Tag: TCU

NFL Draft: A WR in each round for the Philadelphia Eagles

7 wide receivers the Eagles could target in the NFL Draft based on the round.

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The NFL draft is just 11 days away and although the Philadelphia Eagles will look to add some high profile wide receivers with their eight picks.

We all know the big names of Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, and Henry Ruggs, but there talented wide receivers in this draft and the Eagles can find a player from round-one through round-seven.

The Eagles don’t have a pick in every round but in case of some wheeling and dealing, we decided to project one wide receiver from every round that the Eagles could target.

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a fast and elusive playmaker

Round 1. Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU

If the Eagles stay put at pick No. 21 and Jefferson is available, the birds won’t go wrong with the former LSU star.

Jefferson is a fast and elusive playmaker who caught 111 passes for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns for the nation’s No. 1 team.

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2020 NFL draft: Panthers video conference with TCU RB prospect

According to a report by Aaron Wilson at the Houston Chronicle, they have a video conference meeting set with TCU running back Sewo Olonilua.

The Panthers may seem set at the running back position with Christian McCaffrey taking the lion’s share of snaps. However, there’s a new regime running things (at least the coaching staff) and they’ll have different ideas about how to split the workload at this spot.

With that in mind, Carolina fans shouldn’t be surprised if they pick a running back at some point in the NFL draft later this month. They’re doing their due diligence, at least. According to a report by Aaron Wilson at the Houston Chronicle, they have a video conference meeting set with TCU running back Sewo Olonilua.

The first thing to know about Olonilua is that he’s much bigger than the average pro running back, weighing in at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds. That’s pretty much the same size as Derrick Henry, who has established himself as the best power runner in the post-prime Marshawn Lynch era.

In college, Olonilua put that bulk to good use, totaling 1,624 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 348 carries. Let’s take a look at his tape.

Olonilua vs. Purdue

Olonilua vs. West Virginia

Olonilua vs. Cal

Olonilua vs. Ohio State

As you might expect, Olonilua is effective as a short-yardage specialist and he’s not much of a receiving threat. He is projected to be a late Day 3 pick or UDFA.

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One of Nation’s Top Corners Has Notre Dame in Top Ten

Harmon received offers from 22 different schools before getting things down to ten on Monday.  He is ranked the 24th best corner in the country per Rivals rankings.

A lot of thinning of the herd in recent days and the good news for Notre Dame is that they’ve found their names making a lot of cuts.  More good news came Monday when four-star cornerback Deuce Harmon of Denton (Guyer HS), Texas announced his top ten which included Notre Dame.

Harmon took to Twitter to announce his top-ten, something it seems like every high school prospect does anymore.

Notre Dame is joined in the top ten list by Baylor, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, SMU, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech and USC.

Harmon received offers from 22 different schools before getting things down to ten on Monday.  He is ranked the 24th best corner in the country per Rivals rankings.

Notre Dame currently has just one defensive back committed in the 2021 recruiting class, three-star safety Justin Walters of Bolingbrook, Illinois.

3 players Jaguars should draft with the No. 20 selection

The Jags’ No. 20 pick is kind of in no-man’s land, but there could be some solid prospects for them to take there.

The NFL Draft is quickly approaching, whether COVID-19 likes it or not. The NFL has held strong on its dates and has recently stated that video game company Electronic Arts will be hosting a virtual draft for the prospects and teams.

These are certainly different times.

What has stayed the same, however, is the Jags’ need for help on both sides of the ball. In the first round, most believe that Jacksonville will draft two of four key positions of need, those being offensive line, defensive line, wide receiver, and cornerback.

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Obviously, what they do with the ninth selection will affect pick No. 20, but both selections will be one of those four positions, so it’s important for fans to get accustomed to the players at those key positions.

Here are three players the Jaguars should draft with the 20th overall selection:

Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

CB Kristian Fulton, LSU

Kristian Fulton was one of the very first prospects that I did a spotlight on for the Jaguars, all the way back in October. He’s simply one of the best players at a position of need for Jacksonville. He’s silky smooth and is one of the more developed players at corner in this year’s draft. For those worried about their corners getting burned, that’s rarely the case for Fulton as he is as sticky as they come.

In 2019 much of the talk regarding Louisiana State’s defense was about freshman cornerback Derek Stingly Jr. and for good reason. That said, let’s not take away from Fulton’s spectacular final season, leading Louisiana State to a National Championship.

It’s uncertain of how high exactly Fulton will go but if he is there at No. 20, I would be “virtually” sprinting the card up to the podium to make this selection. It’s a no-brainer and one the Jaguars would surely not regret.

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Kristian Doolittle knows life is bigger than sports as college career abruptly ends over coronavirus

Kristian Doolittle took the time to reflect on his college career at OU, the abrupt ending due to the coronavirus and where to go from here.

Less than a week ago Kristian Doolittle was preparing to face West Virginia for the third time this season but the first time without fans in attendance.

Since then, everything has changed.

The Big 12 canceled their tournament just hours before the Sooners were set to tip-off against the Mountaineers. By the time they got back to Norman, the NCAA canceled the national championship tournament.

“We figured our tournament was going to get canceled as the other tournaments were being canceled around the country,” Doolittle said during a conference call with media who covered Oklahoma basketball in 2019-20. “We figured it’d only be a matter of time.

“Then you saw the rest of the season was canceled, it was upsetting. It’s disheartening all the work we put in to put ourselves in position to potentially make the tournament.”

Although his season and career ended under terms no one could have predicted, Doolittle seems to be handling the situation about as well as someone could.

“I’m taking everything one day at a time,” Doolittle said. “The way it ended was unfortunate but you gotta think bigger than basketball in terms of everyone’s health and safety. The widespread fear of getting the coronavirus and things like that, that’s something that’s bigger than basketball. It’s unfortunate but you gotta understand it was a health decision, not a business decision.”

The lone senior on the squad, Doolittle was the leader, but not just by default. His experience and ups and downs throughout his career proved him to both the coaching staff and his teammates.

“What I learned is the leadership role is one of the most difficult roles there is on the team,” Doolittle said. ” I had to put aside the personal things and focus on what’s best for the team. I feel like I got better at that as the season went along. It’s not the easiest thing in the world.”

Doolittle’s college curtain call came in one of the craziest endings you may see in a college basketball game. He reflected on that last game that saw Oklahoma mount a double-digit comeback road win against TCU.

“That was one of the craziest games we’ve been in. Being down over 20 the first half and then climbing all the way back toward the end. Austin (Reaves) had the craziest game of the year, having 41 points and hitting the game-winning shot. So that’s something that I’ll never forget.

“It was a pretty cool moment, just seeing the uphill battle that we had to be able to go through just to win that game, and knowing that was a Big 12 game as well … just the resiliency we showed in that game, that was pretty cool and something I won’t forget for a long time.”

The lowest of lows and highest of highs in the final game of Doolittle’s career was not only a perfect microcosm of Oklahoma’s season but Doolittle’s career.

He still does not know what the future holds for him but he expects to get back in the gym following what he says is the longest break he has had from the game since the season began.

“(I) took some time off to relax a little bit and spend some time with my family up in Edmond, something I don’t have the opportunity to do a lot of. It will be back to normal here real soon.”

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Austin Reaves apologizes, comments about celebration after game-winning shot against TCU

With Oklahoma’s post-season fate on the line, Austin Reaves took the ball from Jamal Bieniemy and waited to make his move.

With Oklahoma’s postseason fate on the line, Austin Reaves took the ball from Jamal Bieniemy and waited to make his move. Sizing up RJ Nembhard with six seconds left Reaves faked a drive to the lane off the right elbow, gathered, stepped back and released an 18-foot dagger into the hearts of the TCU faithful.

With half a second left on the game clock, Reaves capped off an 18-point halftime deficit, giving the Sooners their 19th win of the season, the most important of the season so far.

Immediately Reaves walked down court flexing to the cameras before telling the crowd both inside Schollmaier Arena and at home that “it’s over” while making a slashing motion at his throat.

Reaves took to Instagram Monday morning to express remorse for how his celebration could have been taken the wrong way.

“Hey everyone, had a little time to process our great team win last night,” Reaves wrote in a post on Instagram. “Just before the game was over I got caught up in the heat of the moment and took things too far in celebrating our team’s great comeback. Emotions were high as my teammates and I fought hard to beat a really good TCU team. I meant no disrespect by my actions or celebration but want to apologize for taking it too far. Excited to get back on the floor to prepare for the week ahead. AR”

He was asked about his apology after practice on Monday.

“I guess I took it a little bit overboard,” he said. “Just caught up in the emotions. It was a big win.”

Reaves went on to say that the apology was “pretty much all me” in terms of why he felt the need to apologize.

It was a big win. With a win, the Sooners would be a 3-seed in the Big 12 Tournament. With a loss, a 7-seed and a much tougher road in the Big 12 Tournament.

The win cemented Oklahoma as the 3-seed as they will face 6-seed West Virginia on Thursday night at 8 p.m. CT on either ESPN or ESPN2.

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Austin Reaves, Brady Manek named to All-Big 12 teams

Brady Manek earned All-Big 12 Third Team honors, and Austin Reaves was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer team the league announced Sunday.

Brady Manek earned All-Big 12 Third Team honors, and Austin Reaves was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer team as well as honorable mention honors, the league announced Sunday.

Manek averaged 14.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, and 1.2 blocks per game while sinking 71 3-pointers for the Sooners. The Harrah, OK native shot 38% from beyond the arc this season and finished eighth in the conference in scoring.

After transferring from Wichita State and redshirting, Reaves averaged 14.7 ppg on the season, but saved his best for last, leading the Sooners over TCU on Saturday with a 41-point performance and a game-winner that would earn them the three-seed in the Big 12 Tournament. He finished the regular season ranked sixth in the Big 12 in scoring.

 Oklahoma finished 19-12 overall this season, and 9-9 in Big 12 play. Texas, Tech Tech and West Virginia all finished .500 in conference play.

Oklahoma will play in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship against West Virginia on Thursday at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be aired on either ESPN or ESPN2. 

Austin Reaves’ career night, game-winner at TCU saves Oklahoma’s season

With 21 seconds left in the game, Kristian Doolittle inbounded the ball to Jamal Bieniemy to set the stage for Austin Reaves.

FORT WORTH, Texas — With 21 seconds left in the game, Kristian Doolittle inbounded the ball to Jamal Bieniemy to set the stage for Austin Reaves.

Taking the ball at half court Reaves took on a defender one-on-one to the right side. Sizing him up, he faked his patented dribble-drive and added a twist—stepping back and nailing an 18-foot fadeaway to cap-off a 17-point second-half comeback.

Reaves flexed. Then fake slashed his throat and said, “game over,” to the TCU crowd, who was in shock and awe at Schollmaier Arena while Kristian Doolittle hounded him from behind.

With a half a second left, Oklahoma had its first lead of the game at 78-76, the only one the Sooners needed.

“For him (Coach Kruger) to have the confidence in me as well as the players, that just shows a lot to me so I just had the confidence to make the shot,” Reaves said postgame.

The Sooners, down 18-points at halftime, clawed their way back over the last 20 minutes to give Oklahoma the largest halftime comeback win on the road in Big 12 history.

Reaves nearly singlehandedly made the comeback possible with his career-high 41-points, becoming the first Sooner since Trae Young on Jan. 30, 2018 against Baylor to score 40+ in a win.

A surprise to everyone but Reaves himself.

“I’ve been playing basketball for a long time, all the hard work I put in, it paid off tonight,” Reaves told reporters postgame.

Reaves was a methodical assassin who did not have any regard for his body so long as the ball found the bottom of the basket.

Taking 16 trips to the foul line, Reaves knocked down 15 of the attempts. The majority of the 26 points Reaves chalked up came from the paint as he slashed his way through defenders and cut through the trees to get the ball to the rim.

“He put us on his back today,” Doolittle said postgame. “We needed all 41 of his points.”

Although Reaves’ points are the talk of the town, his assists allowed the Sooners to him a chance to call ‘game’.

Dishing to Doolittle and Brady Manek in the closing moments, Reaves drew the Horned Frogs defense enough to give his teammates wide-open looks to trim from 10 points at the 3:26 mark to tied at 76 with 55 seconds left.

The win not only gives Reaves a huge confidence boost, but it gives the entire squad a sense of relief.

“(It’s) very relieving,” Doolittle said postgame. “Finishing the season on a strong note, we gotta see how the rankings shake out and see what position we’re in and go from there.”

With the win, Oklahoma is slated as the 3-seed in the Big 12 Tournament and is unofficially locked into the NCAA Tournament. They pick up post-season play on Thursday in Kansas City at the Sprint Center to play 6-seed West Virginia at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN or ESPN2.

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Oklahoma could fall to 7-seed in Big 12 Tournament pending outcome of TCU game

Oklahoma holds its own cards when it comes to the Big 12 Tournament.

Oklahoma holds its own cards when it comes to the Big 12 Tournament.

The Sooners (18-12, 8-9)  are still up in the air when it comes to their Big 12 Tournament seeding with West Virginia taking down Baylor in the early Saturday slate.

With a win, Oklahoma can be no lower than a five-seed if both Texas and Texas Tech win today. The Longhorns play Oklahoma State at home and the Red Raiders host No. 1 ranked Kansas.

If the Jayhawks and Cowboys both win and Oklahoma wins, the Sooners will be slated as the three-seed next weekend and will open the tournament against West Virginia.

A Kansas win and Texas win will give the Sooners the four-seed and will play Texas Tech who would be the five-seed. If Tech beats Kansas, they will take the four-seed over Oklahoma and the two would still meet given a Texas win over Oklahoma State.

If the Sooners drop their game against TCU this evening, they will slide all the way to the seventh-seed and would play 10-seed Kansas State on Wednesday, instead of Thursday in a ‘play-in game’.

Oklahoma and TCU are set for a 5p.m. CT tip-off which can be found on ESPN2. For more broadcast details, click here.

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Three keys for Oklahoma basketball against TCU

The final game of the regular season means it’s crunch time for everyone, but especially so for both Oklahoma (18-12, 8-9)…

The final game of the regular season means it’s crunch time for everyone, but especially so for both Oklahoma (18-12, 8-9) and TCU (16-14, 7-10).

A must-win for both squads, this matchup is important regarding NCAA Tournament implications. For the Sooners, a win in Ft. Worth today would cement themselves in the Big Dance. The Horned Frogs still have some work to do but can help their cause with a win against Oklahoma before heading to Kansas City next week for the Big 12 Tournament.

Here is what the Sooners need to do to ensure a happy trip home to Norman, Okla.

START HOT

It goes without saying, but Oklahoma is much better off if they get off to a hot start. Knocking shots down early and finding the rhythm of the offense in the first ten minutes of the game will be crucial in setting the tone against TCU.

shot selection

Going 2-20 from deep in a heartbreaking loss to Texas on Tuesday is not what the Sooners needed heading into March. Smarter shots and draining the shot clock to find those shots will allow Oklahoma to rest up to play their smothering defense while tiring out the Horned Frogs. Getting into the paint has been an issue but with post-season play looming, the Sooners cannot depend on their outside shooting.

FORGET ABOUT IT

Tuesday’s loss, as heartbreaking as it was for senior Kristian Doolittle, needs to be forgotten about. There is nothing the Sooners can do to change it, so they might as well move on as soon as possible. The first ten minutes against TCU should be a good barometer as to if Lon Kruger’s squad is still reeling from Tuesday’s game.

Oklahoma and TCU are set to tip-off at 4p.m. CT on ESPN. For more broadcast details, click here.

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