Podcast U: Sooner H-Backs Launch Newest Oklahoma Football Podcast

When it comes to podcasts about their favorite team, Oklahoma football fans have a brand new option — and it’s largely unprecedented.

Riding the wave of NIL momentum, Sooner H-backs Jeremiah Hall and Brayden Willis have launched the “Podcast on the Prairie,” and they’re using it as a platform to pull back the curtain a bit on the inner workings of college football.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON THE PRAIRIE

LISTEN TO THE SI SOONERS PODCAST

“Jeremiah came to me with the idea,” Willis said this week, “and I thought it would be a great thing with us being older guys, us knowing how the program works and everything like that.”

Episode 1 dropped on the usual podcast platforms this week, and after introducing themselves and gave a little background on their recruiting.

“(Lincoln Riley) called me one day and said they were gonna offer another H-back,” Hall says. “I said, ‘You know what? I don’t like that.’ So a couple days later, I committed to OU.”

Hall and Willis then offer a day in the life of the players’ grinding training camp schedule: get to the facility at 5:45 a.m., eat at 6:15, position meetings at 7:15, practice at 9, followed by lunch, medical treatments, naps, position meetings, dinner, team meetings and walk-throughs before heading home at 8:30 p.m.

“Coach Riley says there better not be any yawning or sleepy eyes,” Hall says. “You gotta be wide awake.”

They discuss the scorching Oklahoma heat, prompting Willis to reveal he likes “rocking the croptop” jersey during practice, which Hall has begun doing also.

“I don’t got abs like Brayden,” Willis says, “but it feels good.”

Hall also describes the new NCAA rule requiring that players have a minimum of three hours off between the end of practice and the next organized team activity, as well as the Name, Image and Likeness rules that allowed them to obtain a sponsor for their podcast.

“Shout out to the NCAA,” Hall says, “for getting some things right.”

Hall says the daily grind can be overwhelming sometimes.

“Sometimes it feels like the days run together,” he said. “This past week, I think it was Friday, and I thought it was Tuesday. I was really tripping.

Said Willis, “That’s just fall camp, man.”

Still, Hall said training camp is “the most fun time of the year” and “what we live for. Plus, it pays the bills.”

Willis expounded even further.

“We go through it,” he said, “because we want to win that national championship, man.”

As Hall said during Big 12 Media Days, the team is embracing lofty preseason expectations without losing sight of how to get there.

“We’re what, top 3 in these polls, huh?” Hall said. “In the words of Jalen Hurts: rat poison.”

He also said the leadership of players like Hurts, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray “really taught me how to handle these expectations. They taught me how to lead.”

And although both guys play offense, they have a deep admiration for defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

“The way Grinch comes prepared every single day to his defensive meetings, is something I’ve never seen in my life,” Hall said. “He’s like a poet. He always knows what to say.”

Hall said when the team breaks into offensive and defensive meetings, he likes to sit near the wall because sometimes he can “hear Grinch yelling” and he likes the message. “ … This guy speaks gold.”

“He makes you want to run through a wall,” Willis said. “ … Some of the things he says before games gets me going and I don’t even play defense.”

Hall and Willis finish their 36-minute podcast with a rapid-fire rundown of players who have been “under the radar” during training camp.

Mario Williams: “I was a 3-star, and we’re one of those guys like, ‘Stars don’t matter; we’ll see when we come to the field,’ “ Hall said. “That’s partially true. But Mario earned those stars.”
Mike Woods: “He’s gonna be a superstar for us,” Willis said. “The guy looks like he could join us in the H-back room. The guy looks great. And the guy is just a baller, man.”
Key Lawrence: “At the end of the day, football is football,” Hall said, “and once he realized that, that’s when he made the turnaround.”
Danny Stutsman: “He’s jumped in with the 1s and 2s and it’s been pretty seamless, man,” Willis said. “ … He’s gonna be a great player in the next couple years.”
Shane Whitter: “I think he’s the fastest linebacker we have,” Hall said “ … He kind of reminds me of Kenneth Murray in terms of his instincts, being in the right place at the right time.”

They also offer insight on D.J. Graham, Wanya Morris and Cody Jackson, as well as freshman quarterback Caleb Williams.

“Caleb is like a sponge,” Hall said. “He’s taking the time to learn and really get a feel for what it’s like to be an OU quarterback.”

Willis said during his Zoom press conference this week that he didn’t think the podcast would ever dive too deep into the weeds. Don’t count on any game plan reveals or criticism of opponents or discussions of controversial topics.

“The podcast isn’t really gonna be much Xs and Os,” Willis said. “Just really gonna be the personalities on the team and how the team goes about things and how we prepare. It’s going to be things of those nature.”

Both Hall and Willis are talkative and insightful and engaging during media interviews, and their personalities carry over into the podcast. It's clear they’ve seen the changing landscape in college football and are ahead of the curve.

“I’ve been around for a while,” Hall said in July, “so I didn't initially come into college for the NIL. So to me, it’s just like a bonus. It's nice to have, but it's not really my main focus. It’s similar to my approach on the field: I know I'm not the quarterback. I know I'm not receiver one, but whenever I do get the ball, I take advantage of those opportunities. So for the rest of the guys in college football, I hope they do the right thing and take advantage of the opportunities they have the right way. I guess we'll just see how this thing plays out. It's all new to me and new to you guys.”

“I speak for most of my team on this,” Willis said. “We are more focused on our goals as a team. If we complete our goals as a team, we’re going to get all the NIL deals and everything else from that. The better we’re doing as a team, the more eyes are on you and the more deals. We’re focused on the season, the team as a whole and whatever comes after that, comes.”

And as for those high expectations? Hall was all too eager to share with the podcast listeners.

“National Championship,” he said. “Nothing less, baby.”