Tag: Caleb Kelly

Oklahoma’s Caleb Kelly to get WWE tryout during Wrestlemania week

Former linebacker and S.O.U.L. Mission coordinator Caleb Kelly to participate in WWE tryout during Wrestlemania week, according to ESPN.

It’s Wrestlemania week for the WWE. As has become commonplace in recent years, the biggest pro wrestling brand in the world has hosted a tryout during the biggest week in the industry for athletes across the disciplines at the collegiate level.

According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, former Oklahoma linebacker and current Director of S.O.U.L. Mission Career and Professional Development Caleb Kelly will be among the participants at this week’s tryout.

The football contingent trying out includes ex-Oklahoma linebacker Caleb Kelly, an ESPN top-70 national recruit who started portions of three seasons before being limited by knee injuries late in his career. – Rittenberg, ESPN

Kelly, a former five-star player out of Clovis West High, has been a fan favorite during his time with the Sooners. His joyful personality and his charisma made him one of the more beloved players of the Lincoln Riley era among fans and media members. Though he dealt with injuries in his playing days, he had a penchant for big plays for the Sooners.

Like this one in the fourth quarter of the 2021 Red River Showdown that helped the Oklahoma Sooners overcome their huge first-half deficit to beat the Longhorns.

Many WWE legends started on the gridiron before making the transition to the ring. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was a star at Miami, and Bill Goldberg played for the Georgia Bulldogs. Current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns played his college ball at Georgia Tech.

As a player and coach, Kelly displayed some of the intangible traits that will allow him to excel in the WWE. Namely his electric presence and ability on the microphone, not to mention his incredible athleticism.

Though he’d more than likely have to go through the WWE’s developmental program, he has all of the tools in his box to make an exceptional pro wrestler.

Check out some of the best photos from Caleb Kelly’s time with the Oklahoma Sooners!

Ranking Oklahoma’s last 10 recruiting classes

Ranking the Oklahoma Sooners last 10 recruiting classes.

The Oklahoma Sooners closed the early signing period of the 2023 cycle with a ton of momentum, earning a last-second flip of five-star safety [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag]. Bowen joined Guyer teammate [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and edge rusher [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag] in the 2023 class to give the Sooners three five-star players for the cycle.

It was a huge recruiting haul for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his staff, who worked their way into the top five of the 247Sports recruiting class composite. This class has Venables fingerprints all over it with a heavy emphasis on the defensive side of the ball.

The Sooners ended up with 16 four- and five-star signees, and 10 of those came on the defensive side. Six were defensive backs, two were linebackers, and two were defensive linemen. The three-star players they signed on defense can play. [autotag]Taylor Wein[/autotag], [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag], [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag], [autotag]Phil Picciotti[/autotag] and [autotag]Erik McCarty[/autotag] are athletic players with high motors. Each has a chance to outperform his recruiting status.

It was an historic class for the Sooners, marking just the second time in the 247Sports database (since 2000) that they signed multiple five-star defensive players, and only the second time they had three five-star signees. Looking back, let’s take a look at how it stacks up with the last 10 recruiting classes for the Oklahoma Sooners.

These new ‘UNITY’ Sooners uniforms are awesome

The Oklahoma Sooners “Unity” uniforms are exactly how to make a modern uniform while also honoring the past

I am a bit of a sports uniform afficionado. While I am a big fan of the Oklahoma Sooners’ “Rough Rider” alternates, a lot of people don’t feel the same way.

When Oklahoma Football unveiled their anthracite uniform in honor of former running back Dr. Prentice Gautt, I was shocked. I didn’t see this coming. I never thought the Oklahoma Sooners would dare wear colors other than crimson and cream. Thakfully, they did.

These are clean.

I love them. I love the anthractie color. I love the helmet. I love the red numbers. Most of all, I love the story behind the uniforms.

This is how you make an alternate uniform with a modern look while honoring the past.

Good for Caleb Kelly. He didn’t get the ending he deserved as a player and to see him introuduce these uniforms in this video was very cool to see.

The reactions to these uniform on social media, from what I’ve seen, have been largely positive. That being said, I have also seen some negative feedback. The most common negative things that I’ve seen have been that these uniforms “dishonor tradition” and “you don’t see Alabama doing this.”

The Sooners have changed helmet designs several times during their long and storied history. They used to put numbers on the back of the helmets. A change in color doesn’t damage the history or tradition of this program.

This isn’t Alabama. What they do shouldn’t affect how the Sooners operate.

This is something that the players have been wanting for years. It’s a clean uniform that will look spectacular under the stadium lights, whenever that may be.

As for the “rough rider” uniforms. I haven’t seen anything that says they are out of the rotation or not. They are still being worn by recruits on visits, so perhaps we haven’t seen the last of them.

I love when teams take risks with new uniforms. The fact that several former Sooners were involved with the creation of these jerseys makes it even better. I can’t wait to see these in action against Kansas on Saturday.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Ben on Twitter @bendackiw.

Oklahoma to debut ‘UNITY’ alternate uniforms this weekend vs. Kansas

Oklahoma will be wearing new digs on Saturday versus Kansas.

Oklahoma will have a different look Saturday when they take the field versus the Kansas Jayhawks.

Saturday represents the first time we’ll see Oklahoma dawn their newest alternate when they take the field wearing their Unity uniforms. The jerseys were designed to emphasize the importance of togetherness and building relationships to better society.

The Unity uniform, which has been in the making since 2020, will also honor former running back Prentice Gautt, who was the first black football player at Oklahoma on scholarship.

Gautt played under legendary Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson and exemplified the true meaning of student-athlete while also breaking down barriers and paving the way for the Sooner athletes of today.

The uniform, released Wednesday afternoon, was accompanied by a video with an explanation for the origin of the uniform from former Sooners’ captain and S.O.U.L. team member Caleb Kelly. Kelly is one of the major figures behind the design and inspiration of the jersey.

Former Sooner football players Jeremiah Hall, Pat Fields and Creed Humphrey joined Caleb Kelly and Chanse Sylvie to spearhead the project. The football program joins the softball team, and the men’s and women’s basketball teams on Oklahoma’s campus with an anthracite-colored alternate uniform.

The idea has been brewing since 2020, which likely came about during college football’s deeper commitment to using its platform to highlight racial injustices and support a more inclusive environment in the sport.

The Sooners will don the anthracite-colored jerseys, pants and helmets with crimson trim and lettering, the word “together” sewn on the collar, the word “unity” on the back-of-the-jersey nameplate and a patch of the state of Oklahoma on the sleeves. It’s the first new jersey combo for Oklahoma since it debuted the “Roughrider” uniforms.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Oklahoma linebacker David Ugwoegbu named to Butkus Award watch list

Ahead of the 2022 season, linebacker David Ugwoegbu was named to the 2022 Butkus Award watch list. Oklahoma is tied with Alabama for the most all-time.

The Oklahoma Sooners have a rich tradition at the linebacker position and in 2022 have a chance to add to their history of [autotag]Butkus Award[/autotag] winners as David Ugwoegbu was named to the award watch list for 2022.

Legend from the 1980s, [autotag]Brian Bosworth[/autotag], was the first recipient of the collegiate award and the only two-time winner of the Butkus. Since the award was first handed out to “The Boz” in 1985, the Oklahoma Sooners are tied with the Alabama Crimson Tide, with the most Butkus Award winners at four.

[autotag]Rocky Calmus[/autotag] and [autotag]Teddy Lehman[/autotag] also received the award as part of Oklahoma’s dominant defensive teams of the early 2000s.

[autotag]Caleb Kelly[/autotag], now a member of the program’s S.O.U.L. Mission, was a high school recipient of the Butkus Award.

Heading into 2022, Ugweogbu will be relied upon to fill the void left by Brian Asamoah, who now plays for the Minnesota Vikings. In 2021, Ugwoegbu played just the 11th-most snaps on the Oklahoma Sooners defense yet finished sixth in tackles.

The Linebacker room for the Oklahoma Sooners is deep heading into 2022, and Ugwoegbu will have to find a way to differentiate himself from a group featuring DaShaun White, Danny Stutsman, and T.D. Roof. Incoming freshman Jaren Kanak, Kobie McKinzie, and Kip Lewis might also factor into the linebacker rotation, especially early in the season.

With Ugwoegbu’s length and athleticism, he has the potential to be fantastic for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2022. With Brent Venables and Ted Roof coaching the linebackers, this could be Ugwoegbu’s best season as a Sooner.

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Red River Showdown among ‘craziest moments’ of the 2021 college football season

USA TODAY Sports reporter Paul Myerberg include the Red River Showdown in his ‘craziest moments’ of the 2021 college football season.

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The 2021 Red River Showdown is one that Oklahoma fans won’t soon forget. It also earned a spot in USA TODAY Sports reporter Paul Myerberg’s week-by-week list of the 2021 college football season’s “craziest moments.”

Myerberg wrote this about Oklahoma’s wild 55-48 rally against the Texas Longhorns from the Cotton Bowl on Oct. 9 in his week six recap.

No. 5 Oklahoma wins the highest-scoring game in Red River Rivalry, as backup quarterback Caleb Williams replaces a struggling Spencer Rattler and keys a 55-48 win. – Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

It looked early like Oklahoma was trending to get blown out by Texas. Longhorns quarterback Casey Thompson connected with freshman wide receiver Xavier Worthy for a 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown on the game’s first play from scrimmage.

Then, after a quick three-and-out by the Sooners’ offense, Michael Turk’s punt was blocked and Texas had the football right back at the Oklahoma 2-yard line. Texas running back Bijan Robinson ran in a 2-yard touchdown and the Longhorns led 14-0 with 13:07 left in the first quarter.

OU and then-starting quarterback Spencer Rattler responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a 2-yard Rattler keeper for a touchdown to cut the deficit in half 14-7.

Oklahoma’s defense forced a three-and-out of their own, but any momentum was quickly back in Texas’ hands when Rattler’s third-down pass on the ensuing series was intercepted by the Longhorns’ B.J. Foster.

Thompson tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Joshua Moore to cash in on Rattler’s interception. Then, after another OU three-and-out, Thompson and Moore combined again to burn the Sooners deep with a 48-yard touchdown strike and Texas led 28-7 with 1:02 remaining in the first quarter.

That’s when the magic started for the Sooners and for true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams. On fourth and less than a yard to go from their own 34-yard line, Williams took the snap, slipped out of a tackle at the line to gain and then raced 66 yards for an Oklahoma touchdown.

Rattler directed the next two offensive series for OU, leading a 5-play, 52-yard drive on the first possession that ended with a 40-yard Gabe Brkic field goal to bring Oklahoma within 28-17.

But, after Rattler’s fumble on the second series set up another Thompson touchdown pass for the Longhorns, Oklahoma officially turned to then-backup quarterback Caleb Williams.

Williams responded by orchestrating a 10-play, 58-yard drive that culminated with Brkic’s 35-yard field goal. Texas added a 38-yard field goal themselves from kicker Cameron Dicker as the first half came to a close and the Longhorns led 38-20 at halftime.

Williams recently joined teammates Jeremiah Hall and Brayden Willis on their podcast titled “The Podcast on the Prairie” and revisited his emotions on entering the Red River game and what he shared with his teammates at halftime.

“So, we ended up going to halftime and before I walk out, I make sure I pump the fans up. Before I’m walking out, I’m throwing my hands up, pumping them up, making sure everybody’s up, making sure they see me, see my energy and things like that. I get to the locker room and I’m pretty sure y’all can remember I say to every single person in the locker room, ‘We’re going to win this game.’

“I go around shaking hands, shaking hands, shaking hands and I tell them we’re going to go win this game, coaches included. We go back out, we get back out on the field and we’re all locked in. We go out there with a certain energy and a certain passion and we go and do the unthinkable. I get chills every time I talk about the game,” Williams said.

Those chills are because of what came next. After the teams traded field goals, Williams proceeded to throw a 14-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Marvin Mims in the third quarter that made the score 41-30, Texas.

Later, with OU trailing 41-33 midway through the fourth quarter, Williams eluded pressure, stepped up in the pocket and launched a 52-yard touchdown pass to Mims. The fact that it came on a 3rd-and-19 snap and that Mims’ left foot barely stayed within bounds on the diving grab adds to the mystique.

The Sooners then tied the game at 41 points apiece when Rattler connected with redshirt junior wide receiver Drake Stoops on the 2-point conversion try. The sequence of crazy wasn’t done just yet.

Oklahoma redshirt senior linebacker Caleb Kelly ripped the football away from Texas’ Worthy on the kickoff following Rattler’s pass and suddenly Williams and the Sooners had the football right back at Texas’ 18-yard line.

Redshirt junior running back Kennedy Brooks took a direct snap and gave Oklahoma its first lead of the day, 48-41, with his 18-yard rushing touchdown.

Thompson found Worthy for a 31-yard touchdown to tie the game once more at 48 apiece with 1:23 remaining.

Williams and Oklahoma’s offense went to work. Williams completed a nine-yard pass to junior wide receiver Jadon Haselwood before a 12-yard run from Brooks put the Sooners at their own 46-yard line.

Williams then completed back-to-back passes of 10 and 11 yards to Mims and junior tight end Austin Stogner, respectively. That set the stage for Brooks’ final heroics.

Brooks gathered in another direct snap, broke one tackle and sprinted 33 yards for the game-winning touchdown with two seconds remaining. Incredibly, Oklahoma erased a 21-point deficit and authored the largest comeback victory in Red River Rivalry history, 55-48.

Williams completed 16-of-25 passes for 212 yards in the comeback effort. Meanwhile, Brooks rumbled his way to 217 rushing yards on 25 carries against the Longhorns.

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Players react to Brent Venables being named the next head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners

Current players react to the news that Brent Venables will be the next head coach at the University of Oklahoma.

As Sunday rolled along, what was just rumor leading into the weekend appeared to be taking shape as leadership for the Oklahoma Sooners took a flight to South Carolina to bring home their next head coach.

Just a few hours ago, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and Pete Thamel of CBS Sports broke the news that the Sooners would be naming Brent Venables the next head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team. Before the Oklahoma Sooners could officially announce it, players from the current team began sharing their reactions to a meeting they had with the Sooners’ new head coach via Zoom while Venables was en route.

Based on their reactions on Twitter, they came away impressed. Let’s take a look at what the players had to say.

Sooners LB Caleb Kelly to make an appearance on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff

With his OU playing career coming to a close, Sooners’ Linebacker Caleb Kelly looks to be making his broadcasting debut this week.

It was a disappointing way to end his time with the Oklahoma Sooners, but veteran linebacker Caleb Kelly isn’t letting it slow him down. The veteran linebacker has still been out at practice according to Head Coach Lincoln Riley and continues to make his presence felt as a leader of the squad.

Riley when speaking to the media on Tuesday said, “Yeah, it’s horrible man. But, honestly, it’s probably been made easier by his willingness to just accept it and just bounce right along. He’s been out at practice with a smile on his face. Been around the guys. Same energy.”

Riley added, “Hasn’t really changed him. I think for him, it’s just a recognition that it’s kind of time for the next chapter in his life. He’s not sitting there dwelling on it or poor me. Great example to a lot of people because a lot of people wouldn’t handle it that well. He’s been great and that’s why whatever he chooses to do next, he’s going to be pretty darn good at it.”

Could that next thing that Riley’s talking about be in the broadcast booth? Caleb Kelly’s about to get an opportunity.

After he made it known that his playing days in Norman were over, Kelly reached out to his first coach at the University of Oklahoma, Bob Stoops, about making an appearance on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff.  With Big Noon Kickoff set to take place in Norman, it looks like the fan favorite will be getting his wish as former head coach and Fox studio analyst Bob Stoops is making it happen for this Saturday.

It’s certainly not the way anyone would have written the story of Caleb Kelly’s career at Oklahoma. Especially the ending. But Kelly continues to prove time and time again what a difference maker he is. This time, it’s the attitude he’s taken from this latest injury. Kelly’s not letting it be a setback, instead using it to turn the page into the next chapter of his life.

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Senior Linebacker Caleb Kelly announces end to Sooner career via Social Media

Via his personal Twitter account, Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Caleb Kelly announces end to playing career.

It was a tough loss for the Oklahoma Sooners in their 27-14 defeat at the hands of the Baylor Bears. Bitter still was the loss of veteran linebacker Caleb Kelly late in the game on special teams.

Though it’s unknown the true nature or severity of the injury, Caleb Kelly took to his personal Twitter account to announce that his time playing for the Oklahoma Sooners has come to a close. With two regular-season games left and the postseason, one would then guess that his injury is season-ending.

That’s a tough blow to Kelly, who’s dealt with injuries for much of his career with the Oklahoma Sooners. Kelly missed time in 2018 and only played in four games in 2019 before missing the entire 2020 season.

Lauded for his leadership both on and off the field, Caleb Kelly is a favorite of his teammates and the fans for always going above and beyond in whatever role he was asked to play for the Sooners.

As he says in his Tweet, Kelly has made a lot of memories and been a part of some crucial moments for the Oklahoma Sooners. Just this season, as the Sooners were completing their rally against the Texas Longhorns, he came up with the turnover that allowed the Sooners to take their first lead of the game and ultimately win the Red River Rivalry.

 

A sixth-year senior who was voted team captain after missing 2020 speaks to the type of person and teammate he is. Here’s to a speedy recovery for Caleb Kelly, a man with a bright future ahead of him.

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Best Pro Football Focus Grades from Oklahoma’s win over Texas Tech

How did Pro Football Focus grade the Oklahoma Sooners in their 52-21 win over Texas Tech?

With their win on Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners moved to 9-0 on the season and are well situated to make their annual “Championship November” run to the Big 12 championship.

With their toughest games on the schedule still to be played, Oklahoma will need to come out of the bye ready to play their best football of the season. If their performance vs. Texas Tech was any indication, they might be on the verge of streaking into December, a trip to Arlington, and hopefully a chance at the national title in the College Football Playoff.

The Sooners played a complete game in their 52-21 win over the Red Raiders and received standout performances from several players on both sides of the football.

Like we do each week, let’s take a look at how Pro Football Focus graded the Oklahoma Sooners in the win.