Latest news with #Oklahoma
USA Today
3 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
R Mason Thomas leaning into the high expectations for the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners defensive end R Mason Thomas was one of three OU players chosen to represent the program at SEC media days on Wednesday. After a breakout campaign in 2024, where he turned into OU's best pass-rusher, Thomas is ready for the added weight of expectations in 2025. Speaking to the media this week, Thomas was asked about having a different play-caller this year. Head coach Brent Venables is taking over play-calling duties after former defensive coordinator Zac Alley left for West Virginia. Thomas believes that not much will change, as it has always been Venables' system. "It's the same thing," Thomas said. "Since 2022, my first year, when he first got here, it's the same thing. You would think it would be some kind of drop-off, but he's a defensive mind. He's always on the on defensive side of the ball, so it's the same. It's no drop-off. We don't have to change language or anything like that. It's the same playbook. With him it's always been like that. We weren't nervous. We weren't frustrated. We weren't rattled. It was the same." Thomas was also asked about the process of Venables getting his system installed over the years in Norman. "When I was getting recruited at OU, it was a lot of Clemson film," Thomas said. "I think now we ran a lot of plays like he did in Clemson. It was like we're looking at what we do now, more of -- I know my first year we were looking at Clemson a lot because we didn't have any film of us doing it. Yeah, we have so much film of us doing it now so we're watching ourselves." Thomas also spoke about the pressure and the expectations after his big 2024 season, and the pressure that comes with playing at a place like Oklahoma. He knows that the Sooners have plenty of room to improve after last year. "I don't think we in a sense have pressure," Thomas said. "We know what the standard is, what the people in the team in the past have set. So I know if we can put our head down, we can work, focus on the journey and not the destination, we'll be right where we want to be." After the NFL came calling this winter, Thomas decided to come back for one more year of college football, one more year in Venables' scheme, and the opportunity to get the bad taste of 2024 out of his mouth. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jalen Williams' Heartwarming Move After $287 Million Contract Turning Heads
Jalen Williams' Heartwarming Move After $287 Million Contract Turning Heads originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After helping the Oklahoma City Thunder win the franchise's first NBA title since relocating from Seattle in 2008, All-Star forward Jalen Williams is giving back to his family. Williams, 24, signed a five-year $287 million contract extension with that team that drafted him in 2022. Furthermore, he said during an interview with TMZ Sports on Tuesday that he plans to use the money to help his parents retire from working, who are both veterans of the United States Air Force. Following Williams' decision, fans shared their thoughts on social media. 'This is the dream for anyone,' one fan wrote. 'YESSS,' another commented. 'Retiring parents ahead of time is the dream,' another shared. 'J-Dub with a huge dub here.' '@jdubwttp parents deserve it,' another fan commented. 'Family over everything 💯,' another wrote. 'Great way to thank his parents for their support and sacrifices. Congrats on the bag 💰.' 'Humble king 🫶🏻,' another shared. The fans' showing of support for Williams comes as he has become one of the Thunder's more notable players alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, who also signed multi-year contract extensions with Oklahoma City during this past week. Williams played a significant role in helping his team win the championship by scoring more than 15 points in every game during the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. He scored 40 in Game 5 of the series, which is his playoff career high. Furthermore, Williams had his family by his side as they cheered him on after winning his first NBA story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
John Mateer earns high praise as Oklahoma enters new era, hoping to return to high Sooners standards
ATLANTA (AP) — The Oklahoma Sooners, a storied program with a legacy of seven national championships, have faced uncharacteristic struggles in recent years. After two 6-7 seasons in three years and a 13th-place finish in the SEC under coach Brent Venables, the Sooners hope to get back on track this season. New quarterback John Mateer, who transferred from Washington State, plays a key role in the program's plan to return to the top. Months into his tenure, he's earning praise from coaches and teammates alike. 'This is a guy that wants to win at the highest level. A connector. A guy that leads from the front. As he plays the game, he looks like he's in fast forward a lot of times. A great competitor. Super athletic. Throws the ball really well on the run. Makes a lot of good decisions,' Venables said at SEC Media Days on Wednesday. A strong quarterback is a key ingredient in the Sooners' past success. The QB room in Norman has had a star-studded lineup this decade, led by Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, first-overall pick Caleb Williams and dominant college QBs Spencer Rattler and Dillon Gabriel. High expectations coupled with an injured receiving corps proved to be an unfavorable combination for freshman Jackson Arnold, who transferred to SEC opponent Auburn after quarterbacking the Sooners' offense in 2024. Venables chose Mateer and defensive playmakers Robert Spears-Jennings and R Mason Thomas to represent the program at SEC Media Days in Atlanta. Despite being on different ends of the field, Spears-Jennings and Thomas have identified Mateer's seamless transition into Norman and the traits that make him an ideal leader. 'He's integrated himself into the team smoothly. If he says he's anxious or he was a little nervous, he didn't look like he was to me," Thomas said. "It felt like he'd been here for four years.' Mateer isn't the only newcomer. Oklahoma picked up key pieces in the transfer portal and added five new coaches. One of those new coaches worked with Mateer as an offensive coordinator and QB coach at Washington State, Ben Arbuckle. 'I feel like with Arbuckle and John, they bring a different type of swag with them. I feel like our whole offense has embodied their swag and energy because once they score a touchdown, their whole side is over there running, celebrating with the guys, and that's what you need. You need energy. I feel like these guys here love playing football," said Spears-Jennings. Arbuckle is one of the reasons for the quarterback's smooth transition. Instead of learning a new offense, Mateer built relationships with his new teammates. 'I was fortunate because I didn't have to learn a whole new offense. I was able to take time to learn the players that I was going to play with and build relationships with them in the locker room, hang out and help them learn the offense,' Mateer said. 'Building relationships is the most important thing to leading. You can't lead people you don't know.' ___ AP college football:
Associated Press
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
John Mateer earns high praise as Oklahoma enters new era, hoping to return to high Sooners standards
ATLANTA (AP) — The Oklahoma Sooners, a storied program with a legacy of seven national championships, have faced uncharacteristic struggles in recent years. After two 6-7 seasons in three years and a 13th-place finish in the SEC under coach Brent Venables, the Sooners hope to get back on track this season. New quarterback John Mateer, who transferred from Washington State, plays a key role in the program's plan to return to the top. Months into his tenure, he's earning praise from coaches and teammates alike. 'This is a guy that wants to win at the highest level. A connector. A guy that leads from the front. As he plays the game, he looks like he's in fast forward a lot of times. A great competitor. Super athletic. Throws the ball really well on the run. Makes a lot of good decisions,' Venables said at SEC Media Days on Wednesday. A strong quarterback is a key ingredient in the Sooners' past success. The QB room in Norman has had a star-studded lineup this decade, led by Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, first-overall pick Caleb Williams and dominant college QBs Spencer Rattler and Dillon Gabriel. High expectations coupled with an injured receiving corps proved to be an unfavorable combination for freshman Jackson Arnold, who transferred to SEC opponent Auburn after quarterbacking the Sooners' offense in 2024. Venables chose Mateer and defensive playmakers Robert Spears-Jennings and R Mason Thomas to represent the program at SEC Media Days in Atlanta. Despite being on different ends of the field, Spears-Jennings and Thomas have identified Mateer's seamless transition into Norman and the traits that make him an ideal leader. 'He's integrated himself into the team smoothly. If he says he's anxious or he was a little nervous, he didn't look like he was to me,' Thomas said. 'It felt like he'd been here for four years.' Mateer isn't the only newcomer. Oklahoma picked up key pieces in the transfer portal and added five new coaches. One of those new coaches worked with Mateer as an offensive coordinator and QB coach at Washington State, Ben Arbuckle. 'I feel like with Arbuckle and John, they bring a different type of swag with them. I feel like our whole offense has embodied their swag and energy because once they score a touchdown, their whole side is over there running, celebrating with the guys, and that's what you need. You need energy. I feel like these guys here love playing football,' said Spears-Jennings. Arbuckle is one of the reasons for the quarterback's smooth transition. Instead of learning a new offense, Mateer built relationships with his new teammates. 'I was fortunate because I didn't have to learn a whole new offense. I was able to take time to learn the players that I was going to play with and build relationships with them in the locker room, hang out and help them learn the offense,' Mateer said. 'Building relationships is the most important thing to leading. You can't lead people you don't know.' ___ AP college football:
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Exxon restarts purchases of Mars crude after brief pause over zinc issues, sources say
HOUSTON, July 16 (Reuters) - Oil major Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), opens new tab bought Mars crude for August delivery, two sources said on Wednesday, after briefly halting purchases of the flagship offshore grade due to a zinc contamination issue. The zinc contamination in the Mars crude oil stream had pushed Exxon to borrow up to 1 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for its Baton Rouge refinery in Louisiana. The start-up of an offshore well caused the zinc contamination in Mars crude, Chevron (CVX.N), opens new tab said last week. Chevron was actively working to resolve the issue, the company said on Tuesday. Exxon and Chevron did not immediately reply to requests for comment on Wednesday. The crude grade was trading at a 30-cent discount to U.S. crude at the Cushing, Oklahoma, hub, due to the persistent quality issue. That compared with a $1 premium at the end of June.
