Oklahoma Sooners Unofficial 40

U40: The portal is swallowing up a lot of OU players. Any concerns?

It's been a fast and furious day of Oklahoma football players entering the transfer portal. As we were recording the podcast today, we got the news that Mike Hawkins was entering the portal. And even more came after that. George has updates on potential coaching changes. Josh is heading to Orlando for the Under Armour All-American week where he's anxious to catch up with Zane Rowe and other major OU projects. Rowe, the former OU commit, has long been on our radar since we first saw him as a freshman taking on Michael Fasusi in camps. And we have so many other questions about the QB room and the depth there with Hawkins' departure. Surely this means Mateer is coming back right? And some aren't in agreement about Davon Jordan and how much that hurts the Sooners heading into next season. A lot to talk about and a lot of real time processing during this edition of the Unofficial 40 THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW: 0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial 40! Happy New Year edition. OT Luke Baklenko, CB Devon Jordan enter the transfer portal  16:00 - Portal madness/CFP quarterfinals is set to begin 23:00 - How about that Alamo Bowl? Kind of fun. Checking in on our good friend Lincoln Riley  27:30 - Josh is heading to the Under Armour game in Orlando  36:00 - What’s up with 2027 DE Zane Rowe and Oklahoma?  42:00 - Josh is excited to checkout 2027 Dallas South Oak Cliff OL Brian Swanson 44:13: - OU making a move on 2027 CB Montre Jackson?  52:00 - Breaking: OU QB Michael Hawkins in the Portal 1:02:00 - What does OU do at Quarterback?  1:13:00 - Folks in the building at the Switzer Center feel incredibly positive about the future in Norman  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Merry Christmas and welcome to Oklahoma football Portal Season!

The last Unofficial 40 before Christmas. So Merry Christmas everybody! It's almost that other magical time of the year, Portal Season. The guys get together and talk about exactly what is happening inside the Switzer Center as players are starting to announce their intentions to the enter the portal which opens Jan. 2. Where are the Sooners looking to fill their biggest needs? What coaches will be around to coach these guys in the spring? We've also got some John Mateer talk for you as we're still hashing over his role in this offense and as the leader of the OU offense. The linebacker position is one of those positions we're all keeping a close eye on. And the front office is working hard to bring back some players you might have just expected to either move on or enter the NFL draft. Eddie brings in a little hoops love and Josh is getting ready for a trip to a magical place for a high school All-American game. Everyone be safe and hopefully you'll get to spend quality time with your loved ones. And once again, Merry Christmas from the entire Unofficial 40 and SoonerScoop crew! THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW: 0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial 40! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and the Portal SZN cometh  38:00 - John Mateer … what happens?  51:00 - Ben Arbuckle had a good gameplan vs. Alabama 55:00 - TE and LB are probably big Portal needs 1:04:00 - OU fans will want to watch HS All-American games Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

U40: Will OU's defense puts the clamps down on Alabama and head to L.A.?

It's Tuesday, but since the Sooners play on Friday, we're treating this like a Wednesday. And we have to get Eddie in the mood because he just wants the game to be here. Like we all do. We're talking about the matchup but we've also done most of the media stuff this week. So we have plenty to talk about. It's a challenge for both teams to have a rematch. But does OU having the best defense give them the edge? We all agree John Mateer and the OU offense has to be better. We got to see a little bit of practice yesterday. What do we think about guys like R Mason Thomas and Jake Maikkula after seeing them out there? Bedlam basketball was very good to the men and the women. We have a little hoops talk for you as well. Josh gives a preview of what to expect at some of the All-American games coming up early next month as well. It's a big one in Norman Friday night. One of the biggest ever. THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW: 0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial 40! It’s game week in Norman, USA. OU-Bama. Friday Night Lights.  42:00 - Do we really know what this atmosphere is going to be like Friday night?  48:00 - George is writing a HIT piece. Just kidding, you’re going to want to read it!  55:00 - Recruiting Check-In 1:00:00 - Hoops 1:19:00 - QB Portal crazy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're antsy for the start of College Football Playoff week

It's just Wednesday. The Sooners are still 9 days away from their first round matchup with Alabama in Norman. The All-SEC teams were announced yesterday and OU had 10 players represented. They also had the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year, Tate Sandell, announced during the show. We gush about Sandell but we had to stop. No jinxes needed here. But we're ready to see what this grimey Sooners team can do in a playoff full of great teams. Our question is this? Who has really been through the mud this season like Oklahoma? Or Georgia? Or even Alabama? Has Texas Tech been through the mud and had to have people question their offense like some of the teams in the SEC? Yes, we're officially SEC homers now. Josh is here to talk about another huge 2027 commitment, we mix in some hoops talk and George has his rants on Notre Dame and the CFP committee. Notre Dame... Leave Ivan Maisel alone! THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW: 0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial 40! Oklahoma will participate in the College Football Playoffs!  23:00 - 2027 Elija Harmon commits to Oklahoma; class of 2027 could be special 30:00 - Sooners found an identity  54:00 - 10 Sooners on the All-SEC Team 1:01:00 - Hoops  1:10:00 - George’s rant about the CFP Committee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's National Signing Day on the Unofficial 40

Jim Nagy and Brent Venables put together their first full recruiting class together in the 2026 cycle. How do we feel the partnership is going after listening to both of them talk about the class on National Signing Day? And what about the standouts in this class? Josh McCuistion thinks he can make an argument that the offensive side of the ball has more talent than the defensive side of the ball. And what about the ones that got away? And the ones, like Jonathan Hatton, that didn't? We also hit on some College Football Playoff talk and a little bit of hoops. Always a big show week when it's signing day! THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW: 0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial 40! Sooners wrap up NSD with 24 signees  10:00 - Did OU quietly sign good RB and TE classes? George thinks so! 17:00 - DE group is impressive  21:00 - What did OU do to flip Jonathan Hatton?  29:00 - The program is in a better place than it was 365 days ago  48:00 - How close did OU get to flipping Frisco Lone Star WR Davian Groce?  53:00 - CFP theories  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices