Oklahoma

Navy Coach, Oklahoma Native Brian Newberry to Battle Sooners in Armed Forces Bowl

Published

2 years ago

December 8, 2024

Press Room

Navy Coach, Oklahoma Native Brian Newberry to Battle Sooners in Armed Forces Bowl

NORMAN — Long before becoming the head coach at Navy, Brian Newberry was just a kid from Oklahoma.

A native of Moore, OK, Newberry fell in love with the Sooners in 1985.

That was the year that Newberry — still in grade school at the time — went to his first OU football game. He and his family were on hand as the Sooners beat Colorado, one of their 11 victories as OU won the national championship that season.

Football had long been a passion for Newberry. But watching OU legends Brian Bosworth and Jamelle Holieway in that game inspired him personally.

“That’s when I decided that I wanted to play college football,” Newberry said.

After achieving that goal with a four-year playing career as a defensive back at Baylor and now having coached college football for 25 years, Newberry will square off against the team that instilled his love for the sport.

Newberry’s Midshipmen will play against Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth on Dec. 27.

“We have a big Sooner family, and I still root for the Sooners,” Newberry said Sunday during a media conference call. “We couldn’t ask for a better bowl selection and a better opponent.”

WATCH: Navy HC Brian Newberry Talks Armed Forces Bowl Matchup With Oklahoma

Newberry hopped around the various ranks of college football before landing in Annapolis in 2019 as the Midshipmen’s defensive coordinator. He was promoted to head coach prior to the 2023 season, replacing longtime Middies coach Ken Niumatalolo.

His first season at the helm was one of growing pains, as Navy finished 5-7 and didn’t reach a bowl game. But Year 2 was a significant turnaround for Newberry’s group, with Navy winning its first six games of the 2024 season and are currently 8-3.

Navy will wrap up the much-improved campaign with two games that Newberry considers bowl games.

First, the Midshipmen will battle service-academy rival Army on Saturday at Northwest Stadium in Landover, MD. Then, just two weeks later, they’ll face the Sooners.

It’s an unconventional situation for Army and Navy, as both are bowl eligible this year. But Newberry thinks it’s one that could make his team better.

“There’s one thing on our kids’ minds right now, and once that gets accomplished, we’ll get excited about playing in this bowl game,” Newberry said.

Like fellow service academies Army and Air Force, the Midshipmen run a version of the triple-option on offense.

With the service academy athletic department facing challenges — like prohibition of NIL for student-athletes and the inability to acquire athletes from the transfer portal — Newberry cited the “need to be different” in order for them to have success.

That starts with their offense and also affects how they play on defense.

“We have a unique system, and we want to be extremely hard to prepare for,” Newberry said. “What sets us apart (defensively) is how we do it with the intangibles and the fantastic young men in our program.”

While Newberry still considers himself to be a Sooners fan, the coach admitted that he doesn’t get to follow OU sports as closely as he used to.

Still, Newberry has watched a handful of Brent Venables-led Oklahoma games throughout the years and even studied how Venables coaches.

“I’ve always admired how hard he has kids play,” Newberry said. “Him and I are alike in our philosophy. I’ve studied him in the past, the offseason. I have a ton of respect for them.”

Win or lose, Newberry sees so many positives about playing in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Navy has 30 players on its 2024 squad from Texas, where the bowl game will be held. The Midshipmen also have a history in the military-themed game, playing in it twice with a 1-1 record. And it’s a historic postseason game for the Midshipmen, as they haven’t played a bowl game against an SEC foe since the 1954 Sugar Bowl, when they beat Ole Miss.

Between those things and Newberry’s history with — and love for — the Sooners, this game will be a highlight of his young head coaching career.

“No better place to go and no better team to do it against,” Newberry said. “To do it in Texas against a storied program like Oklahoma, it doesn’t get much better than that.”

Source link

Oklahoma

Bode Sparrow commits Friday: why BYU is Oklahoma’s biggest threat for the Davis star

Published

10 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

Bode Sparrow commits Friday: why BYU is Oklahoma’s biggest threat for the Davis star

Kaysville (Utah) Davis athlete Bode Sparrow cut his list to four back in May and has now locked in his commitment date.

Sparrow is a tremendous player on both sides of the ball and checks in as the No. 77 player nationally in the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.

He will make his long awaited college choice this Friday, May 25 from a final four of BYU, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah.

In handicapping this race, two schools jump out for us. The first is Oklahoma. I put a commit prediction in for the Sooners back in March and there was some buzz that he could commit around that time.

Sparrow decided to hold off making an early decision in order to take his official visits. Oklahoma was the first visit locked in and for awhile, the only visit that was set, giving even more credence to the Sooners being the team to beat.

“They really believe in me and have a vision for me there,” Sparrow told us after his official visit. “They show me so much love and I have such great relationships with the coaches there.

“I also really like the town of Norman and the plan in place for me from a safety/scheme standpoint. They really have everything I’m looking for in a school. Brent Venables is great, a defensive minded head coach and I just love the all around fit.”

Sparrow followed up his visit to OU with trips to Oregon, Utah and BYU. The Ducks made a big impression and should be considered a dark horse. They are easily one of the toughest schools to recruit against and it would surprise no one if Sparrow ends in Eugene.

Saying that, the school that is gaining a lot of momentum and looks to be Oklahoma’s biggest challenger is BYU. For months we talked to some close to Sparrow, college coaches and trainers who all said the same thing, ‘don’t rule out BYU in the end.’

No one has recruited Sparrow longer than the Cougs. He has been on campus more than any other school, he’s strong in his LDS faith and he has a great connection with the BYU staff including head coach Kalani Sitake.

BYU was able to get the final visit over the weekend and there is some quiet confidence in Provo as well as from a few other recruits/commits who were also on the visit. With the church connection, we’ve long said in a head to head battle, BYU is very tough to beat, especially for an in-state player.

Saying that, there are still Sooner commits we’ve talked to convinced Sparrow is still headed to Norman. That’s why this recruitment has become one of the more fascinating ones to follow this cycle, it’s one of those rare instances where days away from a decision, it could still go in multiple directions.

For now, my commit prediction remains on Oklahoma but BYU is closing fast and this one close to a toss up with a decision quickly approaching.

Members only · one like per member

Source link

Oklahoma

OHP remembers K-9 for protecting countless lives during career

Published

20 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

OHP remembers K-9 for protecting countless lives during career

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Officials with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are remembering a dedicated K-9 officer who passed away earlier this month.

K-9 Dak was born in 2014 and began serving with the OHP in 2015.

Throughout his distinguished career, officials say Dak’s exceptional instincts made a significant impact on public safety across the state.

During his career, Dak was instrumental in the seizure of over 2,000 pounds of marijuana, 46 pounds of cocaine, 151 pounds of methamphetamine, and 99 pounds of fentanyl.

“These remarkable accomplishments represent countless lives protected and communities made safer through Dak’s service,” OHP wrote.

Dak worked his final shift on June 3 before peacefully passing away from natural causes on June 7.

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

“More than his statistics and accomplishments, Dak was a loyal partner, trusted teammate, and beloved member of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. His legacy will live on through the work he accomplished, the bond he shared with his handler, and the many lives he touched throughout his career,” OHP said.

Source link

Oklahoma

Oklahoma captures third MCWS title, defeating North Carolina 13-2

Published

1 day ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

Oklahoma captures third MCWS title, defeating North Carolina 13-2

It’s Boomer Sooner time in Omaha.

Oklahoma has won the 2026 Men’s College World Series, steamrolling through North Carolina in the winner-take-all Game 3, 13-2, capturing its first national title in over 30 years and third overall. The Sooners are the seventh straight SEC team to win the national championship.

A dogpile with cheers that made its way through the infiled, it closed out the Sooners’ one-for-the-ages NCAA tournament run.

for the third time in program history, the Oklahoma Sooners are national champions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/xEvjGxhqgM
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) June 23, 2026
Advertisement

It was an all-around masterclass for OU, jumping out to a 3-1 lead by the end of the third and never looking back. They put at least one run across the plate in four of the final six innings, including three in the fourth and four in the eighth.

The fourth was where Oklahoma’s upper hand became clear. Walker McDuffie’s three consecutive one-out walks loaded the bases, and UNC turned to star freshman Caden Glauber. The Tar Heels were previously 29-0 with whenever he pitched, but he was pulled after a walk and Jaxon Willits’ two-RBI single.

LJ Mercurius was outstanding on the mound, entering for starter Nick Wesloski in the third and tossing 5.2 innings, giving up just one run on four hits. It was his longest outing since April 17.

Outside of Mercurius, shortstop Jaxon Willits and Kyle Branch starred for the Sooners. The former went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and was named Most Outstanding Player, while Branch also went 3-for-4 with a homer and six RBIs, a career-high. He’s the third player all-time to record six or more RBIs in a national championship game.

The victory caps off OU’s gauntlet-like journey to the top. After finishing 11th in SEC regular season play, they knocked off five national seeds — three in the top five and two on the road — leaning on a trio of freshman arms and a historic power surge at the plate.

Men’s College World Series All-Tournament Team: