worse than being called “ese”, which I personally think sounds worse

  • Mr. Jones says:

    Anyone get to watch Stoops on Finebaum’s show today? Anything outside of typical coach speak said?

  • thill says:

    Clifford Chattman – Nic Harris?

  • bjwalker82 says:

    I know you’re just passing along info TFB for hungry consumers of Sooners info. Still I can’t help but think that these Team notes are coming from people whose job is to be eternally optimistic. We read these same types of updates last year and the year before that elsewhere. At this point we can only judge Bob and Co by the product they put on the field.
    Given all of the evidence we have, is there any expectation that this will be anything more than a..hold the line type season? Would be great if it was more but I don’t anticipate anything more than that.

    • Rick says:

      Sounds like you need LT. They don’t post anything but the trash and bad news. If thats what you want, thats where you need to go for information. Nobody there is optimistic and is sure to depress you to your full satisfaction.

      • boomersooner says:

        Man. I couldn’t have said that better

        • Exiled In Ohio says:

          My sentiments also.

          • boomersooner says:

            Haha. Some clowns here talk about going there and having thick skin. Got zip to do with it. I was there for several months last year and just had to turn my douche meter up to 11 to stay on par with some of the dregs that frequent there and slither over here

          • Exiled In Ohio says:

            I don’t know a lot about football, but it was pretty obvious that the morons over there knew a lot less than I did. Here I learn something every day, not just from the staff but from some of the really knowledgeable posters. That’s why it irritates me so much that the trolls are driving off some of the real quality folks on here.

          • boomersooner says:

            Yeah. I try to call em out and they always hide behind “opinion” while having nothing of substance to say and it’s always negative. Some of em are now waiting til the nights over and chirping at the end of everything. Some of em wouldn’t know something good if it was sitting on their face. I don’t know a ton either but I love talking it and baseball.

          • Sooner Ray says:

            I hope we haven’t replied to each other over there because I would hate to be a moron….lol. There are several posters here who also post there and some are good and some bad. Even our own JY has posted some there, usually on the threads that bad mouth this place. It is different for sure, I hope this place and the people in it stay classy.

      • bjwalker82 says:

        I’m just looking for an honest assessment. No sunshine, no doom and gloom. If someone had told me last year and the year before about guys being great and then when it came game time and all of that rhetoric fell short, I might be less inclined to believe their hyperbole going forward.

        In short it’s hard to tell the truth from the BS sometimes. Knowing what OU will release is a bit like know what Apple will release..hard to say until announcement date.

    • JD says:

      The current product isn’t on the field so I guess we shouldn’t be doing that judging thing huh…if you want to look at his history then I guess we have a lot to be grateful for considering he’s the all time OU coach, is the only coach to win every BCS bowl…holds more conference titles than any other team…more 10 win seasons than any current coach….and so on and so on…

      • boomersooner says:

        But but but but but but he hasn’t done much lately

        • JD says:

          LOL…we both know every year is a different team…we were actually pretty young last year and still pretty close to a decent season…then the year before that ( I better not even say)…didnt we have two 10 win seasons before last year…ITS 13 wins or bust!!

          • boomersooner says:

            Yeah. Young in all the places last yrs team couldn’t afford to be. And what 1 yd, 1yd, made chipshot fg, and a decent to soso punt away from 11-1?

          • bjwalker82 says:

            Could have certainly been that way. Although it’s 11-2, we got stomped twice.

          • boomersooner says:

            If we’re 11-1 we have a 99.9% chance of not playing Clemson in the turlet bowl and have tons of confidence going in to play whomever quite possibly in the playoffs

          • bjwalker82 says:

            I mean this team was good enough to get the wins against K-State, Okie State and TCU, but Baylor and any potential playoff opponent naw. We were stomped at home.

            Just to provide context, that has NEVER happened under Stoops until last year.
            Never.

            I still don’t have any respect for Baylor whatsoever.

          • boomersooner says:

            Something seems nasty in waco. Always does. We might have got destroyed by somebody in a bowl. We might have been flying high if we had picked up the wins we should have. The only thing we do know is that we were snake bit last year. Do I think we could have won it all last year? Not really. Playoffs woulda been tough like you said. But having ol’mo on our side might have helped and who knows what woulda happened. Instead it snowballed into something pretty ugly at times

          • bjwalker82 says:

            Yeah it’s hard to say. I know in the years that we’ve made it to the big time, we definitely belonged there. I wouldn’t put last years team up with those. We couldn’t even throw the ball at times.
            Do we have the talent still? YES. And that is what is frustrating.

          • boomersooner says:

            Yeah. It felt like when we were supposed to be there, we got in our own way when it mattered most. Last year, it felt like we couldn’t get out of our own way

      • bjwalker82 says:

        By any measure we’ve been trending downward for 5 years compared to the previous 5.

        • JD says:

          By every measure we are not..you just remember a five loss season and Bob must go…we had a 2 loss season the year before and beat whom everybody in the country thought was the best team in the country in their backyard

          • bjwalker82 says:

            I never said Bob must go. I’m comparing 2011-2015 to 2006-2010. I remember all 3 of our 5 loss seasons (and the 4 loss season). Hell I remember 5-5-1 twenty years ago.
            Alabama has been the outlier. Just judging the product on the field.

    • Fear The Magic says:

      Yes Lots of evidence that we’ll be improved. As of now its circumstantial. But there are MANY positive signs.
      Id list them for you but Id probably get writers cramp.

  • Jordan Esco says:

    You can call me a “pumper” all you’d like. I think it’s rather funny given it’s 180 degree opposite to the reputation I seem to have earned, but if you (and by you I mean anyone) think I’m a “pumper” when it comes to OU then have fun w/ that.

    It was pretty obviously the culmination of that post, closing it the way he did which was so clearly done in an attempt to troll others here, plus any number of other confrontational/trollish posts this person had already made.

    I’m not sure why this really even needs to be explained. I mean I guess some people may not have been familiar w/ the entire situation, saw one very small part of it, and thought “huh, that didn’t really seem fair.” But if you’ve spent any time here and paid enough attention, you’d know that I’ve given people a longer leash than many.

    I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked to ban certain people and yet they’re still here. Because even though their opinion may be unpopular, they haven’t really done anything wrong other than disagree w/ the majority.

    But we/I do not stifle conversation here. Never have, never will. But, yes, if you start calling people names, calling out the mods, or generally just acting like a child then, yeah, your stay here will be short.

  • KJ1123 says:

    Mixon getting heat for a tweet he sent out. I know the kid is dying to show people what he can do, but gotta be smart too, hold it together for a couple more weeks.

    • JD says:

      what tweet

    • Exiled In Ohio says:

      He’s been doing great for so long. Hopefully BS or Cale will have a talk with him and get him settled down a bit.

    • Zack says:

      The happiest person that mixon is at OU is traber. He acts like he wishes OU would have kicked him completely off but then he wouldn’t be able to talk about how outrageous he thinks it is that the kid is still at OU. IMO had that happened this summer then joe would have been gone but it happened at a time when the violence toward women was really getting attention so I think he got a pass and I believe he should have gotten a pass. I’m just ready for him to get on the field and prove that he’s been working hard and that he is a special talent.

      • Boomer4life says:

        This whole mentality of they should of been kicked off really pisses me off….they made a mistake….we get it! There whole lives should be ruined because of one instance where they lacked sound judgment. It’s just unbelievable to think by kicking them off the team that this would in some way produce a better member of society.

      • Sooner Ray says:

        Yep, the government can early release hard criminals back into society and expect the public to give them a chance…..I can give an 18 year old who was not jailed and had no history of criminal behavior a pass once he served his time.

  • DCinAZ says:

    Per twitter, Austin Roberts will arrive on campus Sunday.

  • Jordan Esco says:

    I understand. The comments section here definitely isn’t the best and can certainly be hard to follow.

    • SoonerLegend says:

      JE you kill it on this sight. I love your insight and opinion…I may not always agree but I may not always be right either. I may or may not have played at OU and I may or may not have family working for OU, if you get where I’m coming from. But I will start chiming in when I feel like I can and necessary! Boomer!

      • Jordan Esco says:

        Appreciate it. And believe me, contrary to what some others might have you believe the last thing in the world I think I am is right all the time. I love a good conversation, maybe even argument if it comes to that 🙂

  • Steven says:

    >6’4″ 190 – New Orleans, LA

    >Safety

    I immediately want him on the team. How many 6’4″ DBs are there out there?

  • RocketCitySooner says:

    That’s your opinion but I’d like to talk about our offensive line ‘pancaking’ defensive linemen all afternoon. Why would you want to talk about someone ‘waffled’?

  • Finney56 says:

    Everyone knows that the best kind of fries are waffle fries, so I’m all ears!

    • ComancheJoe says:

      Waffle fries are strong! I personally like the thick fresh cut fries cooked in peanut oil, or tater tots if they’re going to be drowned in chili/cheese.

  • EasTex says:

    Everybody knows that pancakes suck!

    BLASPHEMER!!!

  • OceanDescender says:

    This makes me sad. Pancakes are incredible!

  • Jason Vos says:

    Anyone else think Matt Dimon should be a DT instead of DE?

  • sooner44 says:

    Defensive back that’s consistent, no mental errors? Ummmm yeah I take some of that.

  • SoonerinLondon says:

    Did our long-lost QB recruit ever enroll? I thought I saw a post about a rumor that he did. (yea, yea, I know…a post about a rumor, but just asking)

  • Boomer4life says:

    Come on college football…get here faster!

  • EasTex says:

    I like this young man, hope he becomes a legendary Sooner.
    https://twitter.com/amg_arthur/status/624044489854816256