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?

The guys jump right into the news that DeMarco Murray was a candidate for the Penn State running backs coach job, but will stay at OU after all. Lock in for another DeMarco Murray/OU running backs discussion (1:30). Lee did not quite realize how lowly ranked OU's 2025 signing class is. This takes us on a journey of OU's previous recruiting classes. The 2017 class was incredible (28:05). Over to the John Mateer/Ben Arbuckle 2024 watch as Washington State won a 54-52 2OT shootout against San Jose State. Mateer and Arbuckle continued to show a lot of promise, while Mateer also provided two massive lowlights. Through 4 games we are still very much pleased about what we've seen from both Mateer and Arbuckle (41:20). Jalen Hurts and the Eagles dominated the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, it was a very poor game (1:14:00). The guys inexplicably close the show with thoughts on the OU men's basketball team (1:23:35). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 375 - DeMarco Murray Still on Staff After Interest from Penn State

We open the show with some brief talk about the upcoming segment breaking down Washington State's Week 5 game against Boise State. After that they jump into the news that Kevin Wilson has reportedly been added to the staff as an offensive analyst (2:50). The Washington State-Boise State game was a good watch and super interesting. John Mateer played pretty well against the best team he saw all season. He made one horrible mistake, but him and Ben Arbuckle continue to raise Washington State's offense (15:25). We take a look at OU's 2025 schedule and try to predict what OU's Vegas win total will be. What should be the expectation for number of wins in 2025 (50:40)? Grant jinxed the basketball team months ago. Yes, we finish up the show with our half-baked thoughts on the men's team being bad. Lee also has a quick plug for a separate podcast (1:00:55). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 376 - Kevin Wilson Returns, Mateer vs. Boise State, & OU's Win Total

The guys are back and jump right into what Brent Venables said Wednesday at his pre-spring press conference. Venables had another incredibly long opening statement. He also announced players who will not be active during spring practice (2:05). Venables also confirmed that he did not call OU's defense in 2024 (16:30). OU will not have a spring game in 2025. Grant is not happy about college football slowly transitioning to more of a pro football model. Can the "Crimson Combine" be successful (19:10)? Thoughts on Jim Nagy being named OU's GM. What do we hope he's good at? Is the NFL front office model the future? Grant's open to this being a good hire, but the OU football program has not earned the benefit of the doubt the past three years (32:40). Grant takes a look at the preseason SP+ rankings. Let's all nervously laugh at OU's super hard schedule (50:45). Lee goes over some of the things John Mateer said at his first OU press conference. We finish up by breaking down Mateer's performance against Fresno St. during the 2024 season. Mateer did not play well (57:45). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 377 - Spring Brings a New GM, the "Crimson Combine", & Injury Updates

After some brief basketball talk the guys get to talking about the ramifications of Jayden Gibson suffering a small setback in his recovery from his knee injury (1:50). Javonnie Gibson has a lot of people talking early in spring practice. Is this real (16:00)? We're all rooting for Jaren Kanak to be a good tight end (21:20). Who knows what's going to happen with the running back room (28:15)? Grant's excited about what he's heard about Troy Everett. Lee wants to know if it's okay to be positive about the offensive line again (32:50)? Let's talk about David Stone and what the defensive line could look like, but we must remind everybody that OU's secondary is a problem. And Grant wants to talk about Taylor Heim (41:15). Breaking down John Mateer's performance against Hawaii in Week 8 of the 2024 season. The stats were terrific (47:50). We give some love to the OU men's basketball team who looks to be on their way to the NCAA Tournament (57:45). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 378 - Javonnie Gibson Might Be Good & Can We Be Positive About the O-Line?

The show announces a new presenting sponsor, Lee gets bleeped, and then we finally start talking about OU football. The guys are back on the practice field following spring break. Is anybody else getting a clear Dillon Gabriel/Jeff Lebby 2022 feeling with Mateer/Arbuckle? Is the Mayfield/Riley 2015 analogy more fitting? Plus fun nostalgic MTV Spring Break thoughts (2:50)! OU released a mic'd up video of Arbuckle and Mateer. There's a couple of interesting takeaways, mainly regarding two apparently key WRs (14:00). Lee doesn't understand the unnecessary expectations that was thrusted on two promising young offensive linemen. Grant doesn't find it to be that big of a deal (21:00). More reactions to the Oklahoma Breakdown Podcast as they recently talked about OU's running back room. Why does that position group not have any difference makers at the moment (32:40)? Mike Gundy's Bedlam spring proposal (42:40). Breaking down John Mateer's play in Washington State's 29-26 win over SDSU in Week 9. This game showed us something about Mateer that hopefully is a very positive sign for the future (46:00). For basketball fans, we talk about OU's first round exit to UConn in the NCAA Tournament (1:13:55).

Ep. 379 - Unnecessary Expectations and Why No Difference Makers at RB?

Grant's feeling a bit more hopeful about the 2025 season lately, while Lee talks about having reasonable hope compared to blind hope. Nevertheless the vibes coming out of spring ball have been pretty good, particularly surrounding the WRs. Grant says it's reasonable to be excited about many parts of the roster, but there are 3-4 position groups with serious questions (2:05). We watched practice video of pass catchers taking on DBs in 1-on-1s and we've got a lot of thoughts. Probably the most we've talked about the tight ends in a long time (18:20). We also got 1-on-1s of the O-Line taking on the D-Line. Several practice thoughts commence. It seems reasonable to expect David Stone to make a jump based on the evidence on hand (37:35). It appears Lee's conspiracy theory about Gentry Williams was wrong (50:05). Brent Venables appeared with Josh Pate in a recent interview. Lee has many thoughts-- most of them negative, but we did learn at least a couple of things (53:40). Trae Young is now the assistant GM for men's basketball, but what does that mean? Rants about players transferring all the time (1:10:20). Lamenting the death of the traditional spring game (1:19:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 380 - 1-on-1s Reaction & Venables Continues to be Long-Winded

We don't waste any time as Grant jumps into the news that Javonnie Gibson has been injured (1:15). Trejan Bridges (13:00)?! Davon Mitchell has entered the transfer portal. Grant is not surprised in the least bit, while Lee finally watched Mitchell's HS senior highlight tape and was not impressed (19:10). So, the Crimson Combine is this weekend (29:45). Grant absolutely hated watching Washington State-Utah State from November 2024. This game showcased perhaps the best Mateer high-level quarterback moment so far, but also included some head-scratching mistakes and decisions. Stay tuned for a cameo from DJ Graham (34:10)! Grant wants to talk about OU men's basketball picking up a terrific guard out of the transfer portal (1:01:50). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 381 - Javonnie Gibson's Injury Harshes the Buzz of the Crimson Combine

OU gets a big-time running back out of the transfer portal. Grant's super excited, while Lee is taking a more cautious approach (1:30). Jim Nagy has done an excellent job so far-- will he be able to bring in a tight end that actually helps (19:10)? Sam Franklin has entered the transfer portal. Grant thinks some other RBs will be out of here this spring (24:20). OU also brought in a solid interior offensive linemen who could challenge Troy Everett for the starting center job. What's the next position Jim Nagy is looking to fill from the portal (27:45)? Not much to take from the Crimson Combine. Is there any way to make a spring event, that's not the spring game, interesting (40:00)? Do you buy that Javonnie Gibson may be back for the start of the season (47:40)? We read some listener comments that are positive, pessimistic, and critical (52:35). The Nico Iamaleava saga (1:06:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 382 - OU Upgrades Running Back Room as Spring Portal Opens

The show opens with random NFL Draft and sports time zone talk before jumping into the David Stone situation. The guys had two very different reactions when the news broke last Friday. There's a lot to get into here (5:20). How did David Stone's freshman season compare to some recent other 5-star defensive linemen? Some guys are good right away, some aren't. Grant just wants more information about how these things happen, while Lee feels bad for Stone's situation. Where does the SOUL Mission come in here (26:30)? Breaking down John Mateer and Washington State's late-season 38-35 loss to New Mexico. It was a tale of two halves for Mateer and Ben Arbuckle shoulders some blame for this loss (47:45). Grant does not want OU to accept being a lesser tier program (1:11:10). You get Lee's live reaction to the Bears taking Colston Loveland at No. 10 for some reason. And Taylor Tatum is still on OU's roster (1:15:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 383 - What Does the David Stone Story Say About OU & College Football?

After a brief intro the guys jump into talking about Gavin Sawchuk entering the transfer portal (2:15). The Sooners pick up a new wide receiver out of the portal and we have no idea if he will be a relevant player in 2025. Grant wishes OU would have paid a lot of money for the Cal transfer tight end (12:50). The Sooners picked up a new kicker out of the portal and we hope he makes field goals when asked to do so (22:40). We wanted OU to pick up a new corner out of the portal, but that didn't happen. The Sooners also lost a quarterback to the portal. Does this mean Hawkins has improved (31:10)? Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman got drafted over the weekend plus the guys deal with some technical difficulties. Is it a problem that OU only had 2 players drafted in 2025 (38:30)? A shocking Dillon Gabriel draft position. Grant was bored by Shedeur Sanders taking up all the oxygen over the weekend (51:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 384 - Sawchuk Exits, a New WR Enters, and OU's Lack of Drafted Players

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

West of Everest: An Oklahoma Football Podcast

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