Oklahoma Sooners News: Castiglione explains retiring, SEC Media Days reps, Riley stealing QB

Castiglione makes retirement decision official

The news broke Monday morning, but on Tuesday, Oklahoma hosted a press conference for athletic director Joe Castiglione to make his retirement news official.

In the nearly two-hour long presser with Castiglione, president Joseph Harroz Jr. and Board of Regents Chair Anita Holloway, future plans were made official and Castiglione's long career was celebrated.

The 2025-26 academic year will be Castiglione's last as OU's athletic director before he steps into a new role as Emeritus Athletics Director before fully retiring on June 30, 2028, which will be Castiglione's 30th year at OU.

During the press conference, Castiglione explained why now was the right time to retire and how OU benefited from the timing, which you can read more about here.

Shortly after the announcement, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey released a statement honoring Castiglione's career.

OU announces SEC Media Days reps

The Sooners on Tuesday announced that quarterback John Mateer, defensive end R Mason Thomas and safety Robert Spears-Jennings, as well as head coach Brent Venables, will represent the Sooners at next week's SEC Media Days.

SEC Media Days will be July 14-17 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Sooners will appear on Day 3 of the event on Wednesday, July 16. Venables will take the podium at 1:45 p.m. CT that day, followed by Mateer, Spears-Jennings and Thomas. Alabama, Florida and Mississippi State are also scheduled for that day.

Former OU quarterback Jackson Arnold will also be back at the event now representing Auburn, which will appear on Tuesday. Arnold represented OU at last year's SEC Media Days in Dallas before transferring this offseason.

Lincoln Riley stealing OU's top QB target

Lincoln Riley and USC are now predicted to land 2027 QB Peyton Houston, who is offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and the Sooners' top target in the class.

Rivals recruiting experts Steve Wiltfong and Sam Spiegelman recently logged an expert prediction for Houston to choose USC. That prediction came less than two weeks afterRivals' Brandon Drumm projected Houston to commit to OU.

Fortunately for Sooner Nation, Wiltfong and Spiegelman's confidence level in their prediction was only 60%, and it's still extremely early in Houston's recruitment process. Houston likely won't even announce a commitment until next summer.

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