Lincoln Riley to USC

[South Austin 52,463]

4 minutes ago, Constant said:

Well you do have Roy Manning recruiting for USC while employed at OU. 

Okay, that's shitty if true.  I hadn't read that.

[oSuJeff97 3,435]

2 hours ago, NoName said:

Tanking?

lol ok

It's goddamn ridiculous but it's definitely a sentiment amongst the more psychotic fans to be sure. I've seen it repeated many times on twitter over the past week.

As I said earlier in the thread, if going 10-2 and being literally one play away from being in the Big 12 championship game is "tanking", then Lincoln Riley is really shitty at tanking.

[oSuJeff97 3,435]

20 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Eh, I think backstabbing is a bit too much based on what we know.  He left for a traditional powerhouse in a recruiting hotbed and weaker conference than the SEC, and is getting a significant payraise.  All in a college football atmosphere where nobody's job is truly secure.  Big deal.

The tanking allegations seem like bullshit.  They're a muffed punt away from playing in yet another conference championship game, and both of their close losses are to the teams playing in that game. 

And of course the California recruits are going to decommit and move to USC.  Playing in their home state with Lincoln Riley as coach instead of Clay Helton over ??? at OU seems like a nobrainer.  I don't see anything to suggest Riley is badmouthing OU on the way out the door, to recruits or anyone else. 

Hard for me to stick up for an OU coach, but the uproar over him leaving is a big nothing burger. 

This.

And all of this uproar is being generated by the feedback loop of the OU media/sports talk radio ecosystem in Oklahoma and social media. You should hear the stuff being said about Riley on The Sports Animal this week. It's comical. They are all acting like jilted lovers.

[conVINCEd 21,469]

6 minutes ago, oSuJeff97 said:

It's goddamn ridiculous but it's definitely a sentiment amongst the more psychotic fans to be sure. I've seen it repeated many times on twitter over the past week.

As I said earlier in the thread, if going 10-2 and being literally one play away from being in the Big 12 championship game is "tanking", then Lincoln Riley is really shitty at tanking.

I’ll play along.  Can someone with a little more ambition than me take a look at the point spreads for the games where Rattler was the starter?

[kilroydos 267]

In an attempt to be rational, I'd highly doubt Lincoln was going into recruit's homes and telling them he was taking the USC job before it was announced.  Zero chance he has them commit to OU and then orchestrate a flip campaign with nobody spilling anything in advance.  What he did was sell them on HIM versus the university, which is standard operating procedure.  Then, once the time came, the attachment is to the staff versus the school.  Again, that's normal, it just feels worse because they publicly committed and said some nice things about the program.

Now, if the Simmons stuff comes out as true, that's a whole different ball of wax, as he was in a goddamn car with Bob Stoops going to sit in on meetings with families all while texting other recruits he was on the way West.  That's grounds for a show cause at the very least, and Parsons-level restrictions at the other end.

[oSuJeff97 3,435]

2 minutes ago, kilroydos said:

In an attempt to be rational, I'd highly doubt Lincoln was going into recruit's homes and telling them he was taking the USC job before it was announced.  Zero chance he has them commit to OU and then orchestrate a flip campaign with nobody spilling anything in advance.  What he did was sell them on HIM versus the university, which is standard operating procedure.  Then, once the time came, the attachment is to the staff versus the school.  Again, that's normal, it just feels worse because they publicly committed and said some nice things about the program.

Now, if the Simmons stuff comes out as true, that's a whole different ball of wax, as he was in a goddamn car with Bob Stoops going to sit in on meetings with families all while texting other recruits he was on the way West.  That's grounds for a show cause at the very least, and Parsons-level restrictions at the other end.

Yeah... I mean it would be maybe a little more sketchy if the recruits he flipped weren't literally from SoCal. I mean, these guys initially committed to Riley when he was at Oklahoma, and now he's coaching at another traditional power right in their back yard? Why would they NOT flip?  

But agreed the Simmons stuff is super shitty if true.

[kilroydos 267]

4 minutes ago, oSuJeff97 said:

Yeah... I mean it would be maybe a little more sketchy if the recruits he flipped weren't literally from SoCal. I mean, these guys initially committed to Riley when he was at Oklahoma, and now he's coaching at another traditional power right in their back yard? Why would they NOT flip?  

But agreed the Simmons stuff is super shitty if true.

We all want to feel like our schools offer something special independent of the coaching staff that happens to be there, but the reality is that it isn't true for most athletes.  You've got a handful that grew up with an attachment to a particular school, but at this level, they don't have anything remotely resembling a normal college experience or the normal goals of a student.  I understand that some of the very specific sciences get that way, too.  It doesn't matter what institution your PhD comes from, it matters who taught you.

[statsman 5,457]

42 minutes ago, Constant said:

Well you do have Roy Manning recruiting for USC while employed at OU. 

Excuse me if I’m not outraged. This is OU- the program that enlisted allies in not just voting Texas lower than OU in 2008 (the vote mattered for conference championship and BCS), but voting Texas far enough below IU to ensure OU got over Texas in conference standings. This is the same program that sent Venables to Tuscaloosa the next year to give Saban tips. OU has never cared about “fair” when they saw a possible advantage; why act surprised now that Riley learned his lessons?

[Tex Long 4,384]

2 hours ago, NoName said:

James McMurtry's "Choctaw Bingo" always hits a little too close to home when it comes to parts of my extended family, LOL.

James McMurtry has been a favorite in the Long family for quite a while, both immediate and extended. Choctaw Bingo, particularly the live at Threadgill's version, has been in the top few songs for us since it first hit the airwaves.

It sounds like you may be one of us who are likely to find yet another set of cousins from yet another of Slayton's wives, any time you take a decent length trip. It's similar to the Dutchover's.

[Go Pokes 979]

To clarify the way the psychotic portion of OU fans think, Tanking= anything other than being 100% focused on this team and doing everything you can to make sure you don't ever lose a game.  Especially to that far superior university 45 minutes north.  They might have a point, but they are using the wrong word.  Not surprising, given the educational level of some of those folks.  

I don't think I fully grasped the Simpson thing the first time through.  Is this the timeline:

• LR accepts USC job
• Stoops takes over to steady the ship
• Stoops starts visiting recruits to ease their minds about the future and Simmons is with him
• Simmons had already decided to follow LR to USC, but nobody knew yet 
• Simmons is texting recruits and letting them know he's going to USC and is probably recruiting them for USC while employed by OU
• Simmons takes USC job and USC takes all of OU's Cali recruits. 

Is that pretty much it or is there even more that I'm missing?  

 

[Gaffords 755]

15 hours ago, orangebird said:

True story -- a cousin of my dad's once owned a restaurant outside of Paris, Texas, coincidentally also named the Dinner Bell.  They served much the same kind of fare as this, as I recall.  Then the whole thing completely burned to the ground about 25 or 30 years ago.  We always kind of suspected arson in the back of our minds, as the cousin was a bit of a shady character -- but apparently the investigators could not ever prove anything, so nothing ever happened to him.

James McMurtry's "Choctaw Bingo" always hits a little too close to home when it comes to parts of my extended family, LOL.

One business?  Hell, they barely investigate that.  I knew someone who burned down two houses, a laundryman and a restaurant in the span of about 15 years and got away with it. He was planning on burning down another restaurant but got scared he wouldn't get away with it. 

I'm not sure how true this part is, but I was told he used hairspray as the accelerant on electrical fires in the houses once in the bedroom and once in the bathroom.

[F250 28,767]

22 hours ago, Constant said:

 

This reminds me of a guy I know that has been trying to get back audio equipment he left at Ted Nugent's place. He has been bitching about it for over decade.

Never lend shit out to famous people.

 

[Constant 6,731]

8 minutes ago, Go Pokes said:

To clarify the way the psychotic portion of OU fans think, Tanking= anything other than being 100% focused on this team and doing everything you can to make sure you don't ever lose a game.  Especially to that far superior university 45 minutes north.  They might have a point, but they are using the wrong word.  Not surprising, given the educational level of some of those folks.  

I don't think I fully grasped the Simpson thing the first time through.  Is this the timeline:

• LR accepts USC job
• Stoops takes over to steady the ship
• Stoops starts visiting recruits to ease their minds about the future and Simmons is with him
• Simmons had already decided to follow LR to USC, but nobody knew yet 
• Simmons is texting recruits and letting them know he's going to USC and is probably recruiting them for USC while employed by OU
• Simmons takes USC job and USC takes all of OU's Cali recruits. 

Is that pretty much it or is there even more that I'm missing?  

 

Simmons isn’t the one that is working both sides. Simmons was on that first plane to California with Lincoln. He’s gone and thats fine. 
 

Manning was left behind and has done in-homes with OU recruits and was in Domani Jackson’s house with Lincoln on USC’s behalf. 

[mulletpelini 5,210]

On 11/28/2021 at 3:06 PM, Beantown Express 2.0 said:

So Riley is running away from Texas just before Sark turns things around, huh?

Post/Avatar combo pretty gotdamn good.

[n64ra 1,081]

16 minutes ago, Go Pokes said:

To clarify the way the psychotic portion of OU fans think, Tanking= anything other than being 100% focused on this team and doing everything you can to make sure you don't ever lose a game.  Especially to that far superior university 45 minutes north.  They might have a point, but they are using the wrong word.  Not surprising, given the educational level of some of those folks.  

I don't think I fully grasped the Simpson thing the first time through.  Is this the timeline:

• LR accepts USC job
• Stoops takes over to steady the ship
• Stoops starts visiting recruits to ease their minds about the future and Simmons is with him
• Simmons had already decided to follow LR to USC, but nobody knew yet 
• Simmons is texting recruits and letting them know he's going to USC and is probably recruiting them for USC while employed by OU
• Simmons takes USC job and USC takes all of OU's Cali recruits. 

Is that pretty much it or is there even more that I'm missing?  

 

And I'm okay with that based on how it affects OU.

[Constant 6,731]

33 minutes ago, statsman said:

Excuse me if I’m not outraged. This is OU- the program that enlisted allies in not just voting Texas lower than OU in 2008 (the vote mattered for conference championship and BCS), but voting Texas far enough below IU to ensure OU got over Texas in conference standings. This is the same program that sent Venables to Tuscaloosa the next year to give Saban tips. OU has never cared about “fair” when they saw a possible advantage; why act surprised now that Riley learned his lessons?

No one is asking anyone to be outraged. It’s just a direct contradiction to Lincoln and his awe shucks schtick. He wants this smoothed over like an opportunity sprung out of nowhere and he couldn’t pass it up. He’s been working on this deal since Helton was fired. 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Constant

[Go Pokes 979]

52 minutes ago, Constant said:

Simmons isn’t the one that is working both sides. Simmons was on that first plane to California with Lincoln. He’s gone and thats fine. 
 

Manning was left behind and has done in-homes with OU recruits and was in Domani Jackson’s house with Lincoln on USC’s behalf. 

Can you break that down a little more.  So Manning was employed by OU and he flew out to CA with Stoops to keep recruiting them to OU?  And then he was in a recruits home with Riley while still employed by OU?  Or had he already changed jobs?  I think I need the dates of these incidents to know what the big deal it. 

Riley resigned on Sunday 11/28

Stoops & Manning flew to Cali on ?

Manning resigns from OU to take USC job on ?

Manning in home recruiting with Riley on ?

If it happened in that order, I don't see the big problem.  I do see some problem though and maybe I'm missing a key point that pushes this over the edge.    

[nnm 36,360]

1 hour ago, Gaffords said:

One business?  Hell, they barely investigate that.  I knew someone who burned down two houses, a laundryman and a restaurant in the span of about 15 years and got away with it. He was planning on burning down another restaurant but got scared he wouldn't get away with it. 

I'm not sure how true this part is, but I was told he used hairspray as the accelerant on electrical fires in the houses once in the bedroom and once in the bathroom.

Seems like police would’ve been a little more concerned when he burned a man alive. 
Also, your post seems awfully specific. Are you sure the statue of limitations has run on your “friend’s” activities? Might want to continue to lay low. 

[kilroydos 267]

 

Stoops and Manning were in Tulsa to see Robert Spears-Jennings at 10:37 on 11/29 and Xavion Brice in Arlington on 11/30

Manning's coaching buddy posts something on 11/29 at 10:49 (Presumably PST) congratulating him on coming out west with #FightOn tags, etc.

Reports of contact via phone with Domani Jackson (Mater Dei) comes out 11/30 referencing the student's quote that Manning "used to coach at OU" and was going to "have Grinch get in touch" from conversations that happened 11/29

Manning Has not resigned or been removed from his duties at OU as of now

 

[MrBig 5,396]

57 minutes ago, Constant said:

No one is asking anyone to be outraged. It’s just a direct contradiction to Lincoln and his awe shucks schtick. He wants this smoothed over like an opportunity sprung out of nowhere and he couldn’t pass it up. He’s been working on this deal since Helton was fired. 

Lincoln Riley doesn’t give two shits about “smoothing things over.” If he wanted to “tank” the season he would have played Spencer Rattler all year. And if LR truly cared about public opinion, he never would have posted that brisket photo.

Edited December 1, 2021 by MrBig

[Scooter Monzingo 820]

Not so sure. He pissed off a Sicilian, and don’t bet against a Sicilian when death is on the line…

['stache 21,802]

Did I see reference to 10-2 as subpar? Why wouldn’t a coach want that fan base, lol. Their in for a rough transition to SEC, especially if they miss on the hire.

Edited December 1, 2021 by 'stache

[GringoSalado 1,651]

16 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

He'll probably just drop them off at the shelter in Norman.

 

16 hours ago, Constant said:

He probably let ‘em loose somewhere on the way to the airport.

One of these ^ posters understands Oklahoma.

 

 

siap:

 

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by GringoSalado

[Huckleberry 32,851]

Mike might want to donate some of his hair to his brother.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Huckleberry

[CooterBrown 18,006]

I can't figure out what's going on with that hairline. It's like his face is leaving his head behind.

[kilroydos 267]

Just now, CooterBrown said:

I can't figure out what's going on with that hairline. It's like his face is leaving his head behind.

It's the eyebrows.  They get in the way of connecting with recruits, so he made the decision years ago to proceed without.

[Dbeasy 15,047]

It’s ridiculous to say he purposely tanked OU’s season. However, here’s what I believe happened.

He was never even told about the SEC move and got pissed.  Really pissed. As a result of that and other grievances, his heart wasn’t in it this year so his game prep lagged all year, as indicated by all of the close games, a la Kansas, etc  

He knew he wanted to leave and USC was the target.  In fact I believe Helton was dismissed because Riley’s agent reached out to USC and said he wanted the job and they worked out the deal. The timing of Helton’s firing was a little weird.

Then, Riley spent the last few months focusing heavily on California recruiting that he could flip, and 2023 recruiting that he wouldn’t piss off as much when he announced his departure.

He still tried to win, but he didn’t put in quite the effort that he normally would, resulting in his ability to leave right at the end of the season and flip the California players before signing day 1.

You guys might say this sounds too Machiavellian but I think this is exactly what he did. 

 

 

 

[Constant 6,731]

13 minutes ago, 'stache said:

Did I see reference to 10-2 as subpar? Why wouldn’t a coach want that fan base, lol. Their in for a rough transition to SEC, especially if they miss on the hire.

A miracle to beat Kansas, and almost losing to Tulane, Nebraska, West Virginia, Kansas State, Texas, Iowa State covers the sub par part. 

[kilroydos 267]

2 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

It’s ridiculous to say he purposely tanked OU’s season. However, here’s what I believe happened.

He was never even told about the SEC move and got pissed.  Really pissed. As a result of that and other grievances, his heart wasn’t in it this year so his game prep lagged all year, as indicated by all of the close games, a la Kansas, etc  

He knew he wanted to leave and USC was the target.  In fact I believe Helton was dismissed because Riley’s agent reached out to USC and said he wanted the job and they worked out the deal. The timing of Helton’s firing was a little weird.

Then, Riley spent the last few months focusing heavily on California recruiting that he could flip, and 2023 recruiting that he wouldn’t piss off as much when he announced his departure.

He still tried to win, but he didn’t put in quite the effort that he normally would, resulting in his ability to leave right at the end of the season and flip the California players before signing day 1.

You guys might say this sounds too Machiavellian but I think this is exactly what he did. 

 

 

 

Agreed.  No way he actively sabotages or tanks, but split focus and conflicting priorities lead to poor results, depending on your perspective.

[Gene Parmesan 4,005]

9 minutes ago, GringoSalado said:

 

One of these ^ posters understands Oklahoma.

 

 

siap:

 

 

Good to know Sloth from the Goonies made something of himself.

[CooterBrown 18,006]

5 minutes ago, kilroydos said:

It's the eyebrows.  They get in the way of connecting with recruits, so he made the decision years ago to proceed without.

Also, the hair on the side of his head ends behind his ears. Unless he's a burn victim, the only explanation is he shares a barber with Mark Davis.

[Pdawg88 1,116]

Looks like it might be Rhule. How do you boys feel about that hire? Hated him at Baylor but he’s a hell of a coach. 

[Scooter Monzingo 820]

1 minute ago, Pdawg88 said:

Looks like it might be Rhule. How do you boys feel about that hire? Hated him at Baylor but he’s a hell of a coach. 

How did they interview a NFL coach in season?

[tx ind 7,012]

22 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

It’s ridiculous to say he purposely tanked OU’s season. However, here’s what I believe happened.

He was never even told about the SEC move and got pissed.  Really pissed. As a result of that and other grievances, his heart wasn’t in it this year so his game prep lagged all year, as indicated by all of the close games, a la Kansas, etc  

He knew he wanted to leave and USC was the target.  In fact I believe Helton was dismissed because Riley’s agent reached out to USC and said he wanted the job and they worked out the deal. The timing of Helton’s firing was a little weird.

Then, Riley spent the last few months focusing heavily on California recruiting that he could flip, and 2023 recruiting that he wouldn’t piss off as much when he announced his departure.

He still tried to win, but he didn’t put in quite the effort that he normally would, resulting in his ability to leave right at the end of the season and flip the California players before signing day 1.

You guys might say this sounds too Machiavellian but I think this is exactly what he did. 

 

 

 

I get it, but how in the hell could they keep this shit under wraps these days.  If that's what went down USC kept that on lock down and there could have only been 2 or 3 people that knew.

[totallynotabuttpirate 5,396]

35 minutes ago, Constant said:

A miracle to beat Kansas, and almost losing to Tulane, Nebraska, West Virginia, Kansas State, Texas, Iowa State covers the sub par part. 

Edited December 1, 2021 by totallynotabuttpirate

[CooterBrown 18,006]

10 minutes ago, Scooter Monzingo said:

How did they interview a NFL coach in season?

Is it a rule that covers only interviewing for other NFL jobs?

 

[Scooter Monzingo 820]

2 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

Is it a rule that covers only interviewing for other NFL jobs?

 

It very well may, I honestly don’t know?

[oSuJeff97 3,435]

28 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

It’s ridiculous to say he purposely tanked OU’s season. However, here’s what I believe happened.

He was never even told about the SEC move and got pissed.  Really pissed. As a result of that and other grievances, his heart wasn’t in it this year so his game prep lagged all year, as indicated by all of the close games, a la Kansas, etc  

He knew he wanted to leave and USC was the target.  In fact I believe Helton was dismissed because Riley’s agent reached out to USC and said he wanted the job and they worked out the deal. The timing of Helton’s firing was a little weird.

Then, Riley spent the last few months focusing heavily on California recruiting that he could flip, and 2023 recruiting that he wouldn’t piss off as much when he announced his departure.

He still tried to win, but he didn’t put in quite the effort that he normally would, resulting in his ability to leave right at the end of the season and flip the California players before signing day 1.

You guys might say this sounds too Machiavellian but I think this is exactly what he did. 

 

 

 

Meh. That’s hindsight analysis.

The close games were due to OU defense being shit for most of the season and uneven OL/QB play.

On the latter point, you had Rattler regressing some from last year to this year, especially considering the OU OL was not near as good as its been. Rattler couldn’t just sit back there for like 5 seconds waiting for OU’s stable of talented receivers to get open, no matter the coverage.

So Riley inserts Caleb Williams, who has the athleticism to avoid the rush given OU’s OL problems. And he starts lighting everyone up over his next 3 starts. So much so that the same fucking idiots who are talking now about Riley “tanking” the season were talking about Williams as a fucking Heisman candidate in the middle of October.

The KU game was close, yes, but it was really a first half problem more than anything. OU scored 35 points in the second half of that game, which is what you would expect.  The following week, it seemed OU was doing just fine and everything seemed great after they destroyed TTU 52-21.  But then came the 3-game gauntlet of Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma State, which were/are the three best defenses in the Big 12 by far… and the first quality defenses that Williams would face.

And oh - guess what - turns out a true freshman QB, no matter how talented, will struggle when they face really good defenses who are set up to stop them. 

I don’t doubt that Riley’s people were in communication w USC since September, but the above is the best explanation for what happened on the field…. Not Riley “tanking” or “not being prepared” or some other bullshit like that.

[Pdawg88 1,116]

20 minutes ago, Scooter Monzingo said:

How did they interview a NFL coach in season?

I think he has an agent.

[Getafix 28,600]

Drumm's latest.

 

Spoiler

 

*** So, last night, we said that a token Joe Castiglione surprise could be in the works with OU if they don't go the Brent Venables route. One of those was Dan Lanning, and the other I left out because I didn't want to buy it with how little this guy's name had been brought up. That name was Matt Rhule.
When discussing with several sources last night, his name came up on a few occasions as "someone that would fit and a guy to watch." The reason was due to his transformation of Temple and Baylor, as well as his fit with the Big 12 region. Also, the Joe Brady factor, I am told.

Yes, Brady's name was brought up once again, and in the Twitter Space I was on in the wee hours of the morning, I brought up Rhule and Joe Brady's name as two that had surfaced a lot, along with Brent Venables and Dan Lanning. One source I spoke with said, "You want to make it hard on players to leave? You want to make it to where Caleb Williams is going to do more than just listen to the new head coach? That would be a staff if Rhule and Brady came on board. Williams would be likely to stay or very difficult to leave, and Lanning was the reason he liked UGA so much to begin with," the source said.
According to a few well-connected coaching sources, it's never a guarantee to keep players, but any one of those options makes it easier to build a program. BV is one that has questions with CW in this scenario, but the right OC hire makes it harder for them to leave. Rhule and Brady is exactly what CW and his family are looking for with the "NFL development capacity." They how to build a program with their background at the college level already. Add the fact Lanning was the one that had CW liking UGA so much early on, and things are starting to get interesting in Norman with this search. Even more so than it already was -- if that is even possible.

In my opinion, Lanning isn't going to come to OU as anything but a head coach. However, he piques the interest of several recruits, Caleb Williams, and would help keep several players looking to leave, too. He is that respected. With Williams, his relationship with Lanning would be key, but the OC hire would be critical in some respect still, in my opinion.

With BV, some think he may not be as strong of a candidate anymore, but it could also be a deflection due to a lot of buzz in his direction. I can't confirm that, and honestly not sure I buy that either. We are digging still, but as coaching searches typically go, this thing is sending me down a lot of winding roads and chasing a lot of ghosts, as you all would expect.

With negotiations ongoing, I told you all I was shocked to learn that no background check on a new coach had been made yet, per a source. That is usually a sure-fire sign that OU is close to making the hire, and with how much buzz and momentum BV had in his corner, I would have assumed that it would have at least been to that point-- last checked, it had not.
I know that five-star commit Gabe Dindy and his family were starting to get excited about BV due to their relationship with him. So if that hire is made with BV, that is big on their front. Lanning is another name that excites them, for obvious reasons, with his time at UGA as their DC.

As for the new hot names in Matt Rhule and Joe Brady, they are exciting but also coaches they would want to meet with before making a final decision. Don't get me wrong, they want to be Sooners. They want reassurance of the stability they once thought they were committing to at the University of Oklahoma.

Again, the Dindy's will be meeting with OU at 11 am tomorrow as Bob Stoops, Calvin Thibodeaux, and others head to Lakeland (FL) to talk with them face-to-face in their in-home with OU.

One final note here on the coaching search has been brought to my attention that there could be quite the connection to Matt Rhule, Joe Brady, Lincoln Riley, and Brian Kelly, per a few sources that have called me this morning. I am working to confirm their agency all being the same as far as their representation goes. If that is the case, one source put it to me like this, "That agency is doing work on college football. They have turned it on its heels, so why not do it again?"

I think we can all agree that one way or another, we want this search to end and see where things go from here in Norman and with the Sooners football program. New eras are always exciting, but also a bit scary if you're a fan. Embrace it. Things sound like they could be moving in the right direction with the search, and why not make a splash on the 23rd anniversary of Bob Stoops hiring in 1998?

*** A note on four-star RB commit Gavin Sawchuk and four-star RB Jovantae Barnes.

I spoke with a source close to Sawchuk, who informed me that if Demarco Murray is kept, their chances of leaving or flipping from OU is "slim." They didn't completely rule (that word with an 'H' in it intrigues you all now, huh?) it out, but if Murray is kept on staff, they will struggle to be anywhere but Oklahoma.

With Barnes, he hasn't committed publicly anywhere, but his relationship with Murray is DEEP. I hear he has been great and will be "strongly considering" the Sooners still if Demarco Murray is retained on staff.
Just what I am hearing right now. I will update you all if I hear otherwise.

 

 

[ClubWhatever 12,128]

He just made a speech about not giving up on the rebuild in Charlotte until it's done.   Maybe it was given up on for him.  He's a good coach.  Good evaluator of talent.   If he brings Brady that could be the difference between solid and really good.  I would assume he brings Snow, so that side of the ball is covered.

[Getafix 28,600]

 

On timing ... 

Spoiler

 

 

 

[The Hot Dog Buffet 1,291]

1 hour ago, CooterBrown said:

I can't figure out what's going on with that hairline. It's like his face is leaving his head behind.

I started to post something making fun of him, but then I thought that it kind of looks like maybe it's burn damage or something and I didn't want to be an asshole about that. Is it burn damage?

[USC_TMB 405]

Gotta love Oklahoma…Okla-fucking-homa… being pissy about hiring/recruiting shenanigans. The poster child for cheating going back the 70’s (as far back as I go). Hell the state celebrates ignoring rules as part of its heritage.

So forgive me if my give-a-damn is busted. Eat a bag of dicks. This is going to be a fun trip back to OKC in the spring. 

[South Austin 52,463]

1 hour ago, Constant said:

A miracle to beat Kansas, and almost losing to Tulane, Nebraska, West Virginia, Kansas State, Texas, Iowa State covers the sub par part. 

Hey, I resemble that comment!

[F250 28,767]

This season has been pure masturbatory schadenfreude for Okie State fans. After finding out they were being left behind Texas implodes and Lincoln Riley ghosts ou.

 

 

[NoName 16,351]

3 hours ago, Gaffords said:

One business?  Hell, they barely investigate that.  I knew someone who burned down two houses, a laundryman and a restaurant in the span of about 15 years and got away with it. He was planning on burning down another restaurant but got scared he wouldn't get away with it. 

I'm not sure how true this part is, but I was told he used hairspray as the accelerant on electrical fires in the houses once in the bedroom and once in the bathroom.

there was a person in my hometown who was known for it and threatened other folks with it sometimes.

shocker, he was a super shitty dude.

[Pdawg88 1,116]

19 minutes ago, USC_TMB said:

Gotta love Oklahoma…Okla-fucking-homa… being pissy about hiring/recruiting shenanigans. The poster child for cheating going back the 70’s (as far back as I go). Hell the state celebrates ignoring rules as part of its heritage.

So forgive me if my give-a-damn is busted. Eat a bag of dicks. This is going to be a fun trip back to OKC in the spring. 

Are you fucking kidding me!!

['stache 21,802]

43 minutes ago, Getafix said:

Drumm's latest.

 

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*** So, last night, we said that a token Joe Castiglione surprise could be in the works with OU if they don't go the Brent Venables route. One of those was Dan Lanning, and the other I left out because I didn't want to buy it with how little this guy's name had been brought up. That name was Matt Rhule.
When discussing with several sources last night, his name came up on a few occasions as "someone that would fit and a guy to watch." The reason was due to his transformation of Temple and Baylor, as well as his fit with the Big 12 region. Also, the Joe Brady factor, I am told.

Yes, Brady's name was brought up once again, and in the Twitter Space I was on in the wee hours of the morning, I brought up Rhule and Joe Brady's name as two that had surfaced a lot, along with Brent Venables and Dan Lanning. One source I spoke with said, "You want to make it hard on players to leave? You want to make it to where Caleb Williams is going to do more than just listen to the new head coach? That would be a staff if Rhule and Brady came on board. Williams would be likely to stay or very difficult to leave, and Lanning was the reason he liked UGA so much to begin with," the source said.
According to a few well-connected coaching sources, it's never a guarantee to keep players, but any one of those options makes it easier to build a program. BV is one that has questions with CW in this scenario, but the right OC hire makes it harder for them to leave. Rhule and Brady is exactly what CW and his family are looking for with the "NFL development capacity." They how to build a program with their background at the college level already. Add the fact Lanning was the one that had CW liking UGA so much early on, and things are starting to get interesting in Norman with this search. Even more so than it already was -- if that is even possible.

In my opinion, Lanning isn't going to come to OU as anything but a head coach. However, he piques the interest of several recruits, Caleb Williams, and would help keep several players looking to leave, too. He is that respected. With Williams, his relationship with Lanning would be key, but the OC hire would be critical in some respect still, in my opinion.

With BV, some think he may not be as strong of a candidate anymore, but it could also be a deflection due to a lot of buzz in his direction. I can't confirm that, and honestly not sure I buy that either. We are digging still, but as coaching searches typically go, this thing is sending me down a lot of winding roads and chasing a lot of ghosts, as you all would expect.

With negotiations ongoing, I told you all I was shocked to learn that no background check on a new coach had been made yet, per a source. That is usually a sure-fire sign that OU is close to making the hire, and with how much buzz and momentum BV had in his corner, I would have assumed that it would have at least been to that point-- last checked, it had not.
I know that five-star commit Gabe Dindy and his family were starting to get excited about BV due to their relationship with him. So if that hire is made with BV, that is big on their front. Lanning is another name that excites them, for obvious reasons, with his time at UGA as their DC.

As for the new hot names in Matt Rhule and Joe Brady, they are exciting but also coaches they would want to meet with before making a final decision. Don't get me wrong, they want to be Sooners. They want reassurance of the stability they once thought they were committing to at the University of Oklahoma.

Again, the Dindy's will be meeting with OU at 11 am tomorrow as Bob Stoops, Calvin Thibodeaux, and others head to Lakeland (FL) to talk with them face-to-face in their in-home with OU.

One final note here on the coaching search has been brought to my attention that there could be quite the connection to Matt Rhule, Joe Brady, Lincoln Riley, and Brian Kelly, per a few sources that have called me this morning. I am working to confirm their agency all being the same as far as their representation goes. If that is the case, one source put it to me like this, "That agency is doing work on college football. They have turned it on its heels, so why not do it again?"

I think we can all agree that one way or another, we want this search to end and see where things go from here in Norman and with the Sooners football program. New eras are always exciting, but also a bit scary if you're a fan. Embrace it. Things sound like they could be moving in the right direction with the search, and why not make a splash on the 23rd anniversary of Bob Stoops hiring in 1998?

*** A note on four-star RB commit Gavin Sawchuk and four-star RB Jovantae Barnes.

I spoke with a source close to Sawchuk, who informed me that if Demarco Murray is kept, their chances of leaving or flipping from OU is "slim." They didn't completely rule (that word with an 'H' in it intrigues you all now, huh?) it out, but if Murray is kept on staff, they will struggle to be anywhere but Oklahoma.

With Barnes, he hasn't committed publicly anywhere, but his relationship with Murray is DEEP. I hear he has been great and will be "strongly considering" the Sooners still if Demarco Murray is retained on staff.
Just what I am hearing right now. I will update you all if I hear otherwise.

 

 

 

27 minutes ago, Getafix said:

 

On timing ... 

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TLDR. They'll take Joey Freshwater and they'll like it.

[Landomatic 3,813]

4 hours ago, South Austin said:

Eh, I think backstabbing is a bit too much based on what we know.  He left for a traditional powerhouse in a recruiting hotbed and weaker conference than the SEC, and is getting a significant payraise.  All in a college football atmosphere where nobody's job is truly secure.  Big deal.

The tanking allegations seem like bullshit.  They're a muffed punt away from playing in yet another conference championship game, and both of their close losses are to the teams playing in that game. 

And of course the California recruits are going to decommit and move to USC.  Playing in their home state with Lincoln Riley as coach instead of Clay Helton over ??? at OU seems like a nobrainer.  I don't see anything to suggest Riley is badmouthing OU on the way out the door, to recruits or anyone else. 

Hard for me to stick up for an OU coach, but the uproar over him leaving is a big nothing burger. 

Hey, how about you stick to comedy and not whatever this logical bullshit is.