Red-Eye Rewind: Oklahoma Sooners answer and hold on big off-season questions

Top Stories from Saturday:

Oklahoma football: Strength coach Jerry Schmidt optimistic about Sooners’ leadership and newcomers

"Oklahoma football fans don’t hear much from Jerry Schmidt. “Sometimes I just tell things the way they are and people don’t like to hear it,” Schmidt said with a smile. A request was made for “Schmitty” to appear during the Sooners’ Media Day on Saturday afternoon inside the Switzer Center, and Bob Stoops’ longtime strength coach obliged, explaining in detail why he believes the 2014 Oklahoma football team could be destined for big things. That excitement mostly stems from two factors: team leadership and the Sooners’ impressive group of newcomers. Schmidt repeatedly praised sophomore quarterback Trevor Knight, junior receiver Sterling Shepard and senior offensive tackle Daryl Williams in particular, but said there is a guy like that in every position group. Read More from The Oklahoman"

The four biggest takeaways from Sooners media day: Freshman emerges at WR; Bob Stoops speaks on program

"With a few days of practice behind them, the Sooners players and coaches spoke to the local media Saturday. While there are still some questions unanswered, we’re starting to learn a bit more about this Oklahoma team that the coaches feel is the third best in the country entering the season. Here are a few key takeaways from today’s press conferences. Read More from SportsDayDFW"

Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops rolls with ups, downs and questions

"Bob Stoops calls it riding the roller coaster–and says he doesn’t. But when it comes to perception in college football, the Oklahoma coach understands almost everyone else is aboard. “Generally, ’til you play another game, you are whatever you were in the last game,” Stoops said Saturday. “They ride that out for about eight months â?? and then you play again.” Which only means that Oklahoma has been riding, at least in public opinion, the momentum from a 45-31 Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama. The Sooners are ranked No. 3 in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll, and considered a serious contender to grab one of the four slots in the initial College Football Playoff. Ask around, and the general perception is: Oklahoma is back. Read More from George Schroeder, USA Today"

Meet the Sooners Fan Poll

"Questions and answers with Oklahoma fans at Meet the Sooners Day on Saturday. Bob Stoops is due to make $5.25 million coaching OU this season. Is he worth the salary that he is being paid? Why or why not? “He’s worth it. He’s one of the most winningest coaches in our history and over the past few years, he’s the only coach to win a national championship and all four of the BCS Bowl games. … he generates a lot of fan support and revenue for the situation.” — Jay Horner, Norman. . .“Yes because he brings in money to the university because he has a good football team. Economically, it’s just dollars and cents. Why would you not bring in somebody who produces?” – Ben Wiggins, Edmond. . .“I think we’ll see. We’ll have to see.” — Thomas Doyebi, Norman Read more from the Tulsa World"

Sooners open practice with clean bill of health

"If Oklahoma’s state of mind is being threatened by the investigation of Joe Mixon, the addition of Dorial Green-Beckham or the retention of Frank Shannon, the Sooners’ state of body is sturdy. It’s not just that players worked so hard over the summer, a fact confirmed by strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt on Saturday. It’s that the breaks, bumps and bruises from 2013 all seem to have healed. The Sooners beat Alabama without the left side of their offensive line. Seven months later, tackle Tyrus Thompson has recovered from his broken foot and guard Adam Shead has returned after his body gave out on him down the ’13 stretch. As a bonus, former starting guard Tyler Evans has battled back from consecutive knee injuries. Read more from OU Sports Extra"

Sooners’ Knight seeks consistency

"Trevor Knight created a monster with his dominant Sugar Bowl performance. As a redshirt freshman, he passed for 348 yards and four touchdowns and was the MVP in Oklahoma’s 45-31 upset victory over Alabama in January. He was rewarded with the unquestioned starting job and a newfound fame that gave him increased fame and lifted his Twitter following to more than 25,000. With those spoils comes a new level of pressure. Oklahoma’s already rabid fans are fired up. The Sooners are expected to be in the mix for the national title, and they face a bright spotlight with a quarterback who has had one dominant game in his career. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said the key is for Knight to duplicate that kind of performance, starting Aug. 30 against Louisiana Tech. Read more from the AP"

Tweets of Interest: