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Woof.

If you wanted big changes in the lineup tonight, you got 'em.

Sydney Barker at 1B. Corri Hicks at catcher. Kasidi Pickering batting leadoff. Sam Landry in the circle.

Game starts at 6 p.m. on SECN+.

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In case you missed it, I’ve already posted notes on where things stand with each potential returnee.

We’ll use this thread to talk hoops portal.

Ok, I see what Woody was talking about. How in the hell do you get it to stop?

Norman, OK — The Oklahoma Sooners fell 13-2 to the Vanderbilt Commodores on Sunday, missing a chance at their first SEC sweep of the season. It was as if the tables were flipped entirely from game 2 to game 3. Despite the lopsided loss, Oklahoma claimed the weekend series 2-1, showcasing their strength against a formidable Vandy squad. A crowd of 3,021 watched under a steady 21 mph wind pushing toward the outfield at L Dale Mitchell Park.

After explosive offensive performances in the first two games, Oklahoma’s bats went quiet in the finale. The Sooners managed just five hits, with Easton Carmichael (1-for-2, 1 R, 1 BB), Dayton Tockey (1-for-3, 1 RBI), and Kyle Branch (1-for-3) providing early sparks. Mason Hamlin’s double in the eighth set up a single from Jason Walk (1-for-3, 1 RBI) that scored the Sooners' second run, but it was too little, too late.

Vanderbilt’s offense, however, found its groove against Sooners' starter Malachi Witherspoon. The right-hander delivered a mixed bag: 5 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, and an impressive 11 strikeouts. Despite the heat, Witherspoon surrendered two home runs—a solo shot by Riley Nelson in the first and a two-run blast by Braden Holcomb in the second—that set the tone early. It seemed that he brought his best stuff, but couldn’t piece it all together today.

The Commodores built their lead methodically. Nelson’s homer gave Vandy a 1-0 edge in the first. Holcomb’s blast in the second, scoring Mac Rose, pushed it to 3-0. In the third, RJ Austin scored on Nelson’s single, followed by Rustan Rigdon’s RBI single, making it 5-0. The Sooners answered in the fourth when Carmichael scored on Tockey’s single, trimming the deficit to 5-1.

But Vanderbilt pulled away. Austin scored on Brodie Johnston’s double in the fourth, and the Commodores erupted for three runs in the sixth, highlighted by Rigdon’s two-RBI single. Jonathan Vastine’s RBI single in the seventh and Holcomb’s two-RBI double in the eighth capped Vandy’s 13-run outburst.

Despite the loss, the series win bolsters Oklahoma's momentum heading into a Bedlam showdown against Oklahoma State on April 15 at 6 p.m. CT in Stillwater. The Sooners (25-10, 7-8 SEC) remain in the thick of the conference race, with their sights set on another statement win Tuesday night.

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Ngl… I’d rather get one of these than a CB, TE, or LB.

Been off the board for awhile so my apologies if this is beating a dead horse but how bad is our kicker situation? I saw the Stoia tweet from a day or 2 ago. I could see kicker being the difference in several games on this brutal schedule.

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A WR OU should look at. Put up crazy numbers last year for UCO.

Spoke to several sources today and was told that

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What is going on OU Insider!?

I know the “combine” has had a lot of controversy come with it, but there were some things we were able to learn from it that I would love to share with you all from a scouting, sports science, and football perspective!

Thanks to the wonderful work of the staff here, I was able to come through any immense amount of footage in the past day or so and form some educated, and maybe not so educated opinions on various players and positions.

Here is my final verdict following the weekend’s events!

Quarterback:
It is about as settled as it comes that John Mateer will be the starter for Oklahoma barring a major setback at that position. There wasn’t anything out of the spring game that show me that needed to change. Not only did he showcase excellent mechanics that we knew he was going to bring to Norman, but he also showed that he has some serious playmaking ability and is a major threat outside of the pocket when things breakdown. His ability to flip his hips and get the ball down the field is something we have not seen in a while, at least on a consistent basis, in Norman.

That being said, Michael Hawkins Jr. continued to show that he has made MAJOR strides in his mechanics. He has trimmed his release time down to a consistent .34 - .31 while still having some accuracy to go along with it,

Runningback:
There wasn’t anything about the weekend that has changed my mind about this position. Xavier Robinson is far away the best playmaker in the backfield and looks the most fluid running with or without the ball in his hands. My initial opinions on Gavin Sawchuk looking a bit stiff in practice this spring still remain, but that could also be due to some of the lingering issues he has dealt with the past few seasons and his body trying to break free of that.

Tatum had put on some size but I think he will trim down over the summer had baseball is no longer an issue.

Franklin continues to look fluid and I think has added another bit of bounce to his step.

Receiver:
Of course, I wish we would’ve had a chance to watch both of the Gibson’s as they might be the two best of the entire entire bunch, but there is no question that Burks is still the man. His body looks even more cleaned up than a year ago and I love how relentless he is when he runs routes. Honestly, I haven’t seen a Sooner run routes the way he does since Sterling Shepherd. Just the sheer aggressive nature in the way he attacks every single cut is a sight to behold.

Carreon also caught my attention again, not that that’s hard with his frame but he is going to be a serious weapon this year.

Offensive Line:
Not as much to pull from here other than Fodje and Fasusi are the legit.

More to come on this later in the thread.

Tight End:
Recently, Arbuckle has been quoted as saying the tight end room has improved as much as any other room on the team and after watching, I think there may be some merit to that statement.

Now, I don’t think there are any elite playmakers at the position right now, but the sooners are well rounded enough that it may not be a total eyesore.

Here’s my evaluations as they stand today:
- John Locke #44: As it stands today, save from Kanak, he looks like one of the most physical players with his hands. He needs to get a little more mobile before he takes that step into being an elite blocker because he can find himself playing high but I think he is Oklahoma’s TE when they need to snag a few inches on short yardage. He plays hard and doesn’t have bad hands in the event they toss him the rock.

- Carson Kent #86: He looks the most fluid running routes. Move his hips fairly well. If I had to comp him with anyone, he reminds me a little bit of James Hanna with less speed. He does have some quality route ruining nuance to his game and can get low in and out of breaks. Hands are soft and not afraid to get in someone’s grill.

- Jaren Kanak #12: Have heard rumblings about the physical nature he plays with and is the ONLY player who will present a matchup problem in that room. I don’t think he is a super star and I want to see/hear more but while the floor is very low, potentially, the ceiling is probably the highest of any of the players in that room as he is easily the most athletic of the bunch.

Defense will be coming later today!

Biggest issue at oklahoma is fan engagement and keep people happy.

1. Instead of skill competition, have a live open practice with Live mics and fan hear all the coaching and players.

2. Have campus corner and stadium wrapped around with Dj's, booths, food trucks, and etc. Have players around and makes for people to hit spot to spot to stay active.

3. Have coaches around in locations for fans to ask one question or just get a quick auto.

4. Have the QB's do competitions with fans that think they are the uncle Rico's.

This would fulfill NIL obligations and keep fan engagement without needing a huge game and 1 hour of worthless drills. Biggest mistake Oklahoma makes is having fans show up and be bored. Just a idea

I told him I didn’t really care what the pay was or what the title was. Let me know and I’ll get the shortest route to Norman that I can. I don’t know if I deserve to be here but I am very, very humbled and very grateful that I am here. It’s a privilege and I don’t take it lightly."

I understand this may be controversial, but I hope Nico—and every player—learns from this situation that it’s not always better on the other side. Nico was making $2.5 million and tried to demand more from Tennessee despite not having great stats.

Honestly, I hope no team comes in and overpays, like we’ve seen all portal season. I’d like to see him end up with a deal that’s actually less than what he was already making. I think that would be really good for college football. It would set a strong precedent: don’t walk away from a great situation. Trust the process.

The staff has been on him for nearly two years so they'e able to go into deeper detail with the Floridian

Really good player. Had over 600 receiving yards last year.

Story attached. Honest opinion here is that this portal recruitment should be approached with modest expectations. Maikkula is taking three more visits this coming week, so that doesn't necessarily bode well for the Sooners' chances long-term. In scheduling the first visit with a portal player, your hope is that you can convince him not to leave. Maikkula left. Doesn't mean Oklahoma won't wind up with his pledge, but just understand that he's going to be thorough with this process, and that the other programs will probably give him a more desirable pitch with regard to a starting job. Bedenbaugh is not the kind of guy who makes any promises of playing time, for better or worse.

Myself and @dmackey13 give out our opinions on the matter!

Tomorrow at 10pm CST

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