Could this be the beginning of the end for teachers unions? Sure hope so.

Saddle up Pokes!

Why do new Oklahoma high school football stadiums have turf fields? 'Simply usability'​

Nick Sardis
The Oklahoman

With each high school football season that comes along, more and more brand new stadiums are being unveiled in the Oklahoma City metro area.

From smaller schools like Blanchard to bigger ones like Edmond Memorial and Edmond North, several teams in recent years have gotten new fields.

This year will be no different as both Southmoore and Westmoore will compete in new stadiums.

And there’s a common theme among all of these fields — every one of them has turf instead of grass.

Go to a high school football game this fall and chances are you’ll see a turf field, although there are exceptions. There’s a debate about which type of playing surface is better for player safety, but for those in the Oklahoma high school football community, turf is the way to go and it’s just as safe as natural grass.

“We track concussions, and it doesn’t matter,” Edmond Public Schools athletic director Mike Nunley said. “And to be honest, in football a couple of years ago, we had more concussions in basketball and wrestling than we did in football combined.”

One of the main concerns with turf fields has to do with how hot it can get in the grueling summer months as it reaches temperatures much higher than on natural grass.

The three Moore public schools are combating that.

Instead of using the traditional black rubber infill, they’re instead going with BrockFill, a wood particle infill.

“It’s going to keep the field up to 20 degrees cooler than the temperature around, so it’s not a black infill — it’s a fiber infill — and so we’re really excited about that,” Westmoore athletic director Chad Mashburn said. “That’s kind of a big deal, so that’ll help with the safety of the kids, the heat exhaustion, stuff like that when they’re out practicing earlier in the season.”

Moore High, which had been the home stadium for its two crosstown rivals before this year, had its field replaced with a new one at the end of May, and all three schools in the district have the wood infill.

“With this new turf, it’s considerably cooler, so the technology of turf has improved over the years,” he said. “You’re very comparable to what the temperature would be on grass.”



As for injuries, there’s conflicting research about whether turf is safer.

Chris Trobaugh, a veteran athletic trainer who is at Deer Creek, hasn’t personally noticed a big issue with injuries on turf.

“I’ve covered sports on natural grass and turf for pretty much my entire 20-year career,” Trobaugh said. “I’ll say that I haven’t really seen an uptick in orthopedic injuries like some ATs have seen. There are a lot of fields where athletic trainers have gotten new turf and they’ve noticed that they’ve had more ankle and knee injuries. I’ve never really experienced that at any of the schools that I’ve worked at.”

Deer Creek still uses rubber infill, so the heat is something Trobaugh is cautious about during this time of the year.

“The biggest thing for me has been worrying about how the kids handle the heat on a turf field because you put in a turf field and you’re instantly worrying about 25- to 30-degrees warmer air temp around it because as the turf heats up, it doesn’t cool off like grass does,” he said.

There are obvious advantages to a high school having turf instead of natural grass.

All three Edmond public schools have turf fields, and for Nunley, the advantages far outweigh any drawbacks, which for Edmond does include high temperatures in the summer and also having to replace them every 10 years or so.

“For us it was simply usability,” Nunley said. “You practice on it every day, you can play games on it every day. Ours were heavy-use areas, and that would be No. 1.

“No. 2 is the maintenance. It’s not going to save you money, but it saves you manpower, man time. You can redirect those people that are working on your athletic fields to do other areas that they need to be working on. If you’re a major university like OU and you want to play on grass, it’s great. But they’re playing six games a year and they’re not practicing on it, so that makes an enormous difference.”

There’s no doubt that turf is more efficient from the perspective of an administrator.

But for a player, there is something special about trotting out onto a natural grass field.

“At the end of the day, I’m just a backyard football kid trying to make it,” Edmond Santa Fe running back and Arizona State commit Demarius Robinson said.

For Robinson, he has great memories of playing on grass, but he also has some with turf.

“Growing up I played on grass and I knew really nothing else,” he said. “I would say I prefer grass especially if wet. I’ve managed to get many touchdowns in grass. Although under the right circumstances and conditions, turf has been favorable.

“Turf monsters are real and have taken many teammates’ ACL. Turf is more common nowadays and cleats have adjusted as well, which help with injuries. You even have linemen wearing braces to prevent injuries.”

Bryant is an Edmond Santa Fe alum and played at Western Michigan on the defensive line.

He’s noticed turf fields can be somewhat unforgiving, but he definitely sees the upsides.

“Compared to a grass field, it’s not as soft on the body,” Bryant said. “And landing on it, it can take a toll. That’s why you see it in the news, the NFL Players Association doesn’t want turf fields in the NFL. But for what we do, it allows us, with minimal maintenance, allows us to have a high-quality surface year-round.”

Oklahoma State Football: 2024 Season Preview and Prediction​

By Matthew Postins

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Big 12 football predictions for 2024: Utah leads deep field in new-look conference race​

By Stewart Mandel
8h ago



The new Big 12 may lack national championship contenders, but it could be extremely competitive. That starts with its impressive group of coaches, including three who made my top 10 in the country this spring — Kansas’ Lance Leipold, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham and Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy. Kansas State’s Chris Klieman, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and new Houston coach Willie Fritz made my list, too.

I could see any of six teams — Utah, Kansas State, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Kansas or Iowa State — winning the league this season, without much separation between them. (And West Virginia and UCF aren’t that far behind). But as I dug deeper into depth charts and schedules this week, I realized one team does stand out above the others.

Big 12 predictions

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Big 12 football coach rankings 2024: Does Mike Gundy or Kyle Whittingham take top spot?​

Joe Mussatto
The Oklahoman

Les Miles and Urban Meyer arrived in the SEC at the same time.

After the 2004 season, Miles left Oklahoma State for Louisiana State, and Meyer went from Utah to Florida. Both were home run hires. Meyer led the Gators to national championships in 2006 and 2008. Between those came LSU’s 2007 national title, orchestrated by the Mad Hatter himself.

The hirings of Miles and Meyer were sliding doors moments — not only for LSU and Florida, but also for Oklahoma State and Utah, which filled their head coaching vacancies from within.

Kyle Whittingham was named Meyer’s successor at Utah. Twenty-six days later, Mike Gundy was named head coach at OSU.

Almost 20 years later, Gundy and Whittingham are still in those jobs.

With Utah’s entry into the Big 12, the second-and third-longest tenured coaches in college football are now in the same conference. Only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, entering his 26th season, has held the same head coaching job for longer than Gundy and Whittingham — both of whom are in Year 20.

Today we’re ranking the best head coaches in the Big 12, and, spoiler alert, Gundy and Whittingham occupy the top-two spots. No other coach is close to matching their combined records of longevity and success.

Here are The Oklahoman’s rankings of Big 12 coaches from 16 to 1:

16. Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State​

• FBS head coaching record: 3-9
• Record at Arizona State: 3-9 (2-7 Big 12)

A lack of experience and track record is holding Dillingham down, but the 34-year-old will be a fast riser on this list if he leads a turnaround in Tempe. What would qualify as a turnaround? Any semblance of stability for what’s been a shoddy program, especially of late.

Dillingham is the youngest coach in college football, but he’s been an offensive coordinator under a few of the top minds in the game. Dillingham coached under Mike Norvell at Memphis and Florida State, under Gus Malzahn at Auburn, and most recently, under Dan Lanning at Oregon before getting the head job at his alma mater, Arizona State.

After going 3-9 last season, the Sun Devils were picked to finish last in what will be their Big 12 debut.

15. Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati​

• FBS head coaching record: 75-49
• Record at Cincinnati: 3-9 (1-8, Big 12)

Satterfield won big (51-24) at Appalachian State, but everyone wins big at Appalachian State. Maybe that’s unfair, but it’s true. The Mountaineers’ success as a program predates its transition from the FCS to FBS, which Satterfield presided over.

Since leaving the peaks of Boone, North Carolina, Satterfield is 28-33 as a head coach.

After four mediocre seasons at Louisville, Satterfield fled to Cincinnati before the Cardinals could fire him. Good business on Satterfield’s part, but what was Cincinnati thinking?

The Bearcats were picked in the Big 12 preseason poll to finish 14th. That bad of a finish could be the end of Satterfield at UC.

14. Brent Brennan, Arizona​

• FBS head coaching record: 34-48
• Record at Arizona: 0-0

Arizona hired a coach who went 34-48 in seven seasons at San Jose State. Doesn’t sound all that great, but this is San Jose State we’re talking about.

Brennan had the Spartans on an upward trajectory, with three bowl appearances in their last four seasons.

It’s hard to judge Brennan the coach, but it’s easy to understand Brennan the hire.

He’s a West Coast lifer, and spent one season at Arizona as a graduate assistant in 2000.

13. Dave Aranda, Baylor​

• FBS head coaching record: 23-25
• Record at Baylor: 23-25 (15-21, Big 12)

Just three years removed from a 12-2 season capped by a Sugar Bowl win, Aranda might have the warmest seat of his Big 12 colleagues.

The shine of that one magical season has worn off. Aranda has had a losing record in each of his other three seasons in Waco.

It’s OK that Aranda doesn’t win press conferences, but not winning football games? He’ll get shown the door for that.

12. Deion Sanders, Colorado​

• FBS head coaching record: 4-8
• Record at Colorado: 4-8 (1-7, Pac-12)

It’s hard to separate the coach from the character. Maybe they’re one in the same. Either way, as USA Today’s Mike Freeman wrote, Sanders’ act is wearing thin. He’s picking unnecessary fights, and what could be a mighty difficult season has yet to begin.

Sanders can clearly coach. He went 27-6 at FCS Jackson State. And winning four games in his first season at Colorado was no small feat.

Coach Prime’s biggest win is making college football fans across the country care about Colorado. How long that lasts, time will tell.

11. Neal Brown, West Virginia​

• FBS head coaching record: 66-45
• Record at West Virginia: 31-29 (20-24, Big 12)

Brown needed a big year to keep his job, and he delivered.

The Mountaineers went 9-4 (6-3, Big 12), capped by a win against North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Nothing like a mayonnaise bath to celebrate a job well done.

Brown won 10-plus games in three of his four seasons at Troy, and West Virginia would have reached 10 wins had the Mountaineers not been on the wrong side of a Hail Mary at Houston.

10. Kalani Sitake, BYU​

• FBS head coaching record: 61-41
• Record at BYU: 61-41 (2-7, Big 12)

BYU had a rough Year 1 in the conference, and Year 2 doesn’t figure to be much smoother, if at all.

Sitake is in no danger of losing his job — the former Cougar fullback is BYU through and through — but Sitake hasn’t matched the success of his predecessor, Bronco Mendenhall.

Mendenhall had a .697 winning percentage in 11 seasons at BYU. Sitake has a .598 winning percentage in eight seasons. Mendenhall led the Cougars to a bowl game in each of his 11 seasons. Sitake is 6 for 8 in leading the Cougars to bowl games.

9. Joey McGuire, Texas Tech​

• FBS head coaching record: 15-11
• Record at Texas Tech: 15-11 (10-8, Big 12)

Texas Tech went 5-4 in the Big 12 in both of McGuire’s first two seasons on the job.

Big whoop, right? But until McGuire came along, not since the Mike Leach days had the Red Raiders finished above .500 in conference play — much less do so in back-to-back seasons.

Matt Wells, Kliff Kingsbury and Tommy Tuberville? Twelve seasons among them. Twelve seasons of losing records in Big 12 play.

McGuire was an out-of-the-box hire who has so far paid off.

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How Oklahoma State football DE Obi Ezeigbo's 'very quick first step' makes him a weapon​

Scott Wright
The Oklahoman

STILLWATER — Based on a quick poll among his Oklahoma State teammates, one quality was the first thing mentioned when asked what stands out about new Cowboy Obi Ezeigbo.

“That guy, he can pass rush,” defensive end Xavier Ross said. “He has a very quick first step. He picked up the defense very quickly, very smoothly.”

Others echoed the same thought about Ezeigbo’s explosion off the line of scrimmage.

The 6-foot-2, 245-pound super-senior has seamlessly stepped into the Cowboy defense as an edge rusher after transferring from Division II Gannon University in January.

Having played the 2022 season under OSU defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo at Gannon, Ezeigbo had an edge when it came to learning the defense, though Nardo has made a few tweaks to the 3-3-5 scheme since joining the Cowboys.

“There were a lot of things I knew, but at the same time, I needed to show that I could learn everything about this defense to show these coaches, show my guys that they could trust me out on the field,” Ezeigbo said. “I wanted to show them what I could do as the new kid on the block. I wanted to show them that I could ball and that we could build that trust.”



Nardo has made some adjustments in his defense to improve the Cowboys’ pass rush from a year ago, which will include more use of a four-man line. And Ezeigbo’s edge rusher position is the fourth man in the group, so he has had to learn those differences in the defense he knew at Gannon.

“This defense is more multiple now,” Ezeigbo said. “At Gannon, I was a hand-down defensive end, but now I’m in that standup edge position. So that’s a little different for me, but this is a position I’ve always wanted to play. This position fits me the best.

“My pass rush ability, I feel like, is the main reason they brought me here to Oklahoma State, because they wanted a pass rusher. I want to be able to give that to them to the best of my ability. I want that to be my specialty.”

The Cowboys had 27 sacks last year, an average of 1.93 per game — their lowest mark since 2013. So boosting the rush has been a prime objective since January, which is why Ezeigbo was a valuable target from the transfer portal.

Ezeigbo has stepped in as Collin Oliver’s backup at the outside linebacker/edge rusher position, but because of his pass rush abilities, Ezeigbo could find himself on the field in other situations, too.


In fact, Oliver says he has learned a few tricks from the DII transfer.

“He has this one pass-rush move that he’s mastered. I call it the Obi,” Oliver said. “He calls it the stab-slap. It’s a pretty cool move that he’s got. He’s taught me about it, because we give each other little tidbits on pass rushing.

“Everybody says he looks like me, too. He’s a bit bigger than me, a bit bulkier than me, but he knows how to hold an edge. He’s aggressive and strong.”

Of course, Ezeigbo’s first taste of the Division I football experience came with OSU strength coach Rob Glass over the winter, which was quite a change from the offseason workouts at Gannon.

“I tell you what, Coach Glass got his workouts and they get you right,” Ezeigbo said. “It was definitely different. The workouts are way more intense. It’s way more to do that work out your fundamental muscles, just your main core muscles. And it works.

“I’ve gained weight and I’m more explosive, so it definitely changed me.”

Opening Day is on Thursday. My Red Sox open on a West Coast tour starting in Seattle for 4 games then Oakland for 3 and finally Los Angeles Angels before home opening day on April 9th against Baltimore.

I mean the guy would be gone gone but no Biden! shut the hell up left and sit down. The middle and right are negotiating now. Blow job betty killing it and winning. At least we get the Xs back hahahaha.

A small group of us are headed up that Thursday afternooon. I've spent a decent amount of time in Salt Lake but have never been to Provo. There are flights direct from DFW to Provo so I'm bypassing SLC, which may be an error on my part.

Per my interwebz research, lack of a bar scene would be an understatement. There is a lil' hole in the wall around the corner from our hotel but there appears to be nothing resembling a bar strip. There are even bars that specialize in "mocktails" if that's your thing.

A veteran Oklahoma State roster could produce a special 2024 season. What's the plan for 2025 though?​

• Aug 15, 2024 Updated 7 hrs ago

Tyler Waldrep​

OSU Sports Writer

STILLWATER — It’s hard to look at Oklahoma State’s veteran roster and not expect a special season is in store for the Cowboys this fall.
The offense alone is expected to start at least eight seniors plus running back Ollie Gordon — who will be eligible for the NFL draft following this season.
Just don’t think too hard about what any of that means for the team in 2025.

“There will be a lot of new guys that have to get work,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “And hopefully, we can do that some. … For a number of years around here, we were able to do that (get backups in games) three or four times a year, maybe five times a year. But with the way the game has changed with free agency and money, then there’s not as many games like that, but yes, we would like for that to happen. If not, we have to scrimmage a lot in the spring. We got to find out a way to get those guys some live reps.”

The Cowboys of 2025 won’t have the benefit of returning more than 80% of the starting lineup as the team does this season. However, the departure of several seniors at once could open up enough starting spots that Oklahoma State loses minimal players to the transfer portal for the second consecutive year.

For that reason, it’s possible Oklahoma State is a team that reloads with experienced returning players instead of one that rebuilds at most positions in 2025, especially where the offense is concerned.
Reloading


Stribling could be back in 2025

Arkansas transfer AJ Green seems unlikely to play enough to burn a season of eligibility if he sees the field at all. A loss for 2024 that could very well turn into a bright spot in 2025 should he stick around to compete.

Indiana transfer Trent Howland emerged from a committee to lead his former school in rushing. He will compete with Sesi Vailahi for the right to back up Ollie Gordon in 2024. Howland seems likely to stick around considering he came to Oklahoma State with one eye on the chance to be the guy after Gordon leaves.
Replacing Gordon is easier said than done, but at least two of these three guys will have significant game experience ahead of the 2025 season.

This could belong in any of the categories depending on how former Stillwater High standout Josh Ford finishes fall camp. He could be a clear-cut returning starter, an experienced returner, or a talented player who has yet to see meaningful game experience.


After the praise heaped on him from teammates and Gundy, it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t have a significant role to play during 2024, even if he splits snaps with older tight ends such as Ohio transfer Tyler Foster.

De’Zhaun Stribling seems poised for a big 2024 and could even emerge as the top receiver. However, he will face healthy competition for targets. In 2025, he could be the undisputed focal point of the passing attack if not the offense itself.
Oklahoma transfer Gavin Freeman, plus whichever receivers cement backup roles in 2024, should ensure the 2025 Cowboys receiving corps starts with more experience than most would expect following the departures of Brennan Presley and Rashod Owens.

Rebuilding

Seven offensive linemen returned to the Cowboys this offseason with double-digit starts. At least five of them will exhaust their eligibility in 2024, and two of them might have decisions to make that could extend their time in Stillwater if they choose to go that route.
Jason Brooks, who started seven games in 2023 before missing time due to injury, could, in theory, redshirt in 2024 if he plays four or fewer games in the regular season. Not exactly an expected path for him this fall.

Cole Birmingham, who played 874 snaps in 2023, missed all of 2022 due to injury and could apply for a medical redshirt. Whether he would want to do that and if the NCAA would grant it remains to be seen.

Teammates raved about Arizona State transfer Isaia Glass in the spring. He started 21 games for the Sun Devils previously, so regardless of his role in 2024, Glass seems like a surefire future starter for his final year of eligibility in 2025.
However, unless all three of those guys return in 2025, it’s tough to argue Oklahoma State’s other returning linemen will have enough experience to treat the unit as anything but a rebuild.

Unless the unexpected happens this season, Oklahoma State’s quarterback in 2025 will have minimal experience or be a portal addition.
Unless one of them feels they’ve already fallen out of favor with the staff, it seems likely that both Garret Rangel (four starts) and Zane Flores will return as the early favorites to replace Alan Bowman.

Notice what countries the officials are from and all the American military equipment? If anyone ever ask for proof of Biden being bought by China look no further than Afghanistan. Giving up that airbase was the greatest gift Biden could have given the Chinese.

Hilarity ensues.

Be sure to remember KJP's response when Harris finally comes saying she had nothing to do with Biden's failures.

Moved my son into Iba Hall! Daughter gets her degree this year! Now we are empty nesters - crazy world! So grateful they both are experiencing the best university in the world.

Today wife paid our 4th $10 1 gig AT&T fiber broadband bill. Wife is retired AT&T. $10.46. Days ago we paid our highest electricity rate 16.8 cents per kWh bill ever. Thanks to Brandon's costly energy policies. NOT pandemic as one of the board's slow claims. We paid 5.2 cents per kWh when Trump left the building. TX rates can be tracked by zip code at powertochoose.org.

Hopefully just BS but I hate shit like this. If any insiders can say there's nothing to it that would be great. I don't know if it's injury related or worse
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Has a bar and everything.

Beat that OKC, you dumb c*nts.

The avg, credit card debt carries a $7000 balance with an avg. 24% interest rate. And one of the board's slow told us the middle class is stronger than when Trump left office. The US avg. IQ is a paltry 97.4. With enough Sherlocks like these, Kumula could be our next leader. 4 More years of Bidenomics.

All time credit card debt. Bidenomics.

Mike Gundy believes Cowboys well-positioned to impress playoff committee in future seasons​

• Aug 12, 2024 Updated Aug 12, 2024

Tyler Waldrep​

OSU Sports Writer

STILLWATER — The last time college football’s postseason changed was in 2014. Baylor and TCU were somewhat controversially left out of the inaugural College Football Playoff due in part to the lack of a conference title game.
Rules overseeing the sport eventually changed and the Big 12 subsequently brought its championship game back. This year, the 12-team College Football Playoff finally arrives and who makes the bracket, and in what spot, could have a similar domino effect on the sport in the coming years.
“That’s part of what’s gonna be interesting, to really see what they’re looking for and how they feel about it,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “I do think the Big 12 has an advantage because we play nine (regular season) conference games, and that is important.”

That impact hasn’t shown up regarding the top four spots. Since 2014, ignoring 2020, only 14 teams earned playoff berths after playing nine conference games, while 20 spots went to teams that played only eight conference games. The other two spots went to independent Notre Dame.

Rightly or not, this season’s results will likely be used as a referendum on how the committee views the Big 12, SEC and Big 10 after all three conferences added multiple members during the offseason.



“I think non-conference scheduling will be a bigger factor now than what it has been in the past,” Gundy said on Saturday. “Which is good for us, because we’ve scheduled really good moving forward. And I think that’s gonna be a bigger factor.”

The Cowboys have scheduled an FCS opponent in each of the next five seasons, along with an annual series against Tulsa through 2031. That’s the routine stuff.
What could set Oklahoma State apart in the coming years is its home-and-home series with some of the best teams in the sport, Oregon (2025 and 2026) and Alabama (2028 and 2029). In between, Oklahoma State plays a road game against Arkansas in 2027, which pays the Razorbacks back for their upcoming visit to Stillwater on Sept. 7.


According to FanDuel, the Ducks and the Crimson Tide currently have the third and fifth-best odds of winning the national championship this season. Oregon is +650, and Alabama is +1400.


Compared to those teams, a visit from the team FanDuel gives the third-worst odds of winning the SEC this year, Arkansas, lacks the same shine.
Despite lacking a must-see matchup that will jump off the page for a national audience, this non-conference schedule could still serve as an adequate warmup act for a team with legitimate playoff aspirations.
Look no further than the Cowboys’ opener against back-to-back FCS national champion South Dakota State. On Monday, the Jackrabbits nearly started as the unanimous No. 1 FCS team after receiving all but one first-place vote in the coaches poll.
“When we scheduled that, I’m sure we were trying to avoid North Dakota State,” Oklahoma State athletic director Chad Weiberg said with a laugh.


South Dakota State formally announced the matchup in July of 2022. Since then, the Jackrabbits have won 29 of 30 games with the lone loss coming by only four points at Iowa in 2023.
In the three years prior, South Dakota State’s best record was 11-4 and its total record over that time was 27-11.

“But that’s how football scheduling goes, right?” Weiberg said in an exclusive interview with the World. “You just don’t know and those are so far out in advance.”
Oklahoma State’s players fielded several questions about the playoffs over the weekend. After admitting that the playoff is a goal for this team, most refused to elaborate further. Instead, they preferred to take their cues from their head coach who maintains this team isn’t looking past the first week.

“We know that South Dakota State is an issue,” Gundy said. “I’ve said that all along. When you play a team that hasn’t lost a game in that many years, we definitely have our sights set on them and them only at this time.”