Happy Monday, friends and fans!
The first round of the 2019 NFL Draft is set for this Thursday, and the speculation that Kyler Murray will be selected with the No. 1 overall pick hasn’t truly diminished over time. If anything, many believe Kliff Kingsbury and the Arizona Cardinals have already made their choice to pick the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner. Having said that, it’s also quite possible that the Cardinals have been throwing curveballs to the rest of the league and the people who cover it, so we shall see.
Speaking of Kingsbury, the former Texas A&M offensive coordinator turned Texas Tech head coach has had a sort of long-distance relationship with Murray for quite some time. In 2012, he recruited the young Allen HS QB to play for the Aggies, before he himself took the job in Lubbock. Still, the two maintained a mutual respect for each other throughout the next several years. This week, this scenic route of a journey could finally unite them as coach and player.
“It was like they were old family friends.”
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) April 22, 2019
I went inside Kliff Kingsbury's recruitment of Kyler Murray, which could come to fruition Thursday night, seven years after it began: https://t.co/rkiaQcijbY
For fans of the Oklahoma Sooners, Kliff Kingsbury was not always the most beloved opposing coach. The whole Baker Mayfield transfer ordeal that almost led to a lost year of eligibility is pretty much to blame for that, but since it ultimately worked out for both parties, the temperature on KK’s name in OK has cooled off. What I’ll be interested in seeing is how much OU folks may start to like him if he does team up with Murray and they do have success similar to that guy up in Cleveland.
Now on to this week’s Monday edition of Hot Links! Creed Humphrey likes pancakes with his steak, Oklahoma wins a much needed series in the Twin Cities, Myles Turner throws down the dunk of the playoffs and more!
OU Links
- I know I’ve talked about them before, but these NFL Draft ads (this one courtesy of NFL Network) are getting better and better. Check out Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott leveling with Kyler Murray as he prepares for the next step in his career as an athlete. Great stuff, D.
So what if they doubt you.@dak ➡️ @TheKylerMurray #NFLDraft April 25 @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/ayrW2AppEL
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) April 21, 2019
- Here’s a complete timeline rundown of Kyler Murray’s journey from high school to the week of the NFL Draft, provided by SB Nation’s Christian D’Andrea.
- I’m ready for this to be over and done with. The hot takes are going to be the end of me.
Great point from @peter_king: Kyler Murray is 57-3 as a starter over the last seven years, so how will he handle adversity at the next level? https://t.co/cJPmRiNe4k
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 22, 2019
- Creed Humphrey, aka the starting center of the 2018 Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line, grilled up some steaks on Easter Sunday. Check out the apron, too, courtesy of the Joe Moore Award. “100% Pure Beef. (pancakes on the side)”.
Nothing better than grilling steaks on Easter! Thanks to @JoeMooreAward for the apron. #OLU pic.twitter.com/7NwcrI1JgL
— Creed Humphrey (@creed_humphrey) April 21, 2019
- Sooner baseball grabbed a much-needed series victory at Minnesota this weekend. Brady Harlan and Brady Lindsly gave Oklahoma the spark they needed at the plate to come away as winners of Sunday’s rubber match.
RECAP | This is the story of two men named Brady: Harlan and Lindsly combine for all five RBIs in OU's 5-2 series-clinching win at Minnesota.
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) April 21, 2019
➡️ https://t.co/DbQnHAWcKx#Sooners pic.twitter.com/5w0xrADDvB
- In case you missed it, Oklahoma landed the verbal commitment of 2020 four-star CB Ryan Watts. The Little Elm, Texas product visited Norman during the weekend of the OU Spring Game, and at around 6’3” he fits the mold of what Alex Grinch wants for the future of his defense.
Around the Sports World
- On this day, 15 years ago, Pat Tillman’s incredible life and story were cut short while at war in Afghanistan. The Arizona State Sun Devils DB turned Arizona Cardinal chose to fight for his country instead of continuing his professional football career following the 9/11 attack.
On this day in 2004, we lost the great Pat Tillman. This is his story https://t.co/HfqABnX1dZ pic.twitter.com/NPOlnUMmdj
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 22, 2019
- The Indiana Pacers’ Myles Turner posterized Boston’s Gordon Hayward on Sunday. The Celtics got the last laugh however, with the series sweep. I still watched this about a dozen times though.
MYLES TURNER LIFT-OFF #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/qKqq4uBcju
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 21, 2019
- Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins are regarded as the top two QBs in the 2019 draft class, but is West Virginia’s Will Grier right behind them? The argument can certainly be made.
- Bill Connelly previewed the Air Force Falcons. After back-to-back losing seasons, there is actually a bit of promise for the Mountain West’s military service academy.
- Soccer fans are on their own level of fanaticism. At first glance I thought this stadium was ablaze, but it’s just PAOK FC fans celebrating their first league title in 34 years with flares. Yeah, this is not for me.
#PAOK have won the league title in Greece for the first time in 34 years
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) April 21, 2019
Look how they’re celebrating
pic.twitter.com/9ehZ1Vf6kD
Stick to Sports!
- Today is Earth Day! In honor of this very special pale blue dot of ours, here’s a story about a small Danish community attempting to revolutionize the way resources are produced, maintained and recycled. The folks of Bornholm Island have a goal that by 2032, they will become the world’s first garbage-free community. And right there on the edge of the Baltic Sea? That alone would make me want to check this place out. Don’t worry, I’ll just keep any trash of mine with the rest of my luggage.
This island’s only waste-incineration facility is wearing out, so the bold decision was made to instead transition towards a garbage-free society https://t.co/ezHfTk0MdZ #EarthDay pic.twitter.com/mf4Qc3Udsm
— National Geographic (@NatGeo) April 22, 2019
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