Lee and Grant open the show by digging into OU’s strange takeaway numbers from last year and talk about why 2025 was a major outlier in Brent Venables' career.

The guys also discuss Parker Thune’s observation about Oklahoma’s projected defensive starters being almost entirely recruited and developed by OU, and what that says about the defensive staff under Venables.

Later, the guys make predictions for half of the SEC, including Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Auburn, South Carolina, Georgia, Vanderbilt and OU.

Chapters/Timecodes

00:00 — Opening Take -- Oklahoma’s bizarre 2025 takeaway numbers 05:04 — Revisiting the takeaway discussion from Through the Keyhole 14:23 — What would be a satisfying takeaway total for Oklahoma in 2026? 17:32 — Parker Thune’s tweet about OU’s projected defensive starters 21:26 — Why OU’s defensive trajectory under Venables still has room to grow 27:16 — Running back development concerns and offensive staff questions 30:17 — Brent Venables vs. Lincoln Riley: defensive head coach vs. offensive head coach 32:05 — What OU needs to show against UTEP in the season opener 38:26 — SEC Media Days setup and preseason prediction format 42:37 — Kentucky season prediction 51:57 — Tennessee season prediction 54:02 — Lee’s concern about Tennessee and a possible late-season collapse 58:18 — Missouri season prediction 01:03:27 — Auburn season prediction 01:07:34 — South Carolina season prediction 01:10:16 — Grant predicts trouble for South Carolina 01:11:20 — Georgia season prediction 01:14:37 — Vanderbilt season prediction is a crossfire 01:17:48 — Oklahoma season prediction (we reserve the right to change this) 01:26:34 — Big 12 media days and conference realignment discussion 01:29:33 — SEC vs. Big Ten, ESPN/FPI criticism and media narratives 01:34:08 — How to compare SEC and Big Ten depth

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#sooners #oklahomafootball #oufootball #sec #secfootball #collegefootball #cfb #georgiafootball #kentuckyfootball #vanderbiltfootball

John Mateer has been the talk of the college football world for the last 6-9 days.

Lee and Grant discuss Mateer’s viral offseason moments and the recent reports about his thumb injury, throwing motion, mechanics, and offseason work to become a better passer.

Plus the guys talk about OU moving its 2026 season opener against UTEP to Friday night, the NCAA’s proposed five-year eligibility model, and a few corrections from last week’s episode!

We save some World Cup talk for the end if that interests you.

Chapters/Timecodes

00:00 — Opening Take -- John Mateer’s big week: viral squat video, Manning Passing Academy and throwing mechanics 06:16 — Show correction: 31 personnel vs. 13 personnel 07:19 — Lee and Grant reintroduce themselves to new YouTube viewers 10:07 — West of Everest’s role in the OU football podcast ecosystem 12:29 — Grant’s reaction to all the John Mateer offseason attention 14:52 — Mateer’s viral front squat video and Manning Passing Academy look 19:50 — Breaking down Mateer’s throwing motion and release 20:08 — Why Mateer still looks like a natural three-quarter arm passer 21:15 — Comparing pre-injury and post-injury Mateer 24:01 — Watching Mateer’s Oklahoma debut against Illinois State 24:45 — Mateer’s arm angle, release style and natural throwing motion 25:03 — Mateer’s arm strength and the Josh Allen comparison 25:49 — Why changing quarterback mechanics takes time and thousands of reps 28:15 — Evaluating recent Manning Passing Academy clips 31:09 — Reviewing more Mateer throws from Manning Passing Academy 36:41 — Oklahoma’s 2026 season opener against UTEP moves to Friday night 37:02 — Roger Denny’s statement on the Friday night opener 37:51 — Why the Friday opener gives OU an extra day before Michigan 41:04 — Looking back at OU’s previous Friday night opener against Temple 41:20 — Why West of Everest sounded the alarm early on the 2024 OU offense 43:25 — Comparing the Temple opener to Mateer’s Illinois State debut 44:33 — What elite Oklahoma offenses used to look like against overmatched opponents 45:58 — NCAA’s proposed five-year eligibility model 47:06 — How the new age-based eligibility clock would work 48:33 — Why the proposed model could change redshirts and record books 52:52 — Can the NCAA actually enforce new eligibility rules after recent lawsuits? 54:02 — Collective bargaining, unions and the future of college athlete rules 57:02 — Show corrections segment begins 57:52 — Revisiting the Kip Lewis linebacker discussion 01:00:00 — Curtis Lofton correction: best OU linebacker since Rufus Alexander? 01:01:16 — Minnesota football and paying players in the 1980s 01:04:29 — Happy Fourth of July and World Cup talk 01:04:48 — Why the USMNT in the World Cup still feels like a big deal 01:06:02 — Folarin Balogun, red cards and FIFA decision-making 01:10:19 — Soccer replay debate: slow motion, red cards and rule interpretation 01:13:01 — Comparing replay in soccer to replay in football 01:16:17 — Should red cards punish intent, danger or outcome? 01:22:41 — What soccer might look like with a few rule tweaks 01:25:19 — Closing thoughts and where to follow West of Everest

Follow West of Everest

Subscribe to the West of Everest YouTube channel for full episodes, clips and Shorts. Follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and please leave a five-star rating and review if you enjoy the podcast.

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#OklahomaFootball #OUFootball #Sooners #JohnMateer #CollegeFootball #WestOfEverest

The guys are back for a full summer reset as the 2026 college football season gets closer.

The guys start with the three most interesting things about OU football in 2026, including whether Brent Venables’ Oklahoma defense can be even better this season, why the Sooners may be underrated nationally, the importance of John Mateer taking a step forward, and what to make of Oklahoma’s difficult SEC schedule.

Then, Lee and Grant play a John Mateer “Would You Rather” quarterback game, comparing Oklahoma’s QB to several major names around college football, including Arch Manning, CJ Carr, Marcel Reed, Darian Mensah, Gunnar Stockton, Rocco Becht, Connor Weigman, Kevin Jennings, Sam Leavitt and more.

Later, the guys hit on Owen Heinecke’s preliminary injunction before diving into the wild Brendan Sorsby gambling/NCAA/Texas Tech/Big 12 situation, what it says about NCAA enforcement power, and why courts are becoming such a major part of modern college football.

The episode wraps with thoughts on OU baseball winning the national championship and how the Sooners got hot at the perfect time.

West of Everest is an Oklahoma football podcast hosted by Lee Benson and Grant Benson.

00:00 — Intro: West of Everest is back 04:50 — Ratings, reviews, and growing the show 05:30 — Top 3 most interesting things about OU football in 2026 06:00 — Why OU’s defense may be underrated nationally 10:00 — David Stone, Kip Lewis, Owen Heinecke and Oklahoma’s defensive ceiling 11:20 — Comparing Brent Venables’ OU defense to his Clemson defenses 15:35 — OU player ratings, David Stone hype, and Kip Lewis appreciation 21:00 — John Mateer, Ben Arbuckle and Oklahoma’s offensive continuity 23:00 — Running back room concerns: Xavier Robinson, Tory Blaylock, Lloyd Avant and Deland McCullough 27:10 — Can tight ends really fix Oklahoma’s run game? 28:25 — Oklahoma’s 2026 win total and brutal SEC schedule 30:35 — Michigan, Georgia, Texas and OU’s season-defining early stretch 35:15 — John Mateer “Would You Rather” quarterback game begins 37:30 — John Mateer or Connor Weigman? 39:35 — John Mateer or Kevin Jennings? 41:10 — John Mateer or CJ Carr? 43:30 — John Mateer or Josh Hoover? 46:40 — John Mateer or Marcel Reed? 48:15 — John Mateer or Sam Leavitt? 51:10 — John Mateer or Darian Mensah? 57:00 — John Mateer or Gunnar Stockton? 59:30 — John Mateer or Rocco Becht? 01:01:10 — John Mateer or Arch Manning? 01:03:55 — Notable other QBs around the nation 01:11:00 — Brady Trantham’s wild OU rushing stat 01:13:00 — Owen Heinecke preliminary injunction discussion 01:14:15 — The UNC Charlotte example that may have helped Heinecke’s case 01:17:40 — Grant’s view: Heinecke was probably always getting the injunction 01:18:40 — Brendan Sorsby discussion begins 01:19:45 — Sorsby timeline: gambling investigation, NCAA ruling, injunction and Big 12 response 01:21:50 — NFL Supplemental Draft and CFL fallout for Sorsby 01:23:00 — Courts, NCAA rules and the “toothless NCAA” debate 01:45:20 — New NCAA eligibility rule lawsuits and where this could be headed 01:46:35 — OU baseball wins the national championship 01:47:40 — How OU baseball got hot at the perfect time 01:51:50 — OU baseball’s title as a potential curse-breaker 01:54:35 — Closing: follow West of Everest on YouTube, X, Instagram and Facebook