Joe Burrow ?  After 1 full season as a starter w/ LSU (middling performance), he took a pretty dramatic leap from ~start 16 onwards in college.  Granted, that's an outlier exception, but still.

In the opening take, Grant thinks one big game day decision will likely determine the outcome of OU-Kansas State. Then Lee joins as we begin the show reading some of your "3 Word Reviews" from OU's most recent win over West Virginia. The reviews begin by pointing out OU's lack of rushing success (3:40). More thoughts on OU fans booing Spencer Rattler and the offense (11:05). How "close" is the offense really (22:15)? Gabe Brkic is a great kicker, but man he seems like a weird dude (26:25). A listener wants more Mike Woods and we agree. Plus we want more Marvin Mims touches (30:00). Should we be a little more forgiving with the way Rattler's playing based on his experience level? Plus Lee re-watched last year's K-State game and Rattler looked like a different player (35:15). Lee's operating under the assumption that Skylar Thompson will not play, but Grant is thinking we will see Thompson on Saturday. Lee thinks Will Howard has a chance to give OU problems with his legs and even with his arm. Deuce Vaughn is a problem, plus a little OU D-line talk (41:20). Outside of Vaughn, KSU's skill position players have not done much this year. And will K-State's offense use OU's aggressiveness against them (59:00)? Lee points out a play from the WVU game that shows how everything can fall apart simply by one player not doing their job on defense. Will we see Danny Stutsman (1:04:10)? K-State's defense has a different scheme this season that looks a lot like Iowa State. OU must find a way to run the ball, and will Rattler have time to throw and hit on explosive plays (1:11:30)? We give our final OU-Kansas State thoughts as well as a prediction (1:21:10). Texas goes to TCU this week and it would appear that the bet should be the Frogs plus the points. There's a weird line at West Virginia, and Iowa State's playing Kansas (1:29:00). Grant went 5-0 with his picks last week, Lee was terrible once again. We make picks on Iowa-Maryland/Arkansas-Georgia/Cincinnati-Notre Dame/Ole Miss-Alabama/Baylor-OSU (1:31:25). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 209 - Are the Sooners Really Gonna Lose to K-State 3 Years in a Row?

We open the show by talking about what's coming up, plus Daylight Savings Time. We move on to Brent Venables' pre-Spring press conference where we learned that Justin Harrington won his appeal with the NCAA. Also some thoughts on Andrel Anthony (5:00). We've learned how to pronounce some new names, OU's hired a new offensive analyst, Venables had some thoughts on new co-DC Zac Alley, and Venables has improved as a speaker since becoming OU's head coach (9:40). There seems to be quite a bit of mid-year enrollees. Thoughts on David Stone and Jayden Jackson, Venables on a "General Manager", and what about the proposed rules involving comms inside player helmets, and a 2-minute warning (17:35). Venables on the defensive line as a whole, the offensive line, and the TE run (29:40). Did Venables hint at something that may change on special teams? There's going to be plenty of competition at kicker (40:00). Venables said Jalil Farooq has had a terrific offseason, as well as Jayden Gibson. More thoughts on the WRs (45:00). We shift to the player interviews where we learned that David Stone wants to be a neurosurgeon. Thoughts on Deion Burks, Sam Franklin, Bauer Sharp, Davon Mitchell, and Lee's jumping on the Danny Okoye bandwagon (48:00). We address a couple of comments from the WoE Facebook involving a former OU D-line commit, and one listener's thoughts on Lamar Jackson (1:09:00). We talk about Arch Manning opting out of the upcoming video game. Apparently EA Sports will not let you edit in the names of players who opt out (1:16:40). Taking a look at ESPN's Top 10 QBs for the 2024 season. Grant says this list shows it's a down year for QBs. Also some brief thoughts on the Top 10 RBs list (1:24:15). Finally, we wrap up the show with our latest thoughts on the OU men's basketball team (1:33:25). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 312 - Venables and the Gang Are Here for Spring Ball

We start the show with the breaking news that OU men's basketball has missed the NCAA Tournament yet again. The Sooners were the first team out. All the upsets in the conference tournaments ended up pushing OU out of the tourney. Grant has plenty of thoughts on Porter Moser and the program (1:10). Moving over to football by checking in with the official OU spring roster. Lee appreciates the pronunciation guide. The guys go over some players gaining and losing weight, and maybe a little fun with new numbers (21:45). Bill Bedenbaugh is the first non-coordinator OU assistant coach to earn a $1M+ annual salary. A kicker is in the portal, and we give our brief pro day takeaways, and read a question from the WoE Facebook page (34:00). We welcome Lee's friend Jarrod to the show to provide his expert analysis on head coaching hires in college football. They start by explaining what he does and the criteria for grading coaches (44:10). Jarrod hits on some his successful predictions including Sonny Dykes, Rhett Lashlee, Dan Lanning, Lincoln Riley, and more (50:40). Jarrod tells us where he and his staff have gone wrong in the past (57:45). Perhaps some surprising thoughts on new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer (1:00:15). New Michigan HC Sherrone Moore (1:03:30). Jarrod's team has spent a lot of time on new Washington HC Jedd Fisch (1:05:30). New Mississippi St. head coach Jeff Lebby (1:09:20). New A&M HC Mike Elko (1:13:00). New Houston HC Willie Fritz and new Duke HC Manny Diaz (1:16:45). What about new Boston College HC Bill O'Brien and new Michigan St. HC Jonathan Smith (1:21:10)? Lee wants to know about new MTSU HC Derek Mason (1:26:30). More off the radar new head coaches that the formula really likes (1:28:50). We get some updates on current head coaches that may or may not be on thin ice, starting with Baylor HC Dave Aranda (1:34:00). Jarrod's not liking the prospects of Missouri HC Eli Drinkwitz and Arkansas HC Sam Pittman (1:36:10). How about Deion Sanders at Colorado and Matt Rhule at Nebraska (1:38:00)? Jarrod and his staff did not like the Sark hire at first, but that may have been one of the few misses (1:43:15). Finally, on to Brent Venables. Some of you may not like this part (1:45:30). Despite the staff's thoughts on Venables, Jarrod makes it clear they always root for the Sooners and wnat them to do well (1:52:40). The guys wrap up the show by talking about how low budget this podcast really is (1:56:40). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 313 - Sharp Grades on New & Current Head Coaches Plus OU Basketball is Left Out Once Again

After some opening pleasnatries, we jump into the story of DeMarco Murray staying at OU after getting courted by Ohio State. The guys have been critical of Murray in the past, so what did they think when this story broke? We recall all the reasons why we've been critical of Murray and it all comes back to Tawee Walker (2:30). Lee reads from a story published in August of last year that may help shine some light on the relationship between Murray and Tawee Walker (22:10). Lee goes through the four recruiting classes Murray has been involved with at OU. We also look back at the RBs OU has recruited since 2013, back when Cale Gundy and Jay Boulware were involved (26:30). This week we learned who OU will be playing in 2025. Which road games would you like to attend (39:10)? We check in with ESPN's top pass catcher list. Deion Burks received some votes. Is OU's WR room being shortchanged (47:15)? We go to the WoE FB page to read reactions from the Coachstradamus interview from last week (55:00). Lee wants to clean up the WoE inbox as he missed and failed to reply to comments that were posted up to 3 years ago. There's also a recent comment asking about the OU wide receivers and just how good they can be (1:05:25). We wrap up the show with some NCAA Tournament talk. Would have been nice to see OU getting a chance to play at least one game. Man, they need a big man. And was Grant right about the Big 12 all along (1:15:00)? | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 314 - DeMarco Murray is Staying at OU & Cleaning Out the Inbox

Brent Venables opened up practice for quite a long time to the media this week. Plus many players conducted interviews, including Jovantae Barnes. We begin the show by jumping into Barnes and what the heck is going on with his foot and his potential availability for the 2024 season. Lee goes through the timeline of his foot injury dating back to last spring and we try to figure out if he's ever going to be healthy--or maybe Barnes just simply isn't very good (3:00). Grant points out that the two players atop the RB depth chart are injury prone, so potentially all RBs have a chance to get some run this year. We relitigate the final quarter of the Kansas game and ask why Barnes was in the game and not Gavin Sawchuk? We also continue to question DeMarco Murray's management of that room (17:20). We move over to Jackson Arnold and what he's working on this spring. Is he really off of social media? Grant is expecting a big season from Arnold, but Lee can't help but think of the worst case scenario. What if Jackson Arnold plays as well as Spencer Rattler played in his RS-Freshman year? Would we take that (30:15)? I think we continue to get evidence the TE room is much better than it was a season ago. Thoughts on Davon Mitchell and Kaden Helms (40:45). David Stone and Jayden Jackson are making really good first impressions (47:40). I think we learned a lot from Dasan McCullough's availability this week. Grant's afraid he does not have a true position anymore, while Lee is hoping that maybe Will LB is a spot that can allow McCullough to contribute and make plays (53:40). Woodi Washington is repping at basically every secondary position. Lee's not sure this is a good thing for Woodi. Grant wants to remind everybody that while OU's secondary looks to have a lot of depth, the pass defense was still bad in 2023 (1:00:30). All we're getting is good vibes from Zac Alley and it sounds like he's simplifying the defene for everybody. Does that sound too much like Alex Grinch's Speed D (1:12:00)? Thoughts on Justin Harrington and his recovery from injury. Grant wants to make sure he brings up Deion Burks and the rave reviews he's been getting. Plus there were reports that Troy Everett suffered some sort of an injury this week (1:17:00). Lastly, Lee doesn't care at all to hear about Casey Thompson right now. Grant defends Casey (1:24:50). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 315 - What the Heck is Going on With Jovantae Barnes and His Foot?

There were a lot of positive vibes flowing at OU spring practice this week, but unfortunately the biggest news is that center Troy Everett is injured and will be out until at least the beginning of the season (1:30). The offensive line and the defensive line have the most question marks on the team going into 2024. Venables did have a lot of positive things to say about the DL this week at practice (10:30). We continue to hear great things about Jayden Jackson and David Stone (17:25). The LBs are in much better shape today compared to where the Sooners were in the spring of 2022 (20:30). It sure sounds like the secondary is looking great -- but we are still skeptical that they'll be able to play sound, consistent zone defense. Plus additional thoughts on Kendel Dolby, Woodi Washington, and can OU implement the Iowa State umbrella-style defense at times in the SEC (27:15)? Grant talks a little bit about the QB room and we both figure out that Davis Beville is now playing at South Carolina. Lee had to be reminded recently that OU is still not technically in the SEC yet (37:40). Let's talk about ESPN's rankings of the top 10 head coaches for 2024. Who's too high? Who's too low? Who should be on the list? What if they did a top 10 worst coaches (42:15)? We finish up with OU men's basketball talk after basically the entire team is portaling (1:02:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 316 - The Starting Center is Hurt, But Everything Else Still Sounds Great

The guys open the show talking about OU's season opener vs. Temple being moved up to Friday, August 30. We also go over some of the other matchups on Labor Day weekend, as well as even more premiere matchups in Week 2 (1:10). Jumping into the Spring Game preview. We're still waiting on a format for the game. Lee wants Jackson Arnold to look really good, but Grant reminds people that sometimes the starting QB doesn't look good in this game. We also talk about the possibility of Arnold throwing a bunch of picks this upcoming season (19:15). We'll be watching for Jovantae Barnes, Kalib Hicks, and Sam Franklin this Saturday. Lee reads into some comments about Franklin (32:00). Grant says Bill Bedenbaugh is tinkering on the offensive line right now. Lee doesn't trust many people's takes on offensive line play in general. Who knows what we will learn from the Spring Game (36:00)? Which WRs will be available for the Spring Game? Everybody will be wanting to see Deion Burks. Bauer Sharp sounds like he is the starting TE. Jake Roberts' brother just committed to Ohio State. Lee has a glass hall full theory about why that happened (45:30). We flip over to the defense and begin with the interior of the defensive line (56:10). Lee wants to talk about P.J. Adebawore's weight and his diet moving forward. Would be cool if R Mason Thomas can stay healthy (59:45). We don't have much on the LBs or the secondary players. We know a lot already about both position groups (1:05:40). Which players do we *not want to see enter the transfer portal* after the Spring Game? Who do we expect to enter the portal (1:09:00)? A listener wants to know the last time OU's offensive line consisted of more high school recruits than transfer players? This leads to more general talk about the offensive line (1:24:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 317 - Spring Game Preview & Who Do We *Not* Want to Portal?

Grant was bored by the spring game while Lee explains why the spring game was pretty interesting to him (1:25). We get into the breakdown beginning with Jackson Arnold and his play (8:30). Lee wants to talk about Michael Hawkins because there was a spring narrative about him looking really good, yet we didn't see much evidence of that in the spring game (23:15). The offensive line with Jackson Arnold played really well. Overall we're encouraged by what we saw from the OL (25:35). Deion Burks was terrific, but no other pass catchers really stood out (33:20). Sawchuk, Hicks, and Franklin all looked good at running back. The room looks to be in better shape than last season. Have we seen the last of Jovantae Barnes in an OU uniform (43:30)? We switch over to the defense and begin with the defensive line. Lee liked a good amount of what he saw, while Grant is very skeptical of the interior part of the line. Can the Sooners pick up some of these big D-linemen in the portal (56:45)? Not much to say about the linebackers aside from Kobie McKinzie looked good. Grant is still high on Jaren Kanak. Was he at fault for the second Burks TD? Lee could not figure out what coverage OU was in on the two long TDs (1:08:00). Thoughts on the OU secondary. Lee thinks Dez Malone may be a starter at corner. Grant liked what he saw from RSJ, but overall the secondary was slightly disappointing (1:13:50). We read your "3 Word Reviews" from the WoE Facebook page (1:19:10). Final thoughts on who stood out on offense. Grant wants RPOs to be eliminated (1:23:15). Final thoughts on defensive standouts (1:29:50). The kicking game will continue to be a massive question mark. Are you interested in the Miami (OH) kicker in the portal? Plus we go over other final disappointing thoughts from the scrimmage (1:31:50). Shane Whitter and Justin Harrington recently entered the transfer portal (1:39:40). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 318 - Burks Looks Awesome in Encouraging OU Spring Game

We have quickly jumped into the true offseason of college football with the spring behind us. OU got some good news this past week with a couple of players committing out of the transfer portal at two positions of need (2:50). TCU's Damonic Williams still has not made his decision. Looks like there's a few other DT targets that OU could look at aside from Williams. Plus Grant thinks Lee's crazy for comparing Rondell Bothroyd's play last season to Reggie Grimes' play from 2022 (16:50). Jasiah Wagoner is off to Cal. Lee is surprised Jovantae Barnes is not in the portal (33:00). The guys defend Jaren Kanak and Lee struggles to find the Deion Burks TD pass that was the catalyst for all the recent criticism (38:40). Three OU players were selected in the NFL Draft. We also take a look at potential OU draft picks for 2025 (46:30). Caleb Williams is the No. 1 pick to the Bears. The Bears have never had a good QB, so Lee is excited for what could be with Williams. Skip this part if you don't care about how the Bears are set up for the Caleb Williams era. Also Grant loves Brock Bowers (55:25). Caleb Williams recently talked about competing with Spencer Rattler in 2021 and how he thought he was the better player, but did not win the job (1:06:15). For the first time (we think) we hear Caleb's account of the time he took the ball from Kennedy Brooks on 4th down against Kansas in 2021 (1:20:00). Spencer Rattler is a 5th Round pick to the Saints. Grant's been watching old OU games, specifically from the 2008 season (1:32:45). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 319 - OU Adds Two From the Portal. Who's Next?

After some brief Cinco de Mayo talk, the guys jump into the significance of OU picking up Damonic Williams out of the transfer portal (3:25). General Booty and Gavin Freeman both entered the portal this week. Freeman has committed to OSU. We talk about the numbers and go over once again why Freeman's time with the Sooners was frustrating (30:20). The guys take a look at the QBs and RBs on the OU roster and put them all into 6 different categories: Top Player/Good, solid starter/Average/Need to see more/Below average/Move on (45:00). A very brief talk about Deion Sanders/Colorado (1:17:25). Grant has a question for the listeners about how they consume the history of OU football (1:19:40). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 320 - The Significance of OU Landing Damonic Williams

Grant is playing injured during this episode as the guys reminisce about the time Hugh Freeze coached a game from a hospital bed. After a brief intro, the guys talk about Jermayne Lole flipping his commitment to OU over to Texas (4:20). Reggie Grimes has found a new team (12:00). We continue our evaluation of the OU roster by putting each player into one of six different categories. We start with the WRs. This part of the show includes some wild Grant conspiracy theories, ripping on Big Ten QBs, Todd Bates catches a stray for some reason and there's other shenanigans (14:00). Over to the TEs as we continue our roster evaluation (49:40). We read a very nice message from the WoE Facebook page reacting to the question Grant asked last week on the show. Plus the guys briefly talk about how the podcast release schedule is going to be different for the next episode and we've received more news about the EA Sports college football game (1:02:15). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 321 - Lole Spurns Sooners for Texas & We Assess OU's WRs and TEs

Opinion and analysis of Oklahoma Sooners football from the viewpoints of a local media member and an OU fan living outside The Sooner State. New episodes every Thursday during football season.

Ep. 209 - Are the Sooners Really Gonna Lose to K-State 3 Years in a Row?

West of Everest: An Oklahoma Football Podcast

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