Wait...Oklahoma players football this week? That's right, the first Unofficial 40 of the 2026 football season has arrived! Aren't you excited? Good! Unfortunately for you though, we start off on the injury front with some updates on a couple key starters on the offensive side of the ball. Josh is back from a recruiting trip for the ages where he saw a couple five-stars do their thing over in Kentucky. Jumping back to the world of college football, what is the latest on Danny Saili? Honestly, Eddie might be eligible to play at this point. Lloyd Avant might be an even bigger star than expected, at least that's what George says. On the defense, Reggie Powers might be a name offensive coordinators hear in their nightmares. Finally, we cap things off with a little Home Alone talk(yes, the Christmas movie) and much more on this edition of the Unofficial 40 Podcast.

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! It’s FOOOOTBALL time in Norman! Let’s start with some bad news: Ryan Fodje was injured at practice 

22:00 - Quick stop down to praise 2027 TE commit Seneca Driver

31:00 - Josh also stopped down with 2028 DL Kellan Hall 

36:00 - Little bit of a national recruiting talk; Sooners not giving up on Texas Tech ATH commit Gideon Gash 

45:00 - Update on Arkansas DT transfer Danny Saili

50:00 - Back to OU football 

59:00 - Some Lloyd Avant hype for ya 

1:06:00 - Reggie Powers will be a star at Cheetah 

1:20:00 - Miscellaneous roundtable on all things

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this edition of the Unofficial 40...we just want college football back. Good thing is, we are just one weekend away. Let's get deep...two-deep...as in what will the two-deep look like. We also got to speak with Elijah Thomas, could this be the year the Sooners have two 1000 yard receivers? Plenty of news coming out of the world of NFL players coming back to college, pointing at LSU. By the way, did the FBI really check the LSU facilities? No idea but it would be cool if they did. We talk some recruiting, specifically how Cooper Witten is a monster among high schoolers. Brent Venables contract extension caused a stir, but what contract extension doesn't these days. And for you huge football sickos out there, Eddie may be the offensive lineman you are looking...all that and more on this edition of the Unofficial 40 Podcast.

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! It’s Week Zero. It’s *almost* time to football

14:00 - Let’s talk projected two-deep. Also, big year for development at WR 

41:00 - NFL players coming back to college tangent 

51:00 - Josh talks some recruiting; Headed to see 2028 No.1 DT Kellan Hall and 2027 Sooners TE commit Seneca Driver this weekend 

1:05:00 - Brent Venables got a contract extension 

1:16:00 - TCU hates the media 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another day over 100 degrees, but nothing stops the Unofficial 40. We are one week closer to kickoff, and at this point, any college football will do the trick. The guys hit the studio with plenty to discuss, and possibly an egregiously long discussion over who will be the Sooners' center with Jake Maikkula's timeframe uncertain. Josh and Parker have been hitting the recruiting trail hard while George plays with his new favorite football toy, and to be fair we are all a little jealous. Oklahoma's win total saw a slight bump and maybe the hype around the receiver room has something to do with it? Probably not. There is plenty to watch out for before camp closes, speaking of watch, Carey has turned George into a watch guy now...Eddie couldn't care less. Fill in the desire for football with SoonerScoop on this addition of the Unofficial 40 Podcast.

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! In case you haven’t heard, football is basically back! 

3:27 - George is officially a #numbers guy 

11:00 - Courtland Guillory makes his first media appearance 

18:00 - WR talk 

28:04 - How much does the Jake Maikkula injury affect OU’s run game early? 

46:00 - OU win total moves to 8.5? 

1:01:00 - Biggest ?s as camp closes

1:08:00 - Recruiting 

1:18:00 - Look ahead to the weekend/CFB Roundtable 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first Unofficial 40 since the Sooners threw the pads on and thank goodness we don't have to record this outside. The guys go over the recent intel from fall camp, including some offensive line talk and of course, George wants to talk about injuries. What kind of numbers does John Mateer need to put up to make Eddie happy? Plus what the new addition on the defensive line means for the Sooners as the season approaches fast. Finally, a tear or two is shed as Russell Westbrook announces his retirement...yes this is an OU podcast.

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! Preseason Camp Week 2. Please take a deep breathe on the injury front.
11:00 - OU offensive line playing well; that’s great news! Hello, Noah Best
24:00 - This is an OU podcast but the defense is stacked
35:00 - OU offensive takeaways from preseason so far
45:00 - QB talk. We’ve booked a room in New York City
52:00 - Sooners set to add Arkansas DT Danny Saili
57:00 - Recruiting; High school season set to kickoff
1:05:00 - Russell Westbrook announces his retirement and we share a cry 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are one day removed from OU fall media day and there is still plenty to cover from the festivities. The Sooners hit the practice field today while we wait for our first glimpse Friday morning. The SoonerScoop crew goes over all things media day in this addition of the Unofficial 40 Podcast. Eddie is still starstruck by Jason Witten, Carey fears the stories from the past that Kevin Wilson might share, Josh's big head can't contain his excitement for the season and George goes back to his vast experience with the law as he still has no idea if the class of 2022 can actually come back. Football season is back, and the Unofficial 40 never left.

Download Cash App Today: ⁠https://click.cash.app/ui6m/u98n146s⁠  #CashAppPod. 

Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the ⁠Sutton prepaid card⁠, ⁠Sutton debit flex card⁠, and ⁠Bancorp debit flex card⁠.  Savings provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures.

THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW: 0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! Football is BACK in Norman, Oklahoma
8:00 - Sooners held Media Day on Tuesday; On the practice field today!
18:00 - Running back room
25:00 - Offensive line/Tight end talk
41:00 - Interior defensive tackle sounds promising
45:00 - Cornerbacks/Defensive ends
1:00:00 - Ben Arbuckle Year No.2. A lot to prove with a steadfast belief in John Mateer
1:06:00 - Recruiting updates — Recruiting Report on Scoop Youtube this week
1:15:00 - Carey makes a bold prediction

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tomorrow is the annual Fostering Futures Coaches luncheon which has kind of become the official kickoff of preseason football in Norman. And next week when we're recording the U40 we will be doing it just 1 day after OU's official media day where we will talk to Brent Venables, assistant coaches and many players. It's going to be a very fun time of the year. Owen Heinecke was scheduled to have a hearing tomorrow as well and George updates us on what is still going on with Heinecke and the NCAA. There are some interesting developments in the NIL space as well. It is something kind of smart that could impose a sort of tax on a school's roster when they take in transfers from the portal. Carey has the breakdown. And will OU have a jersey patch? What type of company is OU looking for? And how soon does it have to get done? George with the update on that one.

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! Football is so, so near

17:00 - Coaches Luncheon on Thursday; Preseason camp begins next week

46:00 - Owen Heinecke hearing on Thursday 7/29

50:00 - Carey talks NIL/Senate conversation

57:00 - Non-recruiting guys talk recruiting

1:03:00 - Jersey patches coming to Norman but when? 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It finally happened, we got a little too into OU football breakdowns as we started going over the offensive positions and what has to happen on offense to for John Mateer to be a more successful quarterback coach. The addition of Jason Witten has been a massive boost at the tight end position. And the tight end room could be one of those positions that really helps turn things around on offense. What is the running back room going to look like? What are Delan McCullough's running back rotations going to look like and who do we think will end up the best player in that room by the end of the season? We feel good about the offensive line. Who can OU not afford to lose along that line and remain productive? And we haven't seen anything of Trell Harris yet, even though Brent Venables declared him healthy and full go at Media Days. WE STILL DON'T LIKE HURT RECEIVERS THOUGH!!! And what about the high school guys? Will someone finally break out?! OK, you see how we can get carried away. George talks about who he voted for in the All SEC voting. And what one player can improve the offense the most? Lots of QB talk in the SEC, general SEC Conference teams and how serious is the SEC about breaking away from the NCAA? Also watch as Eddie cringes as the guys start talking about how different generations view Star Wars.

THE FULL BREAKDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW:

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! Sooners kicked off SEC Media Days in Tampa

15:00 - One of the big takeaways from SEC Media Days is a belief the TE room is infinitely better

22:17 - Question of the Day: Name one player that can elevate OU to the top of the SEC?

31:00 - OU WR group … still some questions but it’s fun to talk about right now

43:00 - Little OL talk

56:00 - All-SEC talk

1:09:00 - Three leagues: NFC, AFC and the SEC

1:32:00 - Recruiting? Recruiting? Recruiting?

1:38:00 - Nerd fest talking Star Wars between Carey, Josh and George 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is literally the deadest week of the year for sports. Pro tip, always take vacation the week the ESPYs are on TV. But we've kind of had a lot of football thoughts running through our mind watching a lot of OU games being played on ESPNU the last few days. George dropped part 3 of the John Mateer series and it got us thinking... Is there a receiver OU should have tried harder to keep in the portal after watching some games closer to the end of the season? We also talk about Eddy Pierre-Louis being invited to SEC Media Days to represent the team. Is this a message that Brent Venables and the offensive staff feel confident in their offensive line and particularly the leadership that is developing in that room? Major League Baseball held their draft and Eddie says the Sooners came out big winners as far as players that will now return to OU next season. Someone takes us down a rabbit hole of most crushing OU losses. It's also the peak of the offseason so we wondered aloud, how much longer are malls gonna survive?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big 12 Media Days have started and it's a quick reminder that some weird stuff happens during talking season. The Texas Tech situation blew up once again with Brett Yormark handling things poorly in Frisco, Texas during the old conference's preseason event. Oh boy, Texas Tech... Carey, Eddie and George are here with Josh on vacation this week and we've kind of decided it's time. We're dipping our toes in preseason talk. Position talk, storyline talk in our own rambling way of getting going with the start of the season. George has a lot of scenarios about how the season could start and how acceptable that start would be for everyone. George is also getting ready to go on a little vacation to celebrate his first year of marriage to the lovely Erin. Eddie has a family wedding coming up as well. It's wedding season for sure. Just relax everybody, enjoy some football talk as we try and prepare ourselves mentally and physically for the start of preseason camp and SEC Media Days in less than two weeks.

THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW: 0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! It’s the calm before the storm 

7:00 - Media Days have become useless but they do be funny #content 

33:00 - Behind the scenes of George’s Mateer Part II story; Sam Bradford working with John Mateer a little this offseason

52:00 - What position are you most concerned about with depth?

 1:15:00 - CFB Roundtable 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a bit rant-e today on the Unofficial 40 as Carey laid out his frustrations getting the audio dialed right in the new studios. So if you have any comments about wanting better audio, Carey has some comments for you. Carey also has some words with OU fans criticizing John Mateer for his play last year. Especially after George visited with Mateer during the Manning Passing Academy about what last season was like for him trying to play through the hand surgery. Tomorrow is possibly a big day for OU in recruiting as Uhila Wolfgramm is set to make his decision. Josh talks about the absolute roller coaster he has been on throughout his visits and decision. We're getting stir crazy going into July. Happy 4th of July everybody!!!

THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW:

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial40! Let’s talk futbol 

14:00 - American football is near; John Mateer at Manning Passing Academy 

48:00 - Uhila Wolfgramm announcing on Thursday, July 2

53:00 - Sooners might be taking over the state of Utah

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone is finally back together in the studio and we're here to talk some OU baseball national championship. Carey and Josh join Eddie and George to recap their thoughts on the magical run by this Sooner baseball team. There is also big news coming on the recruiting trail on Friday. Will there be any good news for the Sooners? George is also headed back out on the road to Louisiana where he will attend the Manning Passing Academy and meet up with his good friend John Mateer. How good is the Omaha Zoo? The fellas took a trip out to see it all.

THE RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW:

0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial 40! OU baseball is the 2026 National Champion. What?! 

50:00 - Big announcements ahead on the recruiting trail — Bode Sparrow & Uhlia Wolfgramm 

53:00 - George is headed to the Manning Passing Academy on Friday 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices