Oklahoma
How Oklahoma OL Eddy Pierre-Louis Has Impressed Teammates, Coaches in Training Camp
NORMAN — On Wednesday, Oklahoma held its first traing camp practice ahead of the 2024 season.
A few areas of the Sooners’ roster are still looking to settle position battles heading into OU’s first year competing in the SEC, and players will be looking to perform well in hopes of securing their spot on the depth chart.
One of the position groups with the most uncertainty after a complete overhaul this offseason is Bill Bedenbaugh’s offensive line unit.
After Cayden Green transferred to Missouri, Tyler Guyton, Walter Rouse and Andrew Raym left for the NFL and McKade Mettauer played out the last of his eligibility, Oklahoma’s offensive front will look completely different in 2024.
With multiple spots along the o-line seemingly up for grabs early in training camp, one young trench player has stood out to his teammates so far.
“I think Eddy (Pierre-Louis). Eddy’s caught my eye,” veteran center Branson Hickman said on Thursday. “He’s just a freak athlete. He has all the tools. Just got to get some things going, but obviously he just got here. It’s been two days. Really athletic, he’s a really good kid and he works really hard. So I’m excited for him for sure.”
Hailing from Tampa Catholic (FL), Pierre-Louis was a 4-star prospect coming out of high school, rated the No. 33 overall recruit and and No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the country, according to Rivals.
With great size and remarkable speed for someone of his stature, Pierre-Louis’ athleticism gives him the potential to develop into one of OU’s best offensive lineman under Bedenbaugh.
Pierre-Louis was clocked at 12.97 in the 100-meter dash in high school, and is already listed at 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds despite arriving in Norman this summer.
Oklahoma Freshman OL Eddy Pierre-Louis better have the Highest Speed Rating at the OL position in EA CFB 25…
Was running a 12.97 100M at 315 Pounds in High School 🤯https://t.co/3AuR1jAiDB pic.twitter.com/os3z1wN4UQ
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 14, 2024
While it will be difficult for a true freshman to earn a starting spot along an SEC offensive line, the talented interior player could see more time on the field as the season progresses, especially if Pierre-Louis continues to improve and the Sooners’ other options at guard underperform.
In 2023, Green wasn’t a starter in Week 1, but worked his way into the starting group and never relinquished his spot.
Hickman isn’t the only person who has been impressed by Pierre-Louis early in training camp, as head coach Brent Venables shared his praise for the newcomer on Saturday morning.
“Just humble, his work ethic, his pride in being prepared everyday. You can coach him hard, he’s really tough and demanding on himself without crushing his own spirit,” Venables said.
“He’s just ready to learn every day. He loves his teammates. He was a highly-recruited guy, he’s got tremendous respect for the game and the learning process and a great self-awareness of where his weaknesses are and things he needs to do to improve. Has a great sense of self-awareness of where his weaknesses are and where he needs to improve. That helps the progress happen sooner (rather) than later.”
With North Texas transfer Febechi Nwaiwu likely secure in his spot as a starter at one of the guard positions, Pierre-Louis will have to battle Heath Ozaeta, Geirean Hatchett and others to earn time on the field in 2024.
Even if Pierre-Louis doesn’t get many snaps this season, however, it appears that the highly touted freshman has a bright future in Norman.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — If you have been waiting for the opening of a popular fast-food chain in Oklahoma City, your wait is almost over.
On Tuesday, Bojangles will open its first Oklahoma location in Oklahoma City.
The new restaurant, located at 13135 N. Pennsylvania Ave. in Oklahoma City, has a list of events planned throughout opening day.
The first 100 guests in line on April 28th will receive a $100 gift card and exclusive, Oklahoma City -themed merchandise.
Also, 10 dine-in guests can enter for a chance to win free Bojangles breakfast for a year.
At 3 p.m. on April 28, the restaurant will transform into a full-scale block party. Guests will be able to enjoy a live DJ, a mechanical bull, branded merchandise, and a sweepstakes.
“We are ecstatic about introducing Bojangles to Oklahoma and bringing our unique Southern charm to the market,” said Jose Armario, CEO of Bojangles. “Our recent expansions into new markets have been met with tremendous enthusiasm, and we are confident that the Oklahoma City community will embrace our delicious offerings with the same excitement.”
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The new store will open its doors at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28th.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are taking on the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of their opening-round series. The OKC Thunder are hoping that they can repeat their Sunday afternoon performance in this contest. Game 2 will be an interesting test with the Suns having more time to prepare.
Phoenix was up against a rock and a hard place in the series opener. The Oklahoma City Thunder not only have the talent advantage but the rest advantage as well. Phoenix punched their ticket to the NBA Playoffs on Friday night by staving off the Golden State Warriors on Friday night before landing in Oklahoma City on Saturday and playing on Saturday afternoon to the tune of a 119-84 blowout Thunder victory.
The NBA has seen plenty of upsets already. The Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers have all stolen games from the higher seed. The Thunder know they have to keep the foot on the gas in this contest.
“These series are unpredictable. No 2 games are the same. The minute you make an assumption, you are overconfident, or the minute you go down and you’re overly urgent, that can impact your ability to be present in the next game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said pregame on Wednesday night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are seeing the Suns make an adjustment with their starting lineup by inserting Collin Gillespie to give Phoenix a trio of ball handling scoring options alongside Devin Booker and Jalen Green. This gives the Suns hope to be able to find better shot quality against this stifling Thunder defensive unit.
Oklahoma City is healthier now than they have been all season. The Thunder only are missing rookie Thomas Sorber (ACL) who is out for the year. This allows the Bricktown Ballers to roll out their traditional first five in this contest.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns, Game 2 Starting Lineup
Oklahoma City Thunder Starting Lineup
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G
- Lu Dort, G
- Jalen Williams, F
- Chet Holmgren, F
- Isaiah Hartenstein, C
Phoenix Suns Starting Lineup
- Devin Booker, G
- Jalen Green, G
- Collin Gillespie, G
- Dillon Brooks, F
- Oso Ighodaro, C
The series will shift to Phoenix this weekend as the Oklahoma City Thunder hope to head into Saturday afternoon’s Game 3 with a 2-0 advantage in the series.
Stay tuned to Thunder on SI for complete coverage of the NBA Playoff run for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA (KOKH) — The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a home fire late Tuesday evening, around 10:42 p.m.
According to OKCFD, fire could be seen from a window of the home located in the 4200 block of N. Phillips Avenue.
Firefighters were able to rescue an adult female from inside the home. No injuries were reported in connection with the fire.
Investigators believe that the fire may have originated from an outlet near the refrigerator that had a power strip plugged in that was supplying multiple appliances.
There was also no smoke detector present within the home.
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