By Zac Ellis

The deadly tornadoes that hit the town of Moore, Okla., this week left a path of terrible destruction and damage. Now, the state’s college football teams are playing their part to help the victims of the tragedy.

Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Tulsa have banded together to sell 2013 Oklahoma Disaster Relief T-shirts, which feature all three team logos and the phrase “OK TOGETHER.” The shirts, available in short-sleeve and long-sleeve versions, are only for sale on all three schools’ athletic websites. All proceeds go directly to the United Way for disaster relief efforts.

Oklahoma’s SoonerSports.com team shop described the idea behind the T-shirt sales:

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By Holly Anderson

SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: This LandThieves video contains mature language and is not safe for office environments, nursing mothers, women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant, readers with heart, neck or back conditions, small children, animals, houseplants, night terrors sufferers, the elderly, those with chronic illness, diabetics or vegans.

Kendal Thompson, seen here in an upright moment. (AP)

By Holly Anderson

In the police blotter sleeper hit of the week, we have Oklahoma quarterback Kendal Thompson getting scooped up for public intoxication, which normally wouldn’t trip our sensors too terribly, except that the police report is too entertaining to be believed. First, the cute:

According to the arresting affidavit, Norman police officer Steven Boxford and another officer were responding to a loud party complaint at 730 Stinson St. when Boxford spotted Thompson lying on a hill on his right side and snoring.

BAWWWW Y’ALL HE’S JUST NAPPIN’. College kids need naps more than kindergarteners. Intrepid reader @MrButterChicken has some thoughts:

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Safety Tray Matthews seems ready to become a key contributor for Georgia’s defense. (Dale Zanine/USA Today Sports)

By Zac Ellis

While many top recruits wait until late in the summer to arrive on campus each year, the practice of enrolling early is becoming more and more popular across college football. By adapting to school and taking part in spring practice, incoming freshmen and juco transfers are able start learning a system  — and working their way up the depth chart.

According to a USA Today report, 162 high school prospects in BCS automatic-qualifying conferences opted to enroll early in 2013, the highest total since 2002. In all, 61 of the 73 AQ-conference schools brought in at least one early enrollee.

Skipping senior prom in lieu of helmets and pads can have its advantages. Here are 10 early enrollees, listed alphabetically, who raised eyebrows across the nation:

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OU’s Bob Stoops spoke out against a potential pay-for-play model. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

The notion of a pay-for-play system in college sports has become an increasingly popular topic of conversation, and as the revenue generated from television networks continues to climb, the movement to do away with the current model of amateurism has grown louder and more threatening to the NCAA.

Apparently, that line of thinking doesn’t resonate with everyone. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops believes his players get enough already. Here’s Stoops to Matt Hayes of The Sporting News:

I don’t get why people say these guys don’t get paid. It’s simple, they are paid quite often, quite a bit and quite handsomely.

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Always great to see Coach Switzer at @OU_Football practice. Hey @GotBoz44 I think Coach borrowed your jacket! http://t.co/FeZKl25RJk—
Pete Moris (@PeteMoris) March 10, 2013

Barry Switzer is the sun, and we are but surly planets orbiting about him.

We don’t remember “the winning end of the Cotton Bowl stadium and the losing end of the Cotton Bowl game” being part of Oh The Places You’ll Go!, but it’s been a while:

Celebrating Read Across America Week with Dr. Seuss and @OU_Football at Adams Elementary in Norman! http://t.co/WH63nfalMj—
Oklahoma Sooners (@SoonerSportscom) March 01, 2013

(For real, this, of course, is an excellent initiative. Maybe next week the school can import Johnny Manziel to get these moppets started on reading defenses.)

Five-star defensive end recruit Dee Liner has made a beeline away from Auburn. (Icon SMI)

• IMPORTANT DEE LINER, D-LINER NEWS. We did promise you at the end of the season that we wouldn’t get mired too deep in recruiting antics, not being super interested in prospects until they actually take the field in August, but exceptions will always be made for defensive ends named Dee Liner. Liner, a five-star prospect from Muscle Shoals who’s ranked by Rivals as the second-best overall recruit at his position, has decommitted from Auburn, citing the loss of his relationships with Gene Chizik and Trooper Taylor. This has been a public service announcement to remind you all that there is a defensive prospect out there named Dee Liner. Thank you.

• Coach-hirin’ follies! Coordinators snapped up by new schools since we last typed in this here box: Bill Cubit (OC) at Illinois, Josh Conklin (DC) at FIU, David Gibbs (DC) at Houston and — reportedly — Scot Loeffler at Virginia Tech.

• Roster blotter. Roster moves and non-moves since we last typed in this here box: Notre Dame’s Cierre Wood intends to turn pro; Oklahoma’s Aaron Colvin will return; Houston’s Charles Sims is staying a Cougar for one more year; and Nebraska’s Sean Fisher is forgoing a possible sixth season of eligibility in favor of medical school, the little scamp.

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There is no such thing as a compelling photo of NCAA COI deliberations, so here is Sebastian in a vaguely menacing posture. (AP)

Assorted items of varying degrees of interest which you may have missed while grudgingly watching playoff football and sending surly tweets to the Golden Globes:

• The NCAA is Lucy, and Miami football is the football, and we are Charlie Brown running toward it, or something? This metaphor holds up only to demonstrate how very much we wish for this all to be over, but here we go: The Miami Herald is calling the release of NCAA allegations against the Hurricanes football program “imminent,” just short of the investigation’s two-year anniversary. Bylaw Blogger John Infante lays out all the ways this process could still be stalled, and how the Miami case might affect Oregon’s.

• Mike Stoops also a fan of Hi Haters Friday! Friday night, 6:06 p.m., Tulsa World‘s John E. Hoover posts a transcript excerpt of a Mike Stoops radio interview, specifically a question regarding Johnny Football: “They’re gonna be tough to deal with. If they can keep him out of jail or keep him eligible, he’s gonna be pretty good.” Friday night, 10:37 p.m., Tulsa World post headline: “Mike Stoops regrets controversial comments on Manziel.” Had Stoops’ defense possessed that kind of on-the-fly adaptability in the Cotton Bowl, perhaps Manziel would not have scored four touchdowns against it, PAAAOWL.

• Roster blotter. In better news for Miami: Seantrel Henderson, Brandon Linder and Curtis Porter announced Monday morning they all intend to return to the ‘Canes in 2013 … in even better news for Profiteroles fans, Dri Archer will stay on for his senior season at Kent State … Iowa State quarterback Jared “That Kid Who Beat Oklahoma State” Barnett and linebacker C.J. Morgan intend to transfer … Texas defensive tackle Brandon Moore will enter the draft … also declaring is USC corner Nickell Robey, whom we will dearly miss watching because of his too-perfect defensive name … Oregon linebacker Anthony Wallace will transfer … Case McCoy and Jordan Hicks have been reinstated at Texas … and Casey Pachall returns to the Horned Frogs.

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The story of one night in the postseason, as told through social media:

Johnny Manziel spotted sitting courtside for Texas A&M game.

— Jason Kirk (@JasonKirkSBN) January 5, 2013

Before kickoff, there might not be an empty seat in all of Cowboys Stadium. Ridiculous crowd.

— David Ubben (@davidubben) January 5, 2013

Veteran press box observer notes that #SEC team has never lost in Cowboys Stadium, and that #TAMU has never won here #somethingsgottogive

— Brad Marquardt (@bradthejag) January 4, 2013

@bryandfischer Have you seen the Red River game the last few years? Texas does whatever the hell Oklahoma tells it to these days.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) January 5, 2013

Watching the guy in the horse suit running just behind Oklahoma’s actual horses is kind of depressing.

— Matt Hinton (@MattRHinton) January 5, 2013

@ry_hudson John Sports

— Danger Guerrero (@DangerGuerrero) January 5, 2013

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