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‘Pound-for-pound, my favorite quarterback’: Josh Pate on five-star QB Jackson Arnold

Josh Pate of the Late Kick Show believes Jackson Arnold is good enough to play right away.

On a recent episode of the Late Kick Show with Josh Pate, Pate detailed a few programs he thinks will take a jump in 2023. One of those programs was Oklahoma.

On the same show, Pate broke down the newly minted five-stars and the top quarterbacks.

They have Jackson Arnold, who is possibly pound-for-pound my favorite quarterback in this cycle. In fairness we got to see him up close at the Elite 11 and got to know him a bit, so I just happen to believe he’s got the right stuff to go in there and compete for a starting job right away.

Here’s the thing about that… if he wins the job it’s because he was good enough and if he doesn’t win the job, it’s probably not because he wasn’t good enough, it’s just because Dillon Gabriel beat him out. – Pate on Late Kick

He, like many others, believes that Jackson Arnold has the talent to be a day-one starter at the collegiate level. He grants that Oklahoma is in a great position. They’ve got Dillon Gabriel, who is a really good starting quarterback and they’ve got Arnold who is a good quarterback in his own right, and the future of the program. Arnold’s good enough to start, but if he doesn’t, that means that Gabriel’s stayed healthy and is playing up to expectations.

Pate would go on to note that OU needed depth in the QB room, which is absolutely correct. Going into 2023 with more than one viable QB could end up being huge if Gabriel gets hurt again.

Arnold is ranked as the No. 4 QB in the country and one of five five-star QBs according to 247Sports. Sooners fans will be able to see him in action soon at the upcoming OU Football Spring Game.

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From the Student Section: Sooners beat Bama, calm before the… court storm

From the Student Section makes a victorious return after OU Basketball kicked up a storm against the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide

That. Was. Awesome.

I really need to get to more Oklahoma Basketball games. I definitely picked a good one to go to. Watching the unranked Sooners beat the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide was just fantastic to watch unfold.

So, how did I end up at this game?

Well, after getting home on Friday night, I remembered that OU was hosting Alabama on Saturday afternoon. While I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, I rounded up my Jordans and my roommate, and we made our way to the Lloyd Noble Center just as the doors opened.

That crowd was the best I’ve ever seen at the LNC. The student section has been asked, time and time again, to show up. They did. Watching this game from the student section was an unforgettable experience.

Also, this happened.

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— Barstool Sooners (@OUBarstool) January 28, 2023

After watching OU Football be at the other end of field stormings for the last two years, being able to take part in a court storming after a win against Alabama felt therapeutic. It was incredible.

This is the best OU Basketball has looked in years. THAT is what a Porter Moser-coached team is supposed to look like. They were fast, they played outstanding defense, and they shot lights out.

Deep into year two, Moser finally has a signature win. With plenty of recruits in the building and plenty of time left to build a case to make the tournament, this win could end up paying massive dividends for this program.

As they said in the cinematic masterpiece Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come.” If Porter Moser builds a great basketball program, the fans will come. The program is still very much in a building phase, and the student section has been fantastic since Moser was hired.

Getting out of the Big 12 might end up being good for the Sooners. While SEC Basketball has a few heavy hitters, getting away from the titans of the hardwood in the Big 12 could level the playing field for Moser’s squad down the road.

Here’s a message for OU fans. Porter Moser is the guy. Believe in the program he’s building. Go to the games. Who’s next on the schedule? Ah, perfect timing.

Oklahoma State is coming to Norman on Wednesday night. If the crowd can be anything like the one from today, Bedlam is going to be electric. After what the Sooners experienced when they went to Stillwater, time for Sooner Nation to return the favor.

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Oklahoma Sooners dominate No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide in front of raucous crowd

The Oklahoma Sooners dominated No. 2 Alabama in a 93-69 win in front of a raucous crowd at the Lloyd Noble Center.

They didn’t keep the students off the court in Norman as the unranked Oklahoma Sooners defeated the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide 93-69. Less than a week after getting blown out in Fort Worth by TCU, Porter Moser’s squad needed a big win.

They got it.

While Alabama did strike first after a few made free throws by Brandon Miller, the Sooners would end up taking the lead a few minutes later on a Tanner Groves layup. OU led for the remainder of the game.

The Sooners put together a sensational effort on both sides of the floor. They shot 57% from the field and 69% from three-point range. Meanwhile, Alabama rarely had any space to breathe. The Sooners held the Crimson Tide to 37.9% from the floor and 27.3% from three-point range.

Grant Sherfield was simply fantastic. There was an audible buzz in the air every time he had the ball in his hands. He had a big day on offense with 30 points and six assists. Jalen Hill was fantastic as well, pouring in 26 points on 9 of 11 shooting. He was also 6 of 7 from the free throw line and 2 of 2 from three.

An unsung hero, if you could call him that, would have to be Tanner Groves. The elder Groves was everywhere and dominated on the glass, picking up 12 rebounds. Groves also tallied 14 points, giving him a double-double.

It was simply a perfect effort from an OU squad. Their shooting was fantastic for 40 minutes, and while Alabama did seem to be the bigger team, the Sooners held their own around the glass, particularly when Tanner Groves was on the floor. The Tide held a 15-6 edge on the offensive glass, but Oklahoma minimized that impact with their fantastic shooting effort. Despite the huge difference, Oklahoma still narrowly edged out Alabama 36-35 on the boards.

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The Oklahoma Sooners needed that win in a huge way. It was their first win over a team ranked No. 1 or 2 in the AP Poll since beating No. 1 Kansas back in 2002. This has an opportunity to be a season and program-defining win for Porter Moser and the Sooners after struggling in recent weeks. With Oklahoma falling onto the NCAA tournament bubble, this win has a chance to catapult them back into the March Madness field.

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‘Don’t you have to expect Oklahoma to make a jump?’: 247Sports’ Josh Pate a believer in the Sooners

Josh Pate believes that the Oklahoma Sooners are poised to take a jump in the 2023 season.

A lot of folks are high on the Oklahoma Sooners heading into winter workouts. Recently, Josh Pate discussed a few teams that are poised to make a jump during the 2023 season, and the Sooners were among them.

Outfitted in his classic plain white t-shirt, Pate noted how poorly the 2022 season went for the Sooners while also giving the team props for their efforts in the Cheez-it Bowl loss to Florida State.

Pate also talked about how the Sooners replenished their roster via the transfer portal and their top-five recruiting class.

It obviously went really bad in year one for Brent Venables at Oklahoma. They were sub-.500 for the first time this millenium… They’re well on the way to replenishing their roster. They’ve done a really good job of balancing traditional recrutiing and the transfer portal… I’m interested in the fact that they have a top five recruiting class and a top ten portal class. – Pate, Late Kick With Josh Pate

Sooners fans have been hounding Pate for weeks to talk about OU more, and he delivered. The Sooners have done a nice job in the portal to address needs and weaknesses through the portal. The pass rush and run defense were two of the bigger issues in 2022, and Oklahoma added guys like Dasan McCullough, Rondell Bothroyd, Trace Ford, Jacob Lacey, and Davon Sears to help bolster their defensive front.

Venables needed his guys in Oklahoma. He’s getting them. While there are issues that he and his staff had during games that will need to be addressed, the talent is on the way.

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8 Sooners named to USA Softball Player of the Year watchlist

Eight Sooners named to USA Softball Player of the Year preseason watchlist

Jocelyn Alo has won the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award the last two seasons, and deservedly so. On Wednesday, USA Softball released their preseason watch list, a list featuring 50 players across the country.

Needless to say, head coach Patty Gasso’s bunch was very popular on the list. A total of eight Sooners made the cut, nearly one fifth of the 50 names mentioned. No other school has more than three names on the list.

While Alo’s departure is sure to be felt by Oklahoma at some point, it will be interesting to see just who ends up pulling away from the rest of the pack for this prestigous award. The Sooners have a talented lineup and a deep group of pitchers. They’re talented enough to win their third-consecutive national championship, which will put someone in line for yet another national player of the year honor.

Former Oklahoma Sooners QB Jalen Hurts named MVP Finalist

Former Oklahoma Sooners QB Jalen Hurts is up for both MVP and Offensive Player of the Year

In what has been a phenomenal season for the former Oklahoma star quarterback, Jalen Hurts has been named a finalist for the 2022 NFL MVP award. The other finalists are Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow.

While a brief injury scare put a damper on Hurts’ steller 2022 campaign, the Philadelphia Eagles QB has put together a great season, with career highs in both passing and rushing touchdowns, passing yards, QBR and passer rating. He did all of this in 15 starts and is now one win away from a Super Bowl appearance.

With Hurts about to enter his fourth year as a pro, he can start negotiating a long-term deal with the Eagles this offseason.

There has been much contention as to which college football fanbase is allowed to claim Hurts as their own. Though it is easy to wonder how much of a stake Lincoln Riley gets in this argument.

Hurts is also up for Offensive Player of the Year, so he’s in the running for more than one prestigous award during the NFL Honors. Though it’s quite possible he will be unable to attend, as he might have a previous engagement in Glendale, Arizona that Sunday night.

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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.

9 former Sooners heading to conference championships in the NFL

No university has more active former players heading to conference championship weekend than Oklahoma.

No program will boast more former players on the NFL’s conference championship weekend than the University of Oklahoma. There will be a total of nine former Sooners competing for a trip to Glendale, Arizona and Super Bowl LVI.

The program closest to OU in this regard is the University of Michigan with seven former players. The closest current Big 12 program to Oklahoma would be Texas Tech, which has three players. Future Big 12 member Cincinnati also has three.

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗢𝗸𝗹𝗮𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗮#OUDNA #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/LbOCRpcXN5

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) January 23, 2023

While there seems to be some argument between Oklahoma and Alabama fans as to which school is allowed to claim Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, he did have a solid day against the New York Giants in the Divisional Round. Meanwhile, Joe Mixon rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown for the Cincinnati Bengals against the Buffalo Bills.

Few of the remaining players have as much on the line as Hurts, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this postseason. A trip to the Super Bowl could lead to a very hefty pay day.

Let’s take a look at the former Sooners who will be vying for a Super Bowl berth.

Former Sooner Joe Mixon runs wild against Buffalo in Divisional Game

Joe Mixon had a strong day for the Cincinnati Bengals against the Buffalo Bills

After Joe Mixon was held in check by the stingy Baltimore Ravens defense in the Wild Card Round a week ago, the former Oklahoma Sooners running back fared much better against the Buffalo Bills.

The Cincinnati Bengals star rushed for 105 yards on 20 carries and found the end zone on a hard-earned run from the one-yard line. The Bengals are now just one step away from making their second Super Bowl in as many years.

Call overturned. Touchdown @Joe_MainMixon!#OUDNA | 📺 CBS

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— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) January 22, 2023

Behind Mixon, Samaje Perine, also had a solid day against Buffalo’s run defense. Perine rushed for 33 yards on seven attempts. Perine also did better against Buffalo than he did against Baltimore. The Ravens held Perine to 18 yards on six attempts.

With their win in a very hostile and snowy Buffalo, the Bengals have earned a date with the very same team they defeated in the AFC Championship Game a year ago: the Kansas City Chiefs.

Patrick Mahomes sustained a high ankle sprain in the Cheifs’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but expects to play next week at Arrowhead.

As for the Bengals, Joe Burrow is looking more and more like the class of the NFL. With Burrow dealing like he did in Buffalo, another shot at a Lombardi Trophy could be on the way to Cincinnati.

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Anton Harrison joins Kansas City Chiefs in Touchdown Wire 2023 NFL mock draft

Touchdown Wire has Anton Harrison going to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Oklahoma Sooners offensive tackle Anton Harrison has been a popular selection in several mock drafts. He seems to be the only Sooner consistent ly selected in the first round in 2023 NFL mock drafts.

The mock draft we’re looking at today is no different. Harrison is the lone Sooner selected in Touchdown Wire’s latest mock draft. Doug Farrar has the big fella joining his former teammate [autotag]Creed Humphrey[/autotag] in Kansas City to protect Patrick Mahomes. Farrar has Harrison being selected with the 30th overall pick in the draft.

[autotag]Orlando Brown Jr[/autotag]., another former Sooner, could be heading elsewhere in free agency. If Brown does find another home, the Chiefs will need another left tackle. Harrison fits that bill.

Harrison’s pass blocking is strong, and the Chiefs love to throw the ball. Making the transition from a run-heavy offense to Andy Reid’s pass-oriented scheme offense was a big transition to make when Orlando Brown Jr. was traded from the Baltimore Ravens to the Chiefs. Coming from a run-heavy offense himself, Harrison will have to adjust should he end up in Kansas City.

With Harrison likely finding his NFL home quite early in the draft, that’s yet another NFL lineman that was coached by Oklahoma Sooners’ offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh. Ben Powers, Creed Humphrey, Orlando Brown Jr., and Anton Harrison are just a few of the names that Bedenbaugh has seen through to the big leagues.

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On3’s J.D. PicKell believes there are reasons for optimism for Sooners fans

J.D. PicKell of On3 is optimistic that Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners can turn it around in 2023.

It’s no secret that the first year of Brent Venables’ tenure didn’t go the way that many Oklahoma Sooners fans thought it would. The Sooners suffered their first losing season in over two decades and finished with a 6-7 record. With valuable starters on both sides of the ball returning and another top 10 recruting class, there’s plenty of reasons to be hopeful for the future of OU Football.

While one-score losses are losses nonetheless, the Sooners were a very unlucky team in 2022. Flip just a few of those one-score results and the Sooners finish 8-4 or 9-3.

J.D. PicKell of On3 is also optimistic of OU’s chances of turning it around in 2023.

Here’s the deal. In your bowl game, you went toe-to-toe with a team that was further along than you and is a top-ten caliber team in Florida State. You’re not far off. Oklahoma is still processing. Did they have less success than I thought they would last year? Yeah, a lot of people thought they’d be more successful. I still think year two could be a big year for them. – PicKell on “The Hard Count”

Losing to Texas, Kansas State, and Baylor in the same year isn’t acceptable in Norman, Oklahoma. That being said, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] knows that. The coaching staff knows that. The way they’ve attacked recruiting and the transfer portal is evidence enough.

Venables will have all the tools he will need to lead OU to a better result in 2023. With the move to the SEC closer and closer, Venables needs to show that the foundation for the program is cemented in whenever Oklahoma does make the move.

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