West of Everest: An Oklahoma Football Podcast

Ep. 114 - A Shocking Point Spread and Ranking Head Coaches

In the opening take, Grant takes a stroll down memory lane and revisits a game from 2017. Then Lee joins to describe his night covering OU softball as the Sooners fell in the WCWS (5:30). The Golden Nugget in Vegas has released a crazy spread for the OU-Houston game (9:25). Grant was scared for Jalen Redmond after reading a recent story from the Norman Transcript (17:50). The guys respond to a listener email asking about the true freshmen who recently arrived in Norman. Grant's got thoughts on a handful of players, while Lee provides evidence backing up the futility of Wichita area football (25:50). Grant has done a hilarious amount of research on OU's Week 2 opponent South Dakota and he may know more about the Coyotes than their actual fans (42:50). Lee thinks Chip Kelly is the most interesting part about UCLA and the guys try to figure out if he's a top 15 college head coach? Lee ranks his top coaches and divides most of them into tiers (51:10). Grant thinks UCLA could be a little feisty and he's not happy that Lee is totally overlooking the Bruins (1:04:50). Apparently one of WVU's best defensive backs recently entered his name in the transfer portal (1:14:00). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 113 - A Jalen Redmond Prediction We Hope is Wrong

In the opening take, Lee explains why he's not confident Jalen Redmond will play again for OU. Then Grant joins to talk about one of Baker Mayfield's best TD passes and also the ineptitude of Hue Jackson (6:40). The guys get back into Jalen Redmond's blood clots. Grant tends to be more optimistic about Redmond's outlook (12:45). We take a little time to address a comment from Facebook in regards to recruiting (18:20). Lincoln Riley says he's not going to name a starting QB before fall camp (27:55). We turn are attention to Week 1 vs. Houston and both of us still have that 2016 OU-Houston game in our heads (34:25). Houston's got a talented QB that may be the best QB the Sooners face all season (37:30). Houston's pass catchers are really good (39:50). We try to figure out the best QBs OU's defense will face in 2019 (41:30). More details on D'Eriq King's quarterback ability (45:30). Grant's got some notes on Houston's offensive line (50:50). Houston's defense was awful in 2018 and it's likely to be terrible yet again this fall (52:35). If you could take one player off Houston's roster and put him on OU's roster, who would it be (1:00:40)? The Sooners are nearly a 2 TD favorite over Houston right now. More confident in OU or Houston covering right now (1:05:30)? Next week we'll talk about South Dakota and UCLA. Remember when South Dakota almost beat K-State last season (1:08:45)? Lee ends the show by telling the story of an interesting interaction he had with Lincoln Riley last week (1:12:05). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 112 - It’s Late May, So Let’s Predict the Week 1 Depth Chart

In the opening take, Grant waxes poetic about the old school NCAA Football video game and the potential of the franchise making a return. Then Lee joins to predict the the 2019 Oklahoma 2-deep beginning with the easy positions on the offense (9:30). Moving to the offensive line where we predict the starters and reserves from right to left (15:30). Where does Michael Thompson fit in on the offensive line? And could he switch back to defense (26:00)? There's a ton of talent at wide receiver, but who's going to start alongside CeeDee Lamb and Grant Calcaterra (30:45)? Moving over to the defense, beginning with a lock on the defensive line and a bit of a disagreement on the interior part of the line (43:00). Lee's hottest defensive depth chart take comes at the DT position. And should we start to be concerned about the depth on the D-Line (52:00)? We offend everybody who's ever played or followed high school football in Wichita (57:00). Let's go over to the Rush LB spot where we both hope one particular person is available to play this position (59:50). The other linebackers are pretty easy to predict at this point (1:05:10). Lee thinks the cornerback starters are slam dunks at this point -- Grant does not agree (1:10:00). Grant's favorite dude is his starter at SS (1:15:10). Lee thinks Tre Norwood will have permanently moved to free safety by Week 1 (1:18:30). How does Robert Barnes fit into this defense? And Grant is all about jumping back on the Bookie train for 2019 (1:20:40). **The OU talk ends as we transition into a discussion about "Game of Thrones". Both guys weren't fans of the final season, especially Grant (1:28:15). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 111 - Is Kyler in a Better Spot Than Baker?

In the opening take, Lee chastises anybody who thought the Cardinals were actually going to pass on Kyler Murray with the No. 1 pick. Then Grant joins to talk about the erroneous report which stated the Arizona was not going to select Murray with the No. 1 pick (4:40). Grant thinks Murray's situation in Arizona is much better than Baker Mayfield's situation in Cleveland at this time last year (9:15). Lee thinks more than half of the Sooners who were drafted over the weekend could be starting by Week 1 (27:55). Lee's not thrilled that Marquise Brown is going to Baltimore because Lamar Jackson is at best a slightly below average NFL passer (37:30). Rodney Anderson is the definition of a low riks/high reward draft pick in the 6th Round and it would be cool to see a 1-2 punch of OU running backs in Cincinnati (42:30). We briefly go over the Sooners who were signed as undrafted free agents (46:15). A bunch of 2020 NFL Mock Drafts have been released and we see CeeDee Lamb's name quite a bit (48:25). Are we sure Grant Calcaterra is a First Round pick (51:40)? Is Kenneth Murray a First Round pick because he looks awesome in his uniform (54:30)? Neville Gallimore could definitely be a First Rounder if he puts up numbers in 2019 (57:10). We end the show by bringing back the "Hot Take of the Week" segment. Clay Travis recently put out a very bad take about new Giants QB Daniel Jones (58:45). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 110 - Hurts Excels in Primetime Spring Game

In the opening take, Lee saw some good things and some not so good things during OU's Spring Game. Then Grant joins to talk about the atmosphere of the primetime Spring Game (4:30). The guys each have a list of Spring Game observations, beginning with the strong play of Jalen Hurts and the rest of the OU offense (10:15). Moving over to the defense where Lee has some cautionary thoughts, Grant is a little more optimistic, and Alex Grinch updates us on the defense's progress now that spring is over (47:00). We've got a great listener question about the defense's hyper focus on turnover (1:14:10). We finish up with some quick thoughts on the NFL Draft. Do we still think Kyler Murray is going No. 1 overall, and will Marquese Brown be the first WR picked (1:22:20)? | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 109 - OU’s DBs Have Been Jamming WRs. Oh, and Spring Game Preview!

In the opening take, Grant says OU may be on to something here with playing the Spring Game under the lights. Then Lee joins to talk about the fallout from Caleb Kelly's serious injury and what Lincoln Riley is saying about what's next (6:00). DaShaun White is the next man up, plus Grant thinks Brian Odom is hinting that only a few ILBs have a legitimate shot to play now (8:50). We learned this week that Kenneth Murray is having a great spring, but does that mean anything given his history (14:35)? We get into our featured Spring Game discussion by taking a look at the format and rosters. Apparently a handful of meaningful players are out (18:50). OU has some big time honorary coaches coming to Norman for this game (25:00). Lee asked Lincoln Riley how much emphasis he puts on the Spring Game compared to other scrimmages (26:40)? Alex Grinch doesn't expect to be able to take a whole lot away from Friday's game (29:00). Grant was thrilled to hear OU's DBs have been pressing all the time during spring practice, but does that mean we're going to see that philosophy during the regular season (31:45)? Grant wants to watch the defense's alignment closely Friday night while Lee is hoping the defense wins the scrimmage (37:25). Let's go back to DaShaun White. We talked to him this week and he lets us know the fans should expect to see a pretty big change in the OU defense Friday (41:40). Tanner Mordecai is allegedly quite fast (45:00) and then we spend a healthy amount of time making fun of Drew Lock, John Elway, and the Denver Broncos (45:50). We turn our attention back to OU and talk about the O-Line. Lee announces the two offensive line units he saw at practice last week (53:10). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 108 - A No Good, Very Bad Week For OU’s Defense

In the opening take, Lee explains his current mindset when assessing OU's defense. Then the guys briefly touch on what's been a pretty negative week (5:00) before jumping back to maybe the most overrated "iconic play" in football history (6:20). The Sooners scrimmaged for the first time this week, and Grant thinks the defense may be in trouble (8:00). Caleb Kelly has reportedly torn his ACL and Grant is bummed out (12:15). Does this injury make it easy to predict who'll play the inside LB roles this Fall (17:00)? New ILB coach Brian Odom is trying to make it clear what's expected out of linebackers at OU (19:00). Jordan Kelley also sustained a bad injury (22:00), and LaRon Stokes got pretty high praise from Lincoln Riley this week (23:40). Alex Grinch reiterated that he thinks Neville Gallimore can be elite (25:20). Grinch says a pair of inexperienced players would be the starting safeties if OU played a game tomorrow (27:30). Grinch tells us who's been playing Nickel, which has Grant pretty confused (31:15). Lee got a chance to ask Grinch what kind of player he looks for at the Nickel position? And Grant provides his solution for the Nickel spot (36:20). Grinch had a good news/bad news assessment of Tre Brown's performance so far (40:45). We get to the bottom of what Tre Brown thinks being a "physical" corner means (44:05). OU's defensive players do their best to stay out of the sand pit at 5am (46:15) and candy bars are popular at practice (48:20). The secondary was terrible last year and it sounds like they're reminded of that constantly (54:05). Lee asked Riley about Jalen Hurts' ability as a runner (57:45). OU's offensive line may be young and inexperienced, but it sounds like they're nasty (1:03:05). Jadon Haselwood was in a boot on Monday, but it sounds like he's fine. Plus all the young 5-star WRs are getting rave reviews (1:09:50). Charleston Rambo is really fast, and the guys try to figure out what Tre Brown was trying to say (1:11:40). It's safe to say everybody is pumped about the H-Back position (1:13:20). Grant REALLY wants to talk about the perceived QB battle (1:17:25). Hey, we know who's competing to replace Austin Seibert (1:24:55). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 107 - OU’s New Defense is Ahead of Schedule

In the opening take, Grant shares a special OU football moment that he'll never forget. Then Lee joins to provide some more details from OU-Texas 2001. Jalen Hurts talked to the media for the first time as a Sooner and he's grown quite a bit over his time at Alabama and now OU (9:00). Hurts said something that might make him the perfect candidate to replace back-to-back Heisman winners (13:15). Hurts wants to do everything he can to lead this team (20:30). Remember that video of Hurts squatting a million pounds (25:45)? Lee noticed a throwaway line Hurts used during the presser that seemed kind of strange (28:10). Alex Grinch says the defense is a little bit ahead of schedule, but he'd like to see a little more plays made out there (30:00). Grinch and Manning apparently have more swag than Justin Broiles (36:00). Nobody on defense has switched positions since the last time we talked to Grinch, but we're more intrigued by the revelation that OU's number are down in the secondary (40:00). Grinch says something about Neville Gallimore that gets Grant excited (48:05). Let's listen to Grinch explain in painstaking detail why playing inside linebacker is the most difficult position to play in college football (50:10). A little bit on DaShaun White (53:15). Lee knows his next question for Alex Grinch (55:00). Last year at this time everybody was picking apart Baker Mayfield, while this year it seems like a foregone conclusion Kyler Murray is going No. 1 (56:40). You must really enjoy our thoughts on things if you've stuck around long enough to hear our takes on the OU basketball team (1:03:00). You must REALLY, REALLY enjoy our thoughts if you've listened long enough to get Grant's take on Zion Williamson (1:09:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 106 - Thank God Bill Bedenbaugh is in Charge of This Patchwork O-Line

In the opening take, Lee takes a look at the Sooners' 2019 win total. Then Grant joins to talk about why the experts are so high on OU's chances in 2019 (6:30). The offensive line is all over the place right now and we've found out who's playing Center in Creed Humprhey's absence (9:40). What's the first team offensive line look like right now, and also what could it look like this fall (15:40)? Brayden Willis vs. Jeremiah Hall will be a fun H-Back competition (24:35). James Hale has some insight on who's the leading candidates for the Nickelback position. Lee's changing his tune in regards to one player, and Grant frankly doesn't like what he's hearing about this position (27:45). We shift to Pro Day where Curtis Bolton and Amani Bledsoe had nice days (38:20). Marquise Brown talked at Pro Day and we learned a little more about his injury and his NFL Draft plans (42:50). Rodney Anderson has an interesting theory about the chances of him getting injured in the future (48:00). Cody Ford's didn't improve his bench press reps much from the Combine, does that even matter (52:20)? What's the deal with Kyler Murray conspiracy theories, and it'd be a disappointment at this stage if he's not the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft (54:20). Miami QB Tate Martell has been granted immediate eligibility for 2019, is college football "free agency" a thing now (1:01:20)? Finally, we discuss the Browns trading for Odell Beckham Jr. Lee is quite optimistic about the entire thing, while Grant is slightly more pessimistic when it comes to the move (1:11:40). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 105 - Grinch’s ”Speed D” Hits the Practice Field

In the opening take, Grant tackles yet another OU Spring Game concert controversy. Then Lee joins to discuss the latest Sooners' quarterback competition -- much to Grant's chagrin. Will Lincoln Riley name Jalen Hurts the starter by the end of the spring (7:00)? Lee was at Thursday's practice and he thought Hurts looked a lot like Kyler Murray in his uniform, plus we go over some more offensive news and notes (11:30). We've got a lot of defensive soundbites to play and we start with Alex Grinch's thoughts on what he wants out of his Nickelback (15:30). Alex Grinch explains what he wants from the Rush LB, a position held right now by Ronnie Perkins (24:50). Caleb Kelly is running as the Will LB at the moment, which is somewhat confusing to us (30:20). We all want more takeaways and Grinch says that's all they talk about in practice (31:35). Lee finally got to ask Grinch how much film he's watched in preparation for spring practice (35:00). Bookie says he wants to be a better teammate in 2019 and you can tell he was humbled during the 2018 season (40:05). Lee's trying to figure out if Bookie is going to switch positions, so he attempts a line of questioning that proves to be somewhat unsucessful. BUT Grant loves something Bookie says at the end (48:00). There's one more piece of news dealing with the OU offense that leads to an offensive line discussion as well as comments about Kennedy Brooks (54:15). Who are the candidates to replace Austin Seibert (59:30)? No Kyler Murray pro day talk since that's tomorrow morning when we are recording (1:05:20). Lee thinks the Lee Brice concert will probably lead to more people being at the spring game compared to last season (1:07:35). We close with some random NFL free agency talk (1:09:50) that leads into a discussion about whether the Browns should trade for Odell Beckham, Jr. -- which then actually happened about an hour after we finished up (1:15:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9