Lindley, Favors Practicing with DE’s

LB’s P.L. Lindley and Rashod Favors have been practicing with the DE’s this week, including drills conducted prior to the scrimmage that was held earlier today. It’s unclear if this will be a permanent move.

Whaley Reportedly Ahead of Schedule

RB Dominique Whaley is reportedly “ahead of schedule and should be ready for two-a-days in August,” according to The Oklahoman. Whaley suffered a broken ankle against Kansas State last season.

RB coach Cale Gundy:

“He looks good,” Gundy said. “I saw a little bit more stuff (Tuesday than I normally see) and he was running around a little bit faster.”

QB Landry Jones:

“I see him almost every day,” Jones said. “To me he appears to be ahead of schedule. He's always in the training room working on it, getting his flexibility and power back. He was running the other day on the practice field. I didn't see him run but he told me it felt pretty good, pretty strong.”

Matt Dimon Commits to Sooners

OU “received its second verbal commitment of the 2013 recruiting class on Tuesday when Matt Dimon gave his pledge on Twitter,” the Tulsa World reports.

“Dimon is a 6-foot-3, 245-pound defensive end from Katy, Texas. He’s not only OU’s second commitment, he’s the Sooners’ second pledge from the Houston area, joining 5-star running back Keith Ford of Cypress, Texas.

“Scout.com ranks Dimon as a three-star prospect.”

Incoming Recruit Courtney Gardner Arrested

OU WR recruit Courtney Gardner “was arrested over the weekend for obstructing a peace officer,” according to The Oklahoman.

“According to a report from the Reno Gazette-Journal, Gardner was arrested around 1 a.m. Sunday after a vehicle he was riding in was stopped by sheriff's deputies. The driver, Ardian Smith, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and other traffic violations.

“’During contact with the driver, Gardner became belligerent,’ said Armando Avina, a spokesman for the Washoe County Sherrif's Office. ‘There were five occupants, and the deputy noted an immediate smell of alcohol and marijuana. Somebody (in the car) said, ‘Don't you know who we are? We're Division I athletes.'’

“Avina said Gardner, 21, continued to yell at the deputy, who called in back-up units.

“This is Gardner's second misdemeanor arrest in the Reno area in the last 2½ years, according to the Gazette-Journal. He was arrested for minor in possession of alcohol in November 2009.”

Kellen Jones Will Transfer

Head Coach Bob Stoops “confirmed on Thursday that sophomore LB Kellen Jones (6-1, 223) has decided to transfer,” according to an official OU release.

"Kellen leaves the program in good standing, and we wish him the best," Stoops said.

Daniel Brooks Injured

Incoming Sooner recruit Daniel Brooks tore his ACL at a recent track event, according to SoonerScoop.com.

"Yes, he tore it long jumping," his father, Tony Brooks, said of the injury suffered on March 2 at the Rockdale relays.

The good news, for everyone involved, is that Rockdale, Texas three-star athlete Daniel Brooks had already signed his letter of intent with Oklahoma prior to suffering the injury. As such he'll be heading to Norman on Mar. 13 to undergo surgery with the Oklahoma medical staff.

As such, the group will also be in charge of handling his rehab - along with the help of a few unlikely allies

"He'll actually be in Norman on Mar. 13 to do the surgery. The Sooner medical staff will do the surgery and the rehab," his father said. "They have also (for rehab) put us together with someone in our area.

"They have put us in connection with Texas A&M and Texas."

Spring Practice Presser Notes

Here are a few notes from the press conference held today by Head Coach Bob Stoops prior to the Sooners’ first spring practice of the year:

• Stoops praised the team for doing a “great job” during winter workouts. He singled out several players for their offseason work, including WR Trey Metoyer, DE R.J. Washington, K Michael Hunnicutt, OL Derek Farniok and DE Chuka Ndulue. The praise of R.J. Washington was particularly noteworthy because Stoops mentioned how much his leadership had improved.
• Several key contributors will miss spring practice due to various injuries, per the Tulsa World: “Center Ben Habern (neck), defensive tackle Casey Walker (shoulder), strong safety Aaron Colvin (shoulder), linebacker Tom Wort and running back Dominique Whaley (ankle) will sit out the spring. Wort, Stoops said, might be able to return after spring break.” It was later reported by OU via Twitter that Wort was actually cleared to practice starting today. DB Bennett Okotcha is also expected to miss spring practices due to injury.
• The Tulsa World also notes that Stoops said “two players who were expected to miss spring — wide receiver Jaz Reynolds (kidney) and fullback Aaron Ripkowski (back) will be allowed to practice.” Stoops did note that Reynolds will likely “have a procedure at the end of spring that will sideline him just for probably three weeks.”
• Joe Powell, who had been switched from DB to WR at the end of last season due to some depth issues, will be back on defense for spring practices. Powell began his OU career as a WR.
• Stoops says Lane Johnson will be moved to LT. Daryl Williams and Tyrus Thompson are expected to compete for the RT position.