After a long drive from Norman I stepped on the hotel elevator about 8:30 pm in the Dallas suburb Los Colinas, looking forward to the deep pillows the Omni Mandalay had waiting for me.
I had passed dozens of college kids I recognized in the lobby.
Previously unknown to me I had booked a room at OU’s team hotel the night before the 2018 Big 12 Championship.
Sooners were everyone when I arrived and checked in. Kyler Murray was on a bench with his parents eating carry out. His offensive line was near the lobby piano, in not what you would call a raucous carrying on, but it was a lively conversation just the same.
But I was beat. This wasn’t the first time I’d been around an Oklahoma Sooners football team. And I no longer get star struck by college athletes, no matter what jerseys they wear. I was going to call it a day.
Before the elevator doors closed, CeeDee Lamb stepped onboard and I noticed he had a book in his hand. No one else was on the elevator when the doors closed and we went up.
“How you doin’?” was my erudite introduction.
“Gotta get some sleep. And do some reading first,” Lamb said.
I remember thinking: This guy is going to have a good day tomorrow.
While his teammates were mostly just hanging out like any college kids might do, CeeDee Lamb was all business. And this was before anyone named Jalen Hurts had arrived in Norman with his own all-business attitude.
The next day at Dallas Cowboys Stadium Lamb was the star Sooner in the 39-27 win over Texas, with six catches for 167 yards and one touchdown.
Some call that massive stadium “Jerry’s World”, but Lamb made Dallas Cowboy Stadium his place that day.
The win propelled the Sooners to the College Football Playoffs. And while Kyler Murray might have been the brightest star to grab attention on that team, Lamb was as instrumental in its success as anyone.
On Thursday Lamb was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft to play on the same turf, this time for the Dallas Cowboys themselves.
The first round of the NFL Draft — at least as far as Oklahoma is concerned — was a draft of the good guys. Lamb by the Cowboys and and teammate Kenneth Murray by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Considering Murray played on a maligned defensive squad, being the 23rd player selected in the 2020 draft should tell you his abilities carried the defense.
That was especially true last year when he lead the team in tackles with 102. He was a third team AP All-American, first team All-Big 12 and was semifinalist for the Bednarik and Butkus awards.
His 28 tackles against Army in 2018 was the second most in school history.
On the second day of the draft the storied QB Jalen Hurts continued on his remarkable football journey by being drafted by Philadelphia in the second round.
Hurts was third in the country in total offense last yeasr (367.8 ypg) and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up. He led the nation in yards per pass attempt (11.3) and ranked second in passing efficiency rating (191.2).
“Jalen had a great influence on our program in such a short amount of time. He had a really unparalleled journey through college football and we’re happy and feel thankful the last year of that journey was with us,” Oklahoma Coach Lincoln Riley said.
In the third round defensive lineman Neville Gallimore was drafted by the Cowboys too.
The Canadian born Gallimore was first team All-Big 12 in 2019. He played in 52 career games, totaled 148 tackles, 18 for a loss and had 8.5 sacks.
Against Texas Gallimore had four solo tackles in 2019. Gallimore graduated early with a degree in cultural awareness and was in the human relations master’s program.
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