No Father's Son

[djp73]

YOU CANT TURN A HOE INTO A HOUSEWIFE

[Captain Canada]

When he leaves for Alabama in two years

[ShireNiner]

You made Ryan Clark sound smarter than he is. Your Steeler bias is showing.

Running Leon about to get caught.

[redsox907]

Man gonna have to be a lifer at Oklahoma to beat the allegations

Lane Leon

he's been called worse, I'm sure

That was a great back and forth, Pat won that debate. If the players support his decision, why should fans care? Players can transfer too if they want.

I have also only read the last few pages so maybe I am missing things.

I mean, he has jumped around a bit, so it is a fair criticism and also plays into the thematic roles of his core beliefs that are being addressed in the background

YOU CANT TURN A HOE INTO A HOUSEWIFE

I mean, you can certainly try. Hoes have plenty of redeeming qualities I'm sure

When he leaves for Alabama in two years

I will go on record to say - never at Bama.

You made Ryan Clark sound smarter than he is. Your Steeler bias is showing.

Running Leon about to get caught.

I may not agree with Clark all the time and I think he's starting to get into SAS territory with bold takes just for the attention grab, but he is pretty well spoken at the same time

will he, or is he going to put Sooner football back on the map?

[redsox907]

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Armando Leon Officially Introduced As 24th Coach In Oklahoma History

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Boone Tillman // Sooner Born • Published: December 12th, 2028

Former Maryland head coach Armando Leon was officially introduced as the 24th head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners at the Barry Switzer Center this afternoon in an hour-long press conference. Among the topics of discussion was his vision for the future of the Sooners program, what mindset he was bringing to the SEC, and how he would manage coaching two schools at the same time with his commitment to coaching his former team, the Maryland Terrapins, through the College Football Playoff.

Before we get into my thoughts on the hiring of Armando Leon, I want to preface something. I wanted Dan Lanning. I feel pretty dang confident in saying we all wanted Dan Lanning. You see the work he's done in Oregon from a recruiting standpoint, a team building standpoint, and a pure production standpoint and I don't see how you could not want him as the next head coach.

Lanning turned us down; there is nothing we can do about that, he did the smart thing and used us as leverage for a new contract where he was comfortable. As a man, can't blame him. As a lifelong Sooner fan, however? I hope he never wins another conference championship, let alone bowl game.

I was lukewarm on Heupel, while we're being honest, he was run out of town for a reason and hasn't shown me anything at Tennessee to warrant bringing him back. But at least he would be an Oklahoma guy with experience being a head coach.

And that brings us to Armando Leon. He is without a doubt a gifted defensive coordinator. You don't coach #1 overall defenses in back-to-back seasons—at different schools mind you—without being able to coach up a defense. But you need more than that to be a competent head coach. He's had a great first season at Maryland, no knock there. But again, one season with a strong offensive coordinator in Mike Shanahan, who is one of the favorites to replace him, doesn't exactly prove he can sustain it long term. I'm not saying having a strong staff is a bad thing, don't get me wrong, but with limited experience on his resume, how do we know that the success wasn't more of a reflection of Shanahan and not Leon?

Both Lincoln Riley and Brent Venables caught flak for being great coordinators in their respective positions—and their teams while head coach reflected that—but failing to either find, or rely on, a gifted coordinator to complement their abilities. I will say that the early returns at Maryland show Leon in a different light than his predecessors at Oklahoma—he got a good offensive coordinator and it paid dividends for him. He'll need to do that again in Oklahoma, or risk repeating the mistakes of his predecessors.

Lest we forget, Leon's defense was struggling with an identity problem after the 42-point explosion by the Buckeyes. They sharpened up and quickly rose to the top of the pack in defensive rating, but there were plenty of questions swirling wondering if Leon was going to be able to whip his defense into shape.

And we haven't even touched on the fact that he hasn't stayed at one job since Havre High School.

I saw the debate between Pat McAfee and Ryan Clark yesterday; they both made valid points. I think I'm speaking for all Sooner fans with this next statement, but Pat McAfee is dead wrong. If Armando Leon brings a championship to Norman, we'll be in hog heaven. But not if that championship leads him to walk out the door for Alabama or Ohio State in the years following.

This is not a stepping stone job. This is THE job and I seriously hope that Leon treats it with the gravity it deserves. Because that will be the biggest tell on how his tenure in Norman is viewed. If he wins and then quickly moves on, he's another Lincoln Riley. And if you want to know how Sooners fans feel about Riley, just ask. Just make sure the kids aren't around, 'cause it ain't pretty.

With that bit of honesty out of the way, let me say this: there is plenty about Leon to like. He brings an intensity you love to see, a clear passion for the game, and a standard of excellence that is undeniable. He expects his teams to not only compete, but to win at a high level, and holds them to that standard. You just have to watch him on the sideline or in his pre-game interviews to see the passion and love for the game. He can coach a defense with the best of them and in the ever-challenging SEC, that will be the key to his early success.

I think he needs to find a gifted offensive coordinator to help him elevate the offense to a level that we as Sooners fans want to see. As noted before, that's both been a problem with former head coaches and something that Leon seemed to have figured out in his lone year at Maryland, so I'm hoping the tendency to overcommit to one side of the ball is going to be addressed with Leon at the helm.

I'll be the first to admit, Coach Leon seemed ready to embrace the challenge of not only the SEC, but bringing the Sooners back to their former glory.

"There is a reason 'Play Like A Champion Today' is proudly displayed in the tunnel as you make your way into Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. It's what is expected here, every year. No down season, no rebuilding year. The standard is clear the moment you walk in this building and let me tell you: I am here for it. I've spent my entire career preaching about building a culture that doesn't just expect excellence, it demands it. Not to speak ill of those that came before me, but it seems like in recent years the Sooners have lost their way in that department. But I'm here to tell you, the buck stops here.

"I'm not going on record of promising championships before we've taken the field, so go ahead and put your cameras away," joked Leon, clearly referencing the still infamous guarantee to beat Boise State in his inaugural season with Oregon State, "But I do promise you're going to see us compete from Day 1, not only to win football games, but to give this proud fanbase something to cheer for again."

When asked what his vision for the offense would be, Leon declined to get into specifics, noting it would ultimately depend on who they brought in the building as coordinator.

"I have a vision for how I'd like the team to operate, but that doesn't mean we're hiring someone with the idea to coach a certain way. I've got a list of guys I want, based on their integrity and coaching ability, and then we'll work together on how the pieces are going to fit."

"I definitely want to bring that smash-mouth, Oklahoma football back though," added the coach with a grin.

The question I really wanted an answer for was exactly how in the hell he expected to not only start laying the foundation for the Sooners, but do it from 1,300 miles away in College Park as he led the Terrapins into the College Football Playoff. While we didn't get a concrete answer, what we did get was encouraging.

"Listen, I know there are doubters out there about my ability to balance essentially two jobs," admitted Leon when asked directly about how he planned on pulling off the feat, "It's not like there is a playbook for this kind of thing. But staying loyal to Maryland and finishing what I started there was important to me, regardless of what the talking heads in the media think. I'm blessed with a great staff at Maryland who can handle some of the day-to-day stuff that will give me time to focus on Oklahoma periodically, and while I have nothing official to announce yet, I'm working on a few coaching hires that will give me the same latitude here in Norman for the time being."

Y'all know we pressed him for more info, but Coach was adamant about not giving up the whole cow just to get a cheeseburger. Can't fault him for that. But if he is already planning ahead with a hire that brings head coaching experience, it can only help strengthen his transition.

Coach Leon also, thankfully, addressed the recruiting situation and this time, did not keep his cards close to the vest.

"I've spoken with the eight guys currently committed to the Sooners and they're excited, I assure you," reassured Leon when asked if the recruiting class had been affected by Venables firing. "They're still eager to don the Crimson and Cream and want to help build the next chapter of Sooner football. I'm going to start reaching out to other uncommitted members of this year's class, but I anticipate a similar enthusiasm."

Leon was also quick to shut down any speculation that he was going to attempt to poach from the Terrapins' current recruiting class, or any portal-eligible players.

"Not going to happen. If any of those young men make that decision on their own, of course I'd hope to be in the mix. But in no way, shape, or form am I actively petitioning for anyone to de-commit or hop in the portal to head to Norman."

No one directly asked Coach Leon about the heated ESPN debate between Ryan Clark and Pat McAfee, and I was told by a source close to the Sooners program that the media was informed ahead of time that the question was off-limits, a directive from Roger Denny himself.

Listen folks, I'm willing to give the man the benefit of the doubt. He's won everywhere he's gone and that means somethin', even if he leaves just as quickly as he arrives. I'm hoping that he feels the same way about Oklahoma as he has been sayin' in his press conference. We deserve someone who treats this program like the blue-blood it should be. I'm praying Leon is the man to do that.

Sooner born and Sooner bred until I'm Sooner dead.

[redsox907]

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Longhorns QB Brad Jackson Wins 2028 Nissan Heisman Memorial Trophy

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Boone Tillman // Sooner Born • Published: December 15th, 2028

Texas Longhorns senior quarterback Brad Jackson was named the 2029 Heisman Memorial Trophy winner after leading Texas to an 11-2 record and throwing for 4,391 yards and 33 touchdowns while running for another 526 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Jackson started his career at Texas State before entering the transfer portal two years ago, choosing the Longhorns over the Oklahoma Sooners, but was limited to just 3 games in his inaugural season in Texas after a slew of injuries. It would appear Jackson was worth the wait for Longhorn fans after a dominant return to the field.

Jackson also collected the Maxwell, Walter Camp, Davey O'Brien, and the Unitas Golden Arm award.

Now that my commitment to reporting the news is over: that made me want to throw up. All I'll say is, the more success Jackson has, the more it stings as a Sooner fan after he chose Texas over us. Hopefully, he joins a long line of Heisman Trophy winners who have failed to win a National Championship. I don't know if I can stand watching the Longhorns win another championship in the CFP Era before the Sooners have won a Playoff game.


2028 National Award Winners

Award	Name	School
Heisman	QB Brad Jackson	Texas
Maxwell	QB Brad Jackson	Texas
Walter Camp	QB Brad Jackson	Texas
Bear Bryant Coach of the Year	Patrick Johnson	Louisiana-Lafayette
Davey O'Brien	QB Brad Jackson	Texas
Chuck Bednarik	CB Zae Thomas	Florida State
Bronko Nagurski	CB Zae Thomas	Florida State
Jim Thorpe	CB Zae Thomas	Florida State
Doak Walker	HB Karson Cox	UCLA
Fred Biletnikoff	WR Dalton Lasco	UAB
Lombardi	DE Cole McConathy II	Miami
Unitas Golden Arm	QB Brad Jackson	Texas
Defensive End of the Year	DE Cole McConathy II	Miami
Outland	G Jeff Goings	Ohio State
John Mackey	TE Tae'Shaun Gelsey	Florida State
Broyles	OC Drew Narmour	Louisiana-Lafayette
Dick Butkus	MLB Zaydrius Rainey-Sale	Oregon
Rimington	C Klay Merling	North Carolina
Groza	K James Valerio	Southern Mississippi
Ray Guy	Jake Stoeckel	Kent State
Jet Award	WR Tyson Carter	Hawaii
Shaun Alexaner	John Abdesmad	Miami (OH)

[ShireNiner]

I've spent my entire career preaching about building a culture that doesn't just expect excellence, it demands it. Not to speak ill of those that came before me, but it seems like in recent years the Sooners have lost their way in that department. But I'm here to tell you, the buck stops here.


Man talks about building a ‘culture’ then jumps ship in a minute. Like talking to a hoe about starting a family. She ain’t sticking around and neither is Running Leon.

[The Hunted]

Bro, not sure how i missed this previously (well didnt catch up) but this is top notch.

Oklahoma better pay off cause your misses is not to happy and your former players are pissed.

[redsox907]

I've spent my entire career preaching about building a culture that doesn't just expect excellence, it demands it. Not to speak ill of those that came before me, but it seems like in recent years the Sooners have lost their way in that department. But I'm here to tell you, the buck stops here.


Man talks about building a ‘culture’ then jumps ship in a minute. Like talking to a hoe about starting a family. She ain’t sticking around and neither is Running Leon.

he's left every program better than he found it

Bro, not sure how i missed this previously (well didnt catch up) but this is top notch.

Oklahoma better pay off cause your misses is not to happy and your former players are pissed.

winning heals all, right? Hopefully..

Thanks for checking in bro! Honestly, I didn't want to leave Maryland so early, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

[redsox907]