West of Everest: An Oklahoma Football Podcast

No opening take, so we get straight to talking about the latest on Anton Harrison and the OU offensive line (0:50). Brynden Walker retires from football (5:20). The "Big Season Preview" is different this year. We take the opposite side of OU and play devil's advocate on many positive things we've said about the Sooners' potential in 2022 (12:00). Grant doesn't think the Big 12 is going to be very good this year. He tells you why, and we hit on all the stories that interest us about the conference (47:00). Should we care about Stew Mandell's OU prediction (59:50)? We turn our attention to the national scene. Lee asks if we're sure Ohio State should be considered as good as Alabama and Georgia? Lee's also curious about Clemson post-Brent Venables. Grant has thoughts on miscellaneous schools including Utah, NC State, Oregon, and others. There's also Mario Cristobal and Mel Tucker criticism because that's what this podcast is all about (1:01:20). We answer a couple of listener questions about Dillon Gabriel using his legs in 2022 and transfers who may not play much this season (1:22:00). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

In the opening take, Lee reminds everybody that OU's in need of a new kicker in 2022. Then Grant joins to lambast Lee's decision to talk about kickers in the opening take (5:05). What's going on with the offensive line? We play Brent Venables' comments on the OL from Tuesday that leave out Anton Harrison when seemingly discussing the top tackles on the team (9:50). How good might freshmen Jake Taylor and Jacob Sexton be (20:55)? Who are the five players on the inside of the offensive line that Venables was talking about (24:20)? Billy Bowman's playing better than anybody else on defense right now. Is this finally going to be the year we are super high on the OU secondary and they finally don't disappoint us (25:10)? Brent Venables fears that LB T.D. Roof has a season-ending biceps injury. The linebackers are the biggest question mark on defense, so it's a good thing Venables coaches these guys (37:00). Marcus Major is playing his best ball -- does it matter (43:30)? No updates on Jalen Redmond, but Lee did see a positive sign at practice Tuesday (47:00). Over to the WoE Facebook page where we field comments on listeners who are fully buying in to OU being a Playoff contender this year. Is this the most excited you've ever been for an OU football season? And what do we know about the new tailgating developments at OU (48:40)? Brief talk about Jacobe Johnson committing to OU and a different 2023 OU commit got a 5th star. Lee also shoehorns a "Varsity Blues" reference in (1:04:00). Old news that we never talked about on the podcast: Kyler Murray's weird contract situation (1:07:30). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

No opening take today. We're the last people to comment on Cale Gundy's resignation (1:25). How fast can OU move on from this situation? Lee talks about what he saw at practice this week (19:25). Have we seen evidence that Jerry Schmidt has evolved over the years (26:30)? Lee goes over his notes from Brent Venables' Wednesday press conference. All of the team and culture building over the last 8+ months will come in handy now (31:35). Matt Wells will have more influence now that Gundy is gone. Jalen Redmond is dealing with an injury. And how funny would it be if Justin Harrington and Eric Gray have massive years in 2022 (35:45)? Lee details a couple of players he saw working at practice off the the side. Plus, the Sooners are moving practice to the rugby fields moving forward. More Jalen Redmond talk and Lee rips on "Speed D" (40:45). Are you excited about Baker Mayfield starting in Carolina? Lee defends Matt Rhule. Grant argues against himself about the effectiveness of former LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady (47:25). And as the show winds down we briefly hit on "Hard Knocks" and Grant's experience watching the "in season" Colts version of Hard Knocks last year. Finally, Lee wants you to know about two of his favorite sports movies (54:50). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

In the opening take, Lee's ready to see if all the good work Brent Venables and Oklahoma has done over the last 8 months will lead to a special 2022 season. Then Grant joins as Lee asks for an apology after some "fake news" was spread last episode. Also, Grant recently watched a game from 2003 and we talk about how time starts to go by faster as you get older (6:25). Lee shares his biggest takeaways from OU Media Day. "Schmitty" seemed to be the star, even though he wasn't there. Does everybody have injuries, or does OU get injured more than everybody else? It was good to hear about some of the guys who've transformed their bodies this offseason (17:40). We take an early look at the first part of OU's schedule that intrigues Grant. Why is K-State's season win total only 6.5 and is Deuce Vaughn the second best RB in college football (39:30)? We pick up on our NIL discussion from the last episode talking bout collectives, money, and incentives for people who get involved with this. Grant brings up a great Todd Bates quote about recruiting (50:00). We play a couple of clips from college football podcasts from pundits who are down on OU in 2022. We begin with Chris "The Bear" Fallica from ESPN (1:02:05). Next we go to RJ Bell and AJ Hoffman from the "Dream Preview" betting podcast. They bring up an interesting dynamic about OU that we haven't talked much about, before embarrassing themselves. Grant explains at the end why he's so confident about OU after being skeptical when Riley left and Venables was hired (1:15:55). We go to the WoE Facebook page to answer questions about OU's impending move to the SEC. How long will it take for OU to get to the SEC Title? And we finish up talking about the SEC cities we're most looking forward to visiting (1:39:10). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

In the opening take, Grant wonders if an aspect of NIL will ultimately benefit the schools who have taken more of a "wait & see" approach. Then Lee joins in what turns out to be a show filled with a lot of recruiting talk. We begin by discussing QB Jackson Arnold, his tape, and what his commitment means big picture for OU in the new Brent Venables' era (8:10). Some brief Arch Manning conspiracy theory talk (28:00). OU's picked up 8 blue chip recruits recently and the early returns on Venables' tenure look to be even better than the beginning of Lincoln Riley's stint as OU's HC (34:30). Are some schools not delivering on NIL promises? Grant's skeptical that NIL money will continue to pour in for schools because there may not be guaranteed return on investment. Lee assumes all the boosters who've been donating to schools for years are just now donating to collectives -- which will allow NIL to continue to be a thing. No matter what's the case, it would appear OU is in a good position. Listen and make your own call (43:20). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

There's no opening take, but we do catch you up on what you may have missed on our last episode. We jump into the show by asking the simple question: Is OU going to be good at football this season (3:30)? Lee starts to put some stock into something Brent Venables said at Media Day -- but Grant jumps in and tells Lee to pump the brakes. This leads to a brief discussion about OU's secondary (17:15). Baylor has been picked to win the Big 12. We explain why that's kind of dumb and why OU should have once again been the preseason pick to win the Big 12 (22:00). We talk a little bit about OSU. Lee's skeptical about the Cowboys' defense, while Grant's skeptical about OSU's offense (30:45). Grant goes on a mini rant about Iowa State probably being bad this season (38:40). Michael Turk's the only OU player on the preseason All-Big 12 Team. Grant thinks the Sooners had three other players who had a case for the team, but ultimately it doesn't matter (40:50). OU went to the portal and got a new running back last month. He's got strong ties to Dillon Gabriel. Then Grant goes into something and then loses track of the point (45:40). C.J. Coldon is on campus which should further help OU's secondary (49:20). We go to the Facebook page for some viewer prompts. Who's going to be right about OU this season? Those that are close to the team -- or those in the national media? Also, Lee sometimes forgets that Eric Gray is on the team (52:10). Lee thinks the OU defense is going to be smarter and more fundamentally sound. Grant wants them to be more situationally aware (1:02:55). The offense is the question mark, but there's evidence to suggest the Sooners still should be pretty good on that side of the ball. Also, what's been up with OU's offensive line play over the last few seasons (1:10:20)? Will USC/UCLA moving to the Big Ten speed up the process of OU moving to the SEC? How much power will ESPN have in this process (1:17:50)? OU's win total has been set at 9.5 USC's win total has been set at 9.5. Is this a trap? These totals seem way too easy. Also, it's fun to see where Vegas has Baylor and OSU (1:27:40). Baker Mayfield's going to Carolina. We all hope it works out, but Ben McAdoo as Carolina's OC makes us nervous (1:36:35). We get a late breaking Facebook comment about Lincoln Riley/USC going to the Big Ten (1:41:50). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

In the opening take, Lee congratulates the OU fans for doing their part at Saturday's spring game. Then Grant joins to discuss everything surrounding Baker Mayfield's Heisman statue dedication (4:05). All the elements of the spring game involving the former players worked really well (22:10). Turning our attention to the game -- the weather wasn't all that bad, but it still may have had some impact on the passing game. We each give our thoughts on Dillon Gabriel's performance (30:10). Let's talk running backs. Jovantae Barnes and Tawee Walker dominated the carries (36:15). Grant's excited about OU's wide receivers (43:50). There's not much to take away from the offensive line (48:15). Marcus Stripling and Reggie Grimes stood out to Lee. The secondary played pretty well, and it was interesting to see freshman Jaren Kanak playing the Nickel/Sam role (51:50). Assessing the defensive line play and Lee got the feeling that DaShaun White and David Ugwoegbu looked more comfortable than ever. Will the defense tackle better now that Brent Venables is here? And Lee points out some creativity he saw from the defense (59:20). Back to the offense -- what did you think about the tempo? We provde ome final spring game thoughts (1:07:30). USC got a record crowd at its spring game as well. It was bizarre watching Riley on the field in USC gear and Caleb Williams playing QB for a different team (1:14:30). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

No opening take. We begin the show by hearing from Bill Bedenbaugh and Lee tells you why he doesn't buy into PFF College very much anymore (1:30). It sounds like Andrew Raym will not be playing in the spring game. What, if anything, will we be watching for Saturday when it comes to the O-Line (6:55)? The weather forecast is not ideal for Saturday which could ruin everything (12:25). Grant really wants to see Dillon Gabriel throw it around Saturday. Lee is curious to see Theo Wease and and Jovantae Barnes in action (18:10). Grant's waiting to see all the freshmen pass catchers and is intrigued by the backup QBs (21:50). On defense, we'll be taking a long look at cornerback Kani Walker. What position will Clatyon Smith play? What about Marcus Stripling? Shane Whitter shed some light on the "Cheetah" position on defense and Grant has one last defensive player on his mind (24:05). Lee plays a soundbite from Brent Venables that sounded like he was talking directly to Grant (31:05). Grant explains why Baker Mayfield is arguably the most important player in the history of the OU football program (37:00). Lee's love of Baker has cooled in the past couple of years. Some of Mayfield's recent comments on that podcast were not ideal given what we know about Mayfield's background (45:30). Grant's convinced Mayfield's chance to be one of the top QBs in the NFL is over. The Browns are taking a risk by bringing in Watson -- what if karma is on Mayfield's side (51:10)? Finally we talk about Lincoln Riley's open letter (1:00:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

In the opening take, Lee takes a look back at some recent OU spring game attendance stats that may surprise you. Then Grant joins to provide a controversial food take (3:30). We stop wasting your time with food talk and move on to talking about attendance at other school's spring games this season. Can OU really fill up the stadium on April 23 (10:20)? Let's play a totally not made up game called "Can't Miss or Can't Play" where we predict whether a guy on OU's roster will be a "can't miss" player this fall or someone who "can't play" (25:00). Before we go we read some comments from the WoE Facebook page on Lincoln Riley, Lee's new nickname, and Lee has an impromptu USC/Lincoln Riley story that he found interesting (1:28:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

In the opening take, Grant hits on some of the spring practice storylines he's most intrigued by as we look ahead to the Fall. Then Lee joins to share a recent headline he saw from a USC fan site that may signal Lincoln Riley has not changed since his time at OU (4:50). Cale Gundy says Jeff Lebby is as well rounded of an OC as he's been around (11:50). Dillon Gabriel's a player who's pushed the ball down the field in the past. Grant doesn't think the freshmen WRs won't really make much of an impact in 2022 (20:35). Dillon Gabriel says Jeff Lebby's offense has changed since his time at USC due to Lebby's evolution as a coach. Gabriel says his chemistry with the WRs is further along than he expected, and is it already set in stone that OU will win the National Championship next year (26:35)? Is it possible the team will look flat in the spring game? Is it really possible to fill the stadium for the spring game (38:05)? It was nice to talk to Marvin Mims in person last week. Lee tells us the story of Mims and Jeff Lebby first meeting. What if Riley leaving actually kept Mims in Norman (43:20)? Jay Valai is hyper focused on attention to detail and building "football intelligence" within the players. There's been plenty of evidence in the past that OU defensive players don't seem particularly football intelligent. Lee revisits an old rant about Brendan Radley-Hiles and also brings up other examples of poor football intelligence we've seen from previous OU players (51:00). Grant wants to know what's going on with transfer DB C.J. Coldon? Justin Harrington is back. (1:08:35). Talking WRs this spring compared to the WR groups from previous OU spring practices (1:13:20). Time for some more "red meat" topics as we poke more fun at Lincoln Riley & USC. Lee found a few stories from a USC fan site that he thinks you all will find entertaining (1:22:30). Comparing Alex Grinch's resume before he got to OU, to Jeff Lebby's resume as he begins his OU career (1:43:00). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9