Fleming, who was second nationally in passes broken up, will be a senior this season. He will likely have to win his job back from sophomore Gabe Lynn, who replaced Fleming in the spring.

Jones, OU’s quarterback, and Hand, a guard on the OU’s women’s basketball team, have been dating for two-and-a-half years.

“Thank you all for the sweet engagement wishes!!! We are so blessed by all of our sweet friends and can’t wait for this journey!!!” Hand tweeted late Sunday.

-JT

Neal is rated the 32nd overall prospect in the Class of 2012 by Rivals.com

The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder accounted for 1,914 total yards and 31 touchdowns while playing wide receiver, quarterback, running back, cornerback, safety and returning punts and kickoffs for DeSmet High School.

He has already accepted an invitation to play in the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio.

Neal had racked up more than 20 scholarship offers, including Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Oregon State, USC and Wisconsin.

The Sooners now have eight commitments for the class of 2012.

-JT

Apparently, according to this writer, Alabama has interest and is looking for a suitor.

Would OU have interest in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game?

Sure.

Does OU have interest in playing Alabama there?

Uh, no.

Bob Stoops has proven over the years he’s not afraid to play a tough non-conference schedule. The Sooners go to Tallahassee to play Florida State in September. In fact, OU played and swept a home-and-home with the Tide in 2002 and 2003.

But there are limits.

In 2013, OU already is scheduled to go to South Bend to take on Notre Dame. Playing Alabama too would be insanity.

The Sooners have little interest in adding further marquee non-conference opponents considering what they already have slated:

2012
→at TCU
→Notre Dame

2013
→Tulsa
→at Notre Dame

2014
→Tennessee
→at Tulsa

2015
→at Tennessee
→Tulsa

2016
→Ohio State

2017
→at Ohio State

2018
→Army
→LSU

2019
→at LSU

2020
→at Army

MOOKIE BLAYLOCK’S TWIN BOYS are going to Kentucky. But they won’t be playing for John Calipari.

Instead, Zack and Daron Blaylock will be playing football.

Zack is expected to play safety. Daron Blaylock is more of an outside linebacker.

The boys, who attend Walton High School in Marietta, Ga., had offers from UK, Duke, Maryland, Cincinnati and Louisville.

The Blaylock boys, of course, are sons of Mookie Blaylock, who starred at point guard at OU under Billy Tubbs before playing in the NBA.

-JT

The 6-foot, 190-pound Striker was also considering Iowa and Mississippi. Instead, he gives OU its second commitment from the state of Florida this week. The Sooners also got a pledge from Tallahassee tight end Laith Harlow.

Striker had a dozen sacks last season for Armwood High School.

OU now has seven commitments for the Class of 2012.

-JT

The panel will examine several areas, including “governance and oversight by bowl sponsoring agencies, conflict-of-interest rules and policies, advertising and title-sponsorship standards and the oversight and reporting of financial management of bowl games.”

Others on the task force include co-chairman Harvey Perlman (chancellor of the University of Nebraska) and Kenneth Chenault ( CEO of American Express), Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe.

The task force expects to report findings and recommendations to the NCAA board of directors in October.

-JT

Tuesday, Kittle and the Sooners plucked tight end Laith Harlow out of Tallahassee, Fla., according to Rivals.com, giving OU six commitments for the Class of 2012.

Harlow, 6-5, 245 pounds, had offers from Alabama, Miami, Notre Dame, South Carolina and UCLA. He is a 4-star prospect according to Rivals, and a 3-star recruit according to Scout.com.

-JT

According to Sheriff David Greene of the Milam County Sheriff’s Office, Everage, 30, drowned in the Little River about 80 miles northeast of Austin.

Authorities received a call late Friday about a possible drowning and commenced a widespread search into the night. Everage’s friends told police he had been swimming, went under water, but never resurfaced.

Everage’s body was finally found by a dive team about 10:50 a.m. Saturday, and he was immediately pronounced dead. His body has been sent to the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

Everage, a native of Granger, Texas, played safety at OU from 1999-2003. He was a member of the 2000 national championship team and earned All-American honors 2002

Everage’s unexpected death caps what’s been a tragic couple of weeks for the Sooner community. On Friday, friends and family gathered in Enid for the funeral of 22-year-old Austin Box, who passed away May 19 after being found unresponsive at a friend’s home.

-JT

The same day Oklahoma linebacker Austin Box was memorialized at his funeral in Enid, former All-American safety Brandon Everage may have drowned in his hometown of Granger, Texas, according to multiple former OU players.

Everage fell off a boat and never resurfaced.

No official confirmation has been made, but several “RIP” messages were sent out via social media Saturday morning by people claiming to be family members.

Everage played safety at OU from 1999-2003 and was a member of the 2000 national championship team. He was an All-American in 2002, and is regarded as one of the hardest hitters to play in the Bob Stoops era.

-JT

The Tulsa World first reported Venables’ brother’s death Saturday, after he canceled a previously scheduled phone interview.

“My brother passed away (Friday) unexpectedly,” Venables wrote in a text to the World. “Young, 43 years old. Had to leave town immediately.”

It’s unclear how his brother passed away, but an OU official verified the news.

With head coach Bob Stoops on vacation in Europe, it was Venables who addressed reporters Thursday after it was confirmed that Box had passed away.

“We’re numb, heartbroken,” Venables said then. “Austin was a great teammate. He was a joy to coach. Everybody on our team loved him. He will be greatly missed.”

-JT