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How Oklahoma Players are Handling a Switch at OC

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How Oklahoma Players are Handling a Switch at OC


College football is business. Coaches obviously know that, and so do the players. 

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables on Sunday fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell after only seven games in the role. With the move and five games still left, co-offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley took over playcalling duties and offensive analyst Kevin Johns was promoted to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. 

“It’s hard, but we all trust Coach BV and the decision,” OU receiver Brenen Thompson said after practice Tuesday. “This is a players’ game. No matter who’s calling the plays or what’s going on, this is a players’ game and we can only control what we can control. Me and the rest of the guys, gonna give it everything we got.”

“The vibe has been good,” offensive lineman Troy Everett said. “We hate the news that happened. The offense has been great. The energy has been up the last two days. We haven’t had any practices this season where people have been moping or kicking the dirt. Everybody has had really high energy and wanting to get better.”

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Although he missed the first four games of the season because of injury, Everett has remained a team leader as a redshirt junior who started four games at left guard last season. Those leaders are vital for a group that not only lost its coordinator seven games into this season, but also at the end of last year when offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby left to become the head coach at Mississippi State. 

“When something like this happens, as a leader, you feel like you have to be responsible to help out,” Everett said. “For me, I’m very personable with all the guys. I love all those guys. Special teams, defense, everything. Just go out there and joke around. I just try to mess around and keep the energy high and spirits high. You’re going to go through stuff as a team. This is what makes us stronger is how we come out of it.” 

Regardless of what happened earlier in the week, this week is ultimately time for the Sooners to prepare for their next game against No. 18 Ole Miss at 11 a.m. Saturday in Oxford. And at 4-3 already, with a daunting schedule still ahead, OU can’t afford to grieve a week. 

“It’s unfortunate, but I think our biggest thing is we have to just focus on who we have next,” OU running back Jovantae Barnes said. “Just take it day by day. Just have to go out there and do our job, execute better as players.”

Like Everett, Barnes, a junior who currently leads the Sooners in rushing yards, is another leader on OU’s offense with the responsibility of keeping this group motivated after losing back-to-back games and fighting to stay above .500 while performing as one of the worst offenses in the country in the midst of quarterback and coordinator shuffles. 

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“I know what it looks like going 6-7. I know what it looks like having a positive season,” Barnes said. “So, just making sure guys keep going and just bring energy. Just making sure I’m heard, because I know I’m a quiet guy; sometimes I like to lean back and let people do what they have to do. I hate being a motivational speaker, but sometimes I have to be heard and show people this is serious, this is almost a job. 

“This is all we’ve been dreaming about since we were little, so why not go get it now? So, just making sure I’m heard, and everybody’s just out there having fun and doing their job, working on the little stuff.”

Everett, Barnes and plenty others on the offense have been through this change before. But it’s nearly deja vu for tight end Jake Roberts. Roberts started his career at North Texas, where Littrell was the head coach before coming to OU. In 2022 after Roberts’ junior season, UNT parted ways with Littrell. He then joined OU’s staff as an offensive analyst for the 2023 season, while Roberts also left Denton for Baylor. But when Littrell was promoted to co-offensive coodinator, Roberts not only returned home to Norman, but was also reunited with his old head coach, at least for a little bit.

“I love Coach Littrell as a coach and a person,” Roberts said with a smile. “This doesn’t change a thing about that.”



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Missing 12-year-old Oklahoma boy found safe

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Missing 12-year-old Oklahoma boy found safe


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Missing 12-year-old Ryan “RJ” Davis has been found safe, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Jan. 11, the OSBI said Davis was located in Chickasha.

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“The OSBI appreciates all our local law enforcement partners and search groups who assisted us throughout the week,” the OSBI posted. “We will provide updates when they become available.

The boy had been missing since Jan. 2.

News9 reported Sunday afternoon that OSBI spokesman Hunter McKee said the United Cajun Navy made contact with RJ and took him back to a hotel, where authorities processed him and took him to the hospital. Authorities said RJ appears to be fine physically, according to News9

The United Cajun Navy is a nonprofit grassroots group out of Louisiana that assists in search and rescue efforts and disaster recovery.

The boy’s mother, Kimberly Kay Cole, and stepfather, George Franklin Cole Jr., were arrested earlier this week on suspicion of child abuse and as of Sunday were still listed as being in custody at the Caddo County Jail in Anadarko. It’s not yet clear whether the charges are directly related to RJ’s disappearance, but the arrests came after officers interviewed the parents and obtained evidence from search warrants.

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Authorities said Thursday, Jan. 8, that they believed RJ was still alive. Prior to Sunday, he was last seen Jan. 2 near the Chickasha Quality Inn.

Searchers were targeting a vast rural area from Cement to Chickasha, which is within an hour’s drive from Oklahoma City. The search included properties associated with the family. It was unclear from the OSBI’s Facebook post where in Chickasha the boy was found.

This story was updated to add new information.

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Contributing: Staff writer Dale Denwalt



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Late surge lifts Texas A&M past Oklahoma in SEC road setback

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Late surge lifts Texas A&M past Oklahoma in SEC road setback


COLLEGE STATION, TX –

After building a four-point lead midway through the second half, Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball couldn’t close the door Saturday afternoon in College Station, dropping an 83-76 decision to Texas A&M Aggies men’s basketball.

Oklahoma led 67-63 with just over 10 minutes to play, but the Aggies finished the game on a 20-9 run, capitalizing on turnovers and trips to the free-throw line to pull away down the stretch.

Late mistakes prove costly

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The Sooners entered the game averaging a league-low 9.5 turnovers, but committed a season-high 17 against Texas A&M. Those miscues turned into an 18-8 disadvantage in points off turnovers and allowed the Aggies to control the closing minutes.

Texas A&M also made its mark at the stripe, going 21 of 25 (84%) at the free-throw line. Oklahoma finished 13 of 16 (81%), but the volume favored the home team.

“Well, a game that featured 19 lead changes, 42 fouls and 64 three-point attempts,” said Toby Rowland. “Texas A&M had the final kick in this one as they pulled away to the victory down the stretch. Oklahoma, a season-high 17 turnovers, and in the end, that did them in.”

Pack leads the way offensively

Despite the loss, Nijel Pack delivered one of his best performances of the season. The junior guard scored a game-high 24 points, matching his season high with six 3-pointers, while also adding six rebounds and five assists.

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Pack also crossed a milestone, surpassing 2,000 career points during the game.

Oklahoma got strong contributions in the frontcourt as well. Derrion Reid recorded the first double-double of his career with 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, knocking down four 3-pointers. Tae Davis added 12 points and 10 boards, giving the Sooners two double-doubles on the day.

Xzayvier Brown, who had averaged nearly 20 points over his previous six games, was held to seven points on 3-of-9 shooting.

Strong start, tough finish

Oklahoma scored the first five points of the game but trailed by as many as 10 in the first half before responding with a 20-10 run to tie it at 43 late. A late Aggie three sent Texas A&M into halftime with a 48-45 lead.

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The Sooners came out hot after the break, regaining the lead behind threes from Pack and Reid. Brown’s acrobatic layup and free throw pushed Oklahoma ahead 67-63, but the offense stalled from there. OU went 4 of 14 from the field over the final 10 minutes and missed its last 10 three-point attempts after starting 11 of 21.

What’s next

Oklahoma controlled the glass 43-32 and owned an 18-7 edge in second-chance points, but couldn’t overcome the late execution issues.

After back-to-back road losses, the Sooners return home Tuesday night to host defending national champion Florida Gators men’s basketball at Lloyd Noble Center. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT, with coverage on ESPN2.

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Oklahoma Well-Represented on NFL’s AP All-Pro Team

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Oklahoma Well-Represented on NFL’s AP All-Pro Team


Although only two Sooners landed on the first or second team this year, Oklahoma was well-represented on the 2025 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team.

Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey was named to the first team, and San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams was named second team.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson, Denver Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto and punt returner Marvin Mims, Washington Commanders punter Tress Way, Chiefs long snapper James Winchester, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Jalen Redmond all received All-Pro votes from the AP’s 50 media voters who cover the league.

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Last year, Humphrey and Mims earned first-team honors, while Bonitto, Johnson and Lamb made second team, giving OU five All-Pros — most of any school.

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It’s Humphrey’s third time on the AP All-Pro team and his second as a first-teamer. He led the voting at center with 93 total points, including 26 first-place votes. (First-place votes are worth 3 points, second-place votes are worth 1.)

Humphrey redshirted at OU in 2017, then was a three-year starter from 2018-2020 and was named Big 12 Offensive Lineman of The Year twice. Humphrey, from Shawnee, has made the Pro Bowl each of the last four seasons and is a two-time Super Bowl champion.

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Williams is a five-time All-Pro (first team 2021-23) and a 12-time Pro Bowler. By just one vote, Williams finished second in this year’s voting to Denver’s Garett Bolles, who got 74 points and 19 first-place votes, while Williams got 71 points and 19 first-place votes.

At OU from 2006-09, he was the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft after twice being named first-team All-Big 12 and Consensus All-America in 2009.

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Johnson had been on five previous AP All-Pro teams, including twice as a first-team selection. Johnson came to OU in 2009 as a junior college quarterback, moved to tight end, then defensive end and eventually offensive tackle in 2011, when he made second-team All-Big 12 in back-to-back seasons. He was third in the voting among right tackles, earning 12 votes.

Mims, a third-year pro, landed All-Pro accolades in each of his first two years in the league. At OU, Mims had 2,398 yards and 20 touchdowns as a receiver, and averaged 11.8 yards as a punt returner. He received 11 points (one first-place) and finished fourth in the voting.

Bonitto picked up his first All-Pro honor last year after registering 13.5 quarterback sacks (third in the NFL) and earning a spot in the Pro Bowl. Bonitto was a two-time AP All-American at Oklahoma (second team in 2022, third team in ’23), logging 33 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one interception. He finished seventh in the voting among edge rushers, picking up 54 points (11 first place).

Winchester got five points (one first place) as long snapper and finished eighth in the voting. Way received 28 points (six first place) and was fourth in the voting at punter. Redmond got one vote as an interior defensive lineman, while Lamb got one vote as a wideout.

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Humphrey was the only former Sooner to land on the Pro Football Focus All-Pro Team (first team). He also was the only OU player with a spot on the ESPN All-Pro team (first team). 

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Humphrey (first team) and Williams (second team) also were honored by USA Today, Yahoo and Sports Illustrated.





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