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Keep sending in those questions. We'll get started in a sec.
Better freshman year Kenny Stills or Trey Metoyer?
I predict Metoyer will break Stills' OU freshman receiving record, but not by a lot.
With the suspensions at WR...do you see TE becoming more involved in the offense or is the position too much of a unknown commodity?
Even with the suspensions we know more about what's left of the WR position than we do TE. Brannon Green was brought in to block, and he'll probably get the majority of the snaps. Not only will tight end not become more involved, it might be less involved in the passing game than last season.
Do you ever see Cody Thomas ever making it to campus with the possibility of him being drafted by baseball next June? Does OU plan on having another qb in this class in case that happens?
I actually don't see this being an Archie Bradley situation. Bradley was a Top 10 prospect. Thomas is more of a fifth rounder. While it's possible Thomas takes the money, I think the odds are for him attending OU.
Dear Jake,Thank you for hosting these chats. I always enjoy them, and learn a lot about the team. My question today is about our newest commit. What do you make of it, does this mean Jazzy is done at OU? His one handers were my favorites.
No problem, Eli. Considering LaColtan Bester is still learning how to play the WR position, the odds are against him making a huge impact last season, even with all the suspensions. OU brought in Bester to ensure it doesn't end up in an Insight Bowl-like situation, where the deep snapper and backup cornerback are lining up at WR. Bester gives you depth this season. Anything after that is gravy.
Thunder or Spurs?
Let's take care of the Lakers first.
Who will be the qb for 2013 assuming Cody Thomas is here?Now that OU is off the table where do you think Brayden Scott winds up?
It sounds like Scott and Memphis have a mutual interest. But Scott should get some more offers.
Who has a better year running the ball: Whaley, Clay, Finch, or Williams?
Whaley, if he's 100 percent.
Was Brayden Scott ever really on OU's radar or only if their top choices commited else where?
It seems he was always a Plan B.
Does the late addition of JUCO WR Lacoltan Bester, mean goodbye to Trey Franks?
What happens with Franks will be up to Franks, no one else. Am I confident he'll be able to follow the guidelines that have been put before him? No. I don't think the Sooners are confident either, which is one reason why they went and got Bester.
Hearing some hype about lecoltan bester.. Should we expect Anything out of him this year? Also will the DB from ariz (Johnson I believe?) be able to play this year or is he 2013 eligible?
Bester could turn out to be a good player, but it wasn't like USC, Florida and Ohio State were knocking down his door. Cortez Johnson won't be eligible until 2013.
How good is Bester?
He was being recruited heavily by UTEP and Ole Miss. Baylor and Kentucky showed interest right up to signing day, but didn't pull the trigger. Do with that what you will.
At least according to Chuck Nienas just now on CFB live regarding expansion the Big 12 is just as clueless now as it was with Bebe...Awesome...
Trust me, the Big 12 is nowhere near as clueless as it has been in the past.
Did Brandon Williams transfer?
Yes. Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy, too.
when is the big 12 going to announced the football kick off times for the 1st game for OU
Depends who picks up the game TV wise. Might be a while before we know.
Will not offering me come back to bite Heupel in the arse?
If you go to Memphis, then no.
How big of impact will Mike Stoops have on the defense? Will there any noticable change in terms of strategy?
Not so much Xs and Os, but count on Mike Stoops to have more guys ready to play defensively then years past. Mike was using 7-8 guys in his DB rotation in the spring, and he didn't even have a healthy Aaron Colvin. The Sooners should be better prepared against injuries this season.
Jake, will Colvin play corner or safety? What's your guess?
Corner. I don't think Mike can resist pairing Colvin with Demontre Hurst. That's pretty formidable.
Who replaces landry next year?
Probably Blake Bell, but Drew Allen will have something to say about it.
From what we have seen from Jordan Phillips last spring, will OU be solid at DT for the first time since Gerald McCoy was on campus? McFarland, Phillips, Walker, Peterson, Anderson, Williams, Wade, McGee...sounds like a strong group.
OU was solid at DT last year. Will they be anything more? Unless Jordan Phillips is a first-team All-Big 12 tackle, probably not.
Who will be the qb for 2013 assuming Cody Thomas is here?Now that OU is off the table where do you think Brayden Scott winds up?
The starting QB? I would assume Blake Bell. Scott has been talking to Memphis, but he has offers elsewhere.
Will Cody Thomas ever set foot on the OU campus? Or will he follow path of another Sooner QB commitment Archie Bradley?
Archie was a Top 5-10 prospect. Thomas is a fifth-round prospect. The chances of Thomas making it to OU are much, much better.
How many recruits do you think we land and where our class ranking lands
Hard to say at this point. We don't know who actually will be on the team by the end of next season.
we always hear about Colvin and how good he is and I believe it from watching him but how high do you think his ceiling is? is he 1st team all big 12? 2nd team?
Yes, he's a first-team-CALIBER All-Big 12 CB.
Wow all these crazy expansion rumors and we are talking about a late add Juco WR that will never see the field..
I don't know. LaColtan Bester apparently is a Heisman darkhorse...
What is a bigger problem for OU's defense, stopping a really good running team (Texas, OSU) or stopping a really good passing team (Texas Tech, W.Virginia)?
The teams that give OU the most trouble are the ones that can do both like OSU.
How do you think the defensive coverage will be this year compared to last?
It should be better. Colvin, Jefferson, Hurst are All-Big 12-caliber players. If Javon Harris can just be solid, the secondary should be terrific.
Wow, just saw that ex-WV coach Bill Stewart passed away. Really sad. One of the nicest coaches I've ever met.
Remember, Stewart got the job by crushing OU in the '07 Fiesta Bowl.
personally I think that Franks and Reynolds should be kicked off the team..how many chances are they gonna get? share your opinion on this if you like, I'd love to hear it but doubt you'll give it. But my question is do you see Bobby telling them to hit the road?
Can't argue. I mean this is the fourth time Reynolds has been suspended. From what I've been told, they've been given another chance to work their back out of the suspension. Whether they'll agree to the guidelines and be able to follow them is another story.
Still a ways to go until then, but what kind of impact do you expect from Saunders and Johnson after they sit out this season?
Saunders could have a huge impact. He's not big but he can fly; he also produced last season (12 TDs, 1,000 yards). Johnson will have a chance to win Hurst's starting job, but he'll have competition.
Really? Didn't he just say the member institutions were happy at 10?? Or was the that just a smokescreen for the mainstream media at a lame attempt to cover up talks to add teams? If thats the case why waste your time going on CFB live?
If the Big 12 is smart, it will wait for FSU to come calling. No need to open yourself up to a lawsuit by publicly trying to poach some other conference's flagship football program.
Will Manning put the SoonerNation out of its misery and commit soon? Or will this drag on late into the recruiting period? Is that an ominous sign for Stoops if it does?
The longest this drags on, the more likely it is somebody convinces to go elsewhere. That said, I still like OU's chances here.
Do you think the JUCO WR Bester will actually be a contributor for the Sooners during his career? Or is he simply more of a void filler on the roster given all the suspensions?
I'd be surprised if he played a prominent role.
3 sacks and 11 tackles for loss from the entire DT unit combined last season isn't that solid. I know traditionally our DTs aren't stat collectors under Stoops...but that seems low.
Yeah, the DT unit wasn't great, and it's basically the same group from last season. That's why I don't understand why some people are suggestion the d-line will suddenly be great despite losing Frank Alexander and Ronnell Lewis.
Good point...I always forget get about the lawyers lurking in the corner reedy to scurry when the lights flip on..
How long do you see Heupel staying the coaching staff? If the offense continues puting up huge numbers and OU QB's get drafted to the NFL. Does he try his hand and being head coach somewhere else?
I assume he is more likely to angle to be Bob's successor at OU than take a job elsewhere.
Is Justin Manning a better prospect than his brother DeMarcus?
I don't know about that. Granger was a big-time prospect.
Do you ever see Cody Thomas ever making it to campus with the possibility of him being drafted by baseball next June? Does OU plan on having another qb in this class in case that happens?
I don't think so. I don't think OU would have gone this direction if it believed that Thomas was going to the draft.
At what point can we wonder aloud about Tim Kish's purported recruiting prowess? I seem to have gotten an early start.
I think they should fire him. Clearly the man can't get the job done.
Just wanted you to know, I just got off the phone with Cody Thomas and he is Football all the way.
Breaking news...
Who will be the impact players for the Sooners defense in 2012?
Jefferson, Colvin, Hurst and maybe Wort. Darkhorses: Javon Harris, Jordan Phillips, RJ Washington.
Will this OU offensive line be able to open some holes in the running game like the Joseph, Loadholt line that helped Sam win the Heisman?
That group was special. T. Williams (1st round), Loadholt (2nd), Robinson (4th, I believe) were all drafted relatively high. Cooper was the Big 12 blocker of the year. But this group has a chance to be the best o-line OU has had since. The depth is tremendous from guard to guard, and the tackles have upside.
On a scale of 1-10, what's your probability of Florida State coming to big12? Notre Dame?
I think it's a 3 or 4 that Florida State joins the Big 12. But I also thought two years ago it was a 98 percent chance that OU was going to the Pac-10. So who really knows...
Does Chris Brown have a brother? We could really use a running back with his toughness and durability in the backfield right now.
Dom Whaley could be that guy.
Who do you think is the OU's most indispensable player this fall?
1. Landry Jones, 2. Tony Jefferson, 3. Kenny Stills, 4. Hurst/Colvin
When does summer ball start for OU? This no man's land between spring and summer ball sure ain't swell.
June 4
I'm sure you get asked this a lot, and i understand some of the issues involved, but will OU EVER EVER close the open end zone at the stadium?
Can you imagine how empty the stadium would have looked during the Iowa State game had that been the case?
No, no plans.
How is it looking for the Juco transfers?
So far, so good, but we won't know with Gardner until the summer.
any news on Austin Woods?
No, haven't heard anything new lately.
Do you think Kenny Stills tweets to much? I do?
I think a lot of people tweet too much
I might be one of them.
Over/under 10pt margin of victory for the Sooners when the Irish visit Norman?
Over
Tell us about when you met Bill Stewart? R.I.P. Coach Stewart
The best memory I have was him telling the Oklahoma sportswriters who where there to cover the game that the West Virginia media would destroy us in golf. It was funny listening to a coach prop up his media like that, especially with Bob, who disparages us at any chance, in the room.
You kidding me, Trotter? You don't tweet enough. THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!
OK, I'll keep that in mind.
Your scale of 1-10 on if Courtney Gardner plays reciever this year?
7
If a player is kicked off the team, does that open an extra scholarship for the next year? How does that work?
Exactly. You can carry 85 at a time. If one guy leaves, that gives you an open scholarship.
what is Wort's ceiling if he stays healthy? all-big 12?
2nd team All-Big 12 seems more realistic.
I believe Brayden Scott received an offer from Bama. Do you think he ends up in Tuscaloosa?
No
whos in the slot this season? Kenny? I wasn't too impressed with him there last season
If the other two starting WRs are Gardner and Metoyer, then yes.
Your projected win-loss record for 2012? Bowl?
I don't even know who's starting WR. Too early for predictions. I'm not Phil Steele.
Will Bell be more effective (and have more freedom) as a passer this year and thus make the Belldozer package even more of a weapon?
That's what Heupel is hoping. Bell should feel more comfortable throwing the ball, which, like you said, make him a more effective passer. I doubt OU throws much out of it, but if Bell completes one pass, that'll be more than he did last season.
I will believe Gardner in an OU uniform this fall when I see it..
Yeah, after what happened with Metoyer, it's best to wait and see.
will we continue to have the same blocking schemes or do you see more pulling from our guards
Shead, Ikard and Evans are all capable pulling guards. I don't know if we'll see it more, but it was an effective blocking scheme out of the Belldozer.
Cooper Bateman committed to Alabama last week, so any Scott fans can let that pipe dream go.
Hasn't Bob Stoops lightened up on the media some in more recent years. Does the media understand why he has the wall up that he does have up?
No and No.
That Sooner loss to Texas Tech last year was BAD, what happened?
Not enough time left in the chat to break it all down. Let's just say OU couldn't cover the pass, and did nothing offensively in the first half.
Land Thieves forwarded a Gardner tweet that said he "destroyed his grades" this spring. I think we should feel confident that he will be playing this fall.
He still has to pass two summer school classes.
More upside: Trevor Knight or Cody Thompson?
I'll go with Thompson. If he dedicates more time to football, he'll only get better.
Why is OU playing FAMU? I want OU to win as much as anyone but playing FAMU is a joke. The Rattlers must be real desperate for some cash.
The Sooners were the ones who were desperate. After TCU joined the Big 12, OU had a major hole in its non-conference schedule to fill.
At the ut and K-state games, some of the team did a bit of pre-game trash talking when the respective opponent came out of the gate. Did they do that at every away game and what do you think of that?
I like it when you're the Miami Hurricanes of the 1980s. I don't like when you do it in Stillwater, then get beat down 44-10.
Guys, that's all the time we have this week. We'll do it again next Monday, same time, same place. I'll be at the Thunder game tonight. Let's close this one out. Have a great week.