Latest news with #JoeCastiglione
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
OU football announces details for Meet the Sooners Day
NORMAN — OU football's annual Meet the Sooners Day will be held Saturday, Aug. 2 at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The event begins at 1 p.m. and last 90 minutes. This year's Meet the Sooners Day is available only to 1Oklahoma members (age 13 and older) or OG&E Sooner Kids Club members (age 12 and younger. Sooner Kids Club members must be accompanied by an adult. Subscriptions to 1Oklahoma can be purchased on the collective's website. Sooner Kids Club memberships are available for $50 annually. The club includes access to other exclusive experiences and admission to several home OU sporting events. Representatives from both groups will be at the even to assist with new subscriptions and memberships. More: Mussatto: OU football is on unstable ground with Joe Castiglione's impending retirement Members of both clubs will receive a pair of mobile tickets approximately 24 hours before Meet the Sooners Day, with the tickets being non-transferrable. Screenshots will not be valid for entry. Attendees will enter at Gate 5 in the northwest corner of the stadium and regular game day metal-detector and clear-bag policies remain in effect. Schedule posters will be available for free to have autographed and fans may also bring on other item to have signed during the event. Only water will be available for purchase at the event, though fans can bring their own food and bottled water. Cool-zone areas will also be available. Fans can park in the Asp Avenue Parking Facility and Jenkins Avenue Parking Facility (southwest of Lindsey and Jenkins), as well as the Duck Pond lot east of the stadium. The Sooner Shop on the bottom level of the Asp Avenue Parking Facility on the stadium's west side will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the day of the event. Ticketing representatives will be available near Gate 5. OU opens its season Aug. 30 against Illinois State. MUSSATTO: OU football is on unstable ground with Joe Castiglione's impending retirement Ryan Aber covers OU athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Ryan? He can be reached at raber@ or on Twitter at @RyAber. Sign up for the OU Sooners newsletter to access more OU coverage. Support Ryan's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football announces details for Meet the Sooners Day
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
OU football questions for SEC media days start with Brent Venables, John Mateer
ATLANTA — There will be plenty of attention on OU football Wednesday when the Sooners make their rounds at SEC media days at the College Football Hall of Fame. Much of the focus will be on OU coach Brent Venables and quarterback John Mateer. Venables is entering a critical fourth season with plenty of uncertainty. The Sooners have finished with losing records in two of Venables' three seasons, and though the defense has improved greatly during his tenure, the offense slid significantly last season under Seth Littrell and Jackson Arnold. That led to Littrell being fired late in the season and Arnold ultimately transferring to Auburn with the hire of Ben Arbuckle as the new offensive coordinator and Mateer's transfer from Washington State. The college football landscape also continues to shift, with the House settlement and potential legislation looming over the sport and demanding nimble changes. CARLSON: Adding ninth SEC game would be financial windfall for OU football, but all isn't positive While some of the pressure of those changes was mitigated by the hiring of general manager Jim Nagy and his staff will bear much of that brunt, Venables remains the face of the program. Venables also figures to face questions about the recent announcement that athletic director Joe Castiglione will retire, including how that eventual move will affect Venables' job security. While Venables isn't likely to say much about the additional pressure of this season for him — he's repeatedly said the pressure he puts on himself every season outweighs any external pressure — there's no doubt this is a critical season for Venables' tenure. After a 6-7 finish last season, OU figures to need to show progress for Venables to remain beyond 2025. In addition to Venables and Mateer, the Sooners will be represented at the event by defensive end R Mason Thomas and safety Robert Spears-Jennings. Here are three other storylines for the Sooners entering their media days session and several other storylines for the event: More: Josh Heupel excited to have former OU football teammate Seth Littrell on Tennessee's staff How good will Ben Arbuckle, John Mateer's OU football offense be? Like most years at media days, OU football's quarterback will be the talk of the Sooners' allotted time at the event. Mateer led the country with 44 touchdowns last regular season at Washington State. Now, he and former Cougars offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle have teamed up in Norman to see if they can replicate their success in the SEC. Arbuckle and Mateer spent the spring teaching their offense that ranked 12th nationally a season ago with 38.8 points per game. OU's QB1 spoke during spring ball about how important this summer would be for continuing to build chemistry with his teammates and for his personal development. He spent time as a counselor at the Manning Academy in Louisiana and it'll be insightful to hear where he thinks the Sooners' offense is just a few weeks out from preseason camp. Coming off a historically poor offensive performance last season which culminated in Seth Littrell's firing as offensive coordinator and quarterback Jackson Arnold's transfer to Auburn, Brent Venables and OU think they've found their guys in Arbuckle and Mateer. All signs point to Mateer cementing himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC and all eyes will be on him as he makes his media days debut on Wednesday. More: OU athletics sets gifts record for 2025 fiscal year What do R Mason Thomas and Robert Spears-Jennings have to say about the Sooners' veteran defense? While OU lost Some big-time players from last year's defense in Danny Stutsman, Billy Bowman and Ethan Downs, they've still got plenty of experience and talent returning. Thomas and Spears-Jennings each made significant strides next season to help the Sooners' defense pack plenty of punch. Spears-Jennings was second on the team with 66 tackles and led the Sooners with four forced fumbles. Thomas led OU with nine sacks, four more than any other Sooners defender. While both will undoubtedly be asked about their increased leadership roles, as well as the growth of their own games, they'll also surely have plenty to say about the state of the defense as a whole and its growth since spring practices ended. More: OU to permit football tailgating on North Oval for first time during 2025 season Whose stock has risen this summer and injury updates? It's been over three months since OU's spring camp came to a close with its first-ever Crimson Combine. Every media days there is buzz around players who have taken a jump during the summer and coaches usually provide the latest updates on injuries. The Sooners have several injuries Venables will certainly be asked about including how Javonnie Gibson is progressing after breaking his leg during spring practice and if Jayden Gibson will be ready for the season. Eli Bowen and Kendel Dolby have been rehabbing and Venables will surely provide an update on their statuses. OU also received a few transfers following spring camp including offensive lineman Jake Maikkula and kicker Tate Sandell, and it'll be interesting to hear how their summers have been. More: Adding ninth SEC game would be financial windfall for OU football, but all isn't positive Other storylines to watch for at SEC media days How Jackson Arnold is fitting in at Auburn: Arnold will represent the Tigers at media days as their QB1. What he'll say about his time at OU, his offseason and his expectations at Auburn will be fascinating. SEC folks' reactions to Joe Castiglione's retirement news: The most significant story of the Sooners' offseason will be a hot topic. Castiglione is one of the most respected athletic directors in the country. Arch Manning mania: While OU feels like it has found its difference-maker at quarterback, no player in the country will have more expectations on him than Manning. Brenen Thompson's reunion with Jeff Lebby: It'll be interesting to hear former Sooners wide receiver Brenen Thompson's thoughts on playing under Jeff Lebby again at Mississippi State and his reflections on his time at OU. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football questions for SEC media days start with Brent Venables
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Could Oklahoma hire Mississippi State's Zac Selmon as athletic director? Here's what it would take
This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy. STARKVILLE — Oklahoma needs a new athletic director, and it could impact Mississippi State. Joe Castiglione announced his planned retirement as the Sooners AD on July 8 at a news conference. The plan is for him to remain in the role until a new AD is hired, then Castiglione would be emeritus athletic director until June 30, 2028. Advertisement Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon was quickly mentioned in media reports as a candidate to replace Castiglione because of his ties to OU. How realistic is it that Selmon could depart for Oklahoma? Here's what that could look like. How Zac Selmon is connected to Oklahoma Selmon was hired as the Mississippi State athletic director in January 2023 after spending a long time at Oklahoma. He worked there from 2015-23 under Castiglione, serving various roles as an associate athletic director. Selmon played football at Wake Forest, but got his master's degree at Oklahoma in 2010 and was a graduate assistant in the athletic department. His father, Dewey Selmon, and uncle Lee Roy Selmon both played football at Oklahoma before playing in the NFL. Zac Selmon's contract buyout at Mississippi State Selmon signed a contract extension in February that ties him as the MSU athletic director through Jan. 31, 2029. His salary is $1.25 million this year, and would increase by $25,000 annually each time MSU renewed the contract. Advertisement The buyout is 75% of his remaining salary if he goes to an SEC school. Oklahoma joined the SEC in 2024. A termination date of Aug. 1 would put his buyout just over $3.2 million. What Oklahoma said about AD candidates Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz Jr. said on July 8 that the school wants to hire "Joe 2.0." Castiglione has been the Oklahoma AD since 1998 and is the longest-tenured current AD in major college sports. "The athletic director we are looking for next is someone that can identify the landscape and act," Harroz said. "I think a lot of people could have identified it and had identified it before Oklahoma and Texas made their move (to the SEC). But Joe identified it, and said, 'We got to move,' and then that took place. So, when we look at the attributes that we need for the next athletic director, it's someone that has both the vision, an understanding of the landscape and the ability to act." Advertisement Randall Stephenson, the former AT&T chairman and CEO, is leading the search for Oklahoma. He's been an executive adviser to Harroz and Castiglione since December. Harroz said a search committee will be announced soon, with Castiglione as an adviser. What Zac Selmon has accomplished as Mississippi State athletic director Selmon inherited a challenging situation at MSU, being hired one month after the death of football coach Mike Leach. The football program has struggled in the two seasons since then. It went 5-7 in 2023 with coach Zach Arnett — hired before Selmon — and 2-10 in 2024 in coach Jeff Lebby's first season, hired by Selmon from Oklahoma. The men's basketball team has made the NCAA tournament three consecutive years and the women's basketball team has in two of the past three seasons. The baseball program has made two consecutive NCAA regionals, despite firing coach Chris Lemonis in April. Selmon hired Virginia's Brian O'Connor as the new coach, giving O'Connor a contract that pays him as one of the top coaches in college baseball. Softball, tennis and soccer have had recent success, too. Advertisement MORE: Inside Brian O'Connor's first month as Mississippi State baseball coach: Ace Reese and more Mississippi State announced eight seven-figure donations in the 2024 fiscal year — a school record. That included an $8 million donation in September, the second largest in MSU athletics history, to form the State Excellence Fund. LED lights are being installed at the football stadium for the 2025 season. A 10-year master facilities plan was unveiled in January. In May, a $60 million project to build a football indoor practice facility was announced. Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@ and follow him on X @sklarsam_. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Could Oklahoma hire Mississippi State's Zac Selmon as athletic director?
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Social media reactions to the news of Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione retiring
Big news hit Sooner Nation on Monday morning when it broke that Oklahoma Sooners athletic director Joe Castiglione would be retiring at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year. Oklahoma will begin searching for his replacement in the coming months, but Castiglione's impact on the University of Oklahoma can't be understated. From helping OU Athletics dig out of a financial hole to the 26 national championships and ushering the Sooners into the SEC and through the start of the name, image, and likeness era, Castiglione has helped OU navigate a lot of changes in collegiate athletics over the last 27 years. From media to administrators, fans and former athletes, many took to social media to express their admiration for Joe Castiglione over the last couple of days. Here's how social media reacted to the retirement of "Joe C." From the President From SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey From his son What an impact From the Protege From the Broadcast Booth From former Sooner Trent Ratterree A Legend in Admin The GOAT A Mentor to Many One of a Kind Game recognizes game Friend to Many Made a lasting Impact From Oklahoma Men's Gymanstics Coach South Carolina Head Coach Shane Beamer Oklahoma Football GM Jim Nagy Former OU Softball Star Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione announces retirement plans
Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione announced Tuesday that the upcoming academic year will be his last in charge of the department, with an official retirement planned for June 2028. Joined by his family and peers, the 67-year-old Castiglione spoke at a news conference to explain his decision to step down after 27 years of leadership. 'In the past couple of months, I've moved from a fleeting thought to some deep life reflections. We all do that from time to time, thinking about my career, my life journey, my family, my faith, I guess you could say life itself,' Castiglione said. 'When is the right time? When is the right time to pass the baton? When is the best time to make an announcement like this? I'm not sure if it's ever perfect or predictable, but they always say you'll know.' Castiglione will help the university with its search for a replacement during the 2025-2026 academic year before transitioning into a special projects role for a couple of years. 'I wanted to give the university plenty of runway to facilitate a search as I enter my final year as AD," he said. "I'm really grateful they've asked that I'd stay on in a role for a couple of years, not only to help with the transition, but there's some really special and key projects for our future here at Oklahoma that I'm going to be very proud to help the whole staff and the university at large see to fruition.' The Sooners during Castiglione's tenure won 26 national titles, nine of which belonged to men's gymnastics and eight to women's softball. In 2024, he helped orchestrate a move to the Southeastern Conference after 30 years of competing in the Big 12. Oklahoma aims to find a successor who will build off his success and help guide the program through the revenue-sharing era in college sports. Board of Regents chair Anita Holloway acknowledged finding a replacement is no easy task. 'Needless to say, Joe is irreplaceable,' Holloway said. 'But one thing I will leave you with today is Sooner Nation, you have my and the entire Board of Regents' personal commitment that we will make sure that we're hiring the next best athletic director in the country. We want to continue the legacy that Joe Castiglione has set for us: a performance of integrity, and national championships.' ___
