Oklahoma Sooners Football

Jalen Hurts took another step toward becoming the third straight Oklahoma Sooners quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy with four touchdowns Saturday in the team's 55-16 victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.

The sixth-ranked Sooners also took another step toward a potential College Football Playoff berth by moving their record to 4-0. They should be a sizable favorite in all of their remaining regular-season games as long as their superstar QB stays healthy.

Hurts, who entered Saturday's game with nine passing touchdowns, four rushing scores and a single turnover, finds himself in a crowded Heisman field. Other contenders include fellow QBs Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama Crimson Tide), Joe Burrow (LSU Tigers), Justin Fields (Ohio State Buckeyes) and Sam Ehlinger (Texas Longhorns), as well as Wisconsin Badgers running back Jonathan Taylor.

Texas Tech's second straight loss dropped the Red Raiders to 2-2 on the 2019 season.

              

Notable Game Stats

QB Jalen Hurts (OU): 17-of-24 passing for 415 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT; 70 rushing yards and 1 TD

RB Trey Sermon (OU): 7 carries for 76 yards and 2 TDs

RB Rhamondre Stevenson (OU): 3 carries for 28 yards and 1 TD

RB SaRodorick Thompson (TTU): 13 carries for 96 yards

RB Armand Shyne (TTU): 5 caries for 18 yards and 1 TD

WR CeeDee Lamb (OU): 7 catches for 185 yards and 3 TDs

WR Charleston Rambo (OU): 2 catches for 122 yards

LB Kenneth Murray (OU): 9 tackles and 1 sack

DB Douglas Coleman III (TTU): 3 tackles and 1 INT

           

Hurts, Sooners Offense Nearly Unstoppable in Latest Blowout

Oklahoma wasted no time making a major statement in its first conference game of the season. It grabbed a 14-0 lead inside the first 10 minutes on the strength of two straight touchdown drives, including an eight-play, 95-yard journey capped by a one-yard TD run by Hurts.

Andddddd Jalen Hurts punches it in to give @OU_Football a 14-0 lead 💪 pic.twitter.com/630K6U7xNl

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 28, 2019

The Sooners ended up scoring on all six of their first-half offensive drives. The difference in the level of explosiveness and athleticism between their playmakers and the Texas Tech secondary was stark, and it created a lot of big plays through the air.

CeeDee LATER ✌️@OU_Football takes the 24-7 lead over Texas Tech. pic.twitter.com/4rLt3eWxCX

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 28, 2019

Hurts, who did throw his first interception of the season, otherwise showcased terrific accuracy and an effortless deep ball, which critics had been asking to see after OU's destruction of lesser opponents.

RAMBOOOO 😤😤

Jalen Hurts finds Charleston Rambo on yet another deep completion for @OU_Football. pic.twitter.com/wNZ7eqsIK7

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 28, 2019

Any lingering drama coming out of halftime was immediately eliminated as Hurts followed a 10-yard run with a 65-yard touchdown pass to put the game out of reach.

"CeeDee TD" @_CeeDeeThree scores his 3rd of the day for @OU_Football 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/qBecjLjElN

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 28, 2019

The biggest problem for the rest of the Big 12 will be the sheer number of targets at the superstar quarterback's disposal. The group, led by Lamb, Rambo and fellow wide receiver Jadon Haselwood through the air and Sermon on the ground, is going to create a lot of mismatches.

Jalen Hurts entered today with two career passes of 70+ yards -- he had two in the first half vs Texas Tech.

Hurts' 308 passing yards are his most in any half in his college career. Kyler Murray never had a 300-yard passing half in his college career. pic.twitter.com/2jJrmFpA8k

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 28, 2019

Oklahoma finished with eight scoring drives in nine attempts before Hurts exited the contest late in the third quarter because of the lopsided score.

Jalen Hurts is the kind of QB I would gamble on if I were a GM.

Dual-threat QB with a ton of CFB experience.

High-character + leadership.

Impressive numbers at two different programs.

Strong arm + good athlete

Durable.

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) September 28, 2019

Although the Sooners defense is still a work in progress, as evidenced by their 192 rushing yards allowed Saturday, keeping up with their offense will be a tall task for any conference foe.

            

What's Next?

Oklahoma faces its first Big 12 road test of the campaign next Saturday when it travels to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium to face off with the Kansas Jayhawks.

Texas Tech returns home to Jones AT&T Stadium for a clash with the Oklahoma State Cowboys next weekend.

Jalen Hurts and the Oklahoma Sooners dominated the UCLA Bruins 48-14 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Saturday night.

Hurts continued his strong start to the season by throwing for 289 yards and three touchdowns, adding 150 yards and a score on the ground. Charleston Rambo hauled in five catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns to help the Sooners keep their perfect record intact.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw for 201 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in a losing effort.

     

Jalen Hurts' Mobility Gives Sooners Nation's Most Prolific Offense

Following in the footsteps of Heisman Trophy winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray is no easy task, but transfer Hurts is proving to be more than up to the task.

The 2016 SEC Offensive Player of the Year has fit right in in Norman, completing 82.9 percent (34 of 41) of his passes for 591 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions through his first two appearances as a Sooner. Not only that, but he also added 223 rushing yards and a trio of scores on the ground.

He continued to pad his 2019 Heisman Trophy campaign on Saturday against UCLA, torching the Bruins with both his arm and legs.

The 6'2", 219-pound dual-threat star made UCLA aware of his running abilities on the very first play from scrimmage.

Just a casual 53 yard run on the first play of the game for @OU_Football's Jalen Hurts 😎 pic.twitter.com/sm1n93w01M

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 15, 2019

He then capped off the opening drive by going right up the middle for a 30-yard touchdown.

Oklahoma needed just five plays to go 99 yards (factoring in a 10-yard penalty), and all 99 came from Hurts' legs. That fast start helped the first-year Sooner make school history:

With 103 rushing yards in the first quarter, @JalenHurts became the first #Sooners QB to rush for 100 yards in the opening quarter of a game, topping Jamelle Holieway’s 98 in 1985 vs. Missouri.#OUDNA pic.twitter.com/I4GRQExUkK

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 15, 2019

Jalen Hurts is first #OU Sooner to ever pass for 200 and rush for 100 in first half. Quite a show he’s putting on.. @FOXSports

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 15, 2019

It's that type of explosiveness from the quarterback position that makes head coach Lincoln Riley's squad the most prolific offense in the nation, with all due respect to the likes of Ohio State and Clemson.

Hurts' running abilities will make it hard on opposing defenses to slow down the Oklahoma attack (which is averaging 55.7 points per game this season), but they do not necessarily make the Sooners the favorites to be the last ones standing.

Last year, Murray ran for 1,001 yards while leading Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff. However, that versatility did not make much of a difference against head coach Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide, as the Sooners fell behind by 28 points early in the 2019 Orange Bowl en route to a 45-34 loss.

Oklahoma's defense appears to be much improved this year, and if it holds up all season, Hurts' mobility could wind up paying off. If the Sooners fall short of a national championship this season, it won't be the fault of the offense.

     

Chip Kelly Should Be on Hot Seat with UCLA's Concerning Lack of Progress

Just three games into year two, it may be too early to fairly judge how the Chip Kelly era at UCLA will turn out. But early on, the results haven't been pretty.

And the lack of progress being shown by the Bruins should be concerning.

UCLA went just 3-9 in its first season under Kelly, managing just one victory against a team that finished above .500 (37-7 victory over Cal, which went 7-6). This season has started essentially the same way as last year: an 0-3 record, with losses to Cincinnati and Oklahoma mixed in.

The Chip Kelly/UCLA era at this point feels completely hopeless

— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) September 15, 2019

Remember when Chip Kelly was going to revolutionize the NFL?

— trey wingo (@wingoz) September 15, 2019

There may be no shame in losing to the Sooners or the Bearcats, but Kelly made a name for himself at Oregon by being an offensive mastermind. Thus far this season, the Bruins offense has been underwhelming.

UCLA has managed just 14 points in each of its first three games. While Hurts and Co. put up a 34-spot in the first half, the Bruins could only put up seven. And that led to the second half being just a formality.

Their struggles go deeper than that, though. Oklahoma had more rushing (228) and passing (206) yards than the UCLA offense had total yards (116).

Oklahoma 34, UCLA 7. Still the first half. Dominant offensive line opening massive holes for really fast guys. Sooners averaging 12.1 yards per play.

Reminds me of when Chip Kelly was the coach on the other side of these things.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) September 15, 2019

The most concerning part has been Thompson-Robinson's struggles. According to 247Sports, Thompson-Robinson was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school and the second-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2018. He figured to be a good fit in Kelly's uptempo offense, but the results have not been there yet for the sophomore.

Thompson-Robinson has completed just 54 percent of his passes for 556 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions in three games. The team's struggles are hardly all on him, but the Bruins clearly need him to take the next step if they are going to be competitive.

It can take three years or so for a coach to make his mark on a program—but Kelly's recruiting classes have not been among the nation's best. He was only able to put together the 40th-ranked recruiting class for 2019, per 247Sports. That included zero commitments from a 5-star recruit and just one commitment from a 4-star. Meanwhile, next year's recruiting class currently sits at No. 67.

Kelly is fortunate enough to have three more years remaining on his $23.3 million contract, but the deal does include a $9 million reciprocal buyout. If he is unable to start winning games or at least show signs of improvement, the Bruins may need to contemplate moving on at some point.

     

What's Next?

UCLA (0-3) will head north for its first Pac-12 game of the year against Washington State on Sept. 21. Oklahoma (3-0), meanwhile, will be off until Sept. 28, when it kicks off conference play by hosting Texas Tech.

The No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners took care of South Dakota 70-14 Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium.

After South Dakota forced OU to punt on the opening possession, it was all Sooners.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts continued to make the most of his final year of eligibility and first season in Oklahoma following his transfer from Alabama in January. The 21-year-old finished with 259 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on 14-of-18 passing.

Junior receiver CeeDee Lamb was Hurts' most productive target, as he hauled in six catches for 144 yards and one touchdown—71 of those yards and the touchdown coming on the first scoring drive and all of his production coming in the first half.

#Sooners strike first courtesy of @JalenHurts and @_CeeDeeThree. #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/PqXmUEHPPu

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 7, 2019

Hurts followed up his 176 rushing yards in the season opener with 47 yards on eight carries Saturday. Running backs Kennedy Brooks, Trey Sermon and Rhamondre Stevenson each contributed a touchdown on the ground.

Stevenson led the group with 104 yards on six carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run:

.@dreeday32 with his second #Sooners touchdown in as many weeks! 💨 pic.twitter.com/HRB3vr8wQx

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 8, 2019

Hurts was replaced by Tanner Mordecai with 9:20 to play in the third quarter. After 114 yards, two touchdowns and no picks on 6-of-8 passing, the sophomore signal-caller gave way to former 247Sports 5-star prospect Spencer Rattler, making his official debut for the Sooners.

The 18-year-old true freshman quarterback's first collegiate touchdown pass went to fellow true freshman Trejan Bridges:

The trifecta 🔺

With this @TrejanBridges TD, all three freshmen wide receivers now have touchdowns for the #Sooners. pic.twitter.com/27rKVIBs3l

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 8, 2019

Defensively, Oklahoma forced its first turnover of the season—doubling as the first under first-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch—when Neville Gallimore forced South Dakota running back Kai Henry to fumble, which Brendan Radley-Hiles recovered.

Radley-Hiles followed that up by taking an interception 30 yards for a touchdown on South Dakota's first drive of the second half.

     

Lamb Showcasing Why He's One of Top 2020 WR Prospects in Oklahoma Offense

Lamb is on his third quarterback in as many seasons, which would typically be seen as a disadvantage, but the 6'2", 191-pounder has had the pleasure of catching passes from the last two Heisman Trophy winners in Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018).

On Saturday, Lamb had his first 100-yard receiving game with Hurts as his quarterback and came just 23 yards short of his career-high 167 yards receiving set in last year's Big 12 Championship. In doing so, he displayed the speed and skill that has him ranked as one of the top receivers in a crowded 2020 NFL-eligible class.

One play in particular on a slightly under-thrown ball by Hurts with a defender draped on him stood out:

"I don't even know how he caught that." @_CeeDeeThree is something special. #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/zFHBgTMwoE

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 8, 2019

With Murray under center last season, Lamb recorded 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns on 65 receptions with a 17.8-yard average. Judging from that plus his 807-yard, seven-touchdown freshman campaign, CBSSports.com's Chris Trapasso compared Lamb to Chicago Bears Pro Bowler Allen Robinson:

"While not as flashy as some of the other names in his loaded receiver class, he's probably the most ready -- right now -- to step into an NFL offense and be a No. 1 receiver on the outside. I'm serious.

Lamb averaged slightly more yards per catch than Marquise Brown last season and even with a first-round pick in his wideout group, the sophomore still accounted for a solid 25.6 percent of Oklahoma's receiving yards and scored 11 touchdowns.

[...]

"I can totally envision a scenario in which Lamb generates the least buzz of the first-round receivers then ultimately has the steadiest NFL career of anyone in his class."

Other receiving prospects with plenty of buzz include Alabama's Jerry Jeudy, Clemson's Tee Higgins and Colorado's Laviska Shenault Jr. What Lamb has that others don't, though, is head coach Lincoln Riley's offensive scheme that landed back-to-back Heismans and two first-round picks (Murray, Brown).

That said, the standard for receivers is Jeudy.

Jeudy topped ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.'s preseason big board for the 2020 NFL draft. At 6'1" and 192 pounds, he is essentially a physical clone of Lamb. Jeudy tallied 68 catches for 1,315 yards and 14 touchdowns last season for the Tide.

According to ESPN Stats & Information (h/t Kiper), Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's QBR was 94.1 when Jeudy was on the field last season compared to 41.2 without him. That is perhaps the most telling statistic of all.

And it's where Lamb can help his draft stock the most this season.

Given what he has already shown through two seasons, NFL teams know what skill set they'd be getting with Lamb. However, at Alabama, Hurts was always seen as a dual-threat quarterback with an emphasis on his ability to run. In Oklahoma, Lamb can make Hurts look as good as any pure passer in college.

     

What's Next?

Oklahoma (2-0) will travel to UCLA next Saturday night (Sept. 14), while South Dakota (0-2) will host Houston Baptist on Saturday afternoon.

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley announced that Jalen Hurts would be the team's starting quarterback against Houston on Sept. 1.

Coach Riley names @JalenHurts the starting quarterback.https://t.co/DAc7GEqu3m | #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/tddLZVcm5Y

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) August 19, 2019

Hurts, who transferred from Alabama in January, was always expected to win the starting job given his experience with the Crimson Tide. He lost the starting gig in Alabama due to the ascension of Tua Tagovailoa, who was a Heisman Trophy runner-up last season behind former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. 

Hurts, a senior, was Alabama's starting quarterback his first two seasons and went 26-2 as the team's starter. He threw for 5,626 yards, 48 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his first three seasons, completing 62.9 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 1,976 yards and an additional 23 scores.

But the beginning of the end for Hurts in Alabama came in the College Football Playoffs championship game in the 2017 season, when Tagovailoa took over for the struggling Hurts in the second half and led the Crimson Tide to a 26-23 overtime win over the Georgia Bulldogs.

Tagovailoa then won the starting job heading into the 2018 campaign and was superb. That left Hurts with a decision to make—remain Alabama's backup quarterback for his senior season or transfer to another school where he could compete for the starting gig. He chose the latter option, ending up in Norman. 

Is a @30for30 in Jalen Hurts’ future? Time will tell. What do you think? @getupespn @ou_football pic.twitter.com/Ju3fHQA6Iv

— Laura Rutledge (@LauraRutledge) August 19, 2019

Expectations will be high for Hurts, especially considering the team's last two starting quarterbacks, Baker Mayfield and Murray, each won the Heisman. Like Murray, Hurts is a dangerous weapon as a runner, so Alabama's offense shouldn't face a major stylistic transition this season. 

As for adjusting to a new program, Hurts is up for the challenge.

"I think I'm wiser, I'm better, I'm stronger for it, (for) everything that took course last year and the last three years," Hurts said in March, per George Schroeder of USA Today. "Obviously I didn't get the snaps (in 2018). I had limited time there. But I'm at a new place now. New opportunity. I think it's a different team on the same mission."

Former Oklahoma running back Mike Gaddis died Monday at age 50, former Sooners coach Barry Switzer confirmed. 

"First of all, he was a good man," Switzer told Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today. "He was a good person. He was raised by good parents. When you go into the home, you know what you get when you come out of there. And when you're a parent and you have a son who carried himself the way Mike did, you're very fortunate to have someone be a part of your team like that. I remember his smile and his Jheri curl hair."

Tyler Palmateer of the Norman Transcript reported Gaddis previously suffered from kidney problems. He underwent a transplant from his brother, Brent, in 2005. 

No cause of death was reported. 

"There are a lot of great intangibles that come from playing the game," Switzer said. "You learn mental toughness, physical toughness, discipline, you prepare to win, you sacrifice. You learn these intangibles that help you the rest of your life, but character is built by mothers or fathers, or a grandparent, or someone who teaches you core values in your formative years, a system of what is right and what is wrong.

"When you have a person like Mike Gaddis, who had that great core value system, that he was going to do the right thing whether anybody was watching or not, that doesn't happen by happenstance. He carried himself with pride. You loved to be around Mike."

Gaddis rushed for 2,622 yards and 27 touchdowns during his time at Oklahoma, eventually becoming a sixth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings in 1991. However, he never played a down in the NFL.

A knee injury in 1989, which cost him the entire 1990 season, played a factor in his struggles to make it as a pro. After leaving football, Gaddis worked at an insurance business in Oklahoma City. 

Oklahoma football head coach Lincoln Riley revealed Friday that Sooners defensive back Tre Norwood will miss the entire 2019 season after suffering a non-contact injury.

According to ESPN's Mark Schlabach (h/t Andrea Adelson of ESPN.com), Norwood suffered an injury to his knee during Monday's practice.

Norwood started all 14 games last season, amassing 58 tackles (38 solo), one sack, one interception and five pass breakups. His pick came during the Sooners' Big 12 championship win over the Texas Longhorns.

Per Adelson, the Sooners had big plans for the junior this season.

"Norwood is one of the most experienced and versatile players in the Oklahoma secondary, starting the last 19 games," Adelson wrote. "He worked at cornerback, safety and nickelback in the spring and was expected to be a key player in the revamped defense new coordinator Alex Grinch is installing."

Jason Kersey of The Athletic discussed what might be next for Oklahoma in the wake of Norwood's season-ending injury. Of note, sophomore Brendan Radley-Hiles is considered a "near-certainty" to start at nickelback.

Norwood was expected to start there this season, with Tre Brown and Parnell Motley operating as the outside corners.

Radley-Hiles had 39 tackles and five pass breakups last season. Kersey wrote that Radley-Hiles "struggled" to the point where he was pulled from his team's 59-56 win over West Virginia. Radley-Hiles started 11 games but did not do so for the Big 12 championship or Orange Bowl against Alabama.

However, Radley-Hiles seemed ready for a new chapter under first-year coordinator Grinch.

"The film that we watch from his previous stations, I fit right into his defense," Radley-Hiles said in May, per Ryan Aber of The Oklahoman. "I feel as if that nickel spot, I'm gonna keep going forward, keep working on my assignments and clean everything up."

Grinch also provided his take on Radley-Hiles.

"He's certainly shown flashes to be an elite-level player," he said. "I think he also shows flashes of a guy who needs to become a more disciplined ball player. I can name 10 other guys or more who fall into that category. He's a work in progress, but I think he has the ability to be a viable playmaker for us."

At the least, Radley-Hiles showcased enough potential in high school to be the fifth-best cornerback in the class of 2018, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

As for Norwood, he'll still have two years of eligibility remaining if he takes a redshirt this season. However, a Sooners defense that must regroup after finishing 100th in Football Outsiders' defensive efficiency metric needs to find a way to improve without him in 2019.

It might actually be later than sooner before Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley names his starting quarterback.

"You get a lot more accurate snapshot of where these guys are really at as camp unfolds," Riley told reporters Friday, according to ESPN's Edward Aschoff. "I would prefer to [name a starter during fall camp] because then you're able to get it out of the way. You're about to start to focus your reps in on the starter and the team knows—everybody knows—and you can move on." 

Lincoln has his choice between graduate transfer Jalen Hurts, redshirt freshman Tanner Mordecai and true freshman Spencer Rattler. 

It would be surprising if Hurts isn't the starter when the season kicks off, as his experience far exceeds Riley's other two options. 

Hurts transferred to the Sooners in January after spending his first three years of collegiate eligibility with the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2016-18. Following the arrival of Tua Tagovailoa in 2017, Hurts was more or less squeezed out. 

The unofficial changing of the guard in Alabama came when Tagovailoa replaced Hurts to start the second half of the 2017-18 College Football Playoff National Championship and lead Alabama to victory over Georgia as a true freshman. Even so, Hurts showcased his ability last season by replacing an injured Tagovailoa in the fourth quarter of the SEC Championship Game and leading the Tide to a comeback win over Georgia.

Hurts departed Alabama with a 26-2 record and as the program's all-time leading quarterback in rushing touchdowns (23) and third-leading quarterback in total offense (7,617 yards). 

"The man can throw the ball more than people can even imagine," OU receiver CeeDee Lamb told Aschoff. "I can't wait for people to see that and the opportunity he gets, he's going to take advantage of it. It's going to be a fun ride. He has all the tools."

Presumably, Hurts' closest competitor is Rattler, 247Sports' only 5-star quarterback in the 2019 class, who possesses a similar dual-threat ability. Through four seasons at Pinnacle High School in Arizona, Rattler registered 11,083 passing yards and 116 passing touchdowns paired with 1,040 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.

That said, Riley asserted, "We're not just gonna throw a true freshman in there just because, but we are going to give him enough reps to see if he's ready to factor in this thing right now." 

Whoever becomes the starter in Oklahoma will have big cleats to fill at the position; Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy as Sooners quarterbacks in 2018-19 and 2017-18, respectively. 

The Sooners' season begins against Houston on Sept. 1.

Oklahoma will go into the 2019 college football season trying to replace several key players, including Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 NFL draft pick Kyler Murray, but head coach Lincoln Riley doesn't seem concerned.

"We don't plan on the offense dipping and we definitely expect the defense to be better," Riley said Monday, per Brett McMurphy of Stadium.

This will be the second straight season Oklahoma will have to replace a Heisman winner at quarterback after Baker Mayfield won the award in 2017.

The Sooners didn't miss a beat without Mayfield, posting a 12-2 record behind Murray while leading the country with 48.4 points per game.

Once again, the team found a new dynamic quarterback after landing Jalen Hurts as a graduate transfer following three seasons at Alabama. Hurts was a starter in his first two years until losing his job to Tua Tagovailoa, but he impressed throughout his time on the field with 48 passing touchdowns and 23 rushing touchdowns in his career.

Although he is less of a passing threat than either Mayfield or Murray, the new starting quarterback should be able to find plenty of success in this system.

The return of impact skill players like Kennedy Brooks and CeeDee Lamb should also ensure the offense remains one of the best in the country.

As Riley noted, the defense will also be scary with players like Kenneth Murray and Tre Brown returning after strong seasons.

Clemson and Alabama will once again be the favorites to win a championship, but Oklahoma shouldn't be too far behind them as a top contender in 2019.

Oklahoma Sooners running back Kennedy Brooks' suspension from the team will reportedly end Wednesday.

According to Jason Kersey of The Athletic, Oklahoma's Title IX office finished an investigation Tuesday and cleared the running back of any violation. He was suspended from the team during the course of the investigation. 

Kersey cited multiple sources who were familiar with the investigation and noted a female student said Brooks was physically violent with her in a complaint she filed with the Title IX office. The student did not make a police report, but filing a Title IX complaint leads to an investigation that is separate from legal proceedings.

              

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

One of the top high school football prospects in the class of 2021 is off the board.

Brock Vandagriff, a 5-star quarterback for Prince Avenue Christian School in Bogart, Georgia, committed to the Oklahoma Sooners on Thursday.

He spoke about that decision with Chad Simmons of Rivals:

The 6'2½", 199-pound Vandagriff is considered the No. 2 prospect from the state of Georgia, the No. 3 pro-style quarterback and the No. 19 prospect overall, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He chose the Sooners over the Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, Tennessee Volunteers, Auburn Tigers and Clemson Tigers.

Vandagriff told Simmons:

"It was deep down, honestly. I felt it, Oklahoma was where I want to go. And the last meeting I had with coach Lincoln Riley, he asked me a question. He said, 'Where would you feel bad if they said you can't come here, the spot's closed?' Oklahoma was the only one that came to mind. Everything they do there is great. Coach Riley really cares for me. That's what triggered it."

So, what will Oklahoma be getting in Vandagriff? Charles Power of 247Sports noted: