Oklahoma Sooners Football

The Oklahoma Sooners and head football coach Lincoln Riley have agreed to a new contract featuring a two-year extension that will keep him under control through 2025, according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic.

The new deal reportedly came in February after Riley turned down the chance to coach in the NFL. 

Riley has been the head coach at Oklahoma for three seasons, going 12-2 with a trip to the College Football Playoff in each year.

The 36-year-old is especially known for his offensive system, helping the Sooners average over 40 points per game in each of the past three years. The squad ranked first in the country with 48.4 points per game in 2018.

This offensive production helped both Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray win the Heisman Trophy under Riley, each going on to become the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Jalen Hurts finished second in Heisman voting last season before becoming a second-round pick in the 2020 draft.

His ability to win games and develop quarterbacks unsurprisingly got the attention of NFL teams.

"There's going to be a race to fire NFL head coaches this season because everyone wants to get on Lincoln Riley as early as possible," a front-office executive told Bleacher Report's Matt Miller last September.

There was plenty of talk about a potential move to the Dallas Cowboys, with owner Jerry Jones saying he was "impressed" with the Oklahoma coach. At one point he was among the favorites to be the team's next coach after Jason Garrett was fired, per Sports Betting Dime.

Riley ended up staying with Oklahoma and will now be under contract for at least six more seasons as one of the highest-paid coaches in the country, per Feldman.

Former Oklahoma Sooners head football coach John Blake died Thursday at the age of 59.

Former Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer confirmed the news to Ryan Aber of The Oklahoman, who noted Blake died of heart failure.

According to Aber, Blake became the first Black head coach in Sooners history for any sport when he held the head football position from 1996 through 1998. While his teams went just 12-22 during his tenure, he played a key role in the recruitment of players who helped lead Oklahoma to a national title in 2000.

One of those national champions was running back and wide receiver Josh Norman, who reflected on Blake's legacy.

"He was a dang good football coach, too," Norman said. "He was a heck of a football coach. But bigger than that, he was just a great man. He impacted a lot of people's lives. I don't think he gets enough recognition just because of the wins and losses, but he left a lasting impression there at the University of Oklahoma."

In addition to his time with Oklahoma, Blake was a defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys, Mississippi State, Nebraska, North Carolina and the Buffalo Bills. He won two Super Bowls during his time with the Cowboys.

Aber noted the NCAA also gave Blake a three-year show-cause penalty because of his relationship with agent Gary Wichard.

Blake resigned from North Carolina during that investigation.

Blake is survived by his wife of 27 years, Freda.

As COVID-19 cases continue to spike around the United States, there are growing concerns about the feasibility of holding the 2020 college football season. 

But Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley is remaining optimistic the NCAA and schools will find a safe solution to hold the campaign, as he told David M. Hale of ESPN:

"I just can't imagine a scenario [where we don't explore every option to play]. Whether it's something we do in the fall, whether it's a shortened season, whether it's spring, there's nothing we should take off the table. Regardless of what we have to do, I don't think there's anything we can't work around and we can't adjust and can't make work in order to play college football. We've all got to do our part on that."

Riley also acknowledged the top priority was the health and well-being of the players, coaches and staff: 

"The health and safety is the most important thing, and that's the determining factor. If we can't do it, we can't do it. But if we can, college football is so important to these communities, these universities, these athletes—not just football athletes, but college football affects every athlete on every campus. It's a big, big deal. It's not more important than health, but if we can get it to a safe place, we've got to find a way to get it done, whenever and however."

Even if a season does happen, it will have a different look and feel than usual. The Big Ten and Pac-12 have already announced that its schools will be only permitted to play games within their conference. It's very likely that many states or cities might outlaw fans being in the stands following the news that the Philadelphia Eagles won't be allowed to host fans for the 2020 NFL season due to the city canceling all large gatherings through February. 

Some officials are pessimistic about the odds of a college season even occurring.

"Right now, I don't see a path in the current environment to how we play," a Power Five athletic director told Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports. "I'm confident we'll get back to what we all think of as normal, but it may be a year before that happens."

"Ultimately, no one is playing football in the fall,” another high-ranking college official told Thamel. "It's just a matter of how it unfolds. As soon one of the 'autonomy five' or Power Five conferences makes a decision, that's going to end it."

Caleb Williams is headed to Oklahoma.

The 5-star quarterback announced his intention to play for the Sooners on Saturday, choosing them over other finalists LSU and Maryland.

BREAKING @247Sports No. 1 QB Caleb Williams commits to #Oklahoma. More here: https://t.co/0b64myob6z

— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) July 5, 2020

A dual-threat quarterback out of Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C., Williams is the No. 4 overall prospect and No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the 2021 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. His pledge gives Oklahoma 11 players committed for 2021, including seven rated at 4 stars or higher by 247Sports.

This is what Charles Power wrote about Williams' skill set for 247Sports:

"Has unique arm dexterity and can deliver strikes from multiple platforms. Just as comfortable throwing on the move as in the pocket and does not need to set his feet to deliver a well thrown ball. Extremely tough for defenders to corral both in the pocket and the open field. Runs with a natural body lean and slips out of tackles at a high rate. Has the ability to pull away from defenders once in the open field. Offers scheme versatility with experience playing under center but the skill set to be a potent playmaker in an uptempo, spread offense."

Williams makes up for his relatively slight build (6'1", 210 lbs) with elite rushing ability and arm strength outside the pocket. He ran a 4.57 time in the 40-yard dash at the 2019 Opening event and has worked to add strength while avoiding losing the quickness in the pocket that makes him special.

The key to Williams' ascent? Sour Patch Kids, apparently.

"I eat sour candy. My coach and I—ever since my freshman year—we get Sour Patch Kids candy before every game," Williams said, per Jeff Sentell of Dawg Nation.

Williams is the type of talent who could wind up getting extended playing time as a true freshman. Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley is currently evaluating quarterback options for this season after Jalen Hurts left for the NFL.

Given the success Riley has had developing dual-threat quarterbacks, like Hurts and Kyler Murray, Williams couldn't have picked a better landing spot for himself when he arrives on campus in 2021.

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley believes that playing football in the spring is possible if the coronavirus pandemic impacts the traditional fall schedule.  

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Riley acknowledged that he hopes "like hell we can play in the fall," but pushing the schedule back isn't as big of a problem as some are making it out to be.

"I think the people who say it's not [an option], in my opinion, just don't want to think about it," he said. I just think it would be wrong of us to take any potential option off the table right now. I think it'd be very difficult to say the spring is not a potential option. I, for one, think it's very doable."

Given the uncertainty around when campuses can open amid the pandemic, that creates another potential issue for university athletic programs. 

Some schools, including the University of Houston and Kansas State University, had to shut down voluntary workouts due to a growing number of COVID-19 cases among members of the football teams. LSU has placed at least 30 members of the football program into quarantine. 

In April, during the early stages of the pandemic, Stadium's Brett McMurphy reported one president from a Power Five school suggested moving the 2020 season to the spring. 

Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour told reporters this week that a spring season "would be a last resort" because of problems it would create because of the quick turnaround time for the 2021 fall schedule. 

Oklahoma football players returned to campus this week for voluntary workouts that started on Wednesday. The Sooners announced 14 positive COVID-19 cases out of 111 players tested. 

Oklahoma is currently scheduled to start the 2020 season on Sept. 5 against Missouri State at Owen Field. 

The Oklahoma Sooners football team announced that 14 total players have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Wednesday.

A total of 111 players have been tested, with seven players testing positive previously and seven players being diagnosed with the coronavirus as of the last round of testing. Two players have fully recovered, while 12 players are considered active cases.

Oklahoma also announced that 72 staff members were tested, with two positive results.

As other programs around the country continue to record positive cases as well, the possibility of the 2020 college football season being canceled—or perhaps postponed until next spring—is starting to feel more feasible.

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley told Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports on Tuesday that the COVID-19 pandemic remains a major focal point for coaches around the country:

"It's on the mind of every coach. It's probably as easy as it's going to be right now when most other students aren't here. There's legitimate concerns when the student body shows up. What's that going to look like? It's the great unknown right now.

"The scary thing about it for us, or the thing that gives you some concern, is that the students show up and a week or two later you're trying to start the season. It's on our minds. The more people in the area, the more potential risk and things you have to worry about."

An unnamed athletic director added: "There's no one in a position of leadership taking on the very difficult challenge of developing the plan for spring football. Given that we are entering July, it now seems unavoidable that we are headed to a fall with a lot of canceled games and perhaps even a national stoppage a few weeks into the season."

The issue college football faces as opposed to many professional sports, as Riley noted, is the difficulty in enacting a bubble environment to keep players away from the public to limit the risk of getting the coronavirus. If students are allowed back on campuses this fall, it will make it difficult to quarantine players.

Contrast that with the NBA, where 22 teams will be quarantined near Orlando, Florida, at the Walt Disney World Resort. That controlled environment should make it easier to keep players safe. Those players are also being paid millions of dollars to take any corresponding health risks, whereas college football players are unpaid.

That adds yet another layer of complexity to the situation. Barring a vaccine or a major downturn in positive coronavirus cases around the United States, expect the possibility of a canceled or postponed season to remain a major point of conversation throughout the summer.

Oklahoma football coach Lincoln Riley said he supports Sooners players who want to speak out and exercise their right to protest.

Since the killing of George Floyd on May 25, demonstrators have taken to the streets across the world to demand reforms addressing systemic racism and police brutality.

OU Daily's Caleb McCourry passed along Riley's comments from a conference call with reporters Wednesday: "I'll definitely stand with my players. And it's not just because they're my players. It's a fundamental belief. I was very fortunate I was raised in a household that taught me that no one is better than anyone else because of the color of their skin. I've been lucky enough to be in locker rooms and to support teams all my life."

Morgan Beard of KTUL in Tulsa, Oklahoma, shared more of Riley's thoughts: "We don't hold our guys back from speaking out or protesting as long as it's done peacefully, it's thought out and well-intentioned. To see how our guys have responded—I've been extremely proud."

A number of college football coaches have spoken up in support of the protests.

Floyd was being taken into custody by Minneapolis Police officers responding to a call for alleged forgery.

In a video of the encounter, officer Derek Chauvin was shown kneeling on Floyd's neck. He remained in that position for almost nine minutes despite Floyd's repeatedly saying he couldn't breathe and for nearly three minutes after Floyd became unresponsive. Three other officers involved in the arrest did not attempt to intervene.

The four officers were fired, and prosecutors charged Chauvin with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

According to the Star Tribune's Stephen Montemayor and Chao Xiong, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison intends to charge Chauvin with second-degree murder. The other three officers would be charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

Oklahoma head football coach Lincoln Riley said Wednesday he's concerned the "temptation will be high" for some coaches to push boundaries during the early phases of players' return to campus amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

The NCAA announced last month football and basketball players could begin taking part in "on-campus voluntary athletics activities" beginning June 1 but they "must be initiated by the student-athlete." In other words, no mandatory practice schedule set by the coaching staff.

"Sadly, in our college game, 'voluntary' has always been a very loose term," Riley told reporters. "The reality of the matter is there's different institutions and there's different conferences that allow you to do a different amount, or some just look the other way.

"It's unfortunate that that's what it's come to right now, but we have other parts of our year where that's always been an issue, and it's well-known across coaches, players across the country, that's a rule that's applied very differently different places and in different parts of the country."

Last month, Riley urged caution when it came to allowing players to come back, noting college football had to get it right the first time to have a chance at a 2020 season.

"Every day early that we bring them in is a day we could have gotten better," he said. "It's a day we could have learned more about the virus. It's a day PPE maybe gets better. It's a day closer to a vaccine. It's a day that our testing equipment and testing capabilities get better. And it's just not worth it. So we've got to be patient. We get one shot at this and we've got to do it right."

College football's spring practices were wiped out by the pandemic and, with the Aug. 29 start of the regular season now less than three months away, the Sooners' coach understands the urge to quickly ramp up preparations.

"I'm sure the temptation will be high, just like the temptation to get players back on campus right away was high," Riley said Wednesday. "I think it all just comes down to your priorities and what you believe is best."

Riley has led OU to a 36-6 record with three straight Big 12 championships since taking over the program in 2017.

The Sooners are scheduled to kick off their 2020 schedule Sept. 5 against Missouri State.

The University of Oklahoma announced it will reopen for voluntary football workouts, beginning July 1. 

"As we have planned for the re-opening of our facilities, the health of our student-athletes and staff has been our top priority," director of athletics Joe Castiglione said. "It is the principal that has guided every step of our meticulous process. At OU, we are fortunate to have one of the most respected teams of doctors and athletic trainers in the country. We have looked to them for direction in our preparation and protocols. They will continue to play an important role in the weeks leading up to our opening and beyond.

"We believe in our approach and are convinced that it best positions our student-athletes and staff for long-term success. It is with great excitement that we look forward to their return in preparation for the upcoming sports seasons."

Student-athletes who choose to return for the workouts will undergo medical testing and observation by Oklahoma doctors. The school says players will be "continuously monitored and will be expected to adhere to a number of safety protocols and guidelines."

The NCAA announced student-athletes can begin returning to campus June 1 for voluntary workouts. Holding a college football season as scheduled remains up in the air because of the pandemic.

The NCAA has maintained it will not have games until students are allowed back on campus.

"All of the commissioners and every president that I've talked to is in clear agreement: If you don't have students on campus, you don't have student-athletes on campus," NCAA President Mark Emmert told reporters earlier this month. "That doesn't mean [the school] has to be up and running in the full normal model, but you have to treat the health and well-being of the athletes at least as much as the regular students. ... If a school doesn't reopen, then they're not going to be playing sports. It's really that simple."

The vast majority of states are still restricting large gatherings for the foreseeable future, though many have been opening to a degree. The California State University system already announced it plans to hold nearly all classes online in the fall, which would seemingly make San Diego State, Fresno State and San Jose State not eligible to play.

Voluntary workouts are different from holding games. The NCAA has not allowed member schools to hold any mandatory activities. 

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley said Friday the NCAA must proceed with caution amid efforts to push forward with the 2020 college football season during the coronavirus pandemic.  

Riley explained in an appearance on ESPN's Get Up that reuniting teammates from around the country and then having them work alongside older coaches, who may be more at risk of serious COVID-19 complications, is a concern that can't be overlooked:

"These guys are 18 to 22 years old. They're gonna socialize, they're going to want to be around each other, they're going to want to be around their peers and that makes it dangerous, not only for our players, but also for our staff. Because our staff obviously doesn't fall in that 18- to 22-year-old range and you've got a lot of staff members that are in a more susceptible age range.

"This affects a lot of people to get it done. We're constantly learning more and more about this virus, and why we would not advantage our time is beyond me."

Riley moved to the forefront of the comeback conversation Thursday when he told reporters the idea of players returning to campus for practice June 1 is "one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard."

He expanded on those comments Friday, saying on Get Up he's not necessarily worried about the practice atmosphere but rather what goes on once the players leave the football facility.

"Sure, we can put 10 guys in a facility, social distance them, sanitize it and make it safe. That's not the point," Riley said. "The point is, if we have them for two hours a day in a workout facility, what are they doing the other 22 hours a day? We cannot control over 100 players for that amount of time and know exactly what they're gonna do."

Professional leagues like the NBA, NHL and MLB have floated the idea of playing in a select number of "bubble cities" with strict testing guidelines and limited or no outside interactions.

That's not going to work at the collegiate level, which features 130 FBS teams around the United States from the East Coast to Hawaii.

In turn, NCAA president Mark Emmert confirmed Friday it's unlikely fall sports are going to happen unless students are back on their respective campuses.

"If a school doesn't reopen, then they're not going to be playing sports. It's really that simple," he said.

The underlying factor is the potentially dire financial impact for athletic departments around the country if the college football season is ultimately canceled. UCF athletic director Danny White told ESPN in April there isn't an easy solution.

"There isn't a model I can run to fix the problem of not having any football," he said. "I don't think there's anybody in my position with a big football fan base that could make decisions to fix that. I don't know what happens—there's not a model, there's not a solution, there's not an action I can take that's going to solve that problem."

That said, Riley reiterated the focus should be on preventing a "potentially dangerous situation."

"Some of the arguments are we can provide better care from here, and that's not true," he said on Get Up. "There's an NCAA interpretation right now that we can actually provide medical care to our players no matter where they're at."

For now, the 2020 college football season is scheduled to kick off Aug. 29.

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Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.