2019 Football Preview

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HURTS: LEAD CHARACTER RILEY: third time’s the trophy?

GRINCH: NEED FOR ‘SPEeD D’ LAMB: GOES OUT LIKE A LION 5-stars: three share similar stories

FOOTBALL PREVIEW’19

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TABLE OF CONTENTS BEST OF 2018 PHOTOS RILEY: THIRD TIME’S THE TROPHY? SEASON PREVIEWS JALEN HURTS: LEAD CHARACTER LAMB GOING OUT LIKE A LION NEED FOR ‘SPEED D’ THREE 5-STARS PLAYERS TO WATCH

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BEST OF 2018 Kyler Murray put the Sooners within one touchdown of Texas with this 67-yard touchdown run in the 2018 Red River Rivalry game. With 5:11 to go in the fourth quarter, I was thinking it might lead to more Golden Hat photos for OU. The shot captures a rare celebratory moment from the typically even-keeled quarterback, who would be drafted No. 1 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Watching him through a 300mm lens gave me a unique perspective into how he reached the end zone and what he was feeling as he crossed the goal line. But the game ended in a 4845 Longhorn victory, so I’m sure the distraught Texas cheerleaders were eventually the ones celebrating.

CAITLYN EPES

RIVALRY RALLY 5

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BEST OF 2018 This shot captures OU’s Tre Brown sacking Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger more than 7 yards in the backfield for a safety. With 8:27 left in the fourth quarter, the play gave OU 2 points, the ball and a good shot to clinch its fourth-straight Big 12 Championship. OU was already ahead 3 points, but the safety put the team up 5 — and the ensuing drive gave Kyler Murray, Trey Sermon and the offense the opportunity to score and burn more than six minutes off the clock.

I don’t think anyone was expecting this play to happen, especially given how much OU’s defense had struggled back in the Red River Rivalry game. I didn’t even know that I captured this moment until after the celebration had ended. I wish the framing of this photo could have been a little wider, but the moment was so unexpected that I didn’t get a chance to think about my camera settings.

CAITLYN EPES

HORNS DOWN

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BEST OF 2018 Trey Sermon’s ability to always find the right gap at the right time made him one of the most photogenic players throughout the 201819 season. He weaved through the defenders right toward my lens in OU’s 52-27 victory over TCU — I love this shot because it shows Sermon’s focus on getting through the defense.

It was taken during one of Sermon’s shorter runs, but the play displayed his physical running style just as much as his 33-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Keeping my camera on No. 4 proved to be a rewarding choice because of photos like this one.

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THIRD TIME’S THE

TROPHY? CALEB MCCOURRY · @CALEBMAC21

Lincoln Riley has all the tools for success with his elite offense and upgraded defense. Will his third season bring OU its eighth national championship?

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n his Highland Park dining room in Dallas, Texas, former Dallas Cowboys vice president of player personnel Gil Brandt has an 11-by-14-inch picture of himself and Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley. The only other picture in the room is a picture of Brandt and his wife, Sara.

“That should tell you how much we think of him,” Brandt said.

Brandt, 86, has known Riley since they met in 2009, a year before Riley left Texas Tech for East Carolina. The ex-Cowboys executive was making trips to colleges to remind coaching staffs of the do’s and don’ts of recruiting — a subject Riley has always had his eyes on.

During the meeting, Riley showed real curiosity, asking Brandt about his career and showcasing one of his best coaching attributes — the ability to connect with just about anyone.

“He has a great rapport for people,” Brandt said. “It was everlasting, and still is, my feel for him. ... The guy is more than a friend to me.”

Since then, Brandt has been watching Riley rise through the ranks of college football — all the way from being the wide receivers coach at Texas Tech to making College Football Playoff appearances in each of his two years as Oklahoma’s head coach. He’s watched Riley refine OU’s offense into a national powerhouse while brushing off NFL rumors. Riley is determined to bring a national championship to Norman.

Now, after an offseason of potentially career-defining additions — good or bad — to the program, Riley is poised for another stellar season in his third year as the Sooners’ head coach.

Alabama transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts has arrived in Norman to likely replace former Oklahoma star Kyler Murray. And new defensive coordinator Alex Grinch — considered an up-and-comer in the college football world — is expected to turn around OU’s lackluster defense.

Those close to Riley think he can win with any squad. But anyone can see what Riley has this season might be a recipe for success.

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PHOTO BY JORDAN MILLER

In his two years leading OU, Riley has had an explosive offense with some of the nation’s best quarterbacks to lead it. Yet both years he’s come up short of hoisting the College Football National Championship trophy.

A blocked field goal in the 2018 Rose Bowl and a devastating first quarter in the 201819 Orange Bowl have stopped Riley from a chance at being crowned a national champion in the college football history book.

“I think we’re right on the doorstep,” Riley said after Oklahoma’s 45-34 loss to Alabama in the Orange Bowl. “There’s no doubt.”

Riley may be able to break through with his offseason pickups in Hurts, Grinch and a talented group of recruits, along with some returning star power.

“I just would never bet against Lincoln Riley or probably never bet against Oklahoma,” said Donnie Kirkpatrick, East Carolina’s offensive coordinator and longtime friend of Riley’s. “That’s a pretty good combination: Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma. They’re gonna win it. It’s just a matter of when it’s gonna happen.”

‘THEY GOT JALEN HURTS.’ On July 14 at Big 12 Media Days, Riley was perplexed to hear a reporter say that his offense — which has finished as the No. 1 offense in the country the last two seasons — should expect “a dip.”

Losing Murray, who threw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns in his junior season, and four members of a nationally acclaimed offensive line could be a critical concern for one of the most elite college offenses in the last two years as they begin the new season.

But Riley isn’t new to hearing doubts.

Murray also wasn’t supposed to achieve what now-Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield had done in his time at Oklahoma.

Riley’s relentlessness in keeping a certain standard after losing players goes back before he came to OU.

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Going into the 2012 season, Riley — then the offensive coordinator at East Carolina — had to deal with the departure of the Pirates’ superstar quarterback, Dominique Davis. Davis threw for 7,192 yards and 62 touchdowns in his two years at ECU and held the school’s all-time passing touchdowns record. He was the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

“He was their MVP. How will you replace that? They (didn’t) have anybody that’s hardly played any,” said Kirkpatrick, who was ECU’s inside receivers coach at the time.

Enter Shane Carden, who didn’t win the starting job at the beginning of the season due to an off-season injury. In Riley’s offensive system, Carden threw for 3,116 yards and 23 touchdowns in 10 games as the starter.

He was the Pirates’ starter for two more years, crushing all of the schools’ records — including Davis’. Carden threw for 11,991 yards and 86 touchdowns in his career at ECU, and now holds the program’s all-time record in passing yards (career, single season, single game), passing touchdowns (career) and total touchdowns (career, single game).

“I think (Riley) enjoys, as we all do, you enjoy getting the new guy up to that speed,” Kirkpatrick said. “As a coach, that’s what you live for, if you can help him get a little bit better. That’s what makes your day. And (Riley) thrives on that.”

Fast forward to when Riley lost Mayfield to the NFL in the 2018 NFL Draft. A quarterback battle between now-West Virginia quarterback Austin Kendall and Murray left the impression that neither of them would come close to Mayfield’s 2017-18 Heisman season, where he accumulated 4,627 passing yards and 49 touchdowns.

Murray won the job, and went above and beyond expectations playing after Mayfield — he totaled 5,362 yards and 54 touchdowns, while taking home Oklahoma’s second consecutive Heisman Trophy and No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Riley hasn’t just survived doubt in his coaching career — he’s overcome it. Which is why, at Big 12 Media Days, Riley told the college football world he’s not expecting offensive production to decrease.

“We don’t plan on the offense dipping,” Riley said. “We definitely expect our defense to be better. I don’t think there’s any doubt.”

Oklahoma now has Hurts. As of Aug. 13, Riley said Hurts hasn’t won the starting job yet, but it’s unlikely Hurts came from Tuscaloosa to sit on the bench. He isn’t entering the limelight as a no-name, like Carden did at ECU. Hurts is a national championship quarterback who played under Alabama head coach Nick Saban, accumulating a 26-2 record as a starter for the Crimson Tide.

Like Carden, Mayfield and Murray before him, Hurts is Riley’s new project on offense. But unlike Carden, Mayfield and Murray, Hurts brings something Riley is still trying to achieve: a national title.

“They got Jalen Hurts,” Kirkpatrick said. “I don’t see that going anywhere, except maybe even better.”

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‘THEY HAVE A LOOK IN THEIR EYES AND IT SCARES YOU JUST A LITTLE BIT.’ Former Oregon head coach and ESPN analyst Mike Bellotti, whose College Football Hall of Fame coaching career spans 35 years, knows the importance of having talent on the field year-in and year-out. But rosters change every year and, especially for a head coach, there needs to be consistency on the coaching staff.

For a coach who specializes in offense, Bellotti says it’s helpful for that anchor to be the defensive coordinator.

“It’s tough to play defense nowadays. And so for an offensive-minded coach, especially when you’re gonna go to a huddle and take chances and roll the dice,” Bellotti said. “I think you gotta have a guy on defense, one, that is comfortable with what you do, (and) two, that trusts you and that you can trust and is gonna put the kids in a position to have success.”

After ascending from his role as Oregon’s offensive coordinator to head coach at the age of 44, Bellotti went through six offensive coordinators in his time as Oregon’s head coach. He never had one stay for more than three seasons.

But on the defensive side of the ball, Bellotti had defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti from 1999 until Bellotti’s retirement in 2008.

“My focus for the most part was always on offense. I wanted somebody on defense that I could trust,” Bellotti said. “Nick Aliotti is one of those kinds of guys. … It helps to have somebody you trust on defense.”

With Aliotti by his side, Bellot-

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ti coached the Ducks to two Pac 10 Championships, five bowl wins and an 86-38 record.

After spending two seasons with a defense that clearly held the Sooners back, Riley might finally have his own defensive anchor: Grinch.

Arguably Riley’s best hire as head coach, Grinch brings an intensity that the Sooners could’ve used in the last two seasons. The intensity comes from Grinch’s signature scheme, called “Speed D” — a type of defense that emphasizes aggressive play and forcing turnovers.

“There’s certain guys you know should be defensive coordinators.

They have a look in their eyes and it scares you just a little bit,” Bellotti said. “(Grinch) gets your attention.”

Grinch took Washington State’s defense from No. 97 in the nation in total defense upon his arrival in 2014 to No. 16 in 2017 as the Cougars’ defensive coordinator, before leaving to become co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State.

Riley doesn’t even need the No. 16 defense in the nation to be successful. He and the Sooners made it to the College Football Playoff twice with a defense that’s been at the bottom nationally in defensive statistics. It came down to defensive stops that weren’t made — Georgia running back Sony Michel’s walk-off overtime touchdown in the 2018 Rose Bowl and 28 unanswered points from Alabama to start the 2018-19 Orange Bowl — that kept the Sooners from reaching the title game.

If Grinch even gets close to doing what he did at Washington State, Riley can have a sigh of relief.

“If he continues to put defense as a priority … and (the Sooners) continue with the offensive tradition that they had lately, then certainly they’re going

to be not just competing for the Big 12 Championship, but competing on a national basis for the playoff system,” Bellotti said. “Having already been there a few times and having, seemingly, a transitional quarterback that can keep them at the top. And hopefully with some improvements on defense, they should be right in the thick of it.”

‘NO PERSON’S PERFECT. ...THIS GUY IS AS CLOSE AS IT COMES.’ Brandt calls Riley “a young Tom Landry.”

The late Landry was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, where his coaching career for the program spanned 29 seasons. He won two Super Bowls and tallied 270 wins in the NFL. Brandt makes the comparison to Landry to show how he thinks Riley knows both sides of the ball.

“Let me tell you about Lincoln Riley,” Brandt said over the phone. “He is extremely qualified as a football coach because he knows both offense and defense. Oklahoma is so lucky to have him, and whatever they’re paying him, it’s a steal.”

Riley’s high school coach, David Wood, feels the same way.

Wood, who retired from Muleshoe High School in 2018 after coaching at the program for 22 years, knows Riley has the ability to lead a program on both sides of the ball. He’s seen Riley serve as a player-coach and team leader when Riley was a star quarterback in his junior and senior high school seasons. But first, Wood watched Riley develop on defense.

“He started on defense for us before he started on offense for us. He took that very seriously,” Wood said. “He knew the importance of defense. We talked it all the time.”

In his sophomore year, Riley had injured his throwing shoulder in an offseason scrimmage, which prevented him from winning the starting quarterback position. Wood, however, thought he was too valuable to bench for the season. So Wood had Riley wear a harness around his shoulder and start at defensive end.

Wood had always seen Riley’s offensive mind at work in the film room and when Riley would go up to coaches suggesting plays during games. But when he started playing on defense, Wood realized Riley’s attention to detail, and noticed him become a leader on the defense. Riley picked up defense just as fast as he had picked up offense.

“He was another coach on the field for us with the rest of the players,” Wood said. “You can’t teach that. He just had it. The kids would listen to him. He’s just one of those kinds of guys.

“He’s got that mind. I’m telling you he’s the quarterback coach right now but he could be the defensive end coach right now and his defensive ends would be the best defensive ends in the nation. … He sees the little things. He sees whether you’re three inches off in your stance. He just sees things like that.”

And Riley just might have collected all the pieces OU needs to go the distance.

“I’ve been telling people about this guy for eight years,” Brandt said. “No person’s perfect. … This guy is as close as it comes.”

PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

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SEASON PR

HOUSTON S E P T. 1 Oklahoma’s Sunday night season opener Sept. 1 against Houston will be almost exactly three years after the Sooners lost to the Cougars, 33-23. Both programs look different than in 2016.

Then-Houston head coach Tom Herman got the better of Bob Stoops and the Sooners at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Cougars’ offense tallied 410 total yards against the struggling Oklahoma defense, and ran away with the game after a 100-yard touchdown return from a missed field goal from Austin Seibert in the third quarter.

This year’s matchup will feature head coach Lincoln Riley, along with new arrivals defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts. Riley, Grinch, Hurts and the Sooners will face off against Houston and the team’s new head coach Dana Holgorsen, who spent the last eight seasons leading West Virginia.

Holgorsen will coach a Houston program that finished the 2018-19 season 8-5 and lost 70-14 to Army in the Armed Forces Bowl. D’Eriq King will return at starting quarterback after throwing 2,982 yards and 36 touchdowns in the 2018 season. Notable returning Sooners are junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, a solid running back duo in Trey Sermon and Kennedy Brooks, and redshirt sophomore Creed Humphrey one season after he was part of the offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award for the best collegiate offensive line in the country.

The main storyline for the match, though, will be if Grinch’s defense can hold up to the hype. It’ll be his first test as an Oklahoma coach.

CALEB MCCOURRY · @CALEBMAC21 PHOTO BY SIANDHARA BONNET

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SOUTH DAKOTA S E P T. 7

Oklahoma’s matchup with South Dakota on Sept. 7 marks the first time the Sooners have faced a Football Championship Subdivision opponent since 2012. South Dakota struggled during the 2018-19 season, finishing 4-7 overall. The Coyotes were close to pulling off an upset last year in their opening game against Kansas State, but they were unable to overcome two late Wildcat touchdowns.

Defense was a major part of South Dakota’s struggles last season. Opposing offenses averaged 34.2 points per game and 210 yards rushing last season. Oklahoma will try to take advantage of this weakness and match its strong offensive performances in the 2018-19 season, when the team rushed for 247 yards per game and 6.6 yards per attempt on average.

The Coyotes’ passing game behind then-junior quarterback Austin Simmons was one of the team’s strengths in the 2018-19 season, when he passed for 3,124 yards and 18 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Simmons led his conference and was fourth in the FCS in passing yards. With a new Sooner defensive coordinator and scheme after a tough season for the OU defense, South Dakota’s offense may try to take some shots early against a defense that’s hungry to prove itself.

TARIK MASRI · @TARIKM_OFFICIAL PHOTO PROVIDED BY GOYOTES.COM

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ucla S E P T. 1 4

The Sooners will visit the Rose Bowl for their first road game of the 2019 campaign — it’s the same place where the team lost to Georgia in the 2018 College Football Playoff semifinal. The Bruins, who finished the 2018 season with their lowest win total (3) since 1989, will face OU. UCLA has plenty of reasons to believe it may improve in 2019.

Just as there was in 2018, the primary source of optimism for the Bruins revolves around second-year head coach Chip Kelly. He turned the Pac-12 on its head with a 46-7 record in four years as Oregon’s head coach (2009-12). Kelly’s first year at UCLA saw the Bruins lose their first five games — including a 49-21 road loss against the Sooners — but signs of life late in the season give the UCLA fans a reason to look forward to a possible seven-or eight-win season in 2019.

Kelly has a reputation for garnering victories from his unique up-tempo concepts, and an offseason of development for sophomore quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (7 TDs, 4 INT, 57.7 passer rating in seven starts), senior running back Joshua Kelley (1,243 yards in 2018), top wide receiver target Theo Howard (4 TDs, 677 yards last year) and the offensive line could see the Bruins emerge as a sleeper team in the Pac-12 South. The matchup between Kelly’s rebuilding offense and Lincoln Riley’s rebuilding defense under first-year coordinator Alex Grinch will be one to watch for in Pasadena.

Although Oklahoma rolled the Bruins 49-21 in 2018 in Norman, it was just Kelly’s first year at the helm of UCLA. Kelly will have a better feel for his program, and with Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Kyler Murray gone, as well as four nationally acclaimed offensive linemen drafted from the Sooners, Kelly will be more prepared this season.

JORDAN GLEDHILL · @J_GLED PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

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The Red Raiders haven’t beaten the Sooners in their last seven meetings, but their air raid offense has proven difficult to stop. Texas Tech has averaged 34.1 points per game in those losses.

Despite former head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s move to the NFL, Texas Tech is looking to bring a high-powered offense to Lubbock. Matt Wells, a two-time Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year from Utah State, is at the helm in 2019.

Alan Bowman is the presumptive starter at quarterback for the Red Raiders in the upcoming season. Injury issues limited Bowman to just eight games in 2018, but he proved to be one of the most promising young quarterbacks in the nation during his time on the field. In just two quarters of play against Oklahoma on Nov. 3, Bowman was 21-for-26, threw for 227 yards, two touchdowns and led Texas Tech to a 31-28 halftime lead. But a lung injury sidelined him for the second half and the Sooners won, 51-46.

Wide receiver T.J. Vasher is back for his junior season and will likely be Bowman’s go-to option in the air. In 2018, Vasher ranked third on the team in receptions (54) and receiving yards (687), and second in touchdowns (7). Along with Vasher, Bowman will look to rely on senior wide receiver Seth Collins and running back Ta’zhawn Henry (who totaled 341 yards and eight touchdowns in 2018).

The Red Raider defense is in a similar position to the Sooner defense in 2019. After allowing 31.1 points per game in 2018 (ranked No. 44 in the nation), Texas Tech brings a defense focused on creating turnovers.

VIC REYNOLDS · @VICAREYNOLDS PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

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The Sooners’ first in-conference road game comes Oct. This year’s Red River Rivalry game could see both the 5 against Kansas. Oklahoma is 76-27-6 against the JayLonghorns and Sooners in the top 10 of the AP Poll for hawks, with its last loss being in 1997. the first time since 2008, increasing the stakes for one of The Jayhawks scared the Sooners last year in Norman college football’s most storied rivalries. behind then-freshman running back Pooka Williams Jr., The “Texas is Back” tour will cross paths Oct. 12 with who had 252 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just the Big 12’s gold standard in recent years, an Oklahoma 15 carries. In a high-scoring fourth quarter with six touchteam that in 2018 won its fourth straight conference tidowns between the two teams, the Sooners were able to tle and clinched its second consecutive College Football hold off Kansas for a 55-40 win in Norman.

Playoff bid.

Kansas struggled throughout the 2018-19 season on On the heels of a 10-win season that saw the Longhorns both sides of the ball. They averaged 23.8 points per seemingly re-enter the aura of elite college football, the game which ranked No. 106 in the country while giving team begins head coach Tom Herman’s third season with up 30 points per game which ranks No. 82. sky high expectations. A six-win stretch during the 2018 But things are expected to change for Kansas this year season — highlighted by a 48-45 victory over the Soonunder new head coach Les Miles. Miles is no stranger ers in October — helped Texas earn a spot in the Sugar to the Big 12, having coached at Oklahoma State from Bowl, where it took down No. 5 Georgia, 28-21.

2001-2004. Miles brings much-needed coaching experiJunior quarterback Sam Ehlinger, fresh off a season in ence, coaching at LSU from 2005-2016 and helping the which he racked up the second most touchdowns by a Tigers to the 2007 national championship. quarterback in school history, is the presumptive leader Sophomore running back Pooka Williams Jr. will look of the offense and a possible Heisman candidate headto build on an impressive freshman season in which he ing into the season. earned All-Big 12 offensive freshman honors. Williams Behind him in the backfield will likely be a strong pair finished third in the Big 12 with 1,125 yards rushing. of running backs — sophomore Keaontay Ingram and On the defensive side of the ball, Kansas lost five startfreshman Jordan Whittington — Ehlinger’s likely No. 1 ers from last season and will be implementing a 3-4 deoption at receiver will be 6-foot-6 senior Collin Johnson. fense under new defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot.

Johnson torched the Oklahoma corners for a combined Kansas should be a tougher opponent than they have 258 yards and two touchdowns in the two OU-Texas been in the recent past. And if anything, at least Miles games last season. brings some excitement to what’s been a lackluster proThe defense has the task of replacing nine starters from gram. last year’s squad but will return 2018 Freshman All-American Caden Sterns at safety.

TARIK MASRI · @TARIKM_OFFICIAL As long as the burnt orange stands across from the PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES crimson and cream, the Cotton Bowl won’t be soft come October.

JORDAN GLEDHILL · @J_GLED PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

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west kansas virginia @state O C T. 1 9

West Virginia has been a marquee matchup for Oklahoma in the past few years, but that will likely change in 2019. The Mountaineers are losing head coach Dana Holgorsen, quarterback Will Grier, and wide receivers David Sills and Gary Jennings Jr. Replacing Grier will most likely be former Sooner Austin Kendall, who spent 2018 and 2019 playing behind Heisman Trophy winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Despite the loss of Sills and Jennings, Kendall will have a deep and talented backfield with Kennedy McKoy, Martell Pettaway and Leddie Brown. The trio combined for over 1,800 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns in 2018.

But the wide receiver position seems to have more question marks than first-year head coach Neal Brown might like. The most productive returning receiver will be T.J. Simmons, whose 2018 campaign featured 28 catches for 341 yards and just a single touchdown.

The secondary is losing its top four safeties, one to graduation and three to the NCAA transfer portal, but it will retain its top two cornerbacks from 2018. At linebacker, David Long Jr. will be tough to replace — he led the team in total tackles, tackles for loss and sacks.

The unit that looks best for the Mountaineer defense is its line. With all but one projected starter for the defensive line, the unit will bring a lot of experience to a defense that is lacking in upperclassman leadership.

VIC REYNOLDS · @VICAREYNOLDS PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

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The Sooners beat the Wildcats 51-14 in 2018 behind Kyler Murray’s 352 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Kennedy Brooks rushed for 94 yards on just five carries including an 86-yard touchdown run to begin the second half. The Sooners offense had 702 total yards while holding Kansas State to just 245.

The Wildcats will be under new management in 201920 following the departure of head coach Bill Snyder, whose first tenure with the team began back in 1989.

New head coach Chris Klieman had success at North Dakota State, where he won four FCS championships in five years.

Kansas State ranked last in the Big 12 with 22.5 points per game and 344.7 yards per game in 2018-19. New offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham will take over an offense that returns junior quarterback Skylar Thompson, but is losing its top four running backs from last season. Graduate transfer James Gilbert is expected to take over ball-carrying duties after rushing for 2,806 yards at Ball State.

One of Klieman’s strengths is his ability to coach defenses, and the Wildcats return numerous starters from a team that allowed just 25 points per game last season.

The defense is led up front by senior defensive tackle Trey Dishon and senior defensive end Reggie Walker. The secondary could be a big question mark for Klieman’s squad.

TARIK MASRI · @TARIKM_OFFICIAL PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

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IOWA STATE

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Baylor ranked second to last in the Big 12 with a 1-11 record in 2017, but first-year head coach Matt Rhule led the Bears to a 7-6 season in 2018. With eight starters returning from an offense that averaged 29.5 points per So far in head coach Lincoln Riley’s two-year tenure as game, Rhule’s squad will strive for similar improvement Oklahoma’s head coach, only Iowa State has managed to in 2019. beat the Sooners at Owen Field. In their last two meetQuarterback Charlie Brewer is entering his third seaings, the Cyclones pulled off an astonishing 38-31 upset son as a starter for the Bears. Brewer had a solid sophover Oklahoma in 2017, and they put up a respectable omore campaign in 2018, throwing for 3,019 yards and performance that ended in a 37-27 loss in 2018.

19 touchdowns, including a 400-yard, two-touchdown Going into 2019, Iowa State’s season could ride on the performance in a 66-33 loss to Oklahoma on Sept. 29. performance of sophomore quarterback Brock Purdy. AfBrewer is also a threat on the ground, with seven running ter starting the year 1-3 with Purdy on the bench, coach touchdowns and 375 rushing yards.

Matt Campbell called on him to start and the Cyclones Brewer’s weapons include senior wide receiver Denwent 7-2 the rest of the season. During his freshman zel Mims, who has racked up nearly 2,000 yards and 16 campaign, he ranked 15th nationally in completion pertouchdowns in his career, as well as Tyquan Thornton and centage at 66.4 percent, throwing for 2,250 yards and 16 Jared Atkinson, both solid contributors in 2018. On the touchdowns. ground, the Bears will likely utilize a tandem of juniors in Unfortunately for Purdy and the rest of the offense, the running backs John Lovett and Trestan Ebner. Lovett led Cyclones will have the tall task of replacing running back the team in rushing yards in 2017 and 2018, and Ebner David Montgomery and wide receiver Hakeem Butler afran for 90 yards and a touchdown in Baylor’s 45-38 win ter both left for the NFL. over Vanderbilt in the Texas Bowl.

At running back, veterans Kene Nwangwu, Sheldon Like much of the Big 12, concerns surrounding BayCroney and Johnnie Lang will all have opportunities for lor are on the defensive side of the ball. The Bears only carries. Wide receivers Tarique Milton and Deshaunte managed to force 10 turnovers in 2018, which ranked last Jones will likely be Purdy’s top targets in the receiving in the Big 12 and No. 129 nationally. All three starting corps. linebackers are returning, including the team’s leading Iowa State had one of the most formidable defenses in tackler in Clay Johnston. the Big 12 in 2018. Their 22.9 points per game allowed The secondary saw a lot of issues in spring practice, as were the fewest in the conference. The defensive line two players were injured, one transferred and three split should be able to maintain last season’s performance, time between football and track. As it has been the last with All-Big 12 honorees JaQuan Bailey and Ray Lima several years with Baylor and Oklahoma, fans can expect returning at defensive end and defensive tackle, respeca high-scoring affair in Waco. tively.

JORDAN GLEDHILL · @J_GLED PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

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VIC REYNOLDS · @VICAREYNOLDS PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

TCU N O V. 2 3

OKLAHOMA @

Oklahoma’s final home game of the season comes Nov. 23 against TCU. Oklahoma won a blowout in Fort Worth, 52-27, in 2018. The game followed the Sooners’ only regular season loss of the season against Texas, and was the first game they played following the firing of defensive coordinator Mike Stoops.

The Horned Frogs had a bad start to the 2018-19 season, but reached bowl eligibility after winning three of their last four games. With a win in the Cheez-It Bowl against Cal Berkeley, TCU finished 7-6 after losing five of its first eight games of the season.

TCU head coach Gary Patterson has proved in the past that his teams can bounce back from disappointing seasons, highlighted by a 4-8 season in 2013 that turned into a 12-1 record the next year and a 6-7 season in 2016 that turned around for 11-3 in 2017, so there is little reason to doubt he can do it again.

One big challenge for this team will be at quarterback — junior starter Shawn Robinson transferred to Missouri following the 2018-19 season. Patterson will add new talent for the upcoming season, with four-star recruit Justin Rogers and Kansas State graduate transfer Alex Delton.

The rest of the Horned Frogs offense returns a lot of talent, including standout junior wide receiver Jalen Reagor, who was named second team All-Big 12 last season with 1,061 yards receiving on 72 catches and nine touchdowns.

Defensively, TCU will lose some key players at linebacker, but junior linebacker Garret Wallow will return as the team’s leading tackler. Senior cornerback Jeff Gladney emerged as one of the top cornerbacks in the Big 12 last season, earning first team All-Big 12 honors.

TARIK MASRI · @TARIKM_OFFICIAL PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

STATE N O V. 3 0

Head coach Mike Gundy has only beaten the Sooners twice in his 14 seasons at the helm of Oklahoma State — but the Bedlam matchup in 2018 almost saw the Cowboys stun the Sooners in Norman and derail their hopes for a third College Football Playoff appearance in four years.

When the crosstown rivals meet on Nov. 30 for their final game of the regular season, Oklahoma State will start a first-year quarterback who will be guided by first-year offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson. While the development of the new quarterback-coordinator tandem will be a major storyline for the Cowboys throughout the season, the rest of the offense will see an array of experienced playmakers.

First team All-American receiver Tylan Wallace is back for his junior season after ranking second nationally in total receiving yards (1,491) and third nationally in yards per game (114.7) in 2018. Fellow wideouts Dillon Stoner and Landon Wolf will also return, and Chuba Hubbard is the expected starter at running back after he put up 106.3 yards per game in relief of the injured Justice Hill in 2018.

Oklahoma State ranked No. 112 in the nation in total defense in 2018, but is expected to see improvement in the secondary in 2019 — with A.J. Green and Rodarius Williams returning at cornerback. The Cowboys ranked No. 10 nationally in team sacks with three sacks per game in 2018, but lost six key players from the front seven during the offseason.

In 2019, a hopeful return to the 10-win mark would taste much sweeter with an upset victory over the expected favorite Sooner team.

JORDAN GLEDHILL · @J_GLED PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

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LCHARACTER E A D1 GEORGE STOIA · @GEORGESTOIA

Alabama transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts looks to lead Oklahoma with his championship character and let his actions speak louder than his words.

Lane Kiffin wandered onto Channelview High School’s field in search of 17-year-old Jalen Hurts.

He was easy to find. Kiffin recalls Hurts was dressed in “shorts from the ’80s” and a Channelview T-shirt, zipping the ball to his Falcons teammates. Later in the day, Kiffin watched Hurts in the weightroom. That’s when he realized Hurts, who was lifting with the linebackers, wasn’t your average kid.

“He looked like something out of a movie.

He didn’t look like a high school quarterback,” said Kiffin, now the head coach at Florida Atlantic after working as Alabama’s offensive coordinator from 2013 to 2016.

“So when I went back to Tuscaloosa and did my evaluation, I rated him as an NFL-caliber quarterback.”

Three years later, Kiffin has nothing but praise for his former quarterback. So does his former offensive coordinator, Josh Gattis. Same for his former high school counselor, Bridgette Galloway. And his former

26

Channelview and Alabama teammates, Bishop Ozan and Raekwon Davis.

All believe Hurts will thrive at Oklahoma, where he’s stepped in this season as a 21-year-old graduate transfer and presumed starter of college football’s flashiest offense. There’s no reason Hurts shouldn’t succeed, with Heisman Trophy whisperer Lincoln Riley as his coach and skill players like CeeDee Lamb, Trey Sermon and Grant Calcaterra around him. He no doubt has big shoes to fill, following Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray — who both won back-toback Heismans and were No. 1 overall draft picks.

Hurts, however, arrives in Norman with something none of them have and all of them want: experience on a national championship team.

Hurts won’t have any problems filling the leadership role of Mayfield and Murray, according to those who have played with or coached him. If there’s anything you can

PHOTO BY GRANT NICHOLLS/THE CRIMSON WHITE

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PHOTO BY KATHRYN STACY

take from the eight months he’s spent at Oklahoma and his time at Alabama, it’s that he’s well-respected by his peers.

Hurts backed up why at his introductory press conference in Norman, which included a 360-word, two-minute and 54-second long opening statement — something no quarterback in recent Oklahoma history has ever done.

But Hurts is not typically a man of many words. Those quoted in this story admit Hurts is not one to speak about himself, and he certainly doesn’t want others to speak for him. Which is why neither his family nor some of his closest friends are in this story — he asked them not to be.

It’s not because he or those closest to him have something to hide or dislike the media. No, it’s because his actions speak louder than words. It’s something he’s prided himself on his entire life.

“It’s always been about the way he does things,” said Davis, Hurts’ teammate at Alabama. “It’s about his character, not about what he says, but about how he goes about his business. His work ethic is how he leads. He never really had to say much, and people followed.”

After Mayfield and Murray, expectations cannot be higher for an Oklahoma quarterback. But if his past is any indication of what’s to come, Hurts will be comfortable stepping into such shoes and out of those shadows.

“OU can expect a complete, dominant player, a hard worker and a leader,” Davis said. “He’s a guy that’s going to give it his all on every snap.”

‘EXPECT A COMPLETE, DOMINANT PLAYER…’ When Nick Saban visited Channelview, students lined the halls to see the Alabama coach.

Teachers were just as excited as students, Galloway recalls. The anticipation for the best college football coach

28

in the country coming to their school to see one of their players was overwhelming.

But for Hurts it was just another day at school — and another step toward his dreams.

“He was happy and smiling, but he’s always like that,” said Galloway, who served as Hurts’ academic counselor his junior and senior years. “It was no big deal to him. He had always been someone that everybody looked up to on campus. But I don’t think he was ever a superstar. He was just him. He was just Jalen.”

The son of the school’s head football coach, Averion Hurts, Hurts was well known before he even stepped foot on campus. He was a standout basketball and football player, earning varsity football time as a freshman.

His career took off his junior year when he totaled 2,793 yards and 32 touchdowns as the starting quarterback.

Offers rolled in from major programs all over the country after Hurts was ranked the ninth best quarterback in the country by Rivals.com in a class that included Michigan’s Shea Patterson, Arizona’s Khalil Tate and SMU’s Shane Buechele.

“He was a big deal, but he was never a cocky person. He was very much to himself,” said Ozan, who played football and basketball with Hurts. “I remember I had class with him and he would be going through his recruitment letters and I would ask him, ‘Where you going?’ or ‘Is that where you’re going?’

But he never said. No one knew where he was going until he actually committed.”

Hurts committed to Alabama in June 2015, ahead of his senior year. He accounted for 2,477 yards and 35 touchdowns his senior season, giving the Tide a taste of what was to come.

Hurts’ time at Alabama is well-documented: He was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year as a true freshman, led Alabama to national title

appearances after the 2016 and 2017 seasons, was benched during halftime of the 2018 title game for Tua Tagovailoa, lost the starting job to Tagovailoa in 2018 and decided to leave Tuscaloosa after sticking out his junior year as a back-up. He finished his Crimson Tide career with 7,617 total yards and 71 total touchdowns, good enough for third and second, respectively, in school history.

National media and fans saw a bright future in Hurts during his freshman and sophomore seasons. He nearly out-dueled an experienced and highly-touted Deshaun Watson in the title game his freshman year. And his sophomore year, he led Alabama to a 12-1 record knocking off four top 25 teams on his way to another title appearance.

But many also saw what was coming.

Alabama’s offense was sliding in the month leading up to the national championship, most notably when they lost to Auburn in Iron Bowl scoring just 14 points. And with Tagovailoa, a five-star recruit out of high school, lingering behind him, Hurts had little room for error.

So as soon as Hurts showed signs of weakness against Georgia — going 3-of-8 in the first half with just 21 yards through the air as he struggled to find receivers down the field — his critics grew louder.

Not Kiffin though, who was fired as Alabama’s offensive coordinator a week before the 2017 title game. He believes Hurts has all the tools to be a great quarterback, including the deep ball — an essential part in Riley’s offense over the years.

“I think he can make all the throws, and has. He’s been through a bunch of different coaches and, obviously not starting last year, hopefully now it’ll all come together,” Kiffin said. “And I think it would have come together at Alabama — I’m not saying this because I left, but because he would have had some consistency with coaching and

had he started last year, he would have kept improving.”

Hurts will have a fresh start with the Sooners. Replacing Mayfield and Murray, two of the greatest quarterbacks ever in Norman, will be no easy task.

“Those three quarterbacks are three completely different body types, three different athletes,” Kiffin said. “Baker’s like a quarterback. Kyler’s like a slot receiver. And Jalen’s like a running back or linebacker. For Jalen, to be able to throw with that body type, it’s rare.”

One thing all three have in common is the man calling plays, known for his ability to turn transfer quarterbacks into transcendent quarterbacks.

It took Mayfield three years to reach his full potential alongside Riley, while Murray sat and learned the system from the bench for two years. Hurts has considerably less time to adjust to Riley’s system, and for Riley to adjust to Hurts’ unique abilities.

Riley and Hurts could be a lethal combination for Oklahoma’s already potent offense. But the truth is, it doesn’t have to be.

With the addition of defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and maybe the most talented skill group Riley has had during his tenure at OU, Hurts likely doesn’t have to be as good as Mayfield or Murray. He just has to be good enough.

“I think (Riley’s) done a tremendous job over the past years tailoring the offense around the skill set of the quarterbacks that he has,” said Gattis, who was Alabama’s co-offensive coordinator last season. “I think when you look at the last two quarterbacks — yeah, they were tremendous athletes that could throw, but I think they were both different in their own skill set. The offense maybe changed a little bit from Baker to Kyler, and I think coach Riley will probably do the same with Jalen.

“I know he’ll do a good job putting Jalen in a position to be successful, and that’s ultimately what Jalen wants.”

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‘...A HARD WORKER…’ Just 30 days into the spring semester on Valentine’s Day, OU football showed just how much players and fans were falling in love with Hurts.

A video of Hurts squatting over 500 pounds was released on all of OU football’s social media platforms. Hurts’ new teammates swarmed him after the lift, while his newest fans took to social media, saying “that’s my quarterback.”

To some, it was surprising. Most college quarterbacks, or even professional quarterbacks, can’t lift that much weight.

“We used to watch him compete in the weightroom, and man, that was a sight. He would be lifting with the linebackers,” said Gattis, now Michigan’s offensive coordinator. “That says something when your quarterback is doing all the lifts, he’s a part of all the workouts, he’s running with the skill guys — oftentimes, quarterbacks will do their own workouts or do some sort of abbreviated workout. But that’s not the case with Jalen.”

He works out relentlessly, not just to get physically stronger, but to push those around him. If the quarterback is squatting 500 pounds, why shouldn’t the linemen, running backs, wide receivers and everyone else on the team do the same?

While he may not be as loud as Mayfield or as electric as Murray, Hurts — as he says on social media — is a “rare breed” when it comes to how he inspires those around him.

“He’s going to bring a competitive nature,” Gattis said. “I know in his case, he probably feels like he has a lot to prove. And so when you have a guy back there that feels like he’s got a lot to prove, then they’re going to prove you wrong because they’re going to be motivated each 30

PHOTO BY JORDAN MILLER

and every week to perform at a high level so they can go out and have success.”

Davis, one of Hurts’ closest friends at Alabama, recalls his response when his character was tested in ways few could imagine: losing his job on the biggest stage as Tagovailoa started the second half of the 2018 national championship game.

He took the news well, Davis said. He stood next to then-offensive coordinator Brian Daboll with his helmet on as he watched Tagovailoa go three-and-out on his first possession. No one approached him, not because they were afraid or because he was upset, Davis said, but because Hurts was still too focused on the task at hand: winning the national title, the same goal he now has with Oklahoma this year.

He became a coach from the sidelines, leading his team in a different way.

“That whole situation his sophomore year, when Tua came in, represents who he is as a man,” Davis said. “To do what he did, and as calm as he did, speaks volumes about his character.”

Having to sit behind Tagovailoa was not an easy thing to do. But he handled it with grace.

“I think most kids in that scenario would just duck and run, and try to escape any type of controversy.

That wasn’t the case with Jalen,” Gattis said. “It wasn’t easy at times.

I think a lot of people think it just came easy — nothing like that is going to come easy. But he stayed the course. He continued to prepare. He continued to be a good teammate.

He continued to be a great leader.

“And he was ready when that time came again for his moment.”

Hurts’ moment came in the 2018 SEC Championship Game when Tagovailoa left the field with an injury. Just 10:36 remained in the game, and Alabama trailed

Georgia, 28-21.

He first led the Crimson Tide on a 71-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 10-yard touchdown pass to tie the game. Then, he finished a 50-yard drive with a 15-yard game-winning touchdown run to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Now, in what will be his last college season, can Hurts make one more magical run?

‘...AND A LEADER.’ For all the stories and anecdotes of Hurts’ time at Alabama, the way he went about leaving a place that gave him the highest of highs and the lowest of lows may provide the biggest indication of who he is.

He had the blessing of all his coaches at Alabama when he decided to transfer, Gattis said. He earned the respect of every player, coach and member of the football program by the way he handled things — the right way. Gattis and Davis agree that if it weren’t for Hurts, Alabama wouldn’t have been as successful as it was during the three years he was there — whether he was playing or not.

“I think one of his greatest attributes is his confidence in his ability and his teammates’ abilities.

When he has that confidence going, it really allows him to display his true leadership skills,” Gattis said.

“People gravitate to positive-thinking people.”

OU is already starting to feel Hurts’ positive energy.

In January, he took pictures and signed autographs for an hour during Oklahoma’s basketball game against Texas. This spring, he joined a mentorship program at Lincoln Elementary in Norman.

And in July, he made the day of a young fan — Janneh Britton — when he spent the day with the former Oklahoma City Children’s

Hospital patient.

“Oklahoma can expect a great representative of its university and a person who’s going to do good things in the community,” Gattis said. “He’s going to embrace the Oklahoma culture, the community.”

As this season takes off, fans can expect to see his leadership play as big a role as any other attribute he brings to the Sooners. It won’t be about how many touchdowns he scores or if he wins the Heisman.

Those who know him well say it will be about how many moments he can make better, whether it shows up in a highlight reel or occurs behind the scenes.

His former teammates and coaches say they’ll be watching the Sooners on Saturdays when they can.

Alabama fans even admit they want to see their former quarterback do well.

“I think it would be an awesome ending to a story that’s very unusual nowadays in college football. A guy fights through adversity, stays and still leads his team, and then leaves to lead another,” Kiffin said.

“You like to see stories end right for really good people. And this would be one of them.”

As for Hurts?

He’s going to be himself. He’s going to do it in his own style. He won’t stay in the shadows of those who came before him.

And no matter what role he plays, he’ll continue to be a man of character who finds a way, on the field or off, in the huddle or on the sideline, to make a team better.

“Just don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Kiffin said. “‘Hey you’ve got to win the Heisman’ or ‘You have to have the same numbers as Baker and Kyler.’ No, just worry about a day at a time and do your job. Don’t worry about comparisons. Be Jalen.

“Because Jalen is pretty good.”

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BEST OF 2018

He may not have been in bounds, but this CeeDee Lamb one-handed grab against UCLA was certainly a moment worth capturing. Lamb’s speed and agility sometimes makes him hard to photograph, so this shot was honestly a lucky one. I followed Kyler Murray’s throw and just clicked away until the play was over. I looked through my shots after a timeout and was relieved that I had gotten the whole sequence, even if the pass was ruled incomplete.

I didn’t expect this photo to go viral, as it later did, but I realized that I was one of the few photographers who captured this moment so clearly. Photographs like these are the ones that stick with you, even if the play didn’t gain any yardage for the Sooners.

CAITLYN EPES

JUMPMAN

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LAMB GOING OUT

LIKE A

LION

BY GEORGE STOIA · @GEORGESTOIA Junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb looks to go out with a bang in what will likely be his final season in the crimson and cream.

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PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

D

ays before Christmas and the Sooners’ faceoff against Alabama in the Orange Bowl, CeeDee Lamb sat in Darrick Reed’s living room in Houston. The old coach and star pupil were sharing old stories.

Not long ago, this was where 9-year-old Lamb spent most of his weekends during football season. With his parents divorced, Lamb’s occasional stay with his youth football coach made things easier for everyone.

On this particular day, as the two reminisced on Lamb’s already successful career, Reed recalled the story of how his former player got his name.

It was the first day of practice and Lamb, who went by his birth name Cedarian, was showing his speed and natural athletic ability. At first, Reed called him “DVD” due to the highlight plays he was making and the popularity of DVDs at the time. By the end of practice “DVD” had turned into “CD,” which like his long, lanky frame, stretched over time to CeeDee. “It didn’t take long to see he was a special kid,” said Reed, who’s been coaching Pop Warner football for a decade. “It was clear from a young age we would be watching him on Saturdays and Sundays.”

111

receptions

1,965

receiving yards

18

receiving touchdowns

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Reed’s prediction was on target. The Oklahoma junior has become one of the best wide receivers in college football, catching 111 passes for 1,965 yards and 18 touchdowns in just two seasons. He’s a leading candidate for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the best wide receiver in college football, and is widely considered a possible first firstround pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, making 2019 likely his last in the crimson and cream.

While his role as a top target in the Sooners’ high-powered offense won’t change this season, Lamb’s role as a leader and mentor has never been bigger. The departures of quarterback Kyler Murray, receiver Marquise Brown and four offensive linemen, plus the addition of transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts, makes Lamb one of the most experienced players in Lincoln Riley’s offense. But what makes him the perfect leader for Oklahoma isn’t just his highlight-reel plays or experience — it’s the route he’s taken that has made him who he is today.

It’s a journey that’s seen more hardship than most and is driven by an unshakable desire to never give up.

“His story is truly remarkable,” Reed said. “We all knew he was going to be a special player, but to see where he is today … it brings tears to my eyes.”

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PHOTO PROVIDED BY DARRICK REED

Leta Ramirez used to drive her 9-year-old son 45 miles one way to football practice five days a week.

She worked 9-5 as a medical assistant at the University of

traffic in their hour-long drive across Houston from Northshore to Richmond.

Lamb sat in the back of his mother’s 2007 Tahoe, doing homework and then sliding his shoulder pads on.

It all made sense to Lamb’s mother. The team in Richmond — the Hurricanes — was one of the

Texas Health Science Center, rushing home to pick up her son, Lamb, in hopes of getting him to the start of practice at 6:30. Most days, they battled 5 o’clock

most well-coached little league teams in Houston, providing a much better opportunity for her son.

“It was a struggle,” said Lamb’s mother, who has

‘IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT WORK ETHIC.’

five children. “But when you have the chance to better one of your kid’s lives, you do it.”

Lamb took full advantage of his mother’s sacrifice. He became determined to be not just good at football, but the best he could possibly be.

Much of that work ethic came from those who raised him. Lamb was born into a football family. His dad, Cliff Lamb, played at MidAmerica Nazarene.

His uncle, Adam Lamb, played at Texas Southern.

And his other uncle, Chester Ramirez Jr., played at the Air Force Academy.

They each saw special traits in Lamb: good hands, quick feet and a natural toughness. Lamb’s dad and uncle Adam both remember the time Lamb caught a pass one-handed while falling out of bounds at 5 years old.

They say it was eerily similar to the famous non-catch he had against UCLA last season.

But it wasn’t his talent alone that stood out. Instead it was the way he went about perfecting his game even at a young age.

Lamb’s uncle Adam remembers working on drills with high school prospects one day while then 7-yearold Lamb watched from a distance. When he turned around after giving instructions, his nephew was doing the drills himself. Reed recalls the times he would find Lamb watching game

PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

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film at just 9 and 10 years old, while his own sons were playing video games.

“That’s the thing about Lamb,” said Reed, who calls Lamb one of the best Houston Pop Warner players ever. “It’s always been about work ethic.”

Since arriving at Oklahoma, Lamb has become known as one of the hardest workers on the team. Lamb gained over 20 pounds of muscle in two years, often working out with Sooners strength coach Bennie Wylie, even on off days. He’s also grown as a leader, as evidenced by Riley making him one of four players who represented the Sooners at Big 12 Media Days in July.

For Reed, who’s known Lamb most of his life, none of this is surprising. But when Lamb showed up at Reed’s house in December to thank his old coach for helping 38

him achieve his dreams, Reed couldn’t help but be overwhelmed.

“If there’s a kid out there that deserves a shot at the NFL, which I think he’ll be a first-round draft pick,” an emotional Reed said, “it’s definitely CeeDee.”

‘I COULD SEE THE PAIN IN HIM.’ Hanging around Lamb’s neck is a gold chain with the No. 32 attached. He’s worn the necklace since the beginning of his senior year of high school.

It’s in honor of his late uncle Chester, who died July 3, 2016, from natural causes at 42.

A former standout football player and

member of the Air Force, his uncle was one of the biggest influences in Lamb’s life.

During his football career, Chester donned No. 32. He’s the reason Lamb wore No. 3 in high school and No. 2 in college.

“I kind of consider it a lucky number,” Lamb said at Big 12 Media Days. “He’s one guy who saw a vision in me before I even knew what that vision was.”

This wasn’t the first time Lamb had experienced tragedy. And it wouldn’t be the last.

His stepdad, Samuel Moreno Jr., was shot and killed when Lamb was 14, right before his freshman year of high school.

His cousin, Casey Pickney, died this past March after a long battle with lupus.

“They all shared a special bond,” Lamb’s dad said. “As a father, you teach your kids to love and respect everyone. So when you

lose loved ones like that, it hits you hard …

I think it made him a little tough-skinned.

There aren’t many 20-some-year-olds that have experienced that much pain.”

Lamb has turned that pain into motivation.

After Moreno’s death, he made the varsity football team as a sophomore. After his uncle Chester’s death, he recorded 2,032 yards and 33 touchdowns — the second most in Texas high school history — his senior season at Foster. And after Pickney’s death, he hopes to have the best season of his career at Oklahoma, be drafted in the NFL and change his family’s life forever.

The loss of life has taught Lamb there are things bigger than football. He plays the game with a passion and motivation to remember those who believed in him.

“It’s played a big role in his life. It’s molded him. He’s always felt like he’s had to be the protector of our family,” Lamb’s mother said. “I honestly think that’s what made him go full force at everything he does ... Because he knows that those people are watching him from above.”

‘HE’S A GUY THAT EXPECTS AND WANTS TO BE GREAT.’ Before most OU fans even knew their names, Lamb and his new teammate Marquise Brown were itching to get on the field.

It was the morning of their first day on campus and the team had workouts later in the day. Eager to get their Sooner ca-

reers started, the duo, along with Charleston Rambo, snuck into the Everest Center to play catch. There was no quarterback throwing them balls, just the three of them and a single football — each trying to outdo the other with spectacular catches from terrible throws.

Since that day, they’ve been like family.

Brown and Lamb even named themselves the “Saiyan Bros” after “Dragon Ball Z,” which famously led to their fusion-dance touchdown celebrations.

The two spent most of their time off the field together. They shared dinners at WingStop on 24th Avenue — Lamb ordering the hickory smoked BBQ wings, Brown the lemon pepper — and had a friendly rivalry in video games — Lamb winning at “NBA 2K,” Brown in “Madden.”

PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

39

On the field, the pair was virtually unstoppable at times. Some games Brown dominated, others Lamb. And most of the time, both showed why they were one of the best receiving duos in the country.

“From day one we were tight,” said Brown from Baltimore, where he’s preparing for his rookie season after the Ravens took him 25th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. “He’s a guy that expects and wants to be great. And I have that same mentality. All we want to do is talk about and play football. We still talk every day.”

The last two years, Lamb and Brown made each other better. Growing up, both were often the best player on their respective teams. This led to a constant battle to see who would have a better game while at Oklahoma.

Sharing a field together took an adjustment at first. Brown remembers when they found a groove after the Texas Tech game in 2017. Lamb had, at the time, the best game of his career against the Red Raiders, catching nine passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. “Congrats,” Brown remembers telling him afterward.

“Next game is mine.”

A week later against Oklahoma State, Brown broke the school’s single-game receiving record with 265 yards and two touchdowns earning him the “Hollywood” nickname when Gus Johnson exclaimed “Who is this kid?” as all of college football met the golden grill-wearing star.

“I don’t think we’d be where we are today if we didn’t play together,” said Brown, who caught 132 passes for 2,413 yards and 17 touchdowns in two seasons.

“For me to be able to be on the field with him, it was something that was good for both of us.”

Lamb will be without his partner in crime this season, but the last two years with Brown have prepared him for the role he’ll have this season. Lamb will be the leader of a talented group, which in addition to Rambo includes three fivestar freshmen in Jadon Haselwood, Tre-

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jan Bridges and Theo Wease Jr. Brown has no doubt Lamb is ready for the task ahead. He believes his former teammate is the best receiver in the country and the perfect role model for the young guys he’ll play beside.

“I know a goal of his is to win the Biletnikoff, and I think he will,” Brown said. “I also know he’s going to be a great leader. He leads by example, and I think once those guys sit back and watch him work, they’ll follow close behind.”

‘HE’S EVERYTHING A MAMA COULD WISH FOR.’

PHOTO PROVIDED BY LETA RAMIREZ

Halfway through the third quarter, when Oklahoma was leading Texas Tech 35-31 last season, Lamb showed he’s not perfect.

He beat his man, jumping in the air and coming down with a first down catch inside the 10-yard line for the Sooners.

As he got up, after a rough tackle and his emotions running high, he pushed the Red Raider defender to the ground, drawing a 15-yard penalty. He then kept jawing at the Texas Tech player, drawing another 15-yard penalty and killing the Sooners’ drive to possibly put the game

away.

For all his talent and motivation, Lamb is imperfect. So is every other 20-yearold star football player. But unlike many, Lamb learns from his mistakes. Following the game, he took full responsibility for the 30 yards he cost Oklahoma that day.

“That was 30-yards of penalty between me personally, and that was just because I wanted to be selfish,” Lamb said after the game. “That was on me, and I’ll take all the blame for it, and I’ll learn … I kid you not: For the rest of the time I’m here, that will never happen again.”

He can’t afford to make those mistakes this year. His performance could determine whether Oklahoma is competing for a national championship. And his attitude could determine whether he’s a first-round draft pick.

Lamb’s growth as a man is why his 16-year-old brother, Taribbean Ramirez, wants to be just like him when he grows up.

“He’s a great big brother. I’ve always looked up to him,” Lamb’s brother said.

“He’s always been a great player and leader on and off the field. I want to live up to that. I want to become the man he’s become.”

Lamb’s brother is following in Lamb’s footsteps at Foster, expecting to start at wide receiver this year as a junior. He gives a majority of the credit to his big brother, who has also been a personal coach.

Lamb has taught his brother the importance of footwork and strong hands. He’s also taught him to surround himself with good people, to treat people with respect and to put others before himself.

That’s Lamb, perhaps OU’s perfect leader for the coming season: talented, but humble. Quiet, but ambitious. Relaxed, but hungry.

“What can I say,” Lamb’s mother said.

“He’s everything a mama could wish for.”

She might as well be speaking for OU, too.

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NEED FOR

‘SPEED D’

BY GEORGE STOIA · @GEORGESTOIA

New Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch brings a unique scheme and a much-needed mentality change to the Sooners in 2019.

Just 45 minutes after Ohio State beat Washington 28-23 in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, Alex Grinch called his dad, Greg.

“Dad,” said the then-Buckeye co-defensive coordinator, “I’m going to Oklahoma.”

Three days later, it was official: The defensive-minded coach from Grove City, Ohio, was headed to Norman in an attempt to restore a once historically great defensive program. It’s a job he’s been waiting for.

“He’s ready for it,” Grinch’s father, Greg Grinch, said — Greg is retired and lives in Columbia, Missouri. “This is what he’s wanted. It’s another fantastic opportunity for him to show his ability, and he’s going to do great.”

Grinch is of football blood, as the nephew of former Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel. He’s also the son of a retired Marine, who has taught him discipline and determination to be the best at his job. He’s exceeded expectations everywhere, from winning three Division III national championships as a safety at Mount Union in Ohio to turning around Mike Leach and Washington State’s defense in just three seasons. At 38, he relates to players thanks to his simple yet creative defensive scheme and his unwavering passion to win.

He’s exactly who Lincoln Riley has been looking for. He’s exactly what Oklahoma needs.

“I think he’s special,” Pinkel said. “He’s an absolutely outstanding man and coach. I think he will be a difference-maker at Oklahoma.”

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THE PRINCIPAL’S KID Grinch got called into the principal’s office only once in his life. He hit a kid in the head with a snowball — or an “iceball,” according to his father — while waiting in line at the bus stop in Grove City. Unfortunately for Grinch, the principal was his dad. “(Grinch’s) claim to this day was that they were both participating,” said Greg, who served as the principal at Park Street Middle School in Grove City. “I had to give him detention.”

Greg Grinch has always been a discipline-minded father, serving in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He instilled in his sons — Alex and Andrew — the belief that if they always work hard at what they do, success will follow.

“I always taught them, ‘Do your job,’” Greg said.

“It’s amazing how far you will go when you are doing and exceeding what you are supposed to do. Most people don’t. And if you want to stand out, do the job you were hired to do. That’s why (Grinch) has been successful. He does his job.”

Grinch took that lesson to heart as a kid. Whether it was in the classroom or on the football field, he did his job day in and day out.

Grinch didn’t start playing football until middle school and was undersized for his age, but he was one of the best players on his youth team. He often played up with his older brother and friends, who

PHOTO BY JACKSON STEWART

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were two and a half years older than him. He played quarterback and safety, eventually continuing his career at Grove City High School, where he quickly became one of the best players on that team.

His mom, Kathy, remembers him coming home after workouts and practice saying, “I like to sweat, I like to sweat.” He enjoyed every aspect of the game, but especially the grind to be a great player. This led him to earn an academic scholarship to the University of Mount Union — a Division III school in Alliance, Ohio, that prided itself on football, winning three national championships before he arrived.

His dad said Grinch had the opportunity to attend a number of other schools, but wanted to go somewhere it mattered — somewhere that won.

“He’s a high-character young man, which was clear in his recruitment process,” said Larry Kehres, who coached Grinch at Mount Union and won 11 national titles in 27 seasons. Now the athletics director at Mount Union, he’s considered one of the greatest coaches in college football history. “He’s passionate about football. I think he had a desire to be a football coach from the moment he started playing the game.”

During his time at Mount Union, Grinch helped the Purple

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Raiders win three national championships and post a 54-1 record, starting at safety his junior and senior years. He wasn’t afraid of big moments, coming up with the eventual game-winning interception his junior year in the national championship.

From learning his lesson in the principal’s office, to becoming the best player on his youth and high school teams, to winning three national championships, Grinch has always stayed focused on his job. He does everything to the best of his ability and those who know him best say that won’t stop at Oklahoma.

“He will exceed expectations or it kills him,” Greg said.

“He’s used to those high expectations. Whether it be at Mount Union, Missouri, Washington State, Ohio State or Oklahoma — he’s got that ‘We’re here to win’ mentality.”

THE GROUNDSKEEPER After graduating from Mount Union in 2001, Grinch wanted to coach. Pinkel — the brother of Grinch’s mom, Kathy — saw promise in his young nephew and offered him a graduate assistant spot at Missouri. He soon thrived.

“He got along with everyone really well,” Pinkel said.

“He’s very competitive, very demanding, but understanding. There’s a line there. He wants things done in certain ways and kids like him because he’s very sincere. He’s honest and patient. He demands excellence.”

Grinch’s brother, Andrew, will never forget his brother’s other job at Missouri — groundskeeper.

While Grinch was on the Tigers’ staff as a graduate assistant from 2002-04, he also had the task of painting the practice fields. It was a tireless chore, but nevertheless, Grinch did it every week without complaint.

“I’ll never forget him coming back to our apartment covered in paint,” said Grinch’s brother Andrew, who was working in Missouri’s athletics marketing department at the time. “He didn’t mind it, though. If that’s what it took, that’s what it took.”

It was that attitude that got Grinch his first job at New Hampshire in 2005 as the cornerbacks coach, his second at Wyoming in 2009 as the defensive backs coach and eventually led him back to Missouri with his uncle in 2012, despite Pinkel’s original plan to never hire relatives as assistants.

Before the 2013 season, Pinkel and his staff needed to fill a coaching gap on the defensive side of the ball. Pinkel was reluctant to hire Grinch because of their relation, even though he knew how talented of a coach he had become.

That changed when three different coaches urged Pinkel to re-hire his nephew in a 30-minute span.

“All those coaches must have planned it because they all came in my office within 10 minutes of each other, telling me I needed to hire (Grinch) back,” Pinkel said. “I knew he was exceptional. If I hadn’t been so stubborn, I would have hired him way earlier. But it all worked out, and he helped us tremendously.”

Grinch spent the next two seasons on his uncle’s staff as the safeties coach, helping the Tigers go from 68th in total defense in 2012 to 20th in 2014, before receiving a call from Mike Leach and Washington State ahead of the 2015 season to be the Cougars’ next defensive coordinator.

Leach saw that same drive Pinkel did years ago. He saw that same kid who was willing to do whatever it took, even if that meant painting the practice fields.

“He’s got three things: He’s smart, he’s competitive and he loves football,” Pinkel said. “In order to be a great coach, you have to be a great competitor. I think he’s driven to be successful. He has the unique ability to connect with kids and I think that’s because of his passion. He’s a guy that can get the best out of people and that’s because of his personality and the type of guy he is.”

PHOTO BY JACKSON STEWART

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THE INNOVATOR Isaac Dotson remembers the first time he met Grinch. It was on an elevator during Grinch’s official tour of the Washington State facilities.

“You could feel his passion for the game,” said Dotson, who played safety and linebacker at Washington State from 2013 to 2017. “I don’t remember much else from the elevator ride other than thinking, ‘We’re in good hands.’”

Grinch helped change the culture at Washington State.

Before each season, Dotson recalls, Grinch would give absurd statistics about what goals he wanted to achieve. The stats would include first downs allowed in a quarter, yards and turnovers per game, total defense in a season and much more.

“There was no option,” Dotson said. “That was the standard. We had to achieve those goals.”

In three seasons, he took the Cougars from 97th in total defense to 16th, and from 127th in turnovers gained to 9th.

He helped Washington State to a 26-13 record while in Pullman, Washington. The Cougars had gone 13-22 the three seasons prior.

He found success in his creative scheme, “Speed D,” which he and his assistants invented — it emphasized running to the ball and forcing turnovers.

“The bottom line, for his scheme, is effort,” Dotson said.

“That’s the end-all, be-all of defensive football. If you miss a tackle, or a gap, or an assignment, as long as you’re busting your ass and going as hard as you can and getting to the

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football, then you’re in good shape. That was his plan. It was simple.”

Leach calls Grinch a “hands-on” coach. He remembers having to move Grinch from the press box to the sidelines during the middle of his second season because it was where he fit best and “belonged.”

That dynamic, those who’ve coached and played with him say, is what separates Grinch from others. He understands how to connect with players, teaching the fundamentals while also getting every ounce out of his guys.

“He actually teaches you,” said Robert Taylor, who played safety at Washington State from 2016 to 2017. “He pushes you to be the best you can be. If you don’t get the job done, the next guy will. He has no favoritism.”

The night before every game, Grinch would hold a defense-only meeting. This meeting didn’t focus on the game plan or schemes, but instead the players. He would give a motivational speech and tell each and every one of his players he believed in them. He showed them the passion he wanted them to play with.

“He was the kind of guy that would make you want to run through a brick wall,” Dotson said. “He’s just the type of guy that not only makes you want to win for yourself, but also him and everyone else around you. You want to play hard because you know he cares about you.”

Grinch will bring a much-needed attitude change to the Oklahoma defense. He’s not afraid to make changes or bench players. He wants to win and will play the 11 defenders who give him the best opportunity to do so.

And if he can do that, the nation won’t be laughing at the Sooners’ defense any longer.

“The Big 12 better watch out,” Dotson said, “because they haven’t seen what’s coming.”

THE HOME-RUN HIRE In his single year at Ohio State, Grinch was not the defensive playcaller. He served as co-defensive coordinator with Greg Schiano, who called the majority of the plays.

He wasn’t able to run his “Speed D” or make his own decisions.

“Ohio State had three (defensive coordinators),” Leach said. “That seems like quite a few.”

Hence the move to Oklahoma.

What makes Grinch a highly coveted coordinator is his simplistic approach to defense. But it only works if he — a three-time Broyles Award nominee (given to the top assistant in college football) — has full control.

“I think this is an opportunity for him to run the defense he wants to run and for him to really get back into that driver’s seat with a program he really believes in,” Andrew said. “When I heard he was headed to Oklahoma, I couldn’t have been more excited.”

Grinch’s family remembers rooting against Oklahoma years ago when Grinch and Pinkel were at Missouri, but they also understand the tradition and history at a program like OU. Oklahoma is just as thrilled. After Riley fired Mike Stoops during the middle of the season following a 4845 loss to Texas, the Sooners’ defense had finally hit rock bottom. The feeling of wasting seasons with two Heisman Trophy quarterbacks in Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018) — and coming up short in consecutive years in the College Football Playoff — was not sitting well with Sooner Nation.

That’s why Grinch is a home-run hire and why Riley called him “one of the most sought-after guys in the country” in his press release. His knowledge, attention to detail and his skill to connect with young adults has him headed for a bright future at Oklahoma.

“The No. 1 asset I think he has is intelligence, next is organization and after that is communication,” Kehres said about his former player. “He knows what a good practice and scheme is like. He understands how to communicate.

And he loves the teaching of young men off the field.

Oklahoma knocked it out of the park.”

He’s bringing hope to a program on the edge of becoming dominant on both sides of the ball.

“He took this job because he’s confident in himself,” Greg said. “He knows he’s going to succeed.”

PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

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5 STARS, FUT

Oklahoma’s three five-star wide receivers are already making an im VIC REYNOLDS ·

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PHOTOS BY JACKSON STEWART, WILL CONOVER

TURE STARS?

mpact with the Sooners — and all three share a similar motivation. @VICAREYNOLDS

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50

T

rejan Bridges said he was going to score three touchdowns against Plano, and he did. Theo Wease Jr. showed up to OU’s spring practice hoping to make a highlight catch, and he did. Jadon Haselwood’s coach said his star receiver was going to catch the game-winning pass in the state championship, and he did.

Those three moments reflect both the talent and personalities of Oklahoma’s three five-star freshman wide receivers. Bridges tells everyone how good he is and backs it up with his actions. Wease Jr. lets his game speak for itself. And Haselwood focuses on winning the admiration of his teammates and coaches.

Each arrived to Norman in January and represents a feat that no school has ever accomplished in recruiting: landing three five-star wide receivers in the same class — a class that also features the consensus No. 1 quarterback and multiple high-level defensive recruits. But because of the historic nature of their signing, the three of them are emerging as the highlight. They’re the talk of the offseason — which is noteworthy, since there are other storylines such as a transfer quarterback in Jalen Hurts and a new defensive coordinator in Alex Grinch.

“Them boys are very talented,” junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said. “They adapt quickly. This is a hard offense to get into. I feel like with all the thinking they’ve done, they’ve put in some extra work to learn quicker, they’ve come in for extra time to ask me for help. They want to win.

They want to learn.”

They come from different cities, have different strengths and different personalities, but they are all linked and motivated by a single force: tragedy. The emotional pain they’ve endured after the loss of loved ones has helped each of them to be the elite prospects they are today and will continue to push them to future success at Oklahoma.

“They’re all what we thought they were,” coach Lincoln Riley said. “For guys that should be in high school right now, they’re in there fighting, scrapping, and you see a burst of (all) of their talents.”

PHOTO BY JACKSON STEWART

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PHOTO PROVIDED BY JACK BRIDGES

Trejan Bridges The Hebron Hawks and then-junior Bridges were getting ready to take the field to open their 2017 season against Plano High School in Plano, Texas.

Bridges looked at his teammates and coaches in the locker room and told them he was going to score three touchdowns that night.

He did just that.

Hebron lost that game 27-26, but it was the start of a season where Bridges would catch 63 passes, score 13 touchdowns and cement his status as one of the most coveted receivers in the country. It was an example of one side of his personality that his teammates, coaches and family rave about: his confidence.

The confidence and swagger Bridges carries himself with on and off the field doesn’t just benefit him. It rubbed off on his teammates at Hebron, and Jaylon Lott, who played with him for two years, said it was Bridges’ best quality.

“The best thing about him as a teammate was the confidence he had. When he was out there, he just gave everybody confidence,” Lott said. “He showed us not to be scared and he helped us play to the best of our abilities.”

But confidence wasn’t natural for Bridges — it had to be cultivated over time. Jack Bridges, Bridges’ father, made him play in older age divisions from the time he started playing sports at age 4. Bridges’ father said competing against older kids presented a challenge for Bridges. “(Playing sports) wasn’t about dominating the competition. I always wanted him to be challenged,” Bridges’ father said. “He’s always played with the older guys, and he’s always been able to hold his own with the older guys. I think that had a lot to do with his confidence.”

Bridges was one of the biggest trash talkers in the locker room at Hebron.

Jeff Hill coached Bridges for four years and said the trash talk motivated him to play to his full potential.

“I think his confidence is the moti-

vator to get him going,” Hill said. “He understands that if he says it, he’s got to back it up. He wants to be a man of his word. It makes him play with that chip on his shoulder. It makes him play with that edge.”

To back up his talk, Bridges had a work ethic that was unparalleled — pushing him to an elite level.

“On Saturdays he’d go watch film and practice with the team, then Sunday he’d be right back up at Hebron working out by himself,” Jack Bridges said.

“Some things he’d put on social media, but some things he wouldn’t. He does that stuff faithfully, and he’s always been (enthusiastic) about stuff like that.”

Bridges’ father said his son’s work ethic always came naturally to him, but in 2011, a tragedy happened that still motivates him to this day.

Bridges’ best friend, 10-year-old Marcus Stiggers, died from an asthma attack. Since then, Bridges has played for more than just the love of the game.

“They played ball from the time they were able to play ball until (Marcus) passed away. Since then, he kinda feels like whenever he does anything, he does it for two people,” Bridges’ father said. “He’s always been that way, he’s very sensitive. He gets very emotional whenever it gets brought up.”

The anniversary of Stiggers’ death is Nov. 10, and Hill said the community would rally around Bridges when the date came along.

“His dad (would tell me) to watch out and think about Bridges because he might be down a little bit,” Hill said.

“You can tell he’s not just playing for himself.”

But the motivation and work paid off for Bridges. When Friday nights came, he’d make play after play, said Carson Harris, Hebron’s starting quarterback during Bridges’ senior season.

Harris remembers multiple times when Bridges bailed him out, like the time when he underthrew a fade route

and Bridges jumped over the defender to make the catch. Or the time when he threw it too far to the outside, and Bridges reached out to make the catch right before going out of bounds. And, of course, the time when he lobbed up a pass on fourth down and Bridges made a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone.

“He made my job a million times easier,” Harris said. “Whenever things were going wrong, I knew I could just throw it up and he’d make a play.”

The combination of his confidence, his on-field production and unwavering motivation to play for his late childhood friend made him one of the leaders in Hebron’s locker room and one of the top receivers in the country.

Oklahoma offered Bridges a scholarship on July 25, 2017, and he committed on Sept. 5, 2017, at the beginning of his junior year of high school. It was the communication and sincerity of the coaching staff that made him want to commit so early, he said.

While his future teammates — Wease Jr. and Haselwood — wavered on their commitments, Bridges was a Sooner from day one.

“He knew that me and his mom believed that once you give your word to someone, your loyalty has to go miles with them,” Bridges’ father said. “He knew that once he committed, he was going to go there.”

Bridges may be the receiver with the least amount of hype of the three coming into Oklahoma. Haselwood and Wease Jr. are ranked as the No. 1 and No. 3 wide receivers on all three major recruiting databases, respectively, while Bridges isn’t ranked in the top 10 on ESPN or 247Sports.

But Bridges is comfortable not being the top recruit.

“He’s always been the underdog,” Bridges’ father said. “He thinks he’s just as good as anybody else.”

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Theo Wease Jr .

It didn’t take much time for Theo Wease Jr. to make a name for himself at Oklahoma.

On March 7, the first day of spring practice, Wease Jr. made an impressive grab over redshirt freshman defensive back Miguel Edwards.

This short clip elicited excitement from Sooner fans about Wease Jr.’s playmaking ability, but it came as no surprise to those who know him well.

Terry Gambill, Wease Jr.’s coach at Allen High School in Allen, Texas, said those types of plays are regular for him.

“The thing that I like about him on the field is that he has the knack for making plays,” Gambill said. “He’s got great body control, and when the ball’s up in the air, he’s gonna win nine out of 10 of those battles. It’s his ball.”

But it’s the work behind the highlights that separated Wease Jr. from most high school receivers. His 6-foot3 height and natural playmaking ability were crucial in making him an elite prospect, but it was the time and effort he put in off the field that helped him hone his talent.

Wease Jr. watched game film religiously, and Allen’s wide receivers coach Justin Dozier said he did it differently from most other players.

“As a position coach, we meet and we tell them, ‘You gotta watch video,’ and a lot of guys sit down and watch video, but they don’t know what they’re watching,” Dozier said. “They don’t know what to look for in the little details, so you gotta teach them how to do it. But when Theo watches video, he watches video with a purpose. That’s just one more aspect of his game that kind of takes him to another level compared to a lot of other kids.”

And Wease Jr.’s work ethic didn’t stop in the film room. Just like he did 54

on the first day of spring practice at Oklahoma, he went to practice and outworked everyone on the field.

“He just continually would go at practice every day and attack it. He never took that attitude — at least that I saw — like, ‘Hey I can take this play off,’ or ‘I don’t have to practice hard today,’” Gambill said. “He always wanted to be the guy that made the play when the game’s on the line, and that started at practice for him.”

While the playing style and work ethic of Wease Jr. and Bridges seem very similar, what differentiates the two is their personalities. Bridges is a talker who uses his confidence to lead, but Wease Jr. lets his plays on the field do the talking.

“He’s not vocal, but if you’re a (defensive back), he’s gonna make you better,” Gambill said. “For the other receivers, his work ethic was extremely good and that rubbed off on them.”

For Wease Jr., working hard isn’t something he does just because. It was the death of his older brother that is the motivation behind his work.

Wease Jr. was 3 years old when his older brother Michael Pennerman died at 16 after suffering an accident while playing football. In Pennerman’s obituary, it said one of his favorite things to do was to teach Wease Jr. how to play football.

Wease Jr. isn’t afraid to share how he is motivated by Pennerman’s death.

He frequently posts about it on social media, and Dozier said he talked about it often at Allen. According to those that know him best, Wease Jr. does everything for more than just himself.

When Wease Jr. began his varsity career at Allen, he was a sophomore, and even though he was young, Dozier said he was able to establish himself as one of the top receiving threats and leaders on the team.

As time went on, he progressed

significantly as a player, most notably improving his ability to make the highlight reel catches he is now known for. By the end of his senior season, he had a national profile, being rated as the third-best high school football player in the country.

Dozier said he also grew in his ability to lead and play a more vocal role on the team.

“He was more of a lead by example type of guy (as a sophomore). He was a little more vocal as a junior, and as a senior he had to be vocal,” Dozier said. “It wasn’t something that was uncomfortable for him or that he didn’t like doing, but as a junior he didn’t have to step up and be vocal. As a senior we were really young at some positions, and by that time he was just like another coach out there.”

Often times, elite wide receivers are stereotyped as being selfish and obsessed with their personal stats and accomplishments. Wease Jr. breaks that mold.

“The other thing I loved about him is that he never came in on a Saturday asking about his stats, like, ‘Man, they should’ve thrown me the ball 10 more times.’ I never heard that out of his mouth,” Gambill said. “I never heard him whine or gripe about, ‘Hey, I’m not getting the ball enough.’ He’s always such a team player.”

As he enters his first season as a Sooner, he is in the same spot he was in as a sophomore at Allen: He’s a talented prospect on an elite team looking to find a role for himself.

“I could see him contributing to the success of OU,” Gambill said. “I don’t think he’s gonna try and come in and be the guy that says, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go win the game for us.’ I think he’s gonna come in there and figure out his role and help with their success.”

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUSTIN DOZIER

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Jadon Ha The final seconds of the 3A Georgia state championship game were ticking away, and Cedar Grove High School held a 13-7 deficit. Quarterback Kendall Boney dropped back and lobbed a pass to Jadon Haselwood.

Before Haselwood had even caught the pass — the ball was still in the air — Cedar Grove head coach Jermaine Smith turned to his kicker and told him to go win the game, knowing Haselwood would make the play.

Haselwood reeled in the pass with four seconds left, the kicker made the extra point and Cedar Grove left Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 14-13 win and a state championship trophy.

“That play was always designed for Jadon,” Smith said. “I was just hoping they wouldn’t triple-team him. Honestly, with a double-team they couldn’t have stopped them.”

That catch and the following victory were more than just a goal for Haselwood. The previous May, one of his best friends and teammates, Trevon Richardson, was murdered outside of an apartment complex in Georgia.

Richardson’s death served as a reason for Haselwood to stay locked in on winning the state championship. He even decommitted from the University of Georgia in October 2018 after being committed for a year and a half to focus all of his energy into the championship.

Since he was the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2019 class, coaches from all around the country were still calling him. But they got no answers.

“I started to get calls (from college coaches) because he wasn’t answering the phone,” Smith said.

“He told me to tell them he was focusing on the season and that he’s not mad or upset. He just wanted to focus on his teammates and going out the right way.”

Haselwood wore Richardson’s former No. 11 jersey in the championship game as a tribute to him.

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And now he will don No. 11 at Oklahoma.

“It happened so fast that it kind of threw him off and really motivated (Haselwood),” said Boney, who played quarterback at Cedar Grove in 2018. “You could tell it was in the back of his mind every game, and it pushed him to another level.”

Boney transferred to Cedar Grove as a senior, and he never had the chance to meet Richardson. But the reverence that Haselwood held for him made Boney feel like he was fighting for someone, too.

“When I saw how much love Jadon and the community had for him,” Boney said, “it made me feel like I had known him since I was 5 or 6 years old.”

Haselwood’s leadership during Cedar Grove’s state championship campaign went past the football field and into the locker room. Despite the high levels of media and fan speculation on where he’d go to school, he rarely spoke on his recruitment. This unselfishness was appreciated by his teammates. “(That he didn’t talk about recruiting) meant the world to us because a lot of times people only worry

aselwood about themselves,” Boney said. “It was a goal of ours as a team to win that state championship, and no matter what he had going on outside of that, he made sure that it was still his number one goal.”

And despite his elite talent, Haselwood made it a point to treat everyone as equals.

“He wanted to make sure he was a leader for everyone,” Boney said. “Eighth grader, ninth grader, 10th grader, 11th grader — it didn’t matter. He wanted to have a conversation with you and get to know you.”

Natalie Beebe, a business and computer science teacher at Cedar Grove, said his unselfishness and sense of equality were present in the classroom, too. These traits stem from the culture of Cedar Grove, she said.

“That’s the culture at Cedar Grove — all of our student-athletes are like that,” Beebe said. “They know that they are great, but they know where they come from so they don’t let anything go to their head.”

The teachers play a large role in the lives of their students, and she said this helped cultivate much of Haselwood’s humility.

“We do a lot of raising at that school,” Beebe said. “The faculty and staff don’t come to school to just do their job and go home.”

Even though Haselwood tried to take time away from the spotlight in 2018, he became one

of the biggest storylines in college football recruiting.

His decommitment was notable, but it was something that had been in the making for some time.

Throughout the time he was committed to Georgia, he still spoke to and visited multiple schools.

“Jadon just wanted to take a step back, review all his options and try to just breathe a little bit,” said Darrin Hood, Haselwood’s mentor and one of his closest friends. “He had been committed for so long, he just wanted to see what else was out there.”

Haselwood announced his commitment to Oklahoma at the All-American Bowl on Jan. 5, 2019, one week after Oklahoma’s 45-34 loss to Alabama in the Orange Bowl. His announcement was highly anticipated, but he had known for a long time that he could end up in Norman.

“He had been saying OU the whole time since his first official visit there at the (2018) spring game … but he just gave the other schools a chance,” said Hood, who runs his own media company. “Ever since that spring game official visit, he was screaming OU.” There were two factors that drew him to Oklahoma: his family connections and Riley’s offense.

Riley’s offense features more passing than Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s. In 2018, Oklahoma threw the ball 44.5 percent of the time, while Georgia only passed on 39.7 percent of its plays. This is an important stat for a wide receiver, and it made him lean toward the Sooners.

Haselwood’s father, Jeremy, graduated from Oklahoma, and Haselwood grew up cheering for OU. Both Hill and Smith said the family ties made the 900-mile distance feel more doable. “(OU has) been consistently elite for years,” Smith said. “They’ve been throwing the ball for years, his father went to Oklahoma — there were just a lot of reasons to go.”

Now-Oklahoma freshman Jadon Haselwood reflects during a ceremony honoring his fallen high school teammate, Trevon Richardson.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DARRIN HOOD

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PLAYERS TO WATCH

Jalen trey hurts sermon QUARTERBACK VIC REYNOLDS · @VICAREYNOLDS

When the Sooners take the field against Houston on Sept. 1, all eyes will be on graduate transfer Jalen Hurts.

The former Alabama quarterback may be the most highly touted college football transfer in recent memory. Hurts had a roller coaster of a career in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In his first two years, he started 28 games, accounted for over 6,000 yards with 61 touchdowns and led the Crimson Tide to two College Football Playoff National Championship appearances as a starter.

After facing a 13-0 deficit at halftime in the 2018 national title game, Hurts was benched in favor of Tua Tagovailoa, who led the team to a comeback victory. Going into 2018-19, Tagovailoa was given the starting role for the season, and Hurts was left to play backup.

In the 2018-19 season, Hurts appeared in 13 of Alabama’s 15 games, with no starts. He threw for 765 yards and eight touchdowns, and ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Most notably, Hurts had to fill in for the injured Tagovailoa in the SEC Championship game against Georgia. The Crimson Tide were losing 28-21, then Hurts accounted for two touchdowns in the final 11 minutes to help secure a fifth straight College Football Playoff appearance.

Hurts was praised for his maturity and grace giving up his starting role to Tagovailoa, and the Sooners hope he can fill the shoes of former Sooner quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Both Mayfield and Murray won the Heisman Trophy and were selected first overall in the NFL Draft.

Hurts has reached the national championship in each season of his career — an achievement that the Sooners have fallen one game short of in three of the last four years.

PHOTO BY JORDAN MILLER

RUNNING BACK VIC REYNOLDS · @VICAREYNOLDS

After a season of playing a critical role in Oklahoma’s running game, the “Preacher Man” is poised to have another big season.

As the brute of the Oklahoma backfield, Sermon, instead of finding holes, would make them. And instead of avoiding tackles, he’d drop his shoulder and stay on his feet.

Sermon was the team’s second leading rusher in his 2017 freshman season, and third in rushing in 2018. Even though he’s never been the team’s featured running back, Sermon has played a critical role in Lincoln Riley’s offense the last two seasons.

He’s amassed 1,691 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, 13 of which came in 2018.

A good portion of Sermon’s 2018 success came from the complementary running of redshirt sophomore running back Kennedy Brooks. Brooks is a crafty back who finds openings and avoids tackles, while Sermon often barrels over tacklers.

Brooks missed some summer workouts due to a Title IX investigation, but was reinstated to the team July 9 after the investigation’s conclusion. OU student Mallory Jech has since tweeted alleging Brooks committed “verbal and physical abuse.”

With Brooks returning and transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts being known for his prowess on the ground, Sermon will likely be splitting carries once again in his junior season.

The trio is expected to be one of the nation’s most feared running attacks.

PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

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CHARLESTON

RAMBO

WIDE RECEIVER

GRANT CALCATERRA TIGHT END

TARIK MASRI · @TARIKM_OFFICIAL

A four-star recruit out of Texas, Rambo’s commitment helped give the Sooners their first top 10 recruiting class in 2017 since 2010. Rambo signed alongside fellow Texas native CeeDee Lamb with the two ranking No. 27 and No. 24, respectively, in the nation at wide receiver in their class.

Rambo was redshirted his freshman year before appearing in 12 of 14 games during the 2018-19 season. He recorded eight catches for 125 yards and one touchdown. In the College Football Playoff against No. 1 Alabama, Rambo pulled in a career-high three receptions for 74 yards, including a 49-yard catch for a touchdown.

With Marquise Brown now in the NFL, the Cedar Hill native is expected to take on a bigger role this season. Rambo’s performance against Alabama was a good sign that Rambo is ready for the challenge.

The Sooners will have plenty of other options in the passing game including junior CeeDee Lamb, redshirt seniors Nick Basquine, A.D. Miller and Lee Morris.

Three highly recruited freshmen may also have a chance to make their mark in Trejan Bridges, Jadon Haselwood and Theo Wease Jr. But with his experience catching passes from two Heisman Trophy winners, don’t count out Rambo as a reliable target for the 2019-20 season.

PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

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VIC REYNOLDS · @VICAREYNOLDS

In an offense that includes 2018 All-Big 12 first team member CeeDee Lamb, Orange Bowl breakout star Charleston Rambo and three freshman five-star wide receivers, junior Grant Calcaterra will likely be one of Jalen Hurts’ top targets in 2019.

Calcaterra spent his freshman season in 2017 behind Mark Andrews, winner of the Mackey Award for the best tight end in college football. In 2018, Calcaterra was third on the team in receptions with 26 and caught six touchdowns. His most impressive performance came in the Big 12 Championship Game against Texas, where he caught two touchdown passes — including a one-handed 16-yard grab with 2:06 remaining in the fourth quarter to seal the Sooners’ victory.

On a team with Oklahoma’s array of weapons, it can be difficult for players to separate themselves from the rest of the talent. Fortunately for Calcaterra, he’s the only tight end on the team with significant collegiate playing time under his belt. Opposing secondaries will need to focus on stopping Lamb and the rest of the wide receivers on the outside, which will leave Calcaterra a lot of room to work with between the hash marks.

Measuring 6 feet, 4 inches tall and weighing 233 pounds, Calcaterra brings impressive athleticism for his size. He presents a matchup problem for much of the Big 12. With a frame that’s too big for most cornerbacks and safeties, and speed that is too fast for most linebackers, Calcaterra can overcome anyone guarding him.

PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

TA

RONNIE

PERKINS DEFENSIVE END

dashaun

white

LINEBACKER

TARIK MASRI · @TARIKM_OFFICIAL

S

JORDAN GLEDHILL · @J_GLED

Perkins was the No. 57 overall player and the No. A defense that ranked near the bottom of the 5 weak-side defensive end in the 2018 recruiting country and was a major point of criticism for the class, according to 247sports.com. Coming out of top-five Sooners will have to overcome another barhigh school, the U.S. Army All-American enrolled rier in 2019. early and was able to make an immediate impact When news began to spread of linebacker Caleb on the defensive line his freshman season.

Kelly’s lower body injury last spring, Lincoln Riley Perkins appeared in all 14 games and started said the injury is not a minor one and will lead to an seven of the final eight to close out the season, adjustment of the Oklahoma coaching staff’s plans. displaying his pass rushing ability. In his first start of One of the players who will likely see more immedithe season, Perkins recorded two sacks — he beate playing time is sophomore linebacker DaShaun came the first Oklahoma freshman to record multiWhite. ple sacks in a game since Travis Lewis in 2008. He The North Richland Hills, Texas, native signed with finished the season with eight tackles for loss, four the Sooners in the winter of 2018 as a four-star requarterback hurries and a team-high five sacks. cruit and recorded 13 total tackles in limited time as With a new defensive scheme this season under a freshman. White has experience in the strong side, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, Perkins’ ability middle and weak side linebacker positions, and says to get into the backfield could be crucial to stophe learned a lot from playing under Kelly ping some of the issues the Sooners have in 2018. had on defense. Linebacker The three candidates Caleb Kelly is expected to fill Kelly’s weak side to miss at least a signiflinebacker position are icant portion of the White, redshirt 2019-20 season, so junior Bryan Mead the Sooners deand redshirt sophofense will need more Ryan Jones, Perkins to conbut inside linebacktinue to get ers coach Brian better after a Odom said in April strong freshthat White is most man season. likely to fill the position.

PHOTO BY JORDAN MILLER

PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

61

I TRE BROWN CORNERBACK JORDAN GLEDHILL · @J_GLED

Then-sophomore cornerback Tre Brown made the play of the year for the Oklahoma defense in 2018. With the Sooners leading Texas 30-27 with 8:32 remaining in the Big 12 Championship Game, Brown sacked Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger in the end zone for a safety, increasing the Oklahoma lead to 32-27 on the way to a 39-27 victory. The play was crucial in the Sooners’ effort to avenge their Oct. 6 loss to the Longhorns and make their second straight College Football Playoff appearance under head coach Lincoln Riley. It also served as one of the few bright moments for a defense that finished last — ranked No. 129 — in passing defense.

The Sooners hired Alex Grinch in January and Brown, an incoming junior, is expected to be a key component for a crew that will be coached to play fast and create turnovers. The Tulsa native committed to OU in March 2016 and has generated 70 total tackles and 14 pass breakups in his first two seasons.

Brown also emerged as a go-to kick returner for the Sooners, racking up 710 return yards in 2018 in 30 attempts for an average of nearly 24 yards per return. Following Oklahoma’s win over Iowa State on Sept. 15, the Cyclones’ head coach Matt Campbell told The Oklahoman he thinks Brown is one of the best kick returners in the country. Whether or not he continues to return kicks, Brown is expected to be entrenched at cornerback for a defense that will return all its starters from 2018 except for defensive end Amani Bledsoe and linebacker Curtis Bolton.

PHOTO BY CAITLYN EPES

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GABE BRKIC KICKER

JORDAN GLEDHILL · @J_GLED

Austin Seibert’s four-year run as Oklahoma’s go-to kicker came to an end in the Orange Bowl when the No. 4 Sooners fell to No. 1 Alabama, 45-34.

Though other offseason changes have received much of the attention leading up to the 2019 season — the entrance of Jalen Hurts into the offense, the emergence of the three five-star freshman wide receivers and the reconstruction of the defense under first-year coordinator Alex Grinch among them — the replacement of the Football Bowl Subdivision’s all-time leading scorer among kickers will also be key for the Sooners.

The leading candidate to assume the starting role come August is redshirt freshman Gabe Brkic, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound kicker and punter from Chardon, Ohio. Brkic’s only appearance in 2018 came in the season opener against Florida Atlantic, in which he made his lone extra point attempt and registered three touchbacks in four kickoffs.

In 2018, Brkic was rated by Kohl’s Kicking as the nation’s No. 7 kicker and No. 22 punter, though he is currently only expected to be the place and field goal kicker in 2019. “His leg strength is amazing,” according to his bio from Kohl’s Kicking, a training camp for kickers, punters and long snappers. “There are not many grown men able to hit 4.6 (second) hang-times on kickoffs. His field goal consistency has been developing this past year.”

PHOTO BY JACKSON STEWART

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