West of Everest: An Oklahoma Football Podcast

There were a lot of positive vibes flowing at OU spring practice this week, but unfortunately the biggest news is that center Troy Everett is injured and will be out until at least the beginning of the season (1:30). The offensive line and the defensive line have the most question marks on the team going into 2024. Venables did have a lot of positive things to say about the DL this week at practice (10:30). We continue to hear great things about Jayden Jackson and David Stone (17:25). The LBs are in much better shape today compared to where the Sooners were in the spring of 2022 (20:30). It sure sounds like the secondary is looking great -- but we are still skeptical that they'll be able to play sound, consistent zone defense. Plus additional thoughts on Kendel Dolby, Woodi Washington, and can OU implement the Iowa State umbrella-style defense at times in the SEC (27:15)? Grant talks a little bit about the QB room and we both figure out that Davis Beville is now playing at South Carolina. Lee had to be reminded recently that OU is still not technically in the SEC yet (37:40). Let's talk about ESPN's rankings of the top 10 head coaches for 2024. Who's too high? Who's too low? Who should be on the list? What if they did a top 10 worst coaches (42:15)? We finish up with OU men's basketball talk after basically the entire team is portaling (1:02:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Brent Venables opened up practice for quite a long time to the media this week. Plus many players conducted interviews, including Jovantae Barnes. We begin the show by jumping into Barnes and what the heck is going on with his foot and his potential availability for the 2024 season. Lee goes through the timeline of his foot injury dating back to last spring and we try to figure out if he's ever going to be healthy--or maybe Barnes just simply isn't very good (3:00). Grant points out that the two players atop the RB depth chart are injury prone, so potentially all RBs have a chance to get some run this year. We relitigate the final quarter of the Kansas game and ask why Barnes was in the game and not Gavin Sawchuk? We also continue to question DeMarco Murray's management of that room (17:20). We move over to Jackson Arnold and what he's working on this spring. Is he really off of social media? Grant is expecting a big season from Arnold, but Lee can't help but think of the worst case scenario. What if Jackson Arnold plays as well as Spencer Rattler played in his RS-Freshman year? Would we take that (30:15)? I think we continue to get evidence the TE room is much better than it was a season ago. Thoughts on Davon Mitchell and Kaden Helms (40:45). David Stone and Jayden Jackson are making really good first impressions (47:40). I think we learned a lot from Dasan McCullough's availability this week. Grant's afraid he does not have a true position anymore, while Lee is hoping that maybe Will LB is a spot that can allow McCullough to contribute and make plays (53:40). Woodi Washington is repping at basically every secondary position. Lee's not sure this is a good thing for Woodi. Grant wants to remind everybody that while OU's secondary looks to have a lot of depth, the pass defense was still bad in 2023 (1:00:30). All we're getting is good vibes from Zac Alley and it sounds like he's simplifying the defene for everybody. Does that sound too much like Alex Grinch's Speed D (1:12:00)? Thoughts on Justin Harrington and his recovery from injury. Grant wants to make sure he brings up Deion Burks and the rave reviews he's been getting. Plus there were reports that Troy Everett suffered some sort of an injury this week (1:17:00). Lastly, Lee doesn't care at all to hear about Casey Thompson right now. Grant defends Casey (1:24:50). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

After some opening pleasnatries, we jump into the story of DeMarco Murray staying at OU after getting courted by Ohio State. The guys have been critical of Murray in the past, so what did they think when this story broke? We recall all the reasons why we've been critical of Murray and it all comes back to Tawee Walker (2:30). Lee reads from a story published in August of last year that may help shine some light on the relationship between Murray and Tawee Walker (22:10). Lee goes through the four recruiting classes Murray has been involved with at OU. We also look back at the RBs OU has recruited since 2013, back when Cale Gundy and Jay Boulware were involved (26:30). This week we learned who OU will be playing in 2025. Which road games would you like to attend (39:10)? We check in with ESPN's top pass catcher list. Deion Burks received some votes. Is OU's WR room being shortchanged (47:15)? We go to the WoE FB page to read reactions from the Coachstradamus interview from last week (55:00). Lee wants to clean up the WoE inbox as he missed and failed to reply to comments that were posted up to 3 years ago. There's also a recent comment asking about the OU wide receivers and just how good they can be (1:05:25). We wrap up the show with some NCAA Tournament talk. Would have been nice to see OU getting a chance to play at least one game. Man, they need a big man. And was Grant right about the Big 12 all along (1:15:00)? | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

We start the show with the breaking news that OU men's basketball has missed the NCAA Tournament yet again. The Sooners were the first team out. All the upsets in the conference tournaments ended up pushing OU out of the tourney. Grant has plenty of thoughts on Porter Moser and the program (1:10). Moving over to football by checking in with the official OU spring roster. Lee appreciates the pronunciation guide. The guys go over some players gaining and losing weight, and maybe a little fun with new numbers (21:45). Bill Bedenbaugh is the first non-coordinator OU assistant coach to earn a $1M+ annual salary. A kicker is in the portal, and we give our brief pro day takeaways, and read a question from the WoE Facebook page (34:00). We welcome Lee's friend Jarrod to the show to provide his expert analysis on head coaching hires in college football. They start by explaining what he does and the criteria for grading coaches (44:10). Jarrod hits on some his successful predictions including Sonny Dykes, Rhett Lashlee, Dan Lanning, Lincoln Riley, and more (50:40). Jarrod tells us where he and his staff have gone wrong in the past (57:45). Perhaps some surprising thoughts on new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer (1:00:15). New Michigan HC Sherrone Moore (1:03:30). Jarrod's team has spent a lot of time on new Washington HC Jedd Fisch (1:05:30). New Mississippi St. head coach Jeff Lebby (1:09:20). New A&M HC Mike Elko (1:13:00). New Houston HC Willie Fritz and new Duke HC Manny Diaz (1:16:45). What about new Boston College HC Bill O'Brien and new Michigan St. HC Jonathan Smith (1:21:10)? Lee wants to know about new MTSU HC Derek Mason (1:26:30). More off the radar new head coaches that the formula really likes (1:28:50). We get some updates on current head coaches that may or may not be on thin ice, starting with Baylor HC Dave Aranda (1:34:00). Jarrod's not liking the prospects of Missouri HC Eli Drinkwitz and Arkansas HC Sam Pittman (1:36:10). How about Deion Sanders at Colorado and Matt Rhule at Nebraska (1:38:00)? Jarrod and his staff did not like the Sark hire at first, but that may have been one of the few misses (1:43:15). Finally, on to Brent Venables. Some of you may not like this part (1:45:30). Despite the staff's thoughts on Venables, Jarrod makes it clear they always root for the Sooners and wnat them to do well (1:52:40). The guys wrap up the show by talking about how low budget this podcast really is (1:56:40). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

We open the show by talking about what's coming up, plus Daylight Savings Time. We move on to Brent Venables' pre-Spring press conference where we learned that Justin Harrington won his appeal with the NCAA. Also some thoughts on Andrel Anthony (5:00). We've learned how to pronounce some new names, OU's hired a new offensive analyst, Venables had some thoughts on new co-DC Zac Alley, and Venables has improved as a speaker since becoming OU's head coach (9:40). There seems to be quite a bit of mid-year enrollees. Thoughts on David Stone and Jayden Jackson, Venables on a "General Manager", and what about the proposed rules involving comms inside player helmets, and a 2-minute warning (17:35). Venables on the defensive line as a whole, the offensive line, and the TE run (29:40). Did Venables hint at something that may change on special teams? There's going to be plenty of competition at kicker (40:00). Venables said Jalil Farooq has had a terrific offseason, as well as Jayden Gibson. More thoughts on the WRs (45:00). We shift to the player interviews where we learned that David Stone wants to be a neurosurgeon. Thoughts on Deion Burks, Sam Franklin, Bauer Sharp, Davon Mitchell, and Lee's jumping on the Danny Okoye bandwagon (48:00). We address a couple of comments from the WoE Facebook involving a former OU D-line commit, and one listener's thoughts on Lamar Jackson (1:09:00). We talk about Arch Manning opting out of the upcoming video game. Apparently EA Sports will not let you edit in the names of players who opt out (1:16:40). Taking a look at ESPN's Top 10 QBs for the 2024 season. Grant says this list shows it's a down year for QBs. Also some brief thoughts on the Top 10 RBs list (1:24:15). Finally, we wrap up the show with our latest thoughts on the OU men's basketball team (1:33:25). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

No opening take as Lee highlights Baker Mayfield in the show intro. After some brief talk about where the month of March ranks on the calendar, the guys jump into some bad news involving one important OU defensive lineman (5:40). Gentry Williams won't practice this spring as he recovers from surgery. Some guys are just injury prone, some are not (13:30). We dip into some football movies to talk about how we think OU should handle injuries moving forward (20:15). More news from the recent Venables interview on Dasan McCullough, Justin Harrington, and Phil Picciotti (22:20). We learned some brief information about SEC Football Media Days and the guys kick around the idea of attending this July in Dallas (30:40). It appears Baker Mayfield may get a very nice contract soon. Hopefully he continues to have Mike Evans to throw to (36:45). We check out Bill Connelly's list of the top 80 QBs of the 2000s. Grant has some strong opinions about Sam Bradford and the players ranked ahead of him (40:15). We turn our attention to more 2023 preseason thoughts & predictions. Lee didn't think OU could be an elite team with Dillon Gabriel, Grant nailed Iowa State, unfortunately we were right about Texas, Texas Tech did not turn out to be the dark horse Big 12 team, and much more (50:45). The OU men's basketball team almost beat Houston. Now the Sooners play basically a must-win game against Cincinnati (1:17:35). Grant is not happy with where college football is going with the new proposed playoff structure and is Greg Sankey a villain (1:30:00)? | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

No opening take as Lee asks Grant if he'd heard the latest sports betting related news coming out of Ohio (1:40). OU's hiring a new Special Teams Analyst to replace Jay Nunez. How much does this matter (3:20)? OU's made some behind the scenes moves recently that involve recruiting and personnel decisions (13:10). The NCAA can't punish athletes or boosters for negotiating NIL deals when they're being recruited or in the portal. This is another sign that college sports continues to change and there's no going back (18:15). We got some CFP news this week as the new 12-team format is set with the Pac 12 out of the picture. Apparently they're talking about an expansion to 14 teams as well (30:35). We go back and look at some of things we were saying last August before the 2023 season began. Thoughts on OU's win total, early takes on the wide receiver group and the running back room. Grant had an early correct prediction about one defensive player (45:30). Revisiting our "unanswerable questions" from last August beginning with questioning the tempo of OU's offense in year 2 under Jeff Lebby (56:00). Questions on Jackson Arnold, OU's defense improving, and wondering if Venables would be better at in-game coaching (1:00:00)? Questions on the futures of Jeff Lebby, Ted Roof, and Brent Venables (1:06:05). We decided to ask a mean question about three veteran players and we finish up with a prompt about one Sooner playing like an All-American (1:19:20). Finishing up with some OU men's basketball talk the day after their buzzer beating win over OSU (1:30:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

The guys take a look at Bill Connelly's winter SP+ projections where OU comes in at No. 14. Seeing these rankings put into perspective why FanDuel has set the Sooners' season win total at 7.5 for 2024. Grant can make a case for why certain teams ahead of OU could falter. Doesn't this all come down to Jackson Arnold? This will be a theme of the entire offseason (2:20). Both guys are skeptical of Michigan and Florida State. Shoud Texas A&M fans be excited about the upcoming season (18:20)? OU very obviously must start the season 3-0 because after that it gets really hairy. And more Jackson Arnold thoughts (30:15). Should Drake Stoops have been invited to the NFL Scouting Combine? This also includes a quick sidebar to talk about Lamar Jackson, Todd Monken, and the Ravens always falling short in the playoffs. Is this just a Patrick Mahomes thing (38:00)? NCAA Football 25 is scheduled to be released in July. Will this game get Lee to play video games again? Grant goes over what he sees could be a potential problem with the return of the popular video game. What will be in the game? Hopefully the presentation is excellent (46:45). We'll be the last people to talk about the Super Bowl. Grant thought the Chiefs defense had two of the best players in the game and Nick Bosa should have stayed home on one crucial play. Also the 49ers had some bad luck. Lee wants to talk about the decision of taking the ball in OT (1:09:45). We finish up with some OU men's basketball talk, if you care (1:28:35). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

No opening take as the guys begin the show talking about the uncomfortable feeling of being sick. Lee has a possible remedy (01:10). The guys get into NIL and how it pertains to Oklahoma. We start with the background of NIL and how it works (04:30). What's the deal with all these NIL collectives? How do OU's collectives compare to other schools (09:50)? Gabe Ikard is directly involved with one of OU's collectives and he provided some interesting information about NIL in a recent podcast (21:10). Is it reasonable to ask fans to donate their money to these collectives even though they have no say where the money goes? The guys provide their overall thoughts on NIL at the moment (27:00). A recent interview shed some light on what happened with Cayden Green leaving OU. Grant hates that players can transfer without sitting out a year (35:00). Will we soon see college football transition to a model where the players are employees of the university (42:50)? Will all the top schools begin to get all the top players down the line because smaller schools choose that it's not worth it to spend money on NIL? Lee thinks the current model mixed with the expanded playoff will continue to lead to more parity in college football (53:20). FanDuel released 2024 season win totals for SEC teams and OU's number is lower than we expected (1:01:40). OU will reportedly need to find a new special teams coach (1:13:00). Grant goes into some returning production rankings for 2024 (1:15:20). We finish up with more comments from the WoE Facebook page relating to Toby Keith and the Super Bowl. The guys are split on their picks for the "Big Game" (1:19:20). Some very brief OU basketball talk as some of the stats for this team just don't make sense (1:36:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

No opening take, as the guys jump into some Danny Stutsman talk. Chris Low's got Stutsman as an All-American for 2024 (2:45). Billy Bowman's not on Chris Low's list. Maybe OU won't have the best safety in the SEC. What other OU defensive player would you like see make an All-American team in 2024 (12:30)? Dillon Gabriel's listed as the 2nd team QB on Chris Low's list. What else stands out from this "way too early" team (21:50)? Zac Alley's bringing a friend with him from Jax State (31:20). Alex Grinch is headed to Wisconsin. We go over Grinch's time as a DC at OU and USC. We take a look at the defensive backs that Grinch brought in to OU-- and it's not good at all. But hey, we like Alex Grinch and we hope he figures it out at some point (33:20). Jim Harbaugh is leaving Michigan for the NFL. Grant says Michigan will take a step back and Lee tends to agree (49:40). Former LSU WR Kayshon Boutte is in a lot of trouble because of underage sports betting. Lee finds many aspects of this story interesting and entertaining (56:15). Some thoughts on Baker Mayfield's recent playoff game against the Bucs. We thought he played pretty well. And what was with the Bucs not calling a timeout when Detroit was taking knees at the end of the game (1:05:25)? Thoughts on the AFC & NFC Championship matchups. Are you sure you want to bet against Patrick Mahomes (1:17:20)? OU men's basketball is reeling after back-to-back home losses. Grant has many thoughts (1:22:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets