DB Will Ford commits to Oklahoma: Defensive back Will Ford of Abilene Cooper (Texas) High School confirmed that he committed to Oklahoma on Monday, bringing the Sooners' 2009 commitment total to 11. Ford (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) also had scholarship offers from Baylor, Texas Christian and Texas Tech. (The Oklahoman)
Dotson and Baker the latest OU free-agent signees: Former Oklahoma defensive end Alonzo Dotson has agreed to terms on a free-agent contract with the Washington Redskins. Dotson is the sixth undrafted Sooner to be picked up by an NFL team. He joins Lewis Baker (San Francisco), Joe Jon Finley (San Francisco), Garrett Hartley (Denver), Marcus Walker (Minnesota) and D.J. Wolfe (Atlanta). (The Oklahoman)
Baltimore Ravens select Allen Patrick 240th overall: The Baltimore Ravens selected Allen Patrick, former Oklahoma running back 240th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Reggie Smith selected 75th overall by SF. 49ers: The 49ers started off Sunday morning with their third-round selection of cornerback Reggie Smith out of Oklahoma. Unlike the 49ers first two picks who had large gatherings to celebrate their selections on Saturday, Smith received the news while still in bed. "I was in bed still," admitted Smith. "I just rolled out. I was just waiting. I didn’t know when I would get drafted. I had heard anything from second to third." (49ers.com)
Redskins draft Malcolm Kelly 51st overall in NFL Draft: The Redskins selected Oklahoma wide receiver Malcolm Kelly with their third second-round draft pick on Saturday. Kelly was the 51st overall pick in the draft. Kelly, 6-3 and 219 pounds, made the most of his opportunities at run-oriented Oklahoma and ended up becoming one of the elite wide receivers in Sooners history. (Redskins.com)
Sooner Caravan dates and locations announced: The Sooner Club has announced dates for the 10th Annual Sooner Caravan, with stops in Dallas, Tulsa, Houston and Oklahoma City this summer. Join members of the OU Athletics Department staff and fellow fans for food and fun when this year's Caravan rolls into town. The Sooner Caravan is designed as a thank you to loyal Sooner fans like you! To register, please view the instructions below. All Sooners and friends are invited to attend an enjoyable meal with the university and athletics staff members. Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione, Women's Basketball Coach Sherri Coale, Men's Basketball Coach Jeff Capel, Football Coach Bob Stoops and student-athletes will discuss previous successes and outlooks for the coming year. (More Information at SoonerSports.com)
Travis Wilson and Clint Ingram featured in documentary Two Days in April: Every boy who has ever played football, from Pop Warner, to high school, or in the backyard with their buddies, dreams of being the star player who leads their team to Super Bowl victory. Very few are lucky enough to have the talent to even compete at a college level, let alone make it to the pros. However, for a select few, their dreams have the chance to come true over two days in April at the NFL draft. Each year, the National Football League has football fans and players, alike, holding their collective breath to see out of the thousands of eligible college players, who will be the lucky 255 to have the opportunity to play? TWO DAYS IN APRIL follows four young men and their journey to be drafted into the NFL. Signed by super sports agent, Tom Condon, they are brought to the exclusive IMG academy to elevate their game before crucial draft benchmarks. For the next 16 weeks, they will be trained, both mentally and physically, by some of the top professionals in the world of sports and football. Their job is to help prepare these players for what equates to the most daunting job interview ever imagined - the NFL combine, where the slightest error can cost a player millions of dollars, or even worse, the opportunity to play professional football. With unprecedented access, TWO DAYS IN APRIL reveals the never-before-seen side of what it truly takes to make it in the NFL. Much more than a sports movie, TWO DAYS IN APRIL chronicles the human spirit of commitment in the face of huge odds and enormous competition. It’s about hope, dedication, success and disappointment. We follow the dream of two parents, who have sacrificed much, to see their sons succeed. We meet a grandmother hoping to stay alive long enough to see her devoted grandson reach his goals. We feel the desperation of a soon-to-be wife showing her love and support while her future husband grasps on to hope. In two excruciating and anxiety ridden days in April, will all of their dreams finally come true? (twodaysinapril.com) "Two Days in April" documentary is available to through Netflix.com.
ProFootballCentral.com interviews WR Malcolm Kelly: Pro Football Central recently sat down with former Oklahoma wide receiver Malcolm Kelly. In what NFL Insiders and Writers call a a must listen and PFC will air it live on Pro Football Central Radio this tonight at 7 pm est! (ProFootballCentral.com)
Former Sooner Tommie Harris holding celebrity golf and billiards event: Former Sooner and current Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris is coming back to Oklahoma to host his annual charity golf tournament the weekend of May 2-3. The Tommie Harris Celebrity Classic will feature a dinner and auction Friday, May 2, at the Oklahoma History Center, as well as a golf tournament Saturday, May 3, at the Belmar Golf Club and a billiards tournament later in the night at Riverwind Casino. Several former Sooners are scheduled to participate, including Roy Williams of the Dallas Cowboys, Davin Joseph of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Teddy Lehman of the Buccaneers, Jammal Brown of the New Orleans Saints, Dusty Dvoracek of the Bears and Mark Bradley of the Bears. Other NFL players attending include former Oklahoma State player R.W. McQuarters of the New York Giants, Greg Jennings of the Green Bay Packers and Sam Hurd of the Cowboys. Proceeds from the event will go to the Boys & Girls Club of America, the United Leukodystrophy Foundation and The Tommie Harris Foundation, which raises funds for the purpose of preventing child abuse in America. For more information, call (405) 949-0022, ext: 403. (PR)
Loadholt, Granger, and Robinson on Outland watch list: Three Oklahoma linemen are on the preseason watch list for the 2008 Outland Trophy. The award is presented annually by the Football Writers Association of America. Sooner offensive linemen Phil Loadholt and Duke Robinson along with defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger are on the list. Robinson, OU's left guard, was a consensus All-American last season when he started 13 of the team's 14 games. He saw action in 663 plays with 97 knockdown blocks and a season grade of 85%. Loadholt, the left tackle is the tallest football starter in OU history at 6-8. He was an honorable mention All-American last season by Sports Illustrated. He was on the field for 740 snaps with 104 knockdowns. His season grade was 79%. Granger was a second-team All-Big 12 pick in 2007. He played in 13 games with 11 starts. For the season, he registered 35 tackles, including 8.5 for losses and 3.5 sacks. (SoonerSports PR)
Wort commits to OU over LSU, A&M, Miami and others: New Braunfels linebacker Tom Wort decided he couldn't wait any longer. After taking informal visits to three college campuses, Comal County's reigning Defensive Player of the Year announced Wednesday morning that he was committing to play college football with the Oklahoma Sooners. "It was a big day for me today," he said. "I've been talking with (New Braunfels head football coach) Caniford and my family about this the last couple of days. I couldn't stop thinking about my visit to Oklahoma and I made my decision a few days ago. "So this morning I pulled the trigger and decided to go to Oklahoma." Wort, a 6-0, 210-pounder, transferred to New Braunfels from Rhode Island last spring and impressed New Braunfels coaches right off the bat. Wort was the District 26-4A and Herald-Zeitung's top player on a unit that allowed just 244.2 yards per game. He led the Unicorns with 199 total tackles, 104 solos and included 11 for losses. He caused four fumbles, hauled in three interceptions, and recorded five pass breakups, three hurries, four sacks and 16 "big hits." Among the other schools courting the junior were USC, Florida, Nebraska, Miami and Maryland. (The Herald-Zeitung)
Kelly's agent reports 4.46/40: He ran on an indoor track Wednesday and the times collected by the scouts on hand were 4.69 and 4.63 seconds. Kelly's agent, Chad Speck, reported times of 4.46 and 4.61 seconds. (Norman Transcript)
Kelly apologizes for rant:Malcolm Kelly told reporters Wednesday, "Last week I made a lot of immature decisions going off like that," Kelly said in reference to his fast-infamous rant. "In the three years that I've been here, y'all have never known me to go off like that. It was out of character for me. I take full responsibility." (Tulsa World)
Sooners end spring practices: OU's quarterback Sam Bradford, said the offense ended spring practice on an up note, "The offense played at a much quicker tempo than we did in the Red-White Game," Bradford said. "I thought we got some good work done on the last day."
Chaisson commits to OU: Justin Chaisson phoned Bob Stoops on Monday to inform the Sooner coach of his commitment to attend the University of Oklahoma. Then, Chaisson made a bold decision. "I was going to wait and keep it low-key," said the four-star defensive end from Las Vegas, Nev. "I wanted to announce it at the U.S. Army All-American Game." Next January. Well, Chaisson barely made it 24 hours. His announcement Tuesday afternoon was so abrupt, his mother didn't even know he'd committed until a certain sports writer called her home to confirm an online report. "I talked it over with my dad and I decided to go ahead and put it out there," Chaisson said. "I didn't want to lead on the other schools recruiting me." Chaisson -- the nation's No. 27 player overall according to Rivals.com -- also held offers from California, LSU, Florida and UCLA, among others. (The Oklahoman)
Plus; Pair of prospects verbally commit: The high-profile commitment capped a big weekend for the OU defense, during which linebacker Brandon Mahoney and cornerback Steve Williams also gave their nods to the Sooners. (The Oklahoman)
OU tops Rivals.com most embarrassing non-conference games: Rivals.com writer Mike Huguenin ranks OU's season opener against UT-Chattanooga as the worst 2008 non-conference game. UT-Chattanooga against Division 1-A are 0-19 losing by an average of 34 points.
OU Coaches talk about the no-huddle offense: The Sooners have joined the growing horde of teams experimenting with no huddles. "It's the trend," said Sooner defensive coordinator Brent Venables. In the same way the wishbone took over college football in the 1970s, and the spread did the same almost a decade ago, the no-huddle is all the rage in the 21st century, going from fad to standard in a season or two. "I don't think offenses would do it if it weren't advantageous, to a degree," Venables said. Bob Stoops says he ordered implementation of the no-huddle for mathematical reasons. "I want to get as many at-bats as they do," Stoops said. "I don't want anyone having more snaps than we do." Wilson, OU's offensive coordinator, ran the no-huddle for four years at Northwestern. Twice, his Northwestern team led the nation in offensive plays. But I'll bet Northwestern ranked high in plays allowed, too. That's the delicate nature of the no-huddle. Even if it helps your offense, it can hurt your defense. "To me, the problems are, can you protect your defense?" Wilson said. "At Northwestern, our defenses weren't any good. We didn't really worry about helping them." That's why Wilson must be careful. For example, coaches say OU this spring practiced about 60 percent huddle, 40 percent no-huddle. (The Oklahoman)
OU confirms Malcolm Kelly to run another 40: University of Oklahoma spokesman Kenny Mossman said Kelly will run the 40-yard dash again on Wednesday, presumably on AstroTurf, after running 4.68 and 4.75 last Wednesday. After his workout, Kelly sounded off about the setup, particularly a perceived lack of loyalty to him by "certain people" on the OU football staff. He also criticized the OU training staff for misdiagnosing an injury that kept him out of the Fiesta Bowl. Kelly was upset because he and OU strength coach Jerry Schmidt agreed he would run his 40s on the AstroTurf of the Mosier Center instead of the Field Turf of the Everest Center, on which every other OU football player has worked out for NFL scouts the last two years. (Tulsa World)
Clayton continues to impress: Converted safety Keenan Clayton continued to make his push at strongside linebacker Saturday by playing, according to Stoops, every snap of the scrimmage. "Keenan Clayton did an excellent job," the coach said. "He's turning into a really solid player." Clayton made four tackles, picked up one of OU's six sacks and created one of the Sooners' three defensive touchdowns. (Tulsa World)
Small crowd: The official attendance for yesterday's Red/White game was 23,306.
Coach Stoops impressed with corners play: Cornerback Brian Jackson and safety Sam Proctor also broke up a pair of passes and the offense’s lack of big plays. "I thought their positioning was great. I thought the corners were excellent," OU coach Bob Stoops said. "Guys like Sam Proctor had big days that really showed. They were in position all day and that’s pleasing to see as a coach." (Norman Transcript)
Injury Report: Players who missed the scrimmage: Cornerback Quinton Carter (hamstring), defensive end Auston English (shoulder), linebacker Austin Box (elbow), wide receivers Ryan Broyles (collarbone) and Adron Tennell (knee), offensive tackle Duke Robinson (ankle), safety Nic Harris (shoulder), defensive end John Williams (heel) and tailbacks DeMarco Murray (knee) and Chris Brown (knee). (The Oklahoman)
Fan calls first offensive touchdown in scrimmage: [Shae] Farmer is the Carrollton, Ga., resident who won an auction to call four plays during Saturday's scrimmage. He didn't know exactly what play he wanted to call, but Farmer knew he wanted tight end Jermaine Gresham going deep. So the call came down from the coaches' box for a play-action pass. Quarterback Sam Bradford laid the ball out perfectly for Gresham to run under it and the tight end beat two defenders to the goal line for the first offensive touchdown of the game. In fact, it was the only offensive touchdown until a pair of scores in the final three minutes of the game. Farmer and his wife, Kimberly, had no interest in attending Saturday's game, though they planned to come to Norman at some point, maybe this fall. After hearing about the SoonerSports.com auction, the two decided to post a bid, joking with each other about how funny it would be if they won. And they did. But the $2,900 he paid to call four plays was only part of the battle. They still had to get to Oklahoma, a 13-hour drive from their Georgia home. "I crossed into Oklahoma state lines for the first time (Friday)," Farmer said. "This stadium is gorgeous. It's unreal. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience to even get over here and see something like this. You see it on TV, then you get here and it's everything you thought it could be. "It's well worth it." (The Oklahoman)
