Merry Christmas everyone from the SchwabMeat.com Unofficial 40 podcast! A very early podcast this week as we get set for Christmas and then on to Ft. Worth for the Armed Forces Bowl. We're talking about expectations for the Sooners in the bowl game with a depleted roster and how the roster could be reshaped in the portal. We also talk about the latest portal news as the Sooners have landed their first tight end. And why does it seem like OU is not competing for bigger names in the portal? Why are they evaluating guys and paying less? Are we back to a money issue? Where does Josh see the high school recruits fitting in best with this portal class getting more and more full? And back to the bowl game, we'll all get a good look at Michael Hawkins, Jr. again as he will be the guy at QB. Ben Arbuckle was in studio this week talking about how impressed he was watching him in bowl practices.

THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW:

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! George got a fiancé for Christmas! 

16:00 - Sooners get a TE commit from the Portal - Kennessaw State’s Carson Kent

21:00 - What does OU get out of the bowl game? 

29:00 - Ben Arbuckle really likes Michael Hawkins Jr 

40:00 - Josh highlights Portal commits vs. 2025 signees

47:00 - Sooners got a 2026 OL commit Will Conroy 

52:00 - OU’s NIL efforts

1:10:00 - CFB Playoff Thoughts

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It's the Unofficial 40 presented by SchwabMeat.com. In this episode we stayed up late and waited for the decision from Washington State quarterback transfer John Mateer. Now that Mateer's a Sooner will tell you about some of the crazy details we learned about how this all came to be. A bizarre battle between NFL legends and NFL Sooner legends to be erupted. In the end, OU donors and the 1Oklahoma Collective did a ton of work to make sure the Sooners secured Mateer. The Sooners also had more commitments today at the wide receiver position and we tell you all about them. The momentum continues with Mateer on board and the portal recruiting continues with the hope of bringing in even more receivers. We're still a bit concerned about the tight end room as we try and find answers how to fix that situation. A full recap of everything that happened on another crazy day for the Sooners. But one thing is for sure, this program doesn't have to worry about heading into the 2025 season with an offense in shambles.

THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW:

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! OU gets a commitment from QB John Mateer

30:00 - We don’t think Wazzu is a threat for Ben Arbuckle. Sorry not sorry.

51:00 - Upcoming Portal visitors

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The Unofficial 40 brought to you by SchwabMeat.com. It's day 3 of the transfer portal and the Sooners are starting to take in visitors with decisions starting to come. Andrel Anthony enters the portal and now the Sooners have lost Anthony, Jalil Farooq and Nic Anderson. Deion Burks, you're our only hope! And what the hell is going on at the tight end position? Is Joe Jon Finley doing anything in the portal? We're trying to figure out what is happening there. None of these has been easy, and the fans are understandably up in arms. What about the finances of this entire thing? Where is the big donor money? Most of it is going to secure key players already on the roster. But how much of a wave can the Sooners make with the bigger names in the transfer portal? The whole crew is here to break it all down. Part therapy, part venting, all Unofficial 40. Let's go!

THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW:

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! Are you in the Transfer Portal? 

20:00 - Tough decisions will be made/have been made in this cycle of the Portal 

25:00 - John Mateer … we wait. 

30:20 - Portal visitors headed to Norman this weekend

40:00 - OL portal options; Program outlook talk

1:07:00 - CFB as a whole is a little disgusting right now

1:20:00 - CFB Playoff talk 

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It's a massive podcast with so much to cover over the last few days. Ben Arbuckle was hired as Oklahoma's new offensive coordinator and then Brent Venables announced that all of Seth Littrell's assistant coaches would be retained. Are we really buying that? Or is this just a united front for signing day? And who will be OU's quarterback in 2025? Is it better to sign Washington State's John Mateer in the portal for instant chemistry? Or should the Sooners try and stick behind Jackson Arnold, mend those fences and rely on his ceiling and potential to lead the offense into 2025? Much more on Arbuckle but we take a look at signing day as well and portal season which comes next. Will the Sooners lose Michael Fasusi or Cortez Mills on signing day? Texas and Nebraska are pulling at them. We also talk some hoops after OU wins the Battle 4 Atlantis and Joe Castiglione declares his vision for the future of the football program in the age of revenue sharing. It's a packed episode on this week's SchwabMeat.com Unofficial 40.

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THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW:

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40!  

4:52 - Oklahoma hires Wazzu’s Ben Arbuckle but that wasn’t the headline on Monday 

17:45 - Sooners QB in 2025

26:30 - Insight into the Ben Arbuckle hire

50:45 - Portal Opens Tuesday, Dec. 9/NFL decisions ahead

58:10 - National Signing Day on Wednesday is a bit different; sign of the times

1:10:00 - What’s the latest on 5-star OT commit Michael Fasusi 

1:13:00 - 4-star WR Cortez Mills in or out? 

1:20:00 - Joe Castiglione announces OU’s plan for rev share

1:30:00- Hoops

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It's the Schwab's Meat Unofficial 40! It's a crazy time of the year as the Sooners are trying to finish off a 7-5 season as they travel to Baton Rouge to take on LSU at Death Valley. The offensive line is showing promise and Xavier Robinson is becoming a force out of the backfield. But with all of that going on, the Sooners still have to make an offensive coordinator hire. We talk about the latest in the search for the new offensive coordinator and how that will affect everything in the OU football program. Jackson Arnold's future, Bill Bedenbaugh's recruiting class, including Michael Fasusi. And how will that affect other players that may be needed to be replaced in the portal? So many moving parts depending on this one hire. And what staff members will be retained? We keep going and going and going on how things could shake out in the next 7 days. We also talk recruiting with Josh and Bob Przybylo makes a return to the U40 to talk about hoops. As the Battle 4 Atlantis gets started, we preview the matchups. And the OU women keep winning and climbing the rankings. Happy Thanksgiving everybody! And welcome back to the Unofficial 40!

THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW:

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! Oklahoma is the hottest team in college football (over the last week)

10:33 - Latest on OC search 

34:05 - Positive news on the 5-star OT commit Michael Fasusi front

46:23 - Who & what position should/would Oklahoma target in the portal? 

51:30 - What’s the latest on QB in 2025? 

1:00:11 - Can OU flip 2025 LB Kaleb Burns? 

1:04:00 - Mens & Womens Hoops

1:25:00 - Bob P gives his thought on the status of OU football

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The gang is back to talk about the biggest issues surrounding OU football. Where is Brent Venables on his offensive coordinator hire? What are the names to still keep on the board and who can we take off? We breakdown why it was or wasn't the right fit for some candidates while others are coming more into focus as being potential hires. What is the latest with 5-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi? Has Josh been ghosted? Have the coaches been ghosted? Is there still a good chance Fasusi ends up signing with the Sooners? We breakdown that situation as well. Oh yeah, the Sooners are playing Alabama. George doesn't care. We also have an injury report coming out tonight. Is OU getting back some offensive linemen? And we talk about Brent Venables visit policy as it concerns Fasusi. What does the policy mean and how are people overreacting to what it really means. Welcome. Come take a load off and listen to everything you want to know about what's happening with the OU football program.

THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW:

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! Hello, Alabama. Latest on the OC happenings

19:40 - What’s the latest on 5-star OT commit Michael Fasusi 

27:00 - Dan Mullen discussion; Eddie won’t have to delete tweets 

42:00 - Brent’s visit policy 

60:00 - Predicting OU-Alabama injury report

1:00:00 - Miscellaneous CFB talk

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It's the middle of the week on a bye week. But yesterday's Board of Regents meeting gave us some answers as to where Brent Venables sits and his future. President Joe Harroz and AD Joe Castiglione both went on record lending support to Venables. We talk about the road forward. What happens to the quarterback room? Where we see Oklahoma looking for an offensive coordinator. What would it mean to buy out Venables now? Both financially and program stability. There are a lot of numbers thrown around. But the true cost is much, much higher. We still haven't seen in cracks in the recruiting front and signing day is just a few weeks away. And what does signing day even look like now? Lots to go over in this week's edition of the Unofficial 40.

THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW:

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! Do not. And I mean DO NOT let this team get hot. 

11:00 - Okay, but was Saturday night in Columbia ROCK BOTTOM? 

14:00 - The Joe’s give a vote of confidence to Brent Venables 

35:00 - Concern at Quarterback not just this year but the future 

52:00 - Can’t blame the defense (again)

56:00 - RECRUITING; surprised it hasn’t fallen apart? 

1:10:00 - CFB Roundtable

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The gang is back and we're all pretty jacked for Oklahoma versus Missouri this weekend in Columbia. The Sooners have become the betting favorite. They have more momentum than they've had all season on offense. The defense is still playing well in a lot of areas and Brent Venables is poised to become bowl eligible. That's not something a lot of people had hope in after South Carolina. Has Jackson Arnold become a new quarterback and come out of his benching with a renewed sense of confidence? Is the OU run game getting to a point where it can help the offense produce explosive plays in the passing game? Is the offensive line any better? Or will we quickly find out not much has changed? And is there help on the way at receiver with Jalil Farooq and Deion Burks? What would a win at Missouri do for recruiting momentum with Alabama coming to town for the final home game of the 2024 season. It's a lot to get through as this roller coaster of a season reaches the top of its biggest peak.

THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW:

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! Can Oklahoma get bowl eligible? Help on the way at WR? 

15:00 - Biggest game of Brent Venables career? 

27:00 - OL injury updates; 

47:00 - Jackson Arnold reborn? 

55:00 - Recruiting 

1:06:00 - 2025 Jenks DL Cash Jacobsen offered

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The entire crew has plenty to break down from the hour long Brent Venables press conference on Tuesday. And with Maine coming to town, it's a perfect week to work on this offense. What have we liked from Joe Jon Finley and Kevin Johns after the Ole Miss game? And how does OU hold things together on the roster and the recruiting trail while Brent Venables makes the OC hire that will determine if he survives as OU's head coach. Have we been surprised or did the move to the SEC just confirm what we thought? Injuries are still ravaging the OU roster but the goal ahead has to be building even more depth. Plenty of people have had their say in Bill Bedenbaugh's future, but Venables defended him quite staunchly yesterday. How do we see his future in Norman? And how much are the Sooners willing to spend on a new OC? Josh gives us an update on the recruiting trail and we also talk a lot about the tight end position and the clamoring to see Davon Mitchell out on the field.

THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW:

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! It’s Maine Week and the excitement is through the roof for Oklahoma football

19:20 - Brent Venables Maine Week Press Conference was a marathon 

29:00 - Bill Bedenbaugh’s future in question? 

38:00 - Everything is tied to who they hire at OC … they’re ready to spend $$$

53:00 - Expectations offensively/defensively vs. Maine

1:08:00 - Recruiting 

1:13:00 - Circling back to Jackson Arnold and Oklahoma/Brent Venables Tuesday comments

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On this episode of the Unofficial 40 we're getting ready for the Sooners to take on Ole Miss. How much hope do Sooner fans have that OU can actually win a tough game this season? Has all hope been lost? We have plenty of opinions on how OU should handle the offensive line situation moving forward. Jacob Jordan was impressive last week. But how bad has some of the OU receiver production been this season? We take a look at some numbers. And those numbers are not fun to look at. How does the administration feel about everything that has transpired? How secure is Brent Venables' job right now? And how much difference can someone like Kevin Johns make with this offense moving forward. Plenty of ups and downs in the season and just as many in this episode as Carey starts to hope again but everyone else is not willing to join him.

THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW:

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! 

7:00 - Brent Venables talks young OL on the SEC Teleconference 

20:00 - Danny Stutsman leading the defense

29:00 - Big Money Donors concern with trajectory of program under Brent Venables? 

34:00 - Brent’s message to recruits/commits resonate? 

47:00 - Can Kevin Johns realistically help things, specifically at QB? 

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