Full-Circle Catch: Trell Harris Comes Home
Trell Harris, once sketching the OU logo on his hand as a kid in Illinois, has completed a nostalgic arc by transferring from Virginia to Oklahoma. Fresh off a career-high 847 receiving yards and five touchdowns, Harris credits detailed coaching from Emmett Jones, the chemistry with quarterback John Mateer, and the promise of building a tandem with Isaiah Sategna and Parker Livingstone. With All-ACC recognition in his pocket and a hometown dream rekindled, Harris is ready to prove his breakout season wasn’t a fluke and to embrace Norman’s community as the final chapter of his college career unfolds.
If college football transfers were Tinder, Trell Harris just swiped right on his childhood crush—Oklahoma. After a starring role in the ACC and some light logo doodling on his back-pocket notebooks, he’s back for photo ops and midweek motivational quotes. Expect more “full-circle” clichés than your average reunion special, with bonus points for nostalgic quarterback hugs and detailed route-tree workshops. At this point, the only thing missing from the Sooner soap opera is a sponsored “Welcome Home” banner and a cameo from that kid who once drew the O-U in chalk on the pavement. Spoiler alert: He’s going viral on TikTok by halftime.
Holy Ground Management, Batman! McCullough’s Rush Revival
Incoming running backs coach Deland McCullough inherits a Sooners ground game that fell to a dismal 3.5 yards per carry last season. Blame injuries, overworked stars Tory Blaylock and Xavier Robinson, and a “pathetic” performance label from head coach Brent Venables. McCullough’s prescription: manage wear-and-tear by rotating backs and tailoring workloads, ensuring upper-tier backs aren’t hauling mail every rep. With familiarity from Notre Dame and text-chain relationships intact, he believes smarter usage can resurrect OU’s rushing glory.
Here comes Deland McCullough, part whisperer, part football druggist, prescribing “fresh legs” instead of more mustard-packets for a flat-lined rush attack. Gone are the days of giving two backs nine jobs and watching them tiptoe off the field in grape-sized casts. No sir—McCullough’s running back room is about to look like a Starbucks shift roster, with five names rotating between “trier,” “scatterplug,” and “Mr. Glass No-More.” He’s even got a “one-cut” rehab protocol to make Xavier Robinson stop cartwheeling into defenders like it’s a half-price whiffle ball sale. Bless his clipboard.
Final Warm-Up: Oklahoma vs. Tulsa Softball Showdown
Before SEC play begins, No. 6 Oklahoma softball hosts Tulsa at Love’s Field to fine-tune its potent offense and test a pitching staff led by Patty Gasso. Seniors Sydney Berzon and Kierston Deal impressed with improved control, while freshmen Audrey Lowry and Miali Guachino delivered confidence-boosting outings. OU’s hitters have crushed a nation-best 103 home runs, and every batter hits above .325, making this in-state showdown a last chance to sharpen skills against familiar foes.
If you ever wondered what hitting 103 homers feels like, come to Love’s Field and watch the Golden Hurricane pitch to these Sooners—if you can spot the ball over the roar of exit velocity. Meanwhile, Gasso’s pitchers are less “fireballers” and more “fire extinguisher managers,” mixing speeds so much that Tulsa recruits might request counseling before facing deal-or-no-deal batting practice. It’s like sending a mouse to test a mechanical lion—cute at first, then suddenly very, very short. But hey, it’s the perfect pep talk before batting practice from SEC stars who treat the ball like a piñata.
Bracket Basics: How To Watch OU vs. South Carolina
Oklahoma men’s basketball, the No. 11 seed in the SEC Tournament, opens against 14-seed South Carolina on March 11 at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville. After a five-game skid culminating in an 85-76 loss in Columbia, OU needs three wins to earn an at-large NCAA bid. The Sooners (17-14 overall, 7-11 SEC) have tightened defense recently but must hold the Gamecocks’ shooters in check. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. on SEC Network, with radio coverage on 107.7 FM.
Welcome to “How To Watch Your Bubble Bursts,” featuring the Sooners on the SEC’s defensive roller-coaster. If “sending help” means tossing towels at opponents, OU’s got this. But South Carolina’s sharpshooters might compel coach Porter Moser to adopt a full-court press on popcorn vendors. Will the Sooners channel their inner buzz-saw defense, or settle for mediocrity seasoning? Tune in to see if they rebound from that e-mail-worthy five-loss bad hair day—plus three more—before we prematurely book that Final Four hotel in Albuquerque.
No-Brainer Rebound: Jack Van Dorselaer Joins Witten’s Revolution
Tight end Jack Van Dorselaer, initially set on Tennessee, reversed course and followed Hall-of-Famer Jason Witten to Oklahoma. After playing all 13 games with the Volunteers, he entered the transfer portal, swayed by Witten’s complete-tight-end blueprint. Van Dorselaer sees himself as a hybrid—equally adept at blocking, catching, and opening lanes. He joins transfers Hayden Hansen and Rocky Beers under offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle’s “Frankenstein” scheme and will build chemistry with quarterback John Mateer this spring.
In a plot twist that feels like Jerry Maguire’s recruiting montage, Van Dorselaer hoofs it back to Norman because Witten dialed the perfect “hey champ” voicemail. Apparently, the path to becoming the next TE superstar involves ignoring 13 visits to Tennessee and developing a haunting craving for defensive line pancakes. Now he’s mixing equal parts run-blocking and route-running like a Texas BBQ marinade—slathered under Arbuckle’s whack-a-mole offense. Buckle up: this spring, the hybrid tight end will be the Sooner equivalent of a Transformer on C-4.
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