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?

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