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Posted
23 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

He had a heat stroke and they had to take him via ambulance to the hospital. Of course, they’re all saying he’s now perfectly fine. To be clear, I don’t think Wingo even passed out and the dude spent two nights under observation in the hospital and missed a week of practice. Things are handled differently up in Norman though. 

I remember when heat stroke basically ended Patrick Hudson’s career. And Jesus, just look at @immamac

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Posted
Just now, SydneyCarton said:

I remember when heat stroke basically ended Patrick Hudson’s career. And Jesus, just look at @immamac

If Imma has any eligibility left, he could probably be 2nd team OL at OU

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Posted

I'm loving the positivity about our team this year and the negativity about OU and Aggy, but man... I've been fooled so many times before.

I wanna believe, but I'm Missouri now.

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Posted (edited)
55 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

I'm loving the positivity about our team this year and the negativity about OU and Aggy, but man... I've been fooled so many times before.

I wanna believe, but I'm Missouri now.

Did you got in to a coma last year?

Edited by fellside
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Posted (edited)
56 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

I'm loving the positivity about our team this year and the negativity about OU and Aggy, but man... I've been fooled so many times before.

I wanna believe, but I'm Missouri now.

Just write out the depth chart of our defense.  Bonerjamz ‘05.

Edited by Fondren & Main
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Posted
1 hour ago, Rimbo said:

I'm loving the positivity about our team this year and the negativity about OU and Aggy, but man... I've been fooled so many times before.

I wanna believe, but I'm Missouri now.

Imagine Arch playing with a better defense than last year. 

Just, mull it around in your noggin.

While in the process, back of your mind, think of passes from Reed and know that Venables still coaches OUsux.

Then think about a better defense than we had last year, AGAIN, with Arch slinging long passes. 

If you don't get enchubbened, seek medical help.

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Posted (edited)

image.thumb.jpeg.41877dbec4e9f01c1ca0ee445569f504.jpeg
 

They’re gonna kill this dude. “No big deal. Big guy almost drowned in the cold tub and ambulances were called, but he should be back out there tomorrow.” Where did Durkin end up, again? 

Edited by Chili dog
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Posted
1 minute ago, Frank Drebin said:

Only caveat about defense I can think of is we played a lot of shitty QBs last year.  We should play better ones this year, overall.  

Eh. Lagway is an injury risk, but yes. Gunnar Stockton versus douche rocket? 50/50. Miss St, Marcel Reed, Paiva. I see lagway and the kid from the second half of Kentucky and the rest feels like a push. 

Posted (edited)
47 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

Mostly meant OU and Florida will have much better QBs this year.  

Yeah, I left off Mateer. His line and WRs might make his improvement over the last guy irrelevant, and I think he’s way overrated versus competition. But we’ll see.
 

i just don’t think the national media understands how many of this years “starters” played seriously massive snaps last year.  

Edited by SydneyCarton
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Posted
13 minutes ago, Chili dog said:

image.thumb.jpeg.41877dbec4e9f01c1ca0ee445569f504.jpeg
 

They’re gonna kill this dude. “No big deal. Big guy almost drowned in the cold tub and ambulances were called, but he should be back out there tomorrow.” Where did Durkin end up, again? 

Durkin is now at Auburn for a second season and has yet to kill anyone. I agree that these idiots are being flippant about this with Fasusi. Surely the medical staff isn’t that stupid. 

Separately, Fasusi being a starter isn’t like Banks being a starter. This dude needs time. Them rushing him to the starting lineup because the other guys suck worse is quite the thing for their idiot gurus to tout. 

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Posted
1 minute ago, closetojumping said:

Durkin is now at Auburn for a second season and has yet to kill anyone. I agree that these idiots are being flippant about this with Fasusi. Surely the medical staff isn’t that stupid. 

Separately, Fasusi being a starter isn’t like Banks being a starter. This dude needs time. Them rushing him to the starting lineup because the other guys suck worse is quite the thing for their idiot gurus to tout. 

Yep.  I was in the south end suite area for Kentucky game.  He was there.  He isn’t near big enough.  He needs time to cook.  

Posted

I appreciate this thread.  In years past I did not have the same insight into what their 995ers and "insiders" were saying about the team leading up to the season.  My question is (and I probably already know the answer): are they always this exuberant?  How does their exuberance this year compare with preseason 2022-2024, when they ranged from scrappy but uneven to hammered dogshit on the field?  

Posted (edited)

They’ve had long stretches of not losing very much over the past 75 years. But I think the stoops era of winning the conference damn near every year is what has the fans that are likely to be on internet fora posting their learned opinions believing on themselves. They just can’t conceive of being average or worse. They had 20 years of saying they will be great, with bob stoops making soothsayers out of them. Then Riley won and got to the cfp. They haven’t adjusted to their new reality in both coaching and player acquisition. 

Edited by Pato del Muerto
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Posted
5 minutes ago, AugieBall said:

I appreciate this thread.  In years past I did not have the same insight into what their 995ers and "insiders" were saying about the team leading up to the season.  My question is (and I probably already know the answer): are they always this exuberant?  How does their exuberance this year compare with preseason 2022-2024, when they ranged from scrappy but uneven to hammered dogshit on the field?  

Ikard is like this every GD year. I think the guy legitimately might have CTE. 

Posted
4 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

It’s always maximum exuberance because the thought of being a Football University fan with a crappy football team is just too depressing to contemplate 

Been there 

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Posted
10 minutes ago, AugieBall said:

I appreciate this thread.  In years past I did not have the same insight into what their 995ers and "insiders" were saying about the team leading up to the season.  My question is (and I probably already know the answer): are they always this exuberant?  How does their exuberance this year compare with preseason 2022-2024, when they ranged from scrappy but uneven to hammered dogshit on the field?  

I’ve told the story before, but I enjoy it so I’ll do it again here. 

OU punched down in 2022 on their first 3 opponents and looked like worldbeaters. The 3rd game was a routing of a hapless Scott Frost-led Nebraska team of failure. 

College Sports Sunday on XM 84 is hosted by Barrett Sallee and Tom Luginbill, then through now, and they were talking about all of the games from the day before. They were lauding how dominant OU looked and then pondering what their flaws might be. Then they have Chris Plank come on. Plank does work on shows for XM and he’s also either the color guy or sideline guy for OU radio broadcasts. While he went to Tulsa, he’s an absolute OU homer.

He’s just on there gushing with those guys and then they ask him: “what is a worrisome flaw with this OU team?”

Plank pauses dramatically and then says, “Gosh, you know guys, I don’t think there are any. “

That OU team finished with a losing record. 

These rubes do this every year and to Pato’s point, they’ve been rewarded for it for so long that they still can’t see the bullshit over the past few years and what’s currently going on in their regime. 

Guys on their sites are like “Teddy and Gabe are never gushing like this. They were giving out warnings last August.”

No, they were not. Lehman and Ikard are in the tank and are the least objective commentators you could find for OU. 

4 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

They’ve had long stretches of not losing very much over the past 75 years. But I think the stoops era of winning the conference damn near every year is what has the fans that are likely to be on internet fora posting their learned opinions believing on themselves. They just can’t conceive of being average or worse. They had 20 years of saying they will be great, with bob stoops making soothsayers out of them. Then Riley won and got to the cfp. They haven’t adjusted to their new reality in both coaching and player acquisition. 

Good summary of their current trap they’ve constructed for themselves. 

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Posted
3 hours ago, kevwun said:

If he would have taken his salt tablets and then eaten his own vomit, he would have been just fine.

Junior Miller: jar your own urine for emergencies, especially if you’re an OU football player 

Posted

Jay Valai is not only generally incompetent, but he is also one dumb motherfucker. Spoilered below is an interview with him where he attempts to shit more platitudes out of his mouth in under 30 seconds than any person has in logged history. 

Highlights:

-Eli Bowen hurt his ankle in the spring and is still in a walking boot with 10 days before kickoff, but Valai isn’t worried about it, likely because he is too stupid to grasp the impact. 

-Gentry Williams is cemented as the other starter. Guy has struggled to stay healthy but the talent in the CB room is so barren that he’s a shoe-in from the jump to start again. 

-The Jacobe Johnson guy is one of their white stags. They’re constantly in pursuit of finding him in a place where he can actually contribute, and right now it is back to CB. 

-They talk up Courtland Guillory a lot but he hasn’t grabbed the other starting CB slot, yet. So a true JAG or a true freshman is going to be the day 1 starter opposite Williams. 

-All told, they only have 5 CBs on the roster and one of them is in a boot. 

Spoiler

OU assistant Jay Valai dishes on state of Sooners' 'hungry' cornerback room, 'savant' Eli Bowen

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(Photo: DOUG HOKE/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

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    NORMAN — Oklahoma has been without its top cornerback this preseason, but that hasn't put a damper on assistant coach Jay Valai's outlook for his unit heading into the 2025 season.

    "Guys are just working and grinding; it's how the cookie crumbles," Valai said Tuesday. "It just is what it is. These guys are hungry, and they know the truth is, I don't care about age. The best guy is going to play."

    That was the case last season, when then-freshman Eli Bowen emerged as not only a viable option at cornerback but as a high-caliber defender in the SEC. Bowen worked his way into the rotation early in the season and then took over as one of the Sooners' starters in the secondary midseason, ultimately starting each of the team's final eight games of the season.

    He was named a Freshman All-American by ESPN after finishing with 30 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception. Despite being somewhat undersized at 5-foot-9 and 187 pounds, Bowen played bigger, limiting opposing passers to a 53.8% completion rate when he was targeted in the passing game.

     

     

    After his breakout freshman season — which included limiting Alabama star Ryan Williamsto one reception and 30 yards on six targets in coverage during OU's late-season upset in Norman — Bowen hasn't seen much time on the practice field, though. He sustained an ankle injury early in the spring and has been sporting a protective boot on his left foot during fall practices.

    "Eli Bowen will be back here in a second," Valai said. "He's really good."

    Though Bowen has missed significant time, Valai seemed unconcerned about the long-term status of the sophomore, who he likened to 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and two-time All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

     
    13210432.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320

     

    "Eli is Eli — just a savant," Valai said. "Always call him Baby Stephon Gilmore mindset with everything he does, as good as he was last year. His understanding of the game and confidence of the game, really, I know he got hurt in the spring and all that, but you should have seen the first couple of spring practices. It was good. Getting him back is going to be really fun, and I can't wait to get him back out there."

    In the meantime, Oklahoma has enjoyed healthy competition at cornerback this fall. Gentry Williams is back as the "father figure" of the group after missing most of last season due to a shoulder injury. Kendel Dolby has spent time at corner too after establishing himself at Cheetah prior to his season-ending injury 11 months ago. Jacobe Johnson has reacclimated to the position after moonlighting as a wide receiver for part of last season due to the array of injuries to that position. The rest of the room has seen a youth movement of sorts, with second-year players Devon Jordanand Jeremiah Newcombe coming on strong this fall and freshman Courtland Guilloryasserting himself as a fearless and confident playmaker in coverage.

    With the season opener now 10 days away, it seems likely that Williams will occupy one starting job, while it remains to be seen who will line up opposite him at the other cornerback spot — not that Valai seems too worried, considering what he has seen from the rest of the room this preseason.

    "Whether you're Jacobe Johnson, Gentry Williams, Courtland Gullory, Day-Day Jordan or Jeremiah Newcombe, all across the board — the best guy is going to play," Valai said. "The young guys playing the way they've been playing is putting a fire in the older guys because they know me; I don't hesitate. Best guy's going to play. We got five guys? Five will play. We got two? Two will play.

    "Eli Bowen played well last year, so he played a lot. Last year, Eli started the season off hurt, so we wanted to get him in there but he couldn't play the first two or three games, but as soon as he was ready to roll, he took the job. So, seeing his progression, they know what it is. Best guy is going to play, and they're really excited about that too. "

 

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Posted
10 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Jay Valai is not only generally incompetent, but he is also one dumb motherfucker. Spoilered below is an interview with him where he attempts to shit more platitudes out of his mouth in under 30 seconds than any person has in logged history. 

Highlights:

-Eli Bowen hurt his ankle in the spring and is still in a walking boot with 10 days before kickoff, but Valai isn’t worried about it, likely because he is too stupid to grasp the impact. 

-Gentry Williams is cemented as the other starter. Guy has struggled to stay healthy but the talent in the CB room is so barren that he’s a shoe-in from the jump to start again. 

-The Jacobe Johnson guy is one of their white stags. They’re constantly in pursuit of finding him in a place where he can actually contribute, and right now it is back to CB. 

-They talk up Courtland Guillory a lot but he hasn’t grabbed the other starting CB slot, yet. So a true JAG or a true freshman is going to be the day 1 starter opposite Williams. 

-All told, they only have 5 CBs on the roster and one of them is in a boot. 

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OU assistant Jay Valai dishes on state of Sooners' 'hungry' cornerback room, 'savant' Eli Bowen

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(Photo: DOUG HOKE/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

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    NORMAN — Oklahoma has been without its top cornerback this preseason, but that hasn't put a damper on assistant coach Jay Valai's outlook for his unit heading into the 2025 season.

    "Guys are just working and grinding; it's how the cookie crumbles," Valai said Tuesday. "It just is what it is. These guys are hungry, and they know the truth is, I don't care about age. The best guy is going to play."

    That was the case last season, when then-freshman Eli Bowen emerged as not only a viable option at cornerback but as a high-caliber defender in the SEC. Bowen worked his way into the rotation early in the season and then took over as one of the Sooners' starters in the secondary midseason, ultimately starting each of the team's final eight games of the season.

    He was named a Freshman All-American by ESPN after finishing with 30 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception. Despite being somewhat undersized at 5-foot-9 and 187 pounds, Bowen played bigger, limiting opposing passers to a 53.8% completion rate when he was targeted in the passing game.

     

     

    After his breakout freshman season — which included limiting Alabama star Ryan Williamsto one reception and 30 yards on six targets in coverage during OU's late-season upset in Norman — Bowen hasn't seen much time on the practice field, though. He sustained an ankle injury early in the spring and has been sporting a protective boot on his left foot during fall practices.

    "Eli Bowen will be back here in a second," Valai said. "He's really good."

    Though Bowen has missed significant time, Valai seemed unconcerned about the long-term status of the sophomore, who he likened to 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and two-time All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

    13210432.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320

     

    "Eli is Eli — just a savant," Valai said. "Always call him Baby Stephon Gilmore mindset with everything he does, as good as he was last year. His understanding of the game and confidence of the game, really, I know he got hurt in the spring and all that, but you should have seen the first couple of spring practices. It was good. Getting him back is going to be really fun, and I can't wait to get him back out there."

    In the meantime, Oklahoma has enjoyed healthy competition at cornerback this fall. Gentry Williams is back as the "father figure" of the group after missing most of last season due to a shoulder injury. Kendel Dolby has spent time at corner too after establishing himself at Cheetah prior to his season-ending injury 11 months ago. Jacobe Johnson has reacclimated to the position after moonlighting as a wide receiver for part of last season due to the array of injuries to that position. The rest of the room has seen a youth movement of sorts, with second-year players Devon Jordanand Jeremiah Newcombe coming on strong this fall and freshman Courtland Guilloryasserting himself as a fearless and confident playmaker in coverage.

    With the season opener now 10 days away, it seems likely that Williams will occupy one starting job, while it remains to be seen who will line up opposite him at the other cornerback spot — not that Valai seems too worried, considering what he has seen from the rest of the room this preseason.

    "Whether you're Jacobe Johnson, Gentry Williams, Courtland Gullory, Day-Day Jordan or Jeremiah Newcombe, all across the board — the best guy is going to play," Valai said. "The young guys playing the way they've been playing is putting a fire in the older guys because they know me; I don't hesitate. Best guy's going to play. We got five guys? Five will play. We got two? Two will play.

    "Eli Bowen played well last year, so he played a lot. Last year, Eli started the season off hurt, so we wanted to get him in there but he couldn't play the first two or three games, but as soon as he was ready to roll, he took the job. So, seeing his progression, they know what it is. Best guy is going to play, and they're really excited about that too. "

 

I saw where a SoonerScoop moderator was saying that they had five CBs they could play, which sounds like a strength. I’ve been paying attention long enough to know that “5 CBs that can play” really means “five bodies at CB, and none have separated themself”. 

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Posted
14 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Separately, Fasusi being a starter isn’t like Banks being a starter. This dude needs time. Them rushing him to the starting lineup because the other guys suck worse is quite the thing for their idiot gurus to tout. 

Also spent a lot of $$$ on Fasusi. They want to see immediate return. 

Posted

Summary of latest OU Breakdown with Lehman and Ikard: 

True or redshirt freshmen that will play a significant

role this season: 

- Reiterating that Fasusi might start at LT, and "that's why we paid him all that money".  Quick, smart, tough. Has improved a lot since the Spring. Mention Kelvin Banks's success as freshman. 

- RB Tory Blaylock doesn't look like a freshman and is ready to play. Been running with the 2s. Not bad in pass pro. Fast, quick, explosive. Put on 20 pounds in the offseason. The excitement is off the charts with this guy. Even with healthy Ott, they expect Blaylock to get lots of touches. 

- OL Ryan Fodje - he is everything OU staff was hoping he would be. He will play "a lot" in opener vs. Illinois State. Gigantic bruiser at RG. 

- WR Elijah Thomas - too explosive and too dynamic not to play significant snaps. Future superstar per Lehman. They expect big moments from him this year but needs to improve in technical aspects. 

- EDGE Danny Okoye -  Gabe and Teddy getting hard talking about his frame. "NFL ready body type".  Ability off the charts, still raw. Has made tremendous strides in one year. Should be rushing the passer on 3rd and long. Will be in the 4 guy rotation at DE. 

- DB Courtland Guillory - they will be shocked if he's not playing significant snaps this year. Ikard thinks he could be best cover corner on roster. Lehman is more cautious and wants to see how he responds to adversity in a real game, but still says he's been "shockingly great". Been practicing with the 1s. 

- DB Jeremiah Newcombe - can play multiple positions, reminds Lehman of Bowman. Physical, shifty. He will play, but they're not sure where. 

 

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Posted
14 minutes ago, Hank Kingsley said:

Summary of latest OU Breakdown with Lehman and Ikard: 

True or redshirt freshmen that will play a significant

role this season: 

- Reiterating that Fasusi might start at LT, and "that's why we paid him all that money".  Quick, smart, tough. Has improved a lot since the Spring. Mention Kelvin Banks's success as freshman. 

- RB Tory Blaylock doesn't look like a freshman and is ready to play. Been running with the 2s. Not bad in pass pro. Fast, quick, explosive. Put on 20 pounds in the offseason. The excitement is off the charts with this guy. Even with healthy Ott, they expect Blaylock to get lots of touches. 

- OL Ryan Fodje - he is everything OU staff was hoping he would be. He will play "a lot" in opener vs. Illinois State. Gigantic bruiser at RG. 

- WR Elijah Thomas - too explosive and too dynamic not to play significant snaps. Future superstar per Lehman. They expect big moments from him this year but needs to improve in technical aspects. 

- EDGE Danny Okoye -  Gabe and Teddy getting hard talking about his frame. "NFL ready body type".  Ability off the charts, still raw. Has made tremendous strides in one year. Should be rushing the passer on 3rd and long. Will be in the 4 guy rotation at DE. 

- DB Courtland Guillory - they will be shocked if he's not playing significant snaps this year. Ikard thinks he could be best cover corner on roster. Lehman is more cautious and wants to see how he responds to adversity in a real game, but still says he's been "shockingly great". Been practicing with the 1s. 

- DB Jeremiah Newcombe - can play multiple positions, reminds Lehman of Bowman. Physical, shifty. He will play, but they're not sure where. 

 

Either they just evaluated laps around the rest of the field with signees from the last few classes or these guys are completely full of shit. Fasusi, Thomas and Fodje were highly ranked, but two of those guys are OL. Starting true freshmen on the OL should be rare and due to absurd skills. I knew they'd start using the Banks comparison if they started talking about starting Fasusi. It's bullshit. That will be fun to watch. Fodje playing a lot when all they've been doing is talking up their returning OL is comical. If that dude is pushing for heavy PT, your returners sucked as we suspected. 

Thomas was a national 150 guy, but he's being mentioned because their WR room is both dogshit and a mash unit. Thomas is good at everything but doesn't have an elite skill/talent. He will be interesting to watch if they rush him out there. 

Okoye's hype I can believe. 

Guillory's hype I don't believe. They *need* one of their young CBs to be good, in the same vein as Bowen last year. Haynes apparently hasn't shown much, so Guillory needs to be that guy. Their secondary is taking reps against that shitty WR room and shittier TE room. The okies do not seem to be capable of wrapping their heads around the perils of analyzing performance in a zero sum setting. 

The Newcombe guy is JAG-certified. If he's playing, I'm laughing. 

Blaylock was so talented and awesome that Texas, LSU, ATM, and Bama never pushed, even though he visited each school unofficially multiple times. Again, they *need* this guy to be good. Ott already got dinged up. Barnes is replacement value talent. The other RBs are all jaggy and hurt. Blaylock has been getting reps out of necessity. 

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Posted
6 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Okoye's hype I can believe. 

Interestingly, this was the one guy they were most tempered about, at least for this year. They basically insinuated he could be a liability if an offense uses any misdirection, and a simple pass rush is the ideal way to use him. 

Posted

On SoonerScoop, someone checked with the Fasusi camp, and the kid got a couple of IVs last night and expects to be back at practice, soon. (I think they are being optimistic). 
 
Also, their indoor facility doesn’t have AC, yet. 

Posted
1 hour ago, kevwun said:

What's the point of an indoor facility that isn't climate controlled?

They had to spend the money earmarked for the a/c on Fasusi's signature last year... oh the irony.

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Posted
3 hours ago, statsman said:

On SoonerScoop, someone checked with the Fasusi camp, and the kid got a couple of IVs last night and expects to be back at practice, soon. (I think they are being optimistic). 
 
Also, their indoor facility doesn’t have AC, yet. 

Yet, fucking TCU has had a climate controlled indoor facility for well over 10 years and OU can't find someone to do their HVAC work at a good price?  

Where the hell did the SEC go?  

Posted
4 hours ago, statsman said:

On SoonerScoop, someone checked with the Fasusi camp, and the kid got a couple of IVs last night and expects to be back at practice, soon. (I think they are being optimistic). 
 
Also, their indoor facility doesn’t have AC, yet. 

You may be conflating how Fasusi should be handled by a reputable staff after the heat issue with how the Sooners will handle him.  If he's concious they'll have him back on the practice field.

Posted
3 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Here’s an article where the writer attempts to put lipstick on a pig with the WR room. He tries to talk up a bunch of guys that played last year and looked like total ass. Remember, these guys were a big excuse for their season. “Their top 5 WRs were out!” Well, then if that was an issue, the guys playing must suck, and they did.  Yeah, they were young too. Now they’ve had more time to develop and Emmett Jones still doesn’t want to start any of them. 

Then the writer tries to sell the reader on the transfers and hypes a guy who couldn’t get on the field at UCLA or Wiscy and had to go to Southern Illinois to put up decent numbers. Next up is Sategna, from Arkansas, and his 1 TD receiving last year to go with less than 500 yards. 

He concludes with “if only the Gibsons were healthy, that’s who Jones is relying on to start with Burks.” Jayden Gibson didn’t play last year and then shredded his patellar tendon a second time in early rehab. This is a guy they’re counting on to start? He’s still not even going through drills. The other dude broke his leg in spring camp and now they’re surprised he might be taking longer than they expected to come back. Can’t win without those UAPB transfers!

For those wondering if it is wishful thinking that OU is overhyping their roster this year, just read this article and think about what we know about their WRs. 

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Position battles: How WR coach gave himself options at wide receiver

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  • James D Jackson avatar
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    NORMAN – The many struggles and injuries the Sooners' wide receiver room faced last season have been well documented. The top five receivers missed significant parts of the season, which took the playmakers off the field. For a group that was supposed to be one of the strongest on the offensive side of the ball, it ended up being one of the worst. With multiple injuries, the six receivers OU lost following the 2024 season combined for 41 receptions and 690 yards in 2024. 

     

    Emmett Jones has countered by retaining Deion Burks and Jayden Gibson, and bringing back a group of second-year players highlighted by Zion Kearney, Jacob Jordan, Ivan Carreon, and Zion Ragins. OU also brought in freshmen Elijah Thomas and Manny Choice, who have already created some buzz for themselves. That's already a good amount of receivers, but it appears OU took a strength in numbers this season as they brought in five transfers as well: Javonnie Gibson, Isaiah Sategna, Keontez Lewis, Jer'Michael Carter, and Josiah Martin. The transfers OU added this offseason combined for 205 receptions and 3,145 yards in 2024 for their respective teams.

     

    It's a loaded room in terms of available bodies; only Jayden Gibson and Javonnie Gibson are out nursing injuries. The issue is, however, that the Gibsons were the likely starters alongside Deion Burks. That's left some opportunities for other guys. One player who is expected to play a significant amount of time is Arkansastransfer Isaiah Sategna. Last year, he totaled 37 receptions for 491 yards and one touchdown.

     

     

    "He's been in the SEC," Jones said of Sategna. "His dad is a head track coach in this conference, so he's one of those guys. His mom, an Olympic sprinter, so he's just blessed with all kinds of genetics. I just constantly put pressure on him…

     

    "He's done stepped up to the table, man. That's one dude, man, he approaches everything like a pro. He approaches everything — every day, like right now, he's probably in the cold tub. Just details as far as taking care of the body, he does things the right way as far as his nutrition intake, the rest — all the details that make you a special player, man, he's already blessed with it, maximized."

     

    Lewis is also someone Jones has seen good things from. Lewis began his career at UCLAand Wisconsin before his most recent stop at Southern Illinois. There, he totaled 49 receptions for 790 yards and five touchdowns.

     

    "I got a chance to watch him during his junior and senior year of high school, so he was special then. I wanted him at that time," Jones said. "Keontez is different, man. He's a dog. He loves to compete, loves to fight for the ball and is so smart when it comes to playing the wide receiver position. Some people ask me who he reminds me of, and he's cut from — I would say CeeDee (Lamb), Nic Anderson. Those type of guys when it comes to just knowing the position, smart, just playing fast and knowing what's going on in the back end, understanding route concept, spacing, coach up guys on the field with him."

     

    But in reality, outside of Burks, it's unclear who could be a starter for the season-opener. For guys like Jordan, Kearney, Carreon, and Ragins, Jones believes that being thrown into the fire last season was crucial to their current development. All four of them burned their redshirts last year, playing in seven or more games each. But when the depth chart is released for the season-opener against Illinois State, it's tough to know who will be the starters. But Jones has multiple options this time around.

 

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Posted

We've unfortunately seen a lot of the same bullshit over the past 40 years that OU fans are bathing in this preseason.

During the Charlie seasons, as an example, all of the optimism was built solely on hope and hype. Shit like, we can be good if (insert 3-5 different position groups) exceed expectations. And here's an example of one guy who's a real try-hard who is "impressing in camp".

The "Impressing in camp" nonsense is almost as worthless as the annual off-season hype about players who have added 15 lbs of muscle. I have watched this game long enough to know that no one ever went from Dusty Renfro to Ray Lewis by adding 15 lbs of muscle. 

In summary, when your preseason hopes and dreams are tied to that many fucking IFs, I can tell you from decades of experience that it ain't gonna end well. 

 

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Posted

Venables has two losing seasons in 3 years.  He doesn’t recruit well.  I wouldn’t be optimistic if I was them.  Maybe arbuckle is a savant and mateer is great.  If so, they will still lose at least 4.  

Posted
3 hours ago, AugieBall said:

Zion Ragins sounds like Dusty Dvoracek at a church gathering where they serve alcohol.

Dvoracek is calling the Irish Bowl this weekend. He must really be confident and secure in his sobriety journey to feel okay on that island. Alcoholism isn't a concept that has reached the shores of the Emerald Isle yet, as far I've been able to discern. 

Posted
2 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Dvoracek is calling the Irish Bowl this weekend. He must really be confident and secure in his sobriety journey to feel okay on that island. Alcoholism isn't a concept that has reached the shores of the Emerald Isle yet, as far I've been able to discern. 

He has really redeemed himself.  He was basically Lattimer from the Program at OU.  I love a redemption story, so I kind of like the guy now.  He is also pretty good at his job in an industry where so many just mail it in.

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